Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewellery Is One For the Books
Exuding grandeur, sophistication, historical significance and creative possibilities, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Legend of Diamonds high jewellery collection highlights the Maison’s mastery of Art Deco–inspired designs.
Following launches of high jewellery collections inspired by themes such as flora and fauna, fairy tales, and epic love stories, Van Cleef & Arpels now turns its eye towards celebrating the gemstones and savoir-faire that have made these jewels possible. Taking four years to develop and realise, the Legend of Diamonds high jewellery collection explores colourless diamonds through two chapters; the first is devoted to gems cut from the 910-ct Lesotho Legend rough and enhanced with Van Cleef & Arpels’ signature Mystery Set technique, and the second focuses on how the style of diamond jewellery has evolved with the times and through the Maison’s history.
Unveiled this July, Chapter 1: 25 Mystery Set Jewels is composed of 25 spectacular pieces that are connected through their employment of 67 breathtaking diamonds totalling 441.75ct, all of which had been mapped and cut from the fifth largest rough diamond ever mined. The jewellery they were set in was envisioned to bring out the best qualities of these exceptional gemstones, as well as the Maison’s illustrious history and artistry, with the complex Mystery Set technique chosen to embody the house’s style and know-how.
This approach represented an extraordinary undertaking by Van Cleef & Arpels. “We traditionally start with cut and faceted stones that are already suitable for use in jewellery,” says Nicolas Bos, president and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels. “This is the first time in decades that we have been involved in a project from its starting point — the extraction of the stone — to the creation of a high jewellery collection.”
Introduced about two months later, Chapter 2: White Diamond Variations is a series that underscores the principal role that diamonds have played in Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations over the decades, by taking one on a journey through successive stages of the diamond’s evolution in Van Cleef & Arpels’ history — from the Belle Epoque to current-day designs, in styles from naturalistic to geometric to glamorous. The 82 pieces reflect the zeitgeist of their respective eras, from the golden age of cinema to the free-spirited hippie counterculture.
Within the vast range of styles represented across the Legend of Diamonds collection, Art Deco, with its distinctive symmetry, angularity and order, is one that unites key pieces from the two chapters. A significant period in the history of jewellery, the 1920–30s movement inspired numerous Maisons to adopt its design codes, and Van Cleef & Arpels stayed current by modifying creations like white jewellery — sumptuous pieces dominated by diamonds and platinum — by introducing abstract, geometric forms. Some historical icons the Maison produced that embraced the Art Deco aesthetic include an articulated choker from 1928, composed of baguette, marquise and brilliant-cut diamonds densely arranged to form a loop of seven triangles; and a 1931 Circle clip, which bore industrial inflections and touches of modernism.
Taking cues from such items from the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection, the Legend of Diamonds embarked on a journey to present contemporary pieces that pay tribute to heritage jewellery of the interwar period. From Chapter 1: 25 Mystery Set Jewels, the magnificent Volutes Mystérieuses necklace bears a subtle reference to Art Deco in the even rows of diamonds that form the border of the Mystery Set ruby bow, which is itself a nod to diamond clips from the 1920s. And in Chapter 2: White Diamond Variations, the connection to that era is even more prominent: The Floraison de Diamants bracelet, in the style of bandeaux bracelets made of diamonds, exemplifies abstract designs that bore remnants of naturalistic influences. The Damita bracelet, named for the French actress Lili Damita who rose to Hollywood prominence in the 1920–30s, features an even rhythm and undulating silhouette. And geometry, colour contrast and modernism dominate the Roaring Twenties transformable long necklace and the openwork Chrysler earrings, inspired by flapper fashion and turn-of-the-century New York City’s imposing architecture, respectively.
Through the Legend of Diamonds collection, the Maison sees its high jewellery come full circle, honouring the house’s legacy while reinventing its designs for the future.
