In the 1950s, a period marked by post-war economic recovery, luxury made a dazzling comeback. To meet demand, the jewelry collection offers both daytime pieces, set in yellow gold, and evening pieces in platinum. The latter feature the Mystery Set™, a technique patented by the Maison in 1933, underscoring the preciousness of nature. The Feuille clips of the 1950s and 1960s in Mystery Set™ sapphires come alive with veins and curved stems in baguette-cut diamonds. From one decade to the next, the blue gemstone spread from petals to corollas.

Mystery Set™ sapphires also embellish abstract lines, such as those bracelets accented with rows of baguette-cut diamonds. Gouachés from the 1950s and 1960s reveal the care taken by designers to convey the interplay of light and shadow created by the Mystery Set™. White and gray accents bring out the many blue facets of the gemstones and the volume of the composition.

This technique adorn also wristwatches of the 1930s and 1940s. An innovative mechanism allows the time to be read discreetly on a dial hidden behind two precious shutters.

The exhibition highlights other stones, revealing all the richness of blue. 

Beloved by artists, lapis lazuli has long been used as a pigment when ground into powder. Seen in jewelry since Antiquity, this rock is striking for its deep blue shades. In 1963, the first Twist creations featured gold beading, a technique for shaping precious metal used by Van Cleef & Arpels since the 1940s. Polished yellow metal intertwines with lapis lazuli and white cultured pearls in a moving twist that emphasizes contrasting textures.

The meeting of copper and phosphate produces the mesmerizing blue-green hue of turquoise. This gemstone adorned many creations from the 1950s, a period that favored ornamental and colorful stones. Embracing an elegant floral design, the Spray clip from 1959 joins together, with a precious scalloped link, a bouquet of seven turquoise cabochons seemingly budding on diamond-paved stems.

A variety of beryl, a usually colorless mineral, aquamarine is particularly treasured when it presents an intense blue reminiscent of a translucent sea. Adorning a clip from 1946, a 10-carat emerald-cut specimen sits at the heart of a bouquet of stylized diamond stems. 

Finally, since its founding, Van Cleef & Arpels has used enamel, a technique that is thousands of years old, to embellish its timepieces, precious boxes and charms. 

The range of shades is vast, possessed by the gemstones themselves or obtained through exceptional savoir-faire, spanning from royal, azure and pastel to ultramarine, indigo and cobalt. For over one hundred years, Van Cleef & Arpels has been exploring the spectrum of these hues to poetically express its breadth of creativity.