Van Cleef & Arpels at Masterpiece London

Aquamarines, with their sea-like hue and transparency, are given pride of place on this majestic jewelry set in white gold and platinum. The first strand of the necklace traces an ethereal lacework in which fine stones and lozenge-set diamonds alternate. Nine pendants then unfurl, each of them made up of a large square aquamarine surrounded by a sparkling crown. This arrangement is repeated identically for the matching earrings.

While the association of colored stones and diamonds is typical of the 1940s and 1950s, the choice of fine stones is more unusual and heralds the creative freedom of the decades to come. The necklace associates 37 aquamarines weighing over 50 carats with 290 round diamonds, in a gradation of particularly elegant proportions.

Necklace and earrings, 1972

Daring, exoticism and creativity were the watchwords of the 1970s, marked by the hippie movement and a wave of oriental inspiration. At Van Cleef & Arpels, they made themselves felt in fluid lines, associations of precious, hard and organic stones and a dazzling range of colors. Dating from 1972, this set is made up of a long necklace and matching earrings, highlighted by twisted strands of gold. The long necklace presents a highly contrasted alternation of onyx rings and oval motifs of green chalcedony, embellished with coral cabochons and diamonds. Recalling the style of Van Cleef & Arpels’ medallion necklaces of the same period, three triangular motifs provide the piece with a graphic finishing touch. With equal harmony, the earrings – fringed with thin twists of gold – continue this combination of forms and materials.

From the outset, Van Cleef & Arpels distinguished itself in the art of High Jewelry, which remains a faithful expression of its identity. The contemporary creations on display at Masterpiece London – some of them for the first time – reflect the Maison’s savoir-faire, along with its most emblematic sources of inspiration. In the hands of its virtuoso craftsmen, Butterfly clips become marvels of lightness and delicacy, while the intricacy of a Zip necklace takes on a subtly oriental style.

Papillon Mystérieux clip

Blending in with the shimmering foliage on which it has alighted, the Papillon Mystérieux clip can be transformed to suit any mood or occasion: the diamond branch can be removed to become a comb, while the rest of the piece offers a new version of the clip. Around glittering stems – one of which is entirely set with baguette-cut sapphires – leaves of round, square or baguette-cut diamonds create the illusion of a plant. Illustrating Van Cleef & Arpels’ jewelry-making expertise, the butterfly features a marquise-cut diamond body (D IF type 2A, weighing 2.29 carats) and wings in Vitrail Mystery Set™. Unveiled by the Maison in 2014, this exclusive technique magnifies the relief and translucency of the stones in an interplay of shades and reflections. The setting remains invisible, as pink and mauve sapphires reveal their delicate rainbow hues.

Zip Antique necklace

The story of the Zip necklace goes back to the late 1930s, when the Duchess of Windsor suggested that Van Cleef & Arpels create a jewel inspired by the zip fastener. Eventually produced in 1950, this masterpiece of ingenuity can be transformed into a bracelet. Since then, the Maison has regularly reinterpreted the emblematic Zip necklace, including this version that called for nearly 1,000 hours of work.

Its flexible central structure in the form of a chevron is bordered by a flowery garland of oriental inspiration, whose motifs sparkle with diamonds and three shades of pink sapphires. Forming a gentle harmony, the puller is finished off with a tassel of twisted strands punctuated by beads of pink gold. It accompanies the curve of the neckline when the necklace is worn open and gracefully molds itself to the movements of the wrist when worn closed as a bracelet.

Van Cleef & Arpels since 1906

Stemming from the encounter of two families, the story of Van Cleef & Arpels began in Paris in 1895, with the marriage of Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef. Alfred was the son of a lapidary and diamond broker from Flanders, while Estelle’s father had been a draper in Amsterdam before moving to Paris and becoming a dealer in precious stones.

In 1906, the couple pooled their expertise to create a jewelry Maison: Van Cleef & Arpels. In partnership with Estelle’s brothers Charles and Julien – followed by Louis – they opened their first boutique at Paris’ 22 Place Vendôme, in an area renowned for its luxury and elegance. The address has become a symbol: the Maison remains there to this day. Its growing reputation among the international elite enabled it to open branches in the most fashionable holiday destinations and seaside resorts. Julien Arpels’ sons Claude and Jacques – followed after the war by their brother Pierre – also entered the profession. While Jacques and Pierre managed the Paris business, in 1939 Claude settled in New York, where Van Cleef & Arpels’ Fifth Avenue boutique was inaugurated in 1942.

Chrysanthème clip in Mystery Set rubies – 1937 Van Cleef & Arpels Collection

During this first half of the century, Van Cleef & Arpels developed skills that would become its signatures: the ingenious vanity case christened the Minaudière™, the Mystery Set technique in which metal disappears to accentuate the precious stones, the transformable Passe Partout jewel or the innovative Zip necklace, inspired by the zip fastener. Nature, dance and couture established themselves as major sources of inspiration, giving rise to pieces notable for their grace and movement. The elegance of its creations, along with its use of the rarest and most precious materials, enabled Van Cleef & Arpels to win over royal and princely families, Hollywood icons and a cosmopolitan clientele of discerning taste.

