Van Cleef & Arpels’ high jewellery opus, Le Grand Tour, embarks on a captivating journey through Europe’s timeless urban tapestries. The opulent collection mirrors the voyages of yore, when elite explorers ventured across iconic cities, driven by the pursuit of societal acceptance. In those days, this pilgrimage symbolised a cultural baptism, seamlessly fusing enlightenment, social connections, and a quest for refinement.
The collection comprises approximately 70 unique high jewellery creations inspired by this voyage, which includes London, Paris, Italy, Switzerland, the Alpine Passes, and Germany’s provinces.
The largest section highlights the major cities of Italy, such as Rome, Naples, Florence, and Venice, that gave birth to classical antiquity and the Renaissance. An exquisite collection of four bandeaux bracelets pay tribute to these iconic cities and are designed to mimic the 18th-century art of micro mosaic. The bracelets are directly inspired by 1920s style and have an articulated structure that adapts to the wrist for maximum comfort and flexibility.
Each is composed of gold tableaux embellished with chiselled gold inserts and gemstones depicting famous landmarks from each city. The bracelets are designed to show less metal and highlight gemstones such as rubies, emeralds, sapphires, spinels, garnets, and tourmalines that have been carefully chosen for their specific hues and dimensions. The result is a series of bejewelled panoramas that exude an almost painterly effect. Additionally, intricate openwork structures on their backs allow light to pass through, maximising the sparkle on the stones.
Escale au palais bracelet
The Escale au palais bracelet intricately weaves the essence of Venice’s Doge’s Palace, an exquisite example of Venetian Gothic architecture. Comprising Gothic, Moorish, and Renaissance nuances—like graceful columned arcades, pointed arches, and stately pillars—the design is elegantly wrought in rose gold. This opulent canvas hosts a symphony of snow-set tourmalines, tsavorite garnets, and diamonds, evoking Venice’s celestial and aqueous panorama.
Escale sacrée bracelet
Channelling the magnificence of Florence’s Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Escale sacrée bracelet masterfully reimagines its Gothic grandeur. Employing a fusion of gold and mixed-cut diamonds, the design pays homage to the cathedral’s iconic dome—a pinnacle of Renaissance architecture. The rose gold dome elegantly contrasts against a canvas adorned with snow-set blue and mauve sapphires, alongside black spinels, creating a vivid tapestry of hues and heritage.
Escale antique bracelet
tsavorite garnets and diamonds.Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels.
Van Cleef & Arpels skilfully captures Rome’s opulence in the Escale antique bracelet. The intricate design pays homage to the grandeur of the Roman Colosseum through exquisite gold insertions carved from rose gold. Towering arches, the inimitable amphitheatre and whispered tales of gladiatorial spectacles meld with a lush tapestry of diamonds, emeralds and tsavorite garnets.
Escale sur la baie bracelet
An exquisite array of pastel gemstones, including colored sapphires, tsavorite and spessartite garnets, and diamonds, graces the Escale sur la baie bracelet. Drawing inspiration from Naples, the piece artfully captures the city’s essence, even featuring a portrayal of erupting Mount Vesuvius. This transformation is a poignant fusion of art and history as it turns a pivotal historical event into a captivating and picturesque tableau.
