Whether a simple potted cyclamen, an armful of lilacs or a lavish arrangement from a fashionable florist, flowers are forever associated with Mother’s Day gifts. But for a mom who loves jewelry as much as she loves blooms (and for those who are late to shopping), may we suggest a “bouquet” of Van Cleef & Arpels brooches? Few floral-themed presents achieve that level of originality — and extravagance.
Van Cleef & Arpels has a long history of capturing the intricacies of chrysanthemums, peonies, roses, daisies, cornflowers and other flowers in jewels. Brooches from the 1930s and 1940s often took the form of miniature nosegays of gemstone blossoms, their stems gathered and tied with pavé-diamond ribbons or gold twine.
The three vintage and contemporary pieces that form our gift bouquet exemplify Van Cleef’s tradition of floral-inspired jewelry designs. Two are from the house’s Rose de Noël series, which takes its cues from the hellebore, a common garden flower that blooms from winter through early spring and is often called the Christmas rose.
Van Cleef introduced Rose de Noël brooches in 1970, when hippie culture — and its “flower power” aesthetic — were at their height. (Two years earlier, the movement had prompted the creation of the Alhambra collection, whose stylized clovers became one of the house’s most enduring and iconic motifs.)
Rose de Noël brooches sport petals made of pink, red or white coral or opaque cabochon gems like turquoise or chalcedony. They soon took their place as au courant alternatives to the previous decades’ floral pins, which were often embellished with rubies, sapphires and diamonds — explicit markers of wealth and status. The Rose de Noël jewels, in contrast, were more relaxed, free-spirited and fun.
Some early Van Cleef Rose de Noël brooches had petals of polished wood, a high-contrast, organic look in a discreet neutral palette. Our example, pictured above and offered by 1stDibs seller Spectra Fine Jewelry, is from the early 2000s, but it radiates those chic ’70s vibes even as it feels completely of-the-moment.
Recent Rose de Noël editions have blossoms of white and gray mother-of-pearl, carnelian, lapis lazuli and onyx.
For the Mother’s Day gift shopper, there’s good news. “VCA has been producing the Rose de Noël collection pretty consistently, therefore making it more accessible in the second-hand market,” says Elyana Roldugina, manager of The Back Vault, which is offering a Rose de Noël brooch in white coral and turquoise on 1stDibs. “It is still very collectible, especially in coral, due to natural variations in colors.”
Completing our three-piece Mother’s Day bouquet is a Van Cleef & Arpels Clematis brooch combining angel-skin coral and diamonds. Offered by 1st Dibs seller Nally Jewels, it dates from the 1980s but has the look and feel of some of the house’s archival examples. The curve of the stem, for instance, echoes that of the famous Mystery Set blooms of the 1930s.
In flower dictionaries, clematis often represents ingenuity and spiritual beauty. These qualities define many mothers — whether she wears a single brooch or, as imagined here, three at once.
