Captured in all their grace, the flowers of Van Cleef & Arpels reflect the quest of movement. The pieces appear to come to life, thanks to their three-dimensional volume, the angle of their petals, or the asymmetry of their composition.
A trademark of the house, flowers in their blooming glory, from delicate petals, through to lavish and highly coloured bouquets, harness the nature of Van Cleef & Arpels, and their vitality and eternal freshness. These blooms are translated through diamond creations, light as a bejeweled breeze, that can be worn daily and for any occasion.
Here we look at the most exceptional of Van Cleef & Arpels’ exquisite creations, from the craftsmanship that is worked into pieces exclusive to the region, to timepieces with floral charms, and most recently the Frivole collection.
Alhambra
This special edition, created for Dubai Mall, is an exceptional lucky symbol. For the first time, yellow gold, gris de lin Sèvres porcelain and diamonds harmonise in a 20-motif necklace. An icon of Van Cleef & Arpels, the Alhambra collection has taken on an elegant range of interpretations since 1968, lending itself to a rich variety of materials and occasions. So, to celebrate the auspices of luck, the Special Edition Alhambra long necklace is adorned with gris de lin Sèvres porcelain for the first time. This gentle, feminine shade of mauve combines with the warm tones of yellow gold and the sparkle of diamonds to illuminate the neckline.
Rose de Noël
Van Cleef & Arpels pays homage to its Rose de Noël collection, created in 1970, with new creations in carnelian, onyx, and lapis lazuli. In 1970, it launched the Rose de Noël collection, named after a flower with the particularity of blooming in winter. First created in pink coral, yellow gold and diamonds, the pieces reflected the creative effervescence of the era with their prominent colours and broad palette of materials. Since then, the collection has taken on joyful variations that associate the sparkle of diamonds with the gleam of gray or white mother-of-pearl, coral, turquoise or chalcedony.
Perpetuating an emblematic Van Cleef & Arpels aesthetic, the Rose de Noël collection is today made up of clips, earrings, and pendants, which can also be worn as clips. The new models give pride of place to three materials, deep black onyx, orangey-red carnelian, and dazzling lapis lazuli of an intense blue. On each piece, six rounded petals spread out asymmetrically, in a play of varying sizes, angles, and heights. This three-dimensional approach enables the natural movement of flowers to be reproduced with precision and elegance. Pendants and earrings appear freshly bloomed against the skin, while the clips can be worn in a multitude of ways, to suit every mood and occasion. At the heart of the creations, six round diamonds rest on pistils of golden thread, while on the back an openwork gold plate molds itself to the contours of the petals, testimony to the Maison’s attention to hidden details along with visible ones.
Snowflake Fleurette
The Snowflake High Jewellery collection was created by the Maison in 1986. Then in 2016, two new watches extended the set. With a winter and nature inspiration, the snowflake collection renewed the Fleurette motif created by the Maison in 1925’s. This particular timepiece, is in platinum with a bezel set with round diamonds, featuring a diamond selection and setting, and is a figurative interpretation of Snowflake Collection with a feminine bracelet made of Fleurette motifs.
Cosmos
A new chapter is opening for the Cosmos collection, in an explosion of spring blossoms adorned with white mother-of-pearl and onyx. With their subtle blend of softness and brilliance, these jewellery creations offer fresh homage to nature and luck, two of the Maison’s most cherished sources of inspiration.
With the subtle angle of their four distinctive heart-shaped petals, Cosmos creations are inspired by an iconic Van Cleef & Arpels flower dating from the 1950s. Combining the ethereal quality of a four-leaf clover with the grace of a flower, the collection expresses a delightful femininity graced by luck. Emblematic of the Maison, these jewels now take on a new appearance thanks to onyx and white mother-of-pearl. Until now, Cosmos flowers have combined gold with the sparkle of diamonds. Today, they inspire new associations. The shimmer of mother-of-pearl complements the softness of pink gold in a tender hymn to nature. Onyx and white gold compose a refined and luminous duet, suffused with timeless elegance. This interplay of materials provides two new interpretations of the collection and breathes life into each piece. Like graceful talismans, their delicate corollas blossom against the neckline, the wrist, or the hand, the Cosmos Between the Finger Ring unfurls its graceful petals to illustrate all the creativity of Van Cleef & Arpels. In an ultimate touch of refinement, a diamond petal seems to glitter in the sun, adding a precious note of asymmetry.
