Lucky Alhambra Earrings
2010s Clip-on Earrings
White Gold
Vintage 1980s Lever-Back Earrings
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s French Clip-on Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold
2010s Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Lapis Lazuli, Yellow Gold
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Onyx, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Stud Earrings
Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
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Vintage 1970s American Artisan Band Rings
18k Gold
Vintage 1980s French Artist Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Antique Late 19th Century British Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Natural Pearl, Ruby, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s French Link Necklaces
18k Gold, Rose Gold
1990s French Band Rings
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Malachite, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Onyx, White Gold
2010s French Bangles
Diamond, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Chain Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Link Bracelets
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Bangles
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Artist Clip-on Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold
1990s British Artist Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Lever-Back Earrings
Malachite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold
Recent Sales
2010s Unknown Clip-on Earrings
White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stud Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Drop Earrings
Tiger's Eye, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Early 2000s French Stud Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Drop Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
2010s French Lever-Back Earrings
Malachite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s French Lever-Back Earrings
Onyx, Yellow Gold
2010s French Modern Stud Earrings
Onyx, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s French Stud Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s French Stud Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Malachite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Malachite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Unknown Clip-on Earrings
Onyx, 18k Gold
2010s French Lever-Back Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s French Stud Earrings
Turquoise, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s French Stud Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Onyx, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Onyx, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
Onyx, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Stud Earrings
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Clip-on Earrings
Chalcedony, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s French Stud Earrings
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Chalcedony, Pearl, White Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s French Clip-on Earrings
Onyx, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Clip-on Earrings
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Clip-on Earrings
Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s French Lever-Back Earrings
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s French Lever-Back Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s French Clip-on Earrings
Pearl, White Gold
20th Century Clip-on Earrings
Lapis Lazuli, Yellow Gold
2010s Lever-Back Earrings
Yellow Gold
2010s French Modern Stud Earrings
Turquoise, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Malachite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Pendant Necklaces
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Earrings
Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Dangle Earrings
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Lever-Back Earrings
Carnelian, Malachite, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Dangle Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stud Earrings
Onyx, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stud Earrings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
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 Earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.
- 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.