Van Cleef & Arpels 101
Rome's Villa Médici set the stage for Van Cleef & Arpel's showcase of their latest high jewelry collection, Le Grand Tour. Click through to see some of the highlights.
Nicola Bos, chief executive of Van Cleef & Arpels said the launch “pays tribute to the beautiful idea of travelling for art and education”. It is inspired by the Grand Tour of Europe that wealthy, young aristocrats used to embark on to complete their education up to the late 19th century, with every piece evoking one of the major cultural centers of Europe.
An ode to the City of Light, this stunning white and rose gold piece showcases buff-topped Traditional Mystery Set emeralds, mauve sapphires, white cultured pearls, and diamonds.
Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli's 'The Birth Of Venus', one of the most important pieces of art in history, is the inspiration for this shell-shaped Van Cleef piece, made from an oval-cut pink sapphire weighing 4.04 carats, a rose gold shell, rubies, pink sapphires and diamonds.
Echoing the waterways and low bridges of Venice, this style features turquoise cabochons, each one topped by an arch of gold, sapphires and diamonds.
Baden-Baden, the German spa town, inspired this stunning brooch, which showcases a rare bi-colour boulder opal resembling a tree trunk, with swaying fruits made of pink and blue sapphires.
Featuring a detachable pendant, this eye-catching choker showcases a cushion-cut tourmaline at the center, and an oval-cut tourmaline, as well as diamon, and blue and violet sapphires, aquamarines and tanzanites. It draws inspiration from the scenic snowy landscapes of the Alps.
On the London stop of Van Cleef's tour, we find an homage to the queen in these pendant-style rose gold earrings, made of two triangle-cut pink spinels of 1.71 and 1.58 carats, coral, and diamonds.