Seven Seas
Contemplating the Seas
From peaceful shores to the open sea, from foaming breakers to crystalline expanses, Van Cleef & Arpels has let its gaze drift to the far horizon. The ever-changing spectacle of the waves and the grace of the sea’s denizens have captivated its senses to inspire a new collection of High Jewelry: Seven Seas®.
Like a travel memoir, it brings together treasures and impressions, transposed into jewelry by the language of gems. In a cascade of blues, the distinctive sparkles of
the Adriatic and the Mediterranean stand alongside those of the Caspian and Arabian Seas. The far reaches of the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean have inspired streams of light, while dazzling associations of materials evoke the Red and Black Seas. During this contemplative voyage, the Maison explores the sea’s multiple shades: from gradations
of turquoise and emerald green to sparkling sunlight in the heat of the afternoon or moonbeams glittering on its mirrored waters.
Across the seven seas
Nature, which has always occupied a central place in the world of Van Cleef & Arpels, is represented in all its richness and diversity. The theme of the sea-fascinating for its flora and fauna as much as for the legends attached to it-has provided the Maison with an infinite source of inspiration for its High Jewelry creations. Today, the Seven Seas collection pays tribute to this universe with a vision that is both cultural and dreamlike. It invites us to embark on a dual voyage: across the world and to the origins of the expression “the seven seas”. Dating from ancient times, it was used in medieval European literature to refer to a specific set of waters, known to sailors of the time. Its meaning shifted in the wake of great discoveries, until it came to evoke all the world’s oceans, like a vast expanse to be explored. Chosen by Rudyard Kipling as the title for his collection of poems The Seven Seas (1896), the words now echo like a call to escape and discovery, a metaphor for that Elsewhere that so fully corresponds to the boundless imagination of Van Cleef & Arpels.
The undulation of gems
Drifting with the currents, the Maison has steeped itself in the sea’s varied faces. Limpid, shimmering or profound, punctuated by spurting foam or the gentle lapping of the waves, it has lent itself to exquisitely fluid and nuanced interpretations. The constant movement of the waters has inspired diamond volutes, glittering spirals and braids of precious bubbles. Magnified by a play of ever-changing lights, the aquatic palette is brought to life by a selection of Pierres de Caractère™, exceptional gems that elicit a unique emotion. Together with historic sapphires and crystalline emeralds, turquoises, aquamarines and Paraíba-like tourmalines evoke gentle shores. The seabed teems with rubies, coral and red spinels, while evening brings a backwash of cultured pearls and onyx. Harmonious gradations of blues, pinks or oranges are carefully composed to recreate the richness of these inviting worlds.
They are inhabited by extraordinary creatures: turtles and seahorses, alongside mermaids and princesses of the waves that renew the tradition of feminine figures. Adorned with the Mystery Set™, a flamboyant seashell opens to reveal the treasure within. The guardian of a virtuoso savoir-faire, it symbolizes the taste for rarity and beauty that inspires the Maison each and every day.
BORA TURQUOISE LONG NECKLACE & BORA TURQUOISE EARRINGS
© Van Cleef & Arpels Photo by Sonia Sieff
Dress by Gaspard Yurkievich
TROIS TORTUES CLIP
White gold, diamonds, cabochon-cut sapphires, white mother-of-pearl.
ÉTOILE DE MER CLIP
Pink gold, round and pear-shaped diamonds, pink sapphires.
BENGUERRA LONG NECKLACE AND BRACELET
Long necklace, white gold, diamonds, blue and yellow sapphires, spessartite garnets, white cultured pearls. This long necklace is transformable. Bracelet, white gold, diamonds, blue and yellow sapphires, spessartite garnets, white cultured pearls.
FÉE DES MERS CLIP
White gold, yellow gold, round and rose-cut diamonds, blue and yellow sapphires, spessartite and grossular garnets, cabochon-cut chalcedony of 23.64 carats.
DALHAK LONG NECKLACE
© Van Cleef & Arpels Photo by Sonia Sieff
Dress by Gaspard Yurkievich
COQUILLAGE MYSTÉRIEUX RING
White gold, pink gold, red gold, round and troidia-cut diamonds, blue and mauve sapphires, Mystery Set rubies.
GOUTTE DE SPINELLE RING
Pink gold, round and baguette-cut diamonds, baguette-cut rubies, one pear-shaped pink spinel of 14.34 carats.
Mediterranean Sea
Beneath an azure sky bathed in light, Van Cleef & Arpels contemplates the dancing reflections of the Mediterranean. Famous for its shades of blue-from intense ultramarine to limpid turquoise-the sea, rich in legends, undulates beneath the watchful gaze of its protective guardians, pink flamingos and sea fairies.
FLAMANT CORAIL NECKLACE AND EARRINGS
Necklace, pink gold, round diamonds, round and pear-shaped pink sapphires, round peridots, pink and red coral, onyx. The clip is detachable. Earrings, pink gold, round diamonds, round and pear-shaped pink sapphires, pink coral.
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea reveals its clear water lagoons and verdant coastline in the calm of a summer’s day. Captivated by this subtle landscape, Van Cleef & Arpels flits between sunny harbors and ancient cities, cooled by the sea breeze.
LAGUNE PRÉCIEUSE NECKLACE AND EARRINGS
Necklace, white gold, round, baguette-cut and pear-shaped diamonds, sapphires, round, octogonal, square-cut, oval-cut and pear-shaped aquamarines. Earrings, white gold, diamonds, sapphires, round, octogonal, square-cut, oval-cut and pear-shaped aquamarines.
Black Sea
At a cultural crossroads between Europe and Asia, the Black Sea inspires fascination with its mysterious name. Chiaroscuro scenes fill the Maison’s imagination: a nocturnal crossing accompanied by fish, or the soft clarity of moonlight on the shore.
ROSE DES VENTS LONG NECKLACE
White gold, diamonds, black spinels, sapphires, onyx beads and motifs, white cultured pearls.
NAGEUR NOIR ET BLANC CLIP
White gold, diamonds, cabochon-cut sapphires, black spinels, onyx.
RIVAGE NOIR ET BLANC BRACELET
White gold, diamonds, square-cut and cabochon-cut sapphires, cabochon-cut emeralds, white and gray cultured pearls, turquoise.
Caspian Sea
Embraced by the land, the Caspian Sea guards its riches at the frontier of the Caucasus and the Middle East. Stirred by stormy waves or sparkling in the sunlight, it blossoms into a gradation of intense, velvety blues.
ANCÔNE RING
White gold, platinum, round and baguette-cut diamonds, sapphires, turquoise beads, one octogonal emerald of 3.28 carats (Colombia).
VAGUES MYSTÉRIEUSES CLIP
White gold, diamonds, Paraíba-like tourmalines, sapphires, Mystery Set sapphires.