The Halley Necklace is one of the key pieces of the Van Cleef & Arpels “Sous les étoiles, heavenly dreams” collection. Photography Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels. From Grace Kelly to Wallis Simpson, Kate Middleton to Cate Blanchett, Van Cleef & Arpels has decorated the décolletages of some of the most prominent women in the 20th-century. Producing innovative, multifaceted pieces that both adorn and highlight their wearer, the French high jewellery maison has grown from a family-owned business established at the turn of last century into a luxury global powerhouse that creates trends, rather than follows them.
Van Cleef & Arpels’ latest collection, “Sous les étoiles, heavenly dreams”, is a loving celebration of the celestial. The intricately crafted collection both reflects and reimagines classical interpretations of astrology, art and fantastical fiction, and plays with our long-standing love of celestial pursuits. In the words of president and CEO Nicolas Bos, Van Cleef & Arpels has always been interested in the moment “where observing nature encounters poetry and the imagination”. And this collection aptly reflects that journey.
Featuring over 150 pieces of luxury jewellery from diamond rings and illustrative brooches to intricate cuff bracelets, where the collection shines the brightest is in its brilliant statement necklaces. Here are three that captured our attention.
Halley Necklace
One of the collection’s key pieces is the Halley Necklace – an ode to the elusive Halley’s Comet, visible from Earth once every 75 years. The Art-Deco inspired necklace features a 11.29-carat pear-shaped yellow diamond, sitting atop a collar of smaller white and yellow diamonds, representing the tail of the comet as it streaks across the night sky. The result is a necklace that is both delicate in nature and bold in effect.
Boucle Cosmique Necklace
Several thousand light-years from our solar system, the blue-green glow and blown-bubble shape of Thor’s Helmet nebula has inspired the Boucle Cosmique Necklace. Featuring closely-set sapphires, coloured sapphires, tsavorite garnets, and diamonds, the statement piece is crafted using the “Mystery Set” technique. Patented by the maison in 1933, this technique allows the designers to hide the metal components of the necklace so only the jewels can be seen; evoking a velvet ribbon wrapped around a spray of diamonds.
Nuée d’émeraudes Necklace
The daring Nuée d’émeraudes Necklace reflects one of the fiery comets in the Jupiter family. The sharp explosion of blue-green glow is represented by 96 baguette-cut emeralds, set alongside sapphires and diamonds, all individually recut to ensure the neckline is perfectly balanced.
