Dior Joaillerie has unveiled an extraordinary new addition to its high jewellery collection: an 88.88 carat yellow diamond named Le Montaigne. Discovered in South Africa’s Kimberley Mine in 2020, as a 150-carat rough diamond that promised intense colour and unparalleled clarity, Dior acquired the stone on the condition that it must be cut into a single 88.88 carat diamond. After nine months of study, modelling and painstaking cutting, the final diamond has now been revealed and certified as a cushion-cut Fancy Intense yellow diamond of VVS2 clarity. It weighs, as promised, exactly 88.88 carats.

The weight requirement stems from Christian Dior’s belief in lucky charms and, in particular, the significance of the number eight. The designer founded his house on 8 October 1946 with the maison spanning eight floors and housing eight workshops. It was also located in the 8^th arrondissement of Paris. The diamond’s name, likewise, recalls the address of the original atelier on Avenue Montaigne, where the brand still retains its flagship today.

The 88.88 carat weight of the diamond also refers to the name of Dior’s En Huit collection (‘huit’ meaning ‘eight’ in French). This series of designs, alongside the Corolla range, made up Christian Dior’s first haute couture collection and solidified the revolutionary and iconic lines of the New Look. Debuted in 1947, the pieces were described as ‘clean and shapely’ – an expression which could just as easily be applied to the Le Montaigne diamond.

In celebration of its unveiling, the Le Montaigne diamond will be displayed at the recently re-opened 30 Avenue Montaigne boutique to allow the public to appreciate the unique beauty of the stone. Dior Joaillerie artistic director Victoire de Castellane will then create a custom piece – a two-finger ring in which the Le Montaigne diamond will be surrounded by flowers picked out in precious stones – designed to highlight the brilliance and colour of the stone and the savoir faire of Dior’s in-house jewellers.

Read more: The most beautiful high jewellery collections of 2022