Van Cleef Arpels Alhambra
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 jewelry whose primary aim was the display of wealth and opulence, Van Cleef & Arpels sought to produce pieces that projected the wearer’s taste and style — winning the house a roster of dedicated, fashion-conscious clients that included the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Hutton, Jacqueline Onassis and Elizabeth Taylor.
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, the firm distinguished itself with both the consistency of the color and clarity of its stones and the creativity of its designs. 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.
1990s Clip-on Earrings
18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Cufflinks
Tiger's Eye, Yellow Gold
2010s Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Lever-Back Earrings
White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
Diamond, Onyx, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Wrist Watches
Carnelian, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Cocktail Rings
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Wrist Watches
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Onyx, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
Diamond, Onyx, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dangle Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
18k Gold
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Link Necklaces
Opal, White Gold
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Link Necklaces
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Link Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Multi-Strand Necklaces
Chalcedony
Vintage 1980s Cufflinks
Lapis Lazuli, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Contemporary Fashion Rings
Turquoise, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Link Bracelets
18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century More Rings
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century More Rings
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s Cufflinks
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Multi-Strand Necklaces
18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s More Rings
18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century Cocktail Rings
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Necklaces
Onyx, Pearl, Yellow Gold
20th Century Chain Necklaces
Coral, 18k Gold
1990s Choker Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Link Necklaces
White Gold
1990s Link Bracelets
White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Rings
18k Gold
2010s More Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
2010s More Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Multi-Strand Necklaces
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Cocktail Rings
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century Cocktail Rings
Coral, Diamond, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
Diamond, Tiger's Eye, 18k Gold
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Coral, Yellow Gold
1990s Link Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Chalcedony, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s More Rings
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold