Born in 1927 near Paris, Jean Dinh Van wanted to be a sailor. Fortunately for women, he decided, under his father's influence, to create jewelry. After studying at the Beaux-arts de Paris, he learned the craft of artisan jewellery making at Cartier, and began a love affair with metal. This experience gave him a very personal vision of luxury and beauty.

In the mid-60s, tired of fashioning flowers and panthers for socialites and aristocrats, he wanted to bring jewelry down to the street. He took an interest in his era, in everything that was new: ready-to-wear by Paco Rabanne and Pierre Cardin, furniture by Knoll, advertising by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet. As part of a group of designers, he aspires to a more modern approach and wants to free jewelry from the constraints of preciosity. His ambition is to create jewelry for everyday wear by contemporary men and women.