Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
1970s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1960s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s American Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1980s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1960s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Gold, Enamel
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
1980s American Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s European Retro Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
1930s French Art Deco Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Platinum
1980s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Pearl, Gold
1960s American Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1980s French Artist Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
1940s American Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1960s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1980s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Ruby, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
1970s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
1970s Unknown Art Deco Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Italian Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Gold, 18k Gold
1980s Art Deco Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Chalcedony, Gold, 18k Gold
1980s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold
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1920s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
Mid-20th Century American Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
21st Century and Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Yellow Diamond
21st Century and Contemporary French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
2010s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
1970s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Enamel
Late 20th Century French Artist Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s American Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
Late 19th Century Russian Victorian Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Rock Crystal, Blue Sapphire, Gold
1990s Italian Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
2010s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
1960s Swiss Retro Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Recent Sales
1980s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Art Deco Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1990s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold
1960s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Sapphire
Late 20th Century French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1980s French Art Deco Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1980s Unknown Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1980s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, White Gold
1990s French Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Ruby
1980s French Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Yellow Gold
20th Century British Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1980s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
1980s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1970s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1990s American Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, White Gold
20th Century French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1980s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Artist Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Platinum
1940s French Retro Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Emerald, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1970s French Modernist Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
20th Century French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1990s French Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, Platinum
1980s Unknown Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond
20th Century American Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1990s French Contemporary Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
White Diamond, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century British Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s Unknown Retro Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Ruby, Moonstone, Platinum, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century French Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring
Carnelian, 18k Gold
Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Van Cleef Vintage Engagement Ring?
Van Cleef & Arpels for sale on 1stDibs
One of the world’s foremost jewelry houses, Van Cleef & Arpels is particularly noted for a focus on technical virtuosity, craftsmanship and artistry, evident since its beginning. Rather than create earrings, bracelets, necklaces and other adornments primarily for the aim of displaying of wealth and opulence, Van Cleef & Arpels sought to produce jewelry that projected the wearer’s taste and style.
The company was formed a year after the 1895 marriage of Alfred Van Cleef, the son of a gem cutter, to Estelle Arpels, daughter of precious-stones dealer Salomon Arpel. Ten years later, Van Cleef & Arpels opened its first boutique on the Place Vendôme in Paris, setting the march on a square now crowded with dealers in bijouterie. (The company still occupies the New York flagship store opened in 1939 at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street.)
Born from a union of expertise in both jewelry making and gem selection, Van Cleef & Arpels distinguished itself with both the consistency of the color and clarity of its stones and the creativity of its designs. In doing so, the house would win a roster of dedicated, fashion-conscious clients that included the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Hutton, Jacqueline Onassis and Elizabeth Taylor. In 1933, Van Cleef & Arpels patented its trademark Mystery Setting — a technique by which gems are fitted into an intricate matrix of slots and “drawers” that keep the setting hidden. Another signal innovation was the Zip necklace, introduced in 1951, which can be worn either around the neck or, with the zipper closed, as a bracelet.
But as much as to the firm’s craftsmanship, clients have been drawn by the insouciance and playfulness of Van Cleef & Arpels designers, as well as their attunement to the cultural climate. After the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the company produced several lavish pieces featuring hieroglyphics and other Egyptian motifs to go along with the geometric Art Deco jewelry of that decade and the next. Following World War II, as symbols of freedom and rebirth, the firm focused on naturalistic forms such as birds, flowers, fruit and flying insects. High society’s 1960s fascination with the Near East and India prompted such pieces as the best-selling Alhambra necklace, popularized by Princess Grace.
Lately, attention among collectors and connoisseurs has centered on Van Cleef & Arpels’s quality of workmanship as much as its glamour. The firm was the subject of a 2012 show at the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, as well as exhibitions at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California, in 2013 and at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2014.
Find an exquisite collection of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right rings for You
Antique and vintage rings have long held a special place in the hearts of fine jewelry lovers all over the world.
No matter their origin or specific characteristics, rings are timeless, versatile accessories. They’ve carried deep meaning since at least the Middle Ages, when diamond rings symbolized strength and other kinds of rings were worn to signify romantic feelings or to denote an affiliation with a religious order. Rings have also forever been emblematic of eternity.
Over time, rings have frequently taken the form of serpents, which have long been associated with eternal life, health and renewal. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has become famous for its widely loved Serpenti motif, for example, and its Serpenti ring, like the other accessories in the collection, began as an homage to jewelry of the Roman and Hellenistic eras. The serpent is now a popular motif in fine jewelry. Jewelry devotees have long pined for rings adorned with reptiles, thanks to antique Victorian rings — well, specifically, Queen Victoria’s illustrious engagement ring, which took the form of a gold snake set with rubies, diamonds and an emerald (her birthstone). Designs for Victorian-era engagement rings often featured repoussé work and chasing, in which patterns are hammered into the metal.
Engagement rings, which are reliably intimidating to shop for, are still widely recognized as symbols of love and commitment. On 1stDibs, a range of buying guides can be found for those in the market for antique engagement rings, vintage engagement rings or Art Deco engagement rings.
The most collectible antique engagement rings and vintage engagement rings are those from the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras. Named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who in succession ruled England starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign), antique Georgian rings, be they engagement rings or otherwise, are also coveted by collectors. Pearls, along with colored gemstones like garnets, rubies and sapphires, were widely used in Georgian jewelry. The late-1700s paste jewelry was a predecessor to what we now call fashion or costume jewelry.
The Art Nouveau movement (1880–1910) brought with it rings inspired by the natural world. Antique Art Nouveau rings might feature depictions of winged insects and fauna as well as women, who were simultaneously eroticized and romanticized, frequently with long flowing hair. Art Deco jewelry, on the other hand, which originated during the 1920s and ’30s, is by and large “white jewelry.” White metals, primarily platinum, were favored over yellow gold in the design of antique Art Deco rings and other accessories as well as geometric motifs, with women drawn to the era’s dazzling cocktail rings in particular.
Whether you’re hunting down a chunky classic for a Prohibition-themed cocktail party or seeking a clean contemporary design to complement your casual ensemble, find an exquisite collection of antique, new and vintage rings on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021Van Cleef & Arpels is so expensive because it is a well-known company that has a fantastic reputation. Van Cleef & Arpels are universally renowned for high quality jewelry with a focus on detail. High-profile fans of the French jewelry house over the years have included the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor and many more. Find an extraordinary range of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry on 1stDibs.