There are diamonds and then there are Type 11A diamonds, which make up less than two percent of all natural diamonds. Van Cleef & Arpels’ newest high jewellery collection features 67 diamonds of Type 11A, D colour, and Flawless or Internally Flawless quality in the 25-piece suite, Legend of Diamonds.
These diamonds are all derived from a single source: the Lesotho Legend, a 910-ct rough that is the fifth largest gem-quality diamond ever found. Van Cleef & Arpels entrusted Diamcad—a leading diamond cutter in Antwerp—with the cutting and faceting of each stone. After analysing the Lesotho Legend, these specialists worked their way around the stone’s inclusions and used state-of-the-art technology and cutting edge software to envision the position of each gem in the heart of the rough stone. The end result was one that yielded the best combinations without inclusions and with a limited loss of material: a family of 67 diamonds totaling 441.75 cts, nearly half of the original rough stone’s weight.
Four years were required for the collection to come to fruition. In addition, it was the first time in decades that the maison took part in the entire creation process — from examining the diamond rough to selecting the perfect combination of cut stones. Shapes that echo the maison’s love for fancy cuts include a 79.35-ct oval cut, a 31.24-ct pear cut, and a 25.06-ct cushion cut.
“The Maison seldom works with rough stones. We traditionally start with cut and faceted stones that are already suitable for use in jewelry. This is the first time in decades that we have been involved in a project from its starting point—the extraction of the stone—to the creation of a High Jewelry collection. The appearance of this extraordinary rough stone gave us this unique opportunity to tell a story around the diamond.”
Nicolas Bos, President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels
The jeweller also had the rare opportunity to put together stones of identical size and weight, such as the two 10.88-ct Asscher-cut diamonds in the Entrelacs Mystérieux bracelet, as well as a pair of 2.10-ct emerald cut diamonds in the Duo Mystérieux Between the Finger ring.
It was of paramount importance to Van Cleef & Arpels that a collection of such importance and magnitude would also emphasise its emblematic style and unique expertise. To highlight the beauty of the diamonds, the maison decided to combine each of the gems with the Mystery Setting, one of its most complex signature techniques. Patented by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1933, it is used on an entire collection for the very first time. This highly complex technical feat makes use of gold rails in which meticulously cut stones—usually rubies, but also sapphires, emeralds and in the rarest examples, diamonds—are fitted one by one.
Another Van Cleef & Arpels hallmark that is beautifully reflected in this collection is transformability, which is a technical ingenuity reflected in its jewellery since the 1930s. The 25 Mystery-Set jewellery from the Legend of Diamonds collection also undergo astonishing metamorphoses, allowing
up to six different ways to wear some of them.
In the pièce de résistance, Atours Mystérieux, a transformable necklace featuring a 79.35-ct oval diamond set in a swath of Traditional Mystery Set and Individual Mystery Set rubies, the central diamond is detachable and can be replaced with a Mystery Set ruby pendant. Elsewhere, the pendants of the Chevron Mystérieux earrings can be added to the necklace of the same name, whose central diamond is also detachable to be worn alone. From rings to pendants, and necklaces to earrings, each transformation reflects Van Cleef & Arpels’ eternally evolving creativity.
