Van Cleef Chrysoprase
Vintage 1970s Link Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Choker Necklaces
Chrysophrase
Vintage 1980s Clip-on Earrings
Chrysophrase, Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Band Rings
Chrysophrase, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s More Bracelets
Diamond, Gold
Vintage 1980s Contemporary Fashion Rings
Chrysophrase, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Dome Rings
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Clip-on Earrings
Chrysophrase, Coral, 18k Gold
20th Century Brooches
Amethyst, Coral, Diamond, Onyx, Gold
Vintage 1960s Band Rings
Chrysophrase, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Retro Clip-on Earrings
Chrysophrase, Tiger's Eye, Gold
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Diamond, Chrysophrase, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Fashion Rings
Chalcedony, Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Rope Necklaces
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Clip-on Earrings
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century More Rings
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Link Bracelets
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century More Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Coral, Diamond, Hematite, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Fashion Rings
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Fashion Rings
Chrysophrase, Coral, Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Brooches
Chrysophrase, Onyx, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Necklaces
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Pendant Necklaces
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Dome Rings
Onyx, Diamond, Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
1990s Contemporary Link Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Chain Necklaces
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Chrysophrase, Coral, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Pendant Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Onyx, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century More Rings
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Contemporary Beaded Bracelets
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
20th Century Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Chrysophrase, Onyx, Coral, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Pendant Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Coral, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s More Bracelets
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Link Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Coral, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Brooches
Chrysophrase, Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Chain Necklaces
Chrysophrase, Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century Link Bracelets
Chrysophrase, Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Dome Rings
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Clip-on Earrings
Chrysophrase, Coral, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Dome Rings
Diamond, Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Drop Earrings
Chrysophrase, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Brooches
Chrysophrase, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Chain Necklaces
Chalcedony, 18k Gold
20th Century Chain Necklaces
Chrysophrase, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Necklace Enhancers
Chrysophrase, Onyx, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Band Rings
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Brooches
Chrysophrase, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Brooches
Chrysophrase, White Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Coral, White Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Modernist Brooches
Amber, Chrysophrase, Onyx, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Chrysophrase, Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
Van Cleef And Arpels Biography and Important Works
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.