Large Scale 20th Century French Gem de Van Cleef & Arpels Perfume Factice
View Similar Items
Large Scale 20th Century French Gem de Van Cleef & Arpels Perfume Factice
About the Item
- Creator:Van Cleef & Arpels (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 13.25 in (33.66 cm)Width: 10.75 in (27.31 cm)Depth: 3.25 in (8.26 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1987
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Fayetteville, AR
- Reference Number:Seller: 21A3631stDibs: LU983228834092
Van Cleef & Arpels
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.
- Large Mid-Century French Georgio Armani Faux Tortoise Shell Glass Case FacticeBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in Fayetteville, ARThis very large mid-twentieth century French faux tortoise shell glass case factice features a pair of large wire rim glasses. Both the case and glasses are marked Georgio Armani. Th...Category
Mid-20th Century French Models and Miniatures
MaterialsWire
- Early 20th Century French Marquetry Game Box, Backgammon, CheckersLocated in Fayetteville, ARThis French walnut marquetry folding game box from the early twentieth century is for checkers and backgammon. It is finely constructed with dovetailed corners, inset hinges, and a l...Category
Early 20th Century French Game Boards
MaterialsLeather, Felt, Fruitwood, Pearwood, Walnut
- Early 20th Century French Hand Forged Iron Double Sided Music StandLocated in Fayetteville, AROriginally used in a church, this impressive French hand-forged iron music stand is designed so that a musician can stand on each side. Candleholders extend on the left and right to ...Category
Early 20th Century French Music Stands
MaterialsIron
- Early 20th Century Italian Gilt Brass and Wooden Altar or Sculpture StandLocated in Fayetteville, ARStanding at 39 inches in height, this large brass and wooden altar piece was originally used in an Italian church to display a statue. The roof of the altar piece is held up by four ...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Religious Items
MaterialsBrass
- Early 20th Century Small Scale French Bronze and Strass Crystal ChandelierLocated in Fayetteville, ARThis small scale bronze chandelier features gadrooned strands of Strass crystals and four elegantly curved arms detailed with Strass crystal pendaloques. Each arm is fitted with a bronze bobeche that sits at the base of each of its four faux candle lights. Finished with a central multi-faceted crystal...Category
Early 20th Century French Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsCrystal, Bronze
- Large Late 19th Century French Marble Mortar, Bowl or PlanterLocated in Fayetteville, ARThis late 19th century marble mortar is made from a single block of black marble. Large in size, this piece was once used with its accompanying pestle by a pharmacist to grind herbs for medicinal purposes, it can now serve as a planter, bowl, or vase and is conducive to both indoor and outdoor use. It would also make an impressive kitchen accessory...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Decorative Bowls
MaterialsMarble
- Early 20th Century French Laboratory ScaleLocated in High Point, NCMade in early 20th Century France, this mechanical wonder was crafted with an eye for aesthetics, the richly polished wood and meticulously crafted mechanism elevate this piece with ...Category
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Scientific Instruments
MaterialsMetal
- Early 20th Century French Laboratory ScaleLocated in High Point, NCHoused in a wooden and glass vitrine, this small scale was once used for precision measurements. Made at the turn of the 19th Century in France, this mechanical wonder was crafted wi...Category
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Historical Memorabilia
MaterialsMetal
- Van Cleef & Arpels: Timeless Beauty Hardcover Book 2012By Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in North Hollywood, CAVan Cleef & Arpels: Timeless Beauty Hardcover – July 31, 2012."Celebrating the 106-year-old jewelry house's glittering history." –Kristin Buettner, Harper's Bazaar.Since opening its ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Empire Revival Books
MaterialsPaper
- 19th Century Dutch crystal and gold perfume bottle by H.A.M. van Tongeren, 1870sLocated in Delft, NL19th Century Dutch crystal and gold perfume bottle by H.A.M. van Tongeren, 1870s A 19th Century Dutch perfume bottle with golden hinged cap with stopper. The crystal perfume bottle ...Category
Antique 19th Century Dutch Bottles
MaterialsCrystal, Gold
- French Wooden Scale, Late 19th-Early 20th CenturyLocated in Atlanta, GAHaving a large weighing surface and a smaller side for weights.Category
Early 20th Century French Scientific Instruments
- Seven Large Mid 20th Century German Brown Amber Glass Apothecary Jars with LidLocated in Haarlem, NLA decorative collection of seven extra large German 1930s-1940s apothecary jars in blown and pressed amber glass with pressed and blown glass lids. Once used for chemistry and pharmaceutical stuff, now very pretty as decoration set. Not jet antique...Category
Mid-20th Century German Jars
MaterialsGlass, Blown Glass
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Gems by David Webb, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels Anchor The Back Vault’s Treasure Trove
Boasting one of the largest collections of David Webb in the world, the firm offers exceptional jewels — always in demand yet never in short supply.
This Turquoise Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Necklace Is a Rare and Alluring Find
You know the French maison’s famous motif well. But why is this particular piece so in demand?