Lotus
A symbol of beauty, purity and accomplishment, the lotus flower reflects the harmonious world of Van Cleef & Arpels. In the Lotus collection, it blooms in three dimensions on a trio of different-sized pendants.
Delicately superimposed, the petals are adorned with round diamonds to form a corolla of light. The various setting techniques, ‘perle de rosée’ grain setting, closed setting, and prong setting, along with openwork on the rear of the pieces, magnify the flow of light and accentuate the overall brilliance. Two of the three pendants are transformable and can also be worn as clips to suit their wearer’s mood.
Charms Extraordinaire Langage des Fleurs
First created in 2008, the Charms timepiece is among Van Cleef & Arpels’ emblematic watchmaking creations. Its clean lines, faithful to the delicate feminine aesthetic cherished by the Maison, are embellished with a lucky charm that spins with each movement of the wrist. This year, the collection is adorned with shimmering bouquets bearing messages of love, while the charm takes on a floral motif. The dials are decorated with buttercups, daffodils, crocuses, lilacs, wallflowers, and forget-me-nots.
The Charms Extraordinaire Langage des Fleurs collection is a numbered edition. It is composed of three models, of different sizes and in different coloured gold, each of which bears a message. The gradation of stones embellishing the bezel matches the colour of the watch. Two interchangeable shiny alligator straps adorn the timepiece to suit every mood. The emblematic flower of the watch is engraved on the back of the case, adding a final touch to the story related on the dial.
Left Image: Charms Extraordinaire Amour
On this 38mm watch in pink gold, wallflower, forget-me-not, and cyclamen symbolise memory, beauty, and lasting sentiments. The cyclamens appear to be in motion thanks to the enchanting sculpture on painted mother-of-pearl. Cabochonné enamel also bestows a sense of movement on the wallflowers. A pear-shaped pink sapphire represents a cyclamen bud. The flowers are framed by a gradation of pink sapphires, echoing the wallflower charm in pink sapphires and spessartite garnet.
Middle Image: Charms Extraordinaire Espérance
The smallest model in the collection is adorned with sunny colours, illuminating its 25mm case in yellow gold. The buttercup in cabochonné enamel symbolises beauty, the daffodil designates true love’s desire, while the chickweed represents the meeting, so pregnant with hopes. Embedded in the dial, the daffodil is sculpted in white mother-of-pearl for extra depth, then coloured yellow with miniature painting. The charm is a buttercup spinning round a row of shaded yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets. Its petals are also fashioned from yellow sapphires, while a spessartite garnet represents a pistil.
Right Image: Charms Extraordinaire Désir
Expressing all the desire of a new romance, the Charms Extraordinaire Désir watch is adorned with lilac, synonymous with young love, and crocuses blooming on the dial thanks to cabochonné enamel work. Three yellow gold threads delicately depict the pistil. The lilac, in pink sapphires and amethysts, grows against a background of sculpted miniature painted mother-of-pearl. A symbol of happiness, a crocus also spins around the dial as a charm.
Frivole
As spring approaches, Van Cleef & Arpels is revisiting its Frivole collection, a luminous ode to nature. Nine original creations enhance the Maison’s range in a bloom of graphic flowers, which seem to quiver beneath the wind’s caress. Ranging from single flowers to shimmering bouquets, the different models light up the skin with their precious brilliance.
The quest for movement lies at the heart of Van Cleef & Arpels’ creative process. For the Frivole collection, architectural forms and the orientation of the petals have been worked with care to reproduce the random quality of nature. Mirror polishing, a technique in use at the Maison since the 1920s, provides a way of highlighting the glitter of gold and creating particularly intense reflections, suffusing each piece with unique vitality. The search for brilliance can also be seen in the openwork, openings that the jeweller pierces in the gold structure to enable light to pass through the diamonds. All these jewellery techniques combine with rigorous attention to detail, enhancing the Frivole creations.
From the diamond clips of the 1920s to contemporary jewellery pieces, floral motifs have always been at the heart of Van Cleef & Arpels’ creativity. Enthralled by nature’s constant metamorphoses, the Maison transposes the vitality of its movement and its myriad nuances and forms. Christmas roses and Cosmos flowers, poppies and fuchsias, lily-of-the-valley, and cherry blossom, form a poetic garden, embellished by the craftsmen’s savoir-faire. The Frivole collection thus rejoins a continuous creative tradition, perpetuated by Van Cleef & Arpels in homage to beauty.
