Nature has offered a rich and dearly cherished source of inspiration for Van Cleef & Arpels since its founding. Evoking a graceful and ethereal nature, butterflies have accompanied the Maison since its foundation. Always in movement, they gracefully fly in a beautiful ballet, to unveil joyful jewels. Various gems reflect their vivid and light-hearted allure.

For over hundred years, Van Cleef & Arpels has created butterflies of delicate shapes. In a flutter of wings, the Maison celebrates the plural beauty of such creatures.

The encounter between Jewelry and traditional Japanese culture gave rise to a singular collaboration. After having been made – in France – from yellow and white gold, mother-of-pearl and diamonds, these butterflies are carefully hand decorated by Mr. Hakose with Japanese lacquer and maki-e technique. Each unique pattern of these limited-edition pieces is created on the butterfly wings through a sweeping sequence of techniques: from the Japanese lacquer to the decorations (maki-e, raden, rankaku and more), the lacquered butterfly is a long-term undertaking.

For the past 20 years, these lacquered butterflies have demonstrated continuous evolutions sparked by the dialog between these two cultures. As Mr. Hakose explains, "Europeans traditionally add new features, while Japanese have always tried to reduce or omit things. The outcome of this dialog is visible in the design of the lacquered butterflies. While Japan's culture has its own charm, I would like to understand French culture and facilitate communication."

Japanese techniques made it possible to transcribe butterflies' lively dance on such delicate and fine pieces. While eggshell fragments large and small must be meticulously arranged to form a specific pattern, the use of an ultra-thin brush to draw infinitesimally fine lines in a single stroke requires concentration and expertise. According to Mr. Hakose: “I had a hard time when drawing hand drums and balls. If the line is not taut and tense, it won’t work; it won’t feel alive. To achieve the result I want, the line should be not simply traced, but tightly pulled with the brush.”

Also, in the process where he creates motifs with finely crushed quail eggshells, Mr. Hakose skillfully arranges and adheres fragments, some barely larger than a speck of dust, to create a pattern. Among the pieces the Japanese artist creates, these lacquered butterflies, particularly diminutive, use various advanced techniques that interact to imbue their surfaces with dynamism and vitality.

French and Japanese craftsmanship share the idea of creating “objects that combine allure and functionality.” Just like jewelry, whose sparkle increases when worn, the beauty of lacquerware is also enhanced when used. In the words of Mr. Hakose, “Even when I draw a traditional pattern using traditional techniques, I want to make something current or something that will live in the future. That's what it means to pass down traditions.” As such, these lacquered butterflies, Mr. Hakose's first jewelry creations, offer a rare opportunity for a different country’s culture to stimulate Japan's traditions and encourage a quest for new aspects.

These lacquered butterflies, which are now flying all over the world, attest to the fruitful collaboration between Japan and France. In the future, they will certainly continue their   metamorphosis, ever stimulating each other's traditions.