The quality of our Customer Service is one of Van Cleef & Arpels' top priorities. Every day, the Van Cleef & Arpels teams are committed to providing the highest quality of service. Thanks to its excellence, this service allows us to ensure that our creations are long lasting and allows us to build a durable, authentic relationship of confidence with our clients.
Van Cleef & Arpels creations are designed and built to last and to be with you at all times. In order for you to be able to enjoy their original beauty, we are offering you a few practical hints as well as information about the materials used in Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry and timepieces. Our commitment to our clients:
Van Cleef & Arpels has been creating High Jewelry on Place Vendôme since 1906. Always striving for excellence, the Maison has become a worldwide reference through its unique designs, its choice of exceptional stones and its unsurpassed craftsmanship Van Cleef & Arpels, incarnated by its team, offers jewels and watches that tell stories and brings enchantment to life.
If you are interested in initiating a service request for your Van Cleef & Arpels creation or have other related questions, please contact our Client Relations Center at 1-877 VAN CLEEF (1-877-826-2533) or visit our Store Locator to locate your closest Van Cleef & Arpels Boutique or Authorized Retailer.
Our Jewelry-making Expertise :
Every Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry creation is an exceptional piece. Crafted using the most beautiful stones and the noblest of materials, each one embodies over a century of traditional craftsmanship and unequalled creativity.
Only our jewelers are qualified to perform any work on your Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry.
We therefore invite you to visit one of our Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques or Van Cleef & Arpels authorized points of sale in order to have your timepiece examined or repaired. You can also contact our Client Relations Center in order to receive information about the procedure to follow. To contact us, please click here
Everyday use of your Jewelry
Daily wear
Your jewelry creation is a delicate product that merits special care and attention. In order to guarantee its original brilliance and beauty, we recommend the following :
Wearing your jewelry: Some pieces of jewelry are more delicate than others. We therefore recommend that you choose your jewelry according to the day's activities. Generally we advise against wearing your jewelry in the following situations: - when carrying out a sporting activity - on the beach, at the sauna or Turkish bath - in any situation that could lead to intense thermal shocks - when performing household tasks that may cause it to come into contact with corrosive products - when gardening or carrying out DIY It is also preferable to remove your jewelry when you wash your hands. In addition we recommend that you put your jewelry on after applying your makeup and perfume.
Storage: Your jewelry should be stored in its Van Cleef & Arpels case in order to protect it from shocks or scratches. You are advised against storing several pieces of jewelry in the same case as they could become scratched by rubbing against each other.
Care advice
The care measures that you can take for your jewelry depend on its characteristics.
For engagement rings and any gold, platinum or diamond jewelry: You can clean the piece regularly yourself: dip it in tepid soapy water and clean it gently with a brush and pH-neutral soap. Then rinse it carefully with fresh tepid water, dry it and polish it with a soft cloth. This quick, easy operation will preserve your jewelry's beautiful brilliance.
For creations with stones other than diamonds (pearls, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, turquoises, opals, etc.), we recommend that you take your jewelry to a Van Cleef & Arpels boutique or a Van Cleef & Arpels authorized point of sale. Our teams at the boutiques and at our High Jewelry workshops will take the greatest care of your piece.
Your jewelry is designed to be with you every day. As a result, after several years of daily wear, it may lose some of its brilliance. The polishing service aims to return your creation to its original brilliance by correcting any marks or wear and tear on its surface. Only experienced jewelers can carry out this task in order to maintain the jewelry's aesthetic qualities. We therefore recommend that you take your jewelry to one of our boutiques. Our jewelers will carry out an examination of your jewelry then polish it themselves.
Polishing removes a fine layer of metal from the surface of the jewelry through the combined use of brushes and abrasive pastes. It is therefore not advisable to polish a piece of jewelry more often than two or three times in its life.
Finally, over-thorough polishing could deform the original shape of the jewelry. Deep scratches can therefore not be removed.
The special characteristics of white-gold jewelry: The white gold used in our creations is rhodium-plated. This rhodium-plating operation allows it to be given a particularly brilliant white shine. Every white-gold creation must therefore have its rhodium plating removed and replaced during the polishing operation.
What is rhodium? Rhodium is a rare and precious metal from the platinum family. Applied in a fine layer to the surface of white-gold jewelry, it intensifies its brilliance and whiteness.
Sizing Service
It is possible to adjust the size of certain Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry pieces according to your needs. The feasibility of a sizing operation depends both on the model and the desired sizing. We therefore recommend that you take your creation to one of our Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques or Van Cleef & Arpels authorized points of sale. Only our teams are able to evaluate sizing feasibility.
Although sizing is technically feasible, this operation must be carried out by our jewelers in order to guarantee the integrity of your jewelry.
Engraving Service
It is possible to engrave certain Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry pieces in order to personalize them or commemorate a happy event such as an engagement, a wedding, the birth of a child or a particular personal achievement. This personalization may take the form of a date, initials, a name, etc. The feasibility of an engraving operation depends both on the model and on the desired engraving. We therefore recommend that you take your creation to one of our Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques or Van Cleef & Arpels authorized points of sale. Only our teams are able to evaluate sizing feasibility.
