Nature

Van Cleef & Arpels’ bouquets

Nature is one of the Maison’s prime sources of inspiration, imbuing creations with vitality and poetic grace. From all-diamond clips created in the 1920s to contemporary jewelry pieces, floral motifs lie at the core of the Van Cleef & Arpels universe.

  • Van Cleef & Arpels advert designed by René-Sim Lacaze, 1927.  Van Cleef & Arpels Archives

    Van Cleef & Arpels advert designed by René-Sim Lacaze, 1927. Van Cleef & Arpels Archives

Enthralled by the constant metamorphoses that enliven the plant world, the Maison echoes the infinite forms and nuances of flora, crystallizing the lightness of a bouquet or the freshness of wildflowers. Amid a dazzling, eternal spring, poppies commune with daisies, while lilies of the valley mingle with cherry blossoms, all transformed into jewels by the Mains d’Or™ in the Place Vendôme workshops. Van Cleef & Arpels applies its iconic savoir-faire in various fields to bring exceptional creations to life: for instance, the expert Mystery Set™ technique, patented by the Maison in 1933, imparts a velvety quality to the Pivoine clip (1937), originally a double clip representing two ruby flowers, one in full bloom, while the other is half-closed.

Delicate petals, set with ornamental or precious stones, enhance the exquisite materials composing them. The 1970 Rose de Noël™ collection and the 1981 Cosmos collection, portray corollas in mother-of-pearl, coral and onyx. The Frivole collection, introduced in 2003, gleams with precious flowers in mirror-polished gold – a traditional jewelry-making technique that results in an intense interplay of light on the metal’s surface.