Over the decades, the excellence of the High Jewelry Maison established its reputation across the world. Its emblematic creations – such as the Alhambra® long necklace created in 1968 –, its selection of Pierres de Caractère™, exceptional gems that instill emotion, and the savoir-faire of its Mains d’Or™, the virtuoso craftsmen of Van Cleef & Arpels’ workshops, have given birth to jewelry and watchmaking collections redolent of dreams and enchantment. Today, the Maison remains faithful to this highly distinctive style characterized by poetry, creativity and artistic sensibility, offering the world a gateway to a timeless universe of beauty and harmony.

Chronology

1895	Marriage of Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef in Paris.
1906	Alfred Van Cleef and his brother-in-law Charles Arpels register the name “Van Cleef & Arpels” and open a boutique at 22 Place Vendôme. Julien Arpels joins them in 1908, followed by Louis in 1913.
1920	Beginning of the fashion for jewelry and vanity cases inspired by India, Egypt, China, Japan and Persia.
1922	Creation of the first Butterfly clip and lucky charms. During the 1920s and 1930s, orders are produced for the Maharajas of Hyderabad, Indore, Kapurthala, Nawanagar and Nepal.
1923	The Maison acquires a pear-shaped diamond weighing 60.25 carats, the Prince Edward of York.
1925	Van Cleef & Arpels takes part in the “Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” in Paris and is awarded the Grand Prix for its red and white Roses bracelet set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds.
1926	Renée Puissant, daughter of the Maison’s founding couple, becomes Creative Director of Van Cleef & Arpels.
1933	Inspired by Florence Jay Gould, Charles Arpels creates the Minaudière, a sophisticated vanity case intended for elegant ladies. Van Cleef & Arpels patents its Mystery Set technique.
1935	Creation of the Ludo Hexagone bracelet. Creation of the Cadenas™ watch.
1937	Van Cleef & Arpels takes part in the “Exposition Internationale Universelle” in Paris.
1938	Creation of the transformable Passe Partout jewel.
1939	Van Cleef & Arpels settles in New York’s Rockefeller Center, then in 1942 opens a boutique at 744 Fifth Avenue.
1941	Creation of the first Ballerina clips in New York and of the fairy clip Spirit of Beauty.
1950	Creation of the Zip necklace, following an idea suggested by the Duchess of Windsor in the late 1930s.
1956	The Maison creates the wedding set offered to Grace Kelly by HSH Prince Rainier III. The following year, Van Cleef & Arpels becomes “Official Supplier to the Principality of Monaco”. Claude Arpels buys the Blue Princess – a 114-carat sapphire – in Bombay.
1967	The New York premiere of Jewels, a ballet by George Balanchine inspired by the jewels of Van Cleef & Arpels, to music by Fauré, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. For the coronation of Farah Pahlavi, Empress of Iran, the Maison produces the crown, a necklace and earrings, along with jewelry sets for members of the imperial family.
1968	Creation of the first Alhambra long necklace.
1971	Jacques Arpels acquires the Thibaw, a Burmese ruby weighing 26.13 carats, and the Walska Briolette, a yellow diamond weighing 96.62 carats to be mounted on a Bird clip.
1972	The Boutique des Heures, dedicated to watches, opens on Place Vendôme.
1992	In Paris, the Musée Galliera, Musée de la Mode et du Costume, organizes a Van Cleef & Arpels retrospective.
2006	Launch of the Poetic Complications™ watchmaking collection.
2009	“The Spirit of Beauty” exhibition at the Mori Arts Center in Tokyo.
2011	“Set in Style” exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. After Paris and New York, Van Cleef & Arpels inaugurates its third Maison in Hong Kong, Landmark Prince’s. The Maison creates the Océan diadem, transformable into a necklace, offered to HSH Princess Charlene by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco on the occasion of their wedding.
2012	“Timeless Beauty” exhibition at the MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, followed by the “Van Cleef & Arpels, l’Art de la Haute Joaillerie” exhibition at the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris.
2013	With his company L. A. Dance Project, the French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied presents an original creation inspired by his encounter with Van Cleef & Arpels. Entitled Reflections, the ballet is the first part of the Gems trilogy.
2014	L.A. Dance Project presents Hearts & Arrows, the second part of the Gems trilogy, to a choreography by Benjamin Millepied and music by Philip Glass.
2015	Van Cleef & Arpels takes part in the Masterpiece London fair for the first time.
2016	“Van Cleef & Arpels: The Art and Science of Gems” exhibition at the ArtScience Museum in Singapour, from April 23 to August 14. In London, world premiere of On the other side – the third part of the Gems trilogy – presented by L.A Dance Project, to a choreography by Benjamin Millepied, music by Philip Glass and scenery by Mark Bradford. The Maison takes part in the Masterpiece London fair for the second time.