Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
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, the 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.
1950s American Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Platinum
1930s French Retro Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
1970s French Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
White Diamond, Platinum
1970s French Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1960s French Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
1980s French Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
1970s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
1970s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Chrysophrase, Coral, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s French Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century French Artist Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
1970s Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s French Contemporary Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Coral, Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond
1940s French Retro Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1950s American Retro Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Gold
1980s French Modern Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Emerald, Yellow Gold
1980s Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
1970s French Modernist Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s French Retro Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1930s Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
20th Century Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
1980s Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
18k Gold
20th Century Unknown Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
1960s Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Citrine, Sapphire
1970s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Chalcedony, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Gold
1990s French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1960s French Post-War Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Chrysophrase, Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
1950s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Yellow Diamond, Platinum
Early 2000s French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Retro Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1980s Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Moonstone, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
1960s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1990s French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Gold
20th Century American Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Emerald, Ruby, Gold
1990s French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Pearl, Diamond, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold
20th Century French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Gold
1990s French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1990s French Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Artist Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Yellow Gold
1980s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Coral, Diamond, 18k Gold
1970s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Coral, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French Modern Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century French Contemporary Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1970s French Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
Van Cleef & Arpels brooches for sale on 1stDibs
Creators Similar to Van Cleef & Arpels
- 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.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022In Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, the red stone is usually Brazilian carnelian, a type of semiprecious gemstone that typically comes from Greece and Asia. The luxury jewelry brand uses the stone in it’s Bouton d’or and Alhambra collections. On 1stDibs, find a variety of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry.
- What is the Van Cleef symbol?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The brand Van Cleef & Arpels is a well-known luxury jewelry and watchmaking company. Founded in 1896, the company was known for their timeless style and luxe jewels. In 1968 their Alhambra collection featured a four-leaf clover shape and suddenly that became the symbol for the brand. Shop a collection of expertly vetted vintage and new Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra jewelry from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The term Van Cleef Alhambra means a piece produced by the company Van Cleef & Arpels that features one or more four-leaf clover shapes. It is one of the most notable motifs used by the French jewelry house. Find a variety of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry on 1stDibs.
- Are Van Cleef watches worth it?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Deciding if a Van Cleef & Arpels watch is worth the investment is really a matter of preference. The brand is a very well respected luxury brand that comes with a high price tag due to its history of quality, flawless gemstones, impeccable style and elegance. You’ll find a range of quality watches by Van Cleef and others on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Van Cleef & Arpels typically uses 18-karat gold. This precious metal is roughly 75 percent pure gold and is the type most commonly used to produce luxury jewelry. You can find a selection of Van Cleef & Arpels gold jewelry on 1stDibs.