As an icon of stature and prestige, the diamond is irreducible, even in the face of several centuries worth of clichés. It is one of the most precious and hardest materials on earth, which explains the adage, “a diamond is forever”. To celebrate the king of stones, Van Cleef & Arpels launches two high jewellery collections: Legend of Diamonds and Legend of Diamonds – White diamond variations.
Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels.
The first collection comprises 25 jaw-dropping Mystery-set designs with 67 Type 11A, D colour, Flawless or Internally Flawless diamonds. Even more astonishing is that all 67 stones were cut from a single rough diamond: the Lesotho Legend, a 910-ct gem-quality gem that is the fifth largest in the world.
Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels.
The Lesotho Legend is one of several legendary diamonds to have passed through the maison’s Les Mains d’Or (otherwise known as the Golden Hands or master jewellers). Others include the 60-ct Prince Edward of York diamond, the 31-ct Blue Heart, the cushion-cut, 34.64-ct Princie pink diamond, the 30.99-ct Arcot 1, and Ganna Walska’s 96.62-ct briolette yellow diamond. A glittering testament to Van Cleef & Arpels’ storied heritage, the briolette yellow diamond travels the world as part of the brand’s patrimony collection.
As well as its privileged access to these large stones, the maison has an inexplicable love affair with diamonds dating back decades. The company sold its very first jewel in 1906: a heart-shaped pendant studded with brilliant diamonds. Over the past century, diamonds have accompanied the maison’s design journey through the Belle Epoque, Art Deco, and hippie eras, as well as the Yuppie decade, and today.
Van Cleef & Arpels’ second collection, Legend of diamonds – White diamond variations, pays tribute to the company’s illustrious heritage and the role diamonds play in its success. With 82 pieces, it reinterprets some of the features that have captivated diamond lovers over the years, such as the bandeaux bracelets and opera-length sautoirs from the 1920s and the Flame clip from the 1960s.
Numerous dazzling rings, eye-catching earrings, statement cuffs, sumptuous necklaces, and a precious assortment of clips that can be pinned on jackets, blouses, trousers, and even hair are part of the collection. In the New Haricot clip, the maison faithfully recreates the Flame Clip beloved by jet-setters in the 1960s. To enhance its ombré effect, a row of prong-set round diamonds set in two-tone bezels takes centre stage in the middle of the clip.
There are a few spectacular designs that evoke the sharp geometry and angular lines of the Art Deco period. The Floraison de Diamants bracelet, for example, combines graphic design with a bombe shape and a variety of setting techniques—snow, rail, prongs and closed—to create a shimmering effect.
With the Roaring Twenties Transformable Long necklace, Van Cleef & Arpels channelled the fun-loving, glamorous flapper girl. Comprising a diamond chain set with geometrical motifs in paved rose gold, it features a 10.32-ct DIF Type IIA rose-cut pear diamond—the rarest and most chemically pure quality.
Directly above it is a 4.46-ct DIF rose-cut oval diamond nestled between two rose gold motifs, creating a bold interplay of shapes, colours and textures. A sparkling fringe of mixed-cut diamonds completes the design, evoking the Charleston dresses so typical of the era. The perfect jewel for the modern woman, it can be worn in eight different ways, including three short necklaces, three long necklaces, and two bracelets.
Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels.
The Vagues étincelantes necklace, however, is the collection’s pièce de résistance. An earlier creation, the Medicis necklace from 1937, inspired this supple collier. Reminiscent of reticella collars, the concave necklace wraps around the neck perfectly, thanks to an ingenious construction of a series of hidden joints that allow the piece to flex with the wearer’s movements. Flowing vertical rows of diamonds are complemented by a row of briolette diamonds that shimmer with every movement, lighting up the wearer’s face with an incomparable glow.
