Van Cleef Ear Rings

On 1stDibs, there are many options to choose from in our inventory of van cleef ear rings. These distinct designs — crafted with great care and often made from 18k gold, gold and yellow gold — can elevate any look. Our selection of items includes 13 vintage examples as well as 2 contemporary versions. Our collection is diverse and broad-ranging, and pieces in stock date back to the 20th Century while others were produced as recently as the 21st Century. There are many different pieces in our collection of van cleef ear rings to choose from, but Art Deco and contemporary van cleef ear rings are of considerable interest. Versions of these items have been a part of the life’s work for many jewelers, but those produced by Van Cleef & Arpels and Andre Vassort are consistently popular. Any of these pieces can lend versatility to your look, but diamond versions, from our inventory of 7, are particularly popular. A selection of brilliant cut, round cut and emerald cut can be found today on these pages. When shopping our range of van cleef ear rings, you’ll find that there are less available pieces for men today than there are for women.

On average, van cleef ear rings at 1stDibs sell for $48,500, while they’re typically $7,950 on the low end and $145,000 for the highest priced versions of this item.

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.