Papillon Secret watch
The time is read like a secret
Le Secret - Van Cleef & Arpels
— July 24th, 2017 —
The guardian of hearts, Cupid puts a finger to his lips beguilingly. In gold and diamonds, the charming son of Venus sets the tone for this High Jewelry collection, dedicated to secrets in their various forms. Faithful to the ancestral tradition of jewelry with meaning, it reinvents the personal talisman: repositories for memories, treasures or surprises that can be continually rediscovered. Whether caressed by the eye or the fingertips, they are a delight to open and handle, playfully revealing what lies within.
For Van Cleef & Arpels, which has made mystery one of its best-known signatures, this theme lends itself to an exploration that is both familiar and inventive. From hidden messages and labyrinthine paths, to puzzles and unexpected metamorphoses, the Maison deploys all its creativity to depict expressions of feeling. Drawing on cherished sources of inspiration such as nature and symbols of love and luck, over one hundred pieces evoke a stroll through a secret garden, where the visible and invisible meet.
Butterflies – a source of inspiration for the Maison since the 1920s – propose a game of hide and seek on this High Jewelry secret watch. Beneath its lower wings, one of them hides a mother-of-pearl dial that can be revealed with the fingertips. The time is read like a secret, in a swarm of emeralds, black spinels and diamonds.
At the center, the eye is drawn to an exceptional Colombian emerald weighing 14.57 carats. Its antique material invites the onlooker to plunge into the heart of the stone, while its emerald cut accentuates the graphic aspect of the piece. In a symmetry that echoes butterfly wings, shades of black and dark green – combined with the sparkle of diamonds of various cuts – recreate all the beauty of life.
Savoir-faire
Gouaché design
Gouaché design
Jewelry work, reworking the gold surface
Jewelry work, open work
Jewelry work, open work
Jewelry work, assembling
Polishing work, thread polishing
Polishing work, brush polishing
Setting work, bead setting emeralds
Setting work, bead setting emeralds
Setting work, rail setting buff-topped spinels
Polishing work, thread polishing
Polishing work, thread polishing
Polishing work, brush polishing
Polishing work, brush polishing
Polishing work, brush polishing
Jewelry work, assembling
Jewelry work, assembling
Jewelry work, controlling onyx cut
