Whenever I’ve browsed through contemporary Christian Dior jewellery, I almost feel as though I have to cleanse (refine?) my palate by looking through vintage pieces.

Vintage Dior jewellery is one of my loves and the quality never disappoints. The firm worked with several well-known costume jewellery manufacturers to create elegant, wearable and well-made pieces meant to set off each season’s clothing. The jewellery designs were often named, a fun bit of trivia.

This necklace, which I have dubbed the Sputnik necklace, in homage to the Russian Sputnik satellite of the 1950s which looked a bit like these beaded balls, is weighty and interesting in both a tactile and visual sense. Dior used a variety of cuts, weights, sizes and colours of beads to create this necklace.

Another thing I like about vintage Dior is that many of the pieces are actually dated; this was made in 1960. I have had it restrung, but the actual elements have held up extremely well for a piece of its age meant to be a momentary frippery for a seasonal dress.