Dominique Aurientis, Orientis jewelry is highly valued and in demand, despite the high prices.
She was born in 1953 in Aix-en-Provence, France. She graduated from the University of Paris at the Sorbonne and got a job in the atelier of the Christian Dior Fashion House. After working for four years at Dior, she began working with such prestigious fashion houses as Givenchy, Chanel, Lanvin, Céline, Emilio Pucci and Ferragamo.
Having gained excellent practical experience, in 1986 Dominique created her first own collection of jewelry and accessories.
Her collection made the rounds in the media, with models wearing Orientis-designed jewelry appearing on the pages of France’s ELLE and Glamour, attracting the attention of major international distributors including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tootsies’, ‘Harrods’, ‘Harvey Nichols’, ‘Brown’s’, ‘Isetan’, ‘Joyce’ and others.
Dominique wrote about herself:
“I love making jewelry and accessories because you can play with different materials. Marc Bohan taught me the secrets of fashion. He supports my business.” (Marc Bohan is a famous French fashion designer who served as chief designer of Christian Dior for thirty years. In his work, he has always focused on the needs of women, and not on the opinions of fashion critics or other designers, so his clothes are simple, elegant and comfortable , which was so lacking in many couture collections of that time.
“Every detail is made by hand, every stone is processed individually,” Dominique said.
It was a time in the fashion world when jewelry and accessories were given as much importance as clothing. Starting with jewelry because it sold well, Dominique gradually expanded her collections to include accessories. Her collection includes scarves, gloves, bags and belts adorned with colored stones, pearls or gold-plated embellishments.
“My timing was good,” she said. “Previously, in high fashion, designers promoted clothes, not accessories. Now that has changed, with designers such as Lagerfeld and Lacroix promoting accessories and jewelry.”
Her collections were presented in major department stores in Europe and America. In the 1990s, Dominique became one of the leading designers of haute couture jewelry, with her designs appearing in fashion magazines around the world.
She prefers golden alloys, colored stones and resins that imitate wood or tortoise shell. Many of the designs are based on animal designs and leaves, which she reinterprets each season. Favorite item is the giant leaf brooch that sits on her shoulder. The most elaborate is a two-inch wide belt of intertwined leaves.
Dominique said: “Never wear bold earrings with an equally bold necklace – it’s too much. Instead, wear a necklace that coordinates but doesn’t compete.”