Van Cleef & Arpels: A Story of a famous jewelry company

Van Cleef & Arpels is a famous jewelry company from France. It makes beautiful and expensive pieces of jewelry. The company started in 1896 in Paris. Alfred Van Cleef was a man who cut diamonds. He married the daughter of Salomon Arpels, who also worked with diamonds. They started the company together. Many people love their jewelry, such as kings, queens, stars, and rich people.

History

The history of Van Cleef & Arpels is a story of love, art, and innovation. A Dutch diamond cutter and his father-in-law, Salomon Arpels, and Alfred Van Cleef founded the company in 1896. Alfred’s wife Estelle and her brothers Charles, Julien, and Louis joined them, who shared their passion for jewelry and their vision for excellence. The company opened its first boutique at 22 Place Vendôme, across from the Ritz Hotel, in 1906. Since then, Van Cleef & Arpels has become one of the most prestigious and influential jewelry houses in the world.

Van Cleef & Arpels is known for its elegant and original design. Its mastery of craftsmanship and techniques, and its use of rare and exquisite gemstones. The company has created many iconic and recognizable collections, such as the Alhambra, inspired by the four-leaf clover; the Zip, a transformable necklace that can be zipped or unzipped; the Mystery Set, a method of setting stones without any visible metal; and the High Jewelry, which showcases the company’s artistic creativity and innovation. The company has also made jewelry for royalty, celebrities, and connoisseurs, such as Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Farah Pahlavi, Eva Perón, and Queen Nazli of Egypt.

The Alhambra Collection

One of the most popular and famous things that Van Cleef & Arpels makes is the Alhambra collection. They started making it in 1968. The Alhambra collection has a special shape that looks like a four-leaf clover. The clover shape means good luck, peace, and beauty. The collection has many kinds of jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and watches. They all have the clover shape on them. The jewelry is made with different things, such as gold, pearls, black stones, blue stones, green stones, and shiny stones. The jewelry has many colors and looks very nice.

The Alhambra collection shows how Van Cleef & Arpels is very good at making jewelry and art. The company can make different kinds of jewelry with the same shape. The company can also change the shape to make it look new and different. For example, they made the Sweet Alhambra for children, the Vintage Alhambra with small beads around the shape, the Magic Alhambra with big and small shapes, and the Byzantine Alhambra with colorful paint on the shape. The company also made some special pieces for special times, such as the 50th birthday of the collection in 2018.

The High Jewelry

Van Cleef & Arpels is also very famous for its high jewelry. High jewelry is very special and expensive jewelry that has very rare and beautiful stones on it. The most expensive jewelry collections are often about something very interesting or amazing, such as nature, culture, history, or stories. Some of the most amazing high jewelry collections are:

L’Arche de Noé (2016) 

A collection of pins that look like animals. The pins tell the story of Noah’s Ark from the Bible. Noah’s Ark was a big boat that had two of every animal on it. The pins are made in different ways, such as by carving, painting, and putting stones on them. The pins have animals such as lions, elephants, giraffes, pandas, and penguins.

Peau d’Âne (2014):

A collection of jewelry that is about a fairy tale. The fairy tale is called Peau d’Âne in French. It is a movie by Jacques Demy. The movie is about a princess who runs away from her father, who wants to marry her. She wears a donkey’s skin to hide her beauty. The collection has things that are in the movie, such as castles, stars, moons, flowers, and animals. The collection uses stones such as blue stones, red stones, green stones, rainbow stones, and white stones.

Bals de Légende (2011):

A collection of jewelry that is about big parties in history. The parties were very fancy and fun. People wore beautiful clothes and danced a lot. The collection remembers some of the best parties in history, such as the Oriental Party in Paris (1969), the Black and White Party in New York (1966), the Party of the Century in Venice (1951), and the Proust Party in Paris (1971). The collection uses stones such as shiny stones, pink stones, green stones, blue stones, and purple stones.

The high jewelry collections also show how Van Cleef & Arpels is very smart and creative in making jewelry. The company has some special ways of making jewelry that no one else can do. For example, the Mystery Set™ way lets them put stones on jewelry without any metal showing, while the Zip necklace can change from a necklace to a bracelet by opening or closing it like a zipper. The high jewelry collections also have some pieces that can change how they look or break into smaller pieces.

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How it ends

Van Cleef & Arpels is a company that has been making beautiful jewelry for more than 100 years. The company is very good at making jewelry and art. The company uses its skill and imagination to make pieces that are different and special. Whether it is the Alhambra collection or the high jewelry collections, Van Cleef & Arpels makes people happy and amazed.

FAQs

Q: What is Van Cleef & Arpels?

Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury jewelry company that makes beautiful and expensive pieces of jewelry. The company was started in 1896 in Paris by Alfred Van Cleef and Salomon Arpels, who were both diamond cutters. The company is famous for its elegant and original designs, its mastery of craftsmanship and techniques, and its use of rare and exquisite gemstones.

Q: What is the Alhambra collection?

The Alhambra collection is one of the most popular and famous things that Van Cleef & Arpels makes. It has a special shape that looks like a four-leaf clover, which means good luck, peace, and beauty. The collection has many kinds of jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and watches. The company also made some special pieces for special times, such as the 50th birthday of the collection in 2018.

Q: What is high jewelry?

High jewelry is very special and expensive jewelry that has very rare and beautiful stones on it. The high jewelry collections are often about something interesting or amazing, such as nature, culture, history, or stories. Some of the most amazing high jewelry collections are L’Arche de Noé, which has pins that look like animals from Noah’s Ark; Peau d’Âne, which has jewelry that is about a fairy tale about a princess who wears a donkey skin; and Bals de Légende, which has jewelry that is about big parties in history. 

Q: Who owns Van Cleef & Arpels?

Van Cleef & Arpels is now owned by Richemont Group, a Swiss luxury goods conglomerate. Richemont Group also owns other famous brands such as Cartier, Piaget, Montblanc, and Chloé.

Q: Where can I buy Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry?

You can buy Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry from their official website Van Cleef & Arpels, or their boutiques around the world. You can find the nearest boutique to you by using their store locator.