How to: authenticate Christian Dior Jewelry

Dior jewelry - how to authenticate blog

Let's take a look at authentic Dior jewelry

Dior was founded in 1947. Since then, women's style has become more feminine than ever. Dior believed that jewelry was just as much a part of fashion as clothing. His jewelry is designed to complement his clothing collections. Christian Dior jewelry is really worth collecting. The items will keep their value or even increase in value as the items become increasingly rare. Read our blog to find out how to distinguish the real Dior jewelry and find out what great Dior pieces we have in our collection, we are sure the perfect Dior item is waiting for you.

Dior jewelry

Trending

Wearing Dior jewelry is a mega trend right now: both new and vintage necklaces are very popular. Well-known influencers have been spotted wearing Dior jewelry, for example Kylie Jenner loves wearing Dior necklaces. Considering that Christian Dior has always been responsible for setting and influencing trends, it's no surprise that influencers and their followers agree that Dior jewelry can make any outfit look so elegant and fashionable.

“Color is what gives jewels their worth. They light up and enhance the face. Nothing is more elegant than a black skirt and sweater worn with a sparkling multi-stone necklace.” - Christian Dior.

Dior jewelry


Logo signatures

So, how do you identify a real Dior jewelry piece? First of all, take a closer look at the logo signatures. Take a close look at the consistency and right font of the logo. The quality of the engraving, if applicable, if very important here as well. Look at overall evenness, the placing of the signature and uniformity. Typically, the jewelry will have a 'CD' or 'D' logo pendant at the end of the chain, with an extension that is used to adjust the length of the piece. Some necklaces do not have the extension, but they always have the pendant with the 'CD' or 'D' logo like all jewelry. 

Hallmarks 

Second, the most reliable factor that can verify Dior jewelry is its characteristics. It is an official stamp that allows you to verify the chain. The stamp can tell you where the piece was made and also in what year. What the hallmark tells you depends on the year in which the Dior jewelry was made. There are variations on the signatures from 1947 upto today.

Next to being a remarkable designer, Christian Dior was a business man. He understood that he was surrounded by talented costume jewelry manufacturers in Paris, but also abroad. He enlisted only the bes of them to produce for his brand. These companies and designers were known as paruriers. Some of the paruriers to look out for, are the following.

  • Jewelry items from the 1950s are often made by designer Kramer. They are marked "Kramer for Dior", "Dior by Kramer" or "Christian Dior by Kramer".
  • From 1952 to 1956, Mitchel Maer was part of the Dior design team. His items are marked "CHRISTIAN DIOR BY MITCHEL MAER".
  • Henkel and Grossé were designers who were also active around the 1950s. Their pieces from those years can be recognized by the markings: “Dior West Germany” or “Made in Germany for Christian Dior”. The 1970s and 1980s pieces by Henkel and Grossé were produces in large numbers and therefore easier to find.

In the 1960s and 1970s, designers identified their Dior jewelry with the "Chr.Dior" mark, followed by a copyright symbol and the year of manufacture.

Then it was changed to "Christian Dior" in the 1980s, still followed by the copyright symbol and year of manufacture. Occasionally, their jewelry is marked "Made in France".

Dior Jewelry

Materials

Dior only uses workmanship of the highest class, so take this into consideration when authenticating a Dior jewelry piece. The materials used are often gilt metals, colored and clear crystal, pearls and semi-precious stones like citrines, peridots and rhinestones in their designs for costume jewelry. For fine jewelry, Dior features materials of higher value, such as mother of pearl, precious stones, onyx and gold. The way the material appears, says a lot of the craftsmanship behind it. If the piece contains pearls, look for luster or shine, a clear surface and the right shape and colors. When it comes to gemstones, these are very hard to be cut. So, if you see too much neatness, this could point to a synthetic stone.

Other tips 

If you happen to come across a piece of jewelry marked from the days when Christian Dior was alive (until 1957), you should know that those pieces have a very high value. You should also know that jewelry designed by Mitchel Maer is highly collectable, especially the pieces from the Floral and Unicorn collection. Chances that you find with a collector's item like this are very small.

The last thing to check is the weight of the jewelry. Dior jewelry is definitely not lightweight. They will never feel light and cheap, but substantial.

Our last tip from us to you is to compare different kinds of jewelry when authenticating a piece from Dior. The uniformity on the jewelry plays a crucial role in determining authenticity.

Buy your own Dior jewelry

We understand that you are very enthusiastic now. Hopefully we have informed you well. Because we have good news for our jewelry lovers: we currently have some really nice vintage Dior jewelry in stock! Don't wait too long, as you've read, Dior necklaces are hugely popular right now, so get one quickly and discover our Dior jewelry! Oh, and don't forget...

“Don't buy much but make sure that what you buy is good.'' - Christian Dior

With love,


Rianne 

Sources

How to buy Vintage Jewelry

The Luxury Closet

Antique Collecting

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