Best known for his haute couture fashions and his revolutionizing New Look collection in 1947, Christian Dior commissioned individual designers and companies to make costume jewelry of the same high standard as his fashion collections. In the U.S., designers included Schreiner and Kramer; in England, Mitchel Maer; in Germany, Henkel & Grosse; and Robert Goossens and Josette Gripoix in France. In 1955, the Swarovski firm developed aurora borealis, an iridescent coating on faceted glass stones and beads that adds shimmer and makes them change color when seen from different angles. Dior was one of the first haute couturiers to introduce these crystals in his fashion collection. Christina Dior jewelry has always been sold only in exclusive shops.
