The princess of power jewelry

Top US fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg says her sutra to live by is "Love, laughter, freedom, harmony, confidence, truth … and life."

By RONIT MATHIAS
Diane von Fürstenberg 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Diane von Fürstenberg 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
American top fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg is best known for her iconic wrap dress, which was first designed in 1972. She was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1946 as Diane Halfin. Her mother survived the Holocaust. Diane married Prince Egon von Furstenberg, a Swissborn aristocrat, whom she followed to New York. The couple split up after three years. Today she is married to media mogul Barry Diller.
In 2005 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for her impact on fashion, and in 2006 she was elected the CFDA’s new president, an office she continues to hold.
Von Furstenberg launched her first jewelry collection for H. Stern jewelry in 2004 and has since supplemented the line with additional items and the Sutra watch collection, which was just launched.
You have collaborated with H. Stern in the past. What inspired you to collaborate on another collection?
My collections with H. Stern embody the powerful, feminine spirit that is the DVF woman with innovative jewelry design. I was very excited to continue our partnership and explore new design possibilities.
What separates this H. Stern collaboration from the past ones? The new collection embodies the power of words and the power of gold! The combination not only adds beauty but strength and empowerment as well.
What are you most excited about in regard to this collection? Are there any special details?
I was inspired by the ancient jewelry of the city of Jaipur in India … the traditional Kundan style, where gold embraces a gemstone and assumes its form. The movement within the gold alludes to sensuality and natural feminine forms.
Have you added any new sutras [aphorisms] to the pieces? And what would you say is your sutra to live by these days?
Love, laughter, freedom, harmony, confidence, truth … and life.
What is the fashion image of a DVF girl? I see her as a very feminine, sophisticated person. She is not afraid to make a statement. She is bright, modern and daring. She wears bright colors and lots of dresses.
How did you come up with the idea of presenting the Sutra watch collection in your home?
I have put a lot to personal memories into the creation of the new Sutra watch. So it seemed a great idea to show this watch for the first time in my home – a private place, my personal space. The atmosphere of the house gave this event a special feeling.
Who among your celebrated guests were most impressed with the Sutra watches?
I can recall that Almudena Fernandez, the Spanish model who also did an advertising campaign for H. Stern, was excited about the new watches. She got to wear them before anyone else during the campaign shoot last February.
My personal favorite is the pendant watch.When I asked Roberto [Stern] to create a watch for me, I shared the memories of my childhood with him. The boarding school in Belgium, the pendant watches we girls used to wear and occasionally drop in our soup plates… Roberto took that memory and designed a beautiful, feminine and sophisticated pendant watch. A true jewel that tells time!
You are an expert and jewelry collector. What piece of jewelry in your opinion best completes the look of a modern fashionista?
What kind of jewelry will be of the most interest in the future? Bold, bright pieces. Jewelry that makes a statement, like the Sutra bracelets with the inspirational words on each link. It doesn’t have to be a huge diamond or a precious gem. Those are pieces created for a confident, independent woman.

With what kind of jewelry do you like to work the most?
It is a matter of inspiration. I love bracelets, I love big rings. At the very beginning of my creative cooperation with Roberto Stern, I once told him that I would like him to make the rings to “knock men out.” That’s when he created the Power Rings, one of the core lines of the DVF by the H. Stern collection.
In your interviews you say that your cooperation with H. Stern is very successful. What will your next step be? Do you have more jewelry dreams that you’d like to bring to life together with H.Stern?
This cooperation is not just work, it is based on personal friendship. We are very happy with the results. We cannot say where the inspiration will take us. But be ready for surprises.