{"id":16631,"date":"2024-07-05T20:04:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-05T20:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loveluxury.co.uk\/?p=16631"},"modified":"2024-07-05T20:04:43","modified_gmt":"2024-07-05T20:04:43","slug":"van-cleef-arpels-stones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/van-cleef-arpels-stones\/","title":{"rendered":"Gemstone Magic \u2013 Van Cleef & Arpels\u2019 Use of Precious Stones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gemstones don\u2019t just form the backbone of each piece in the Van Cleef & Arpels collection \u2013 they are also embedded in the brand\u2019s history, and form much of the motivation behind the brand\u2019s initial creation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As you browse the full collection of pieces created by Van Cleef & Arpels, you will see just how important colour is in the formation of each piece. Heavily inspired by nature, by natural surroundings, animals, plants and flowers, Van Cleef & Arpels has long been a brand packed with character and colour. And what better way to really pinpoint that than through the use of globally renowned, intricate, and ornate gemstones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But, before we talk more about how the brand uses gemstones, first a little history of how and why these little details matter so much to the Van Cleef & Arpels story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Gemstones and Their Role in Van Cleef & Arpels\u2019 History\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

The connection between Van Cleef & Arpels as a brand and their use of precious gemstones is rooted in the profession that brought two people together in love. People often say that Van Cleef & Arpels is a <\/span>brand that was built from love and gemstones<\/span><\/a>, and this can be seen in the relationship that brought two families together in marriage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef got married in 1895, and in 1906 Alfred and his father-in-law joined their two professions of diamond cutting and precious stone sourcing to create a brand that combined the finest stones with whimsical, innovative, and creative designs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From its earliest days, Van Cleef & Arpels has been a brand characterised by its use of high energy and colourful stones, alongside the classic diamonds. As such, the luxury brand has earned its place as a decorative and expressive name on the market \u2013 with the unique aesthetic and high value of the gemstones and materials only serving to further elevate the coveted status of each piece.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Are Precious Metals Used by Van Cleef & Arpels?<\/b><\/h2>\n

In order to recognise how gemstones are used by Van Cleef & Arpels, you need to know which materials the brand uses and why.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Firstly, and most notably, is mother of pearl, which is synonymous with the brand\u2019s simplest and most elegant pieces, and which ties into the commitment of Van Cleef & Arpels to create pieces that can be worn by anyone at any time. The <\/span>world-famous Alhambra collection<\/span><\/a> is an excellent example of a jewellery range that lends itself to everyday wear, made famous both on the red carpet and out and about in normal life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alongside its use of mother of pearl as an iridescent material famed for its good luck and prosperity, Van Cleef & Arpels also uses malachite for its stunning green colour palette, agate for its rich blue hue, and onyx for a deep black or slate grey. Again, the Alhambra collection is an ideal setting in which to see these colours looking their best, as it highlights the vibrance of each in its flat but recognisable design. And then we have diamonds, which are often used to adorn and compliment different pieces \u2013 adding a timeless elegance and a distinct charm to the characters, motifs, and designs created by the brand designers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Role of Gemstones in Van Cleef & Arpels\u2019 History and Designs<\/b><\/h2>\n

Of course, one thing that separates some Van Cleef & Arpels collections from others is the use of additional gemstones \u2013 which is where value really takes on a conversation of its own. The <\/span>main gemstones used by the brand<\/span><\/a> are considered the \u2018Big Three\u2019 \u2013 emeralds, sapphires, and rubies \u2013 as well as diamonds. Some of the most standout and recognisable pieces across the entire Van Cleef & Arpels collection are embedded with gemstones \u2013 sometimes subtly, as in the case of the Flora collection, and other times on a much richer scale (the most expensive piece in the brand\u2019s history being a bracelet embedded with 440 diamonds).<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, it\u2019s worth considering one or two specific stones that are part of the brand\u2019s history \u2013 for example, the \u201cBlue Princess\u201d, which was found in Bombay by the second generation of the Arpels family, who were intent on sourcing the world\u2019s finest and most unique stones. This particular bright-blue sapphire was used in the pendant of a necklace in the 1930s. Then, in the 1960s, a rare pink diamond was sourced from India \u2013 named the \u201cPrincie\u201d and heralded with an exclusive viewing event. Other <\/span>notable stones as reported and celebrated by the brand<\/span><\/a> include the \u201cWalska Briolette\u201d yellow diamond and the \u201cPrince Edward of York Diamond\u201d with its crystal-clear complexion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u2018Mystery Setting\u2019 and How This Elevated the Status of the Brand in the 1930s<\/b><\/h2>\n

One aspect of the Van Cleef & Arpels collection<\/a> that made history in the 1930s and that was patented in France soon after was the creation and use of the \u2018mystery setting\u2019 \u2013 a way of embedding stones into precious metals that didn\u2019t require a clasp or the usual prongs that hold stones in place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Requiring exceptional attention to detail and an incredible amount of time \u2013 upwards of 300 hours per piece \u2013 Van Cleef & Arpels remains the brand that is most committed to this exclusive and highly sought-after setting, releasing only a handful of pieces that use this process each year.<\/span><\/p>\n

This limited status is something that can be seen across many of the most successful luxury brands, creating the kind of demand that is heralded by style lovers and investment buyers alike. But do you need a precious gemstone to adorn a piece of investment jewellery from a brand like this?<\/span><\/p>\n

Van Cleef & Arpels as an Investment Opportunity<\/b><\/h2>\n

Buying or <\/span>selling a luxury item of jewellery<\/span><\/a> from a brand like Van Cleef & Arpels is as much about getting the right authentication and preserving quality as it is about the materials used to make the piece. When you buy from or sell to a reputable reseller on the market, your piece will receive the correct authentication checks, which protect your investment \u2013 granting you access to an ever-changing selection of pieces that are available on a rolling basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Something available today might be gone tomorrow: such is the market around luxury goods with such a high price tag and even higher demand, precious gemstones or not. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gemstones don\u2019t just form the backbone of each piece in the Van Cleef & Arpels collection \u2013 they are also embedded in the brand\u2019s history, and form much of the motivation behind the brand\u2019s initial creation.\u00a0 As you browse the full collection of pieces created by Van Cleef & Arpels, you will see just how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topics"],"featured_media_global":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loveluxury.com\/topics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}