Although engraving is technically feasible, this operation must be carried out by our jewelers in order to guarantee the integrity of your jewelry.
Ring size guide
Identifying the exact ring size is a relatively delicate operation that may depend in particular on the ring model. We therefore recommend that you visit a Van Cleef & Arpels boutique or Van Cleef & Arpels authorized point of sale where our teams have all the required tools. Should this not be possible, we invite you to consult the size guide provided in this section.
Our Watchmaking Expertise :
Your Van Cleef & Arpels timepiece is an exceptional creation in both aesthetic and technical terms. It therefore requires regular maintenance in order to guarantee its optimum performance and preserve its brilliance.
Only our watchmakers are qualified to perform any work on your Van Cleef & Arpels timepiece. We therefore invite you to visit one of our Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques or Van Cleef & Arpels authorized points of sale in order to have your timepiece examined or repaired. You can also contact our Client Relations Center in order to receive information about the procedure to follow. To contact us, please click here.
Everyday use of your Timepiece
Care Advice
We recommend that you rub the case of your timepiece gently with a soft cloth. Metal bracelets (gold, platinum or steel) may be gently brushed with a soft bristle brush that has been immersed in tepid, soapy water using pH neutral soap. First ensure that the crown of your timepiece has been firmly pushed into the case, even if your watch is water resistant. Then rinse the bracelet with fresh tepid water and dry it with a soft cloth. This operation is strongly advised following immersion in chlorinated or sea water.
Water resistance
The water resistance of your Van Cleef & Arpels timepiece (if certified Water Resistant) must be regularly examined in order to check all the joints. We recommend that the joints be changed approximately every two years. This service must be carried out by our watchmakers or our Van Cleef & Arpels authorized After-Sales Service Centers in order to guarantee the optimum performance of the timepiece.
A few useful precautions: We recommend that you always check that the crown has been pushed in (pressed against the case of the watch and not pulled out for time setting) before putting your timepiece in water. It is important not to pull out the crown to set the date or time when it is in the water. The water could penetrate the case of the timepiece when the crown is pulled out. Similarly, for chronograph timepieces the pushers should not be used when the timepiece is underwater.
Magnetism
We are surrounded by magnetic fields in our daily life. Certain particularly strong magnetic fields may affect the correct performance of your Van Cleef & Arpels timepiece, whether it is mechanical or quartz. The possible effects of strong magnetic fields are the movement gaining time significantly or even stopping.
What should be done?
We recommend that you avoid leaving your timepiece near any object emitting an intense magnetic field such as magnets, televisions, hi-fi equipment, electrical household appliances such as microwaves, hotplates, etc.
Should your timepiece become magnetized, simply take it to one of our Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques or Van Cleef & Arpels authorized retailers. Our watchmakers or Van Cleef & Arpels authorized After-Sales Service Centers will perform a service known as "Demagnetization" which will correct the dysfunction caused by the magnetic field.
To find your nearest Van Cleef & Arpels boutique, Van Cleef & Arpels point of sale or authorized After-Sales Service Center, please click here.
The Bracelet or strap
Van Cleef & Arpels bracelets and straps are made from the noblest of materials and represent a high-quality product. As with all natural leather objects, the life of a leather strap varies according to the conditions in which it is used. Water, cosmetics and perspiration all accelerate aging. Metal bracelets are therefore naturally more suitable for activities involving frequent contact with water or a regular sporting activity.
Instructions for use
Instructions
Van Cleef & Arpels provides you with a set of instructions for use for every timepiece that we create. Should you be unable to find the user guide for your timepiece in the list below however, we invite you to contact our Client Relations Center. Please click to open the Van Cleef & Arpels Care guide. Please click to open the Van Cleef & Arpels User guide.
Watchmaking services
Battery Service
The Battery Service consists of replacing the battery of a quartz timepiece when it has run down. During this service, our watchmakers or Van Cleef & Arpels authorized After-Sales Service Centers also change all the joints on the back and check the water resistance of the timepiece (only for water-resistant watches). We recommend that you never leave a dead battery in your watch as it could damage the movement.
Recommended frequency: approximately every two years.
Maintenance Service
The Maintenance Service is a regular care service. It allows the watch mechanism to be adjusted and its correct performance to be ensured. This service includes uncasing the movement, changing the battery for quartz movements, adjustment and checking of the movement, changing all the joints, water-resistance check and cleaning the case and metal bracelet with ultrasound.
Recommended frequency: every two to three years.
Complete Service
The Complete Service is necessary when the watch movement needs to be repaired. To the operations carried out during the Maintenance Service are added disassembly, cleaning, lubrication and assembly of every component of the movement.
For steel and yellow gold, the Complete Service is automatically accompanied by polishing unless you do not wish this to be carried out. For white gold, polishing is not included in the Complete Service. It must be requested in addition to the Complete Service and will be invoiced in addition.
Recommended frequency: every four to five years.
Restoration Service
Restoring an antique timepiece consists of performing a complete servicing of the timepiece and replacing the old components, which only Van Cleef & Arpels' Watchmaking Workshops are capable of reproducing in order to guarantee the integrity of your timepiece.