Dinh Van Celebrates 60 Years of Bold High Jewelry

In 2025, Maison Dinh Van celebrated 60 years of jewelry creation. A story of daring and freedom embodied in its iconic pieces, from the Menottes ring to the Razor Blade pendant.

“To create for oneself is also to create for everyone.” – Jean Dinh Van

In 2025, Maison Dinh Van celebrated 60 years of jewelry creation. A story of daring and freedom embodied in its iconic pieces, from the Menottes ring to the Razor Blade pendant.

Known for its Menottes ring and bracelet and its Razor Blade pendant, the Jean Dinh Van Maison celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding in 2025, having been born in 1965. To mark the occasion, the brand paid tribute to its visionary creator through iconic reissues, a retrospective exhibition in Paris, and a magnificent archive book tracing its unique journey—between heritage, design, and freedom.

Jean Dinh Van: A Visionary Sculptor-Jeweler

Born in 1927, Jean Dinh Van grew up between his father's traditional Vietnamese craftsmanship and his mother's Breton influence. Trained at the Arts Décoratifs in Paris and in the art of metalworking, he developed a keen sense of form and volume at an early age.

In 1950, he joined Cartier, where he honed his skills for ten years, collaborating with Jeanne Toussaint and crafting unique pieces for an international clientele. His time at Cartier shaped his creative language: he experimented with gold and steel, balance, and pure lines.

Maison Dinh Van: Birth and Break with Tradition

Jean Dinh Van, an artisan at Cartier before founding his own house in 1965, shattered the conventions of jewelry. Moving against the grain of the ostentatious luxury of the 1960s, he envisioned simple, streamlined, and powerfully modern jewels.

His philosophy? To desacralize jewelry, making it intimate, everyday, and universal.
Dinh Van wanted every woman to make her jewelry her own, without the need for an occasion or ceremony.

Following his departure from Cartier, Jean Dinh Van founded his own Maison in 1965, on rue Sainte-Anne, and later at the Place Gaillon workshop in Paris. His vision was clear: to reinvent jewelry.

Among his creations:

Square rings instead of traditional round ones, the Two Pearls ring, and clasps as central motifs, contrary to the custom of hiding them.
Iconic collections such as the Menottes dinh van and Serrure bracelets and necklaces, which reflect his boldness and sense of functional design, and the Razor Blade pendant, became symbols of self-assertion, far removed from the conventions of the era.

This iconoclastic style attracted a loyal and discerning audience, leaving a lasting influence on the contemporary fine jewelry sector.

2025: Celebrating 60 Years of the Maison

In September 2025, the Maison celebrated this milestone anniversary through a unique exhibition:

• An exhibition at Christie’s Paris (September 3–13, 2025), open to the public and tracing the history of the Maison through heritage pieces and previously unseen prototypes.
• A commemorative book illustrating key moments and iconic collections.
• A documentary film tracing Jean Dinh Van’s career and his philosophy of creation.

Presented as an immersive retrospective, the exhibition highlighted the Maison's major milestones: unpublished archives, original prototypes, and the very first Menottes designed by Jean Dinh Van himself.

This Parisian celebration, supported by the publication of an anniversary book (“Dinh Van: 60 Years of Boldness”), retraced the creator's quest for freedom, his obsession with the precise gesture, and the beauty of the everyday.

Heritage and Modernity: The Continuity of the Gesture

The year 2025 also marks a new chapter: the Maison continues to explore architectural minimalism, so dear to its founder, while integrating contemporary processes.

Dinh Van workshops now favor:

• recycled gold alloys,
• complete diamond traceability,
• and artisanal craftsmanship entirely handcrafted in France.

The Dinh Van spirit lives on: effortless elegance, precise lines, and an uncompromised standard of craftsmanship.

Revisited Icons

For its 60th anniversary, the Maison unveiled a series of exclusive reissues:

These creations embody the vision of connection so dear to Dinh Van: a free, modern attachment, liberated from gendered and hierarchical codes.

A Ultimate Jewel: The Timeless Icon of the Menottes

A symbol of connection and freedom, the Menottes dinh van motif, created in 1976, remains the centerpiece of the Maison.
Available today in yellow, rose, or white gold, and sometimes pavé-set with diamonds, it continues to represent the rebellious and minimalist spirit of the brand.
To mark its 60th anniversary, Dinh Van highlights these iconic models—true design signatures—which remind us that simplicity can be the boldest statement of all.

An Enduring Influence

Dinh Van has inspired an entire generation of contemporary creators who view jewelry as an art of living.
Its heritage is evident today in the trend toward minimalist jewelry, clean shapes, and everyday luxury.

Far from flashiness, the house continues to speak to those seeking sincere, personal, and sensual jewelry.

Sixty years after its founding, Dinh Van remains a house apart—both classic and avant-garde, timeless and bold.
From 1965 to 2025, its guiding thread remains unchanged: to create jewelry that accompanies life rather than simply decorating it.
In a world where luxury is reinventing itself, Dinh Van reminds us that simplicity is sometimes the most exquisite form of elegance.

Useful Links

• Dinh Van – 60 Years of Boldness (official website)
• Christie’s Paris – Dinh Van Exhibition 2025
• Book “Dinh Van: 60 Years of Boldness” – Flammarion Editions