Van Cleef & Arpels’ Perlée Collection Pays Homage To Time-Honoured Crafts

Most jewellery maisons have an adopted mascot, but few can lay claim to a technique. Since the 1920s, Van Cleef & Arpels has incorporated golden beads into its artistic vernacular, lining them delicately around a central stone or using them to enhance designs.

In the 1940s, these soldered beads, each hand-shaped and polished to perfection, became a key feature of its jewellery. In the Couscous and Bagatelle collections, for example, they were showcased alongside diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and other brilliant gemstones.

In time, the jeweller’s beadwork became more sophisticated. During the early 1960s, it braided strings of gilded orbs with pearls, turquoise and coral, resulting in voluminous yet flexible jewellery.

In 1968, Van Cleef & Arpels bordered quatrefoil motifs with golden beads to create the emblematic Alhambra collection. Despite the vagaries of time, the golden spherules found a permanent home in the Perlée collection in 2008. Comprising five lines — Perlée pearls of gold, Perlée couleurs, Perlée diamonds, Perlée clovers, and Perlée signature — these jewels, defined by their lively beaded forms, exude inexhaustible joie de vivre.

Made using the lost wax casting technique, an ancient method where molten metal is poured into a wax mould, each piece is hand finished and polished, so it gleams with an even brilliance. One bangle can take up to five hours to polish.

With its 14-year history of consistent growth, the Perlée collection receives a major update this year. Its beaded aesthetic is further enhanced with new designs, rare stones, and an ultrafeminine ticker that showcases the maison’s mastery of the art of jewellery-making.

For the first time, coral and lapis lazuli are featured. They join malachite, onyx, and turquoise in the new Perlée couleurs rings, a collection of five yellow gold rings that shows off Van Cleef & Arpels’ exceptional lapidary skills. Sculpted into curved blocks, these stones alternate with bands of golden beads and diamonds. In a nod to the maison’s heritage, they evoke the Philippine rings of 1968 that also combined hardstones with diamonds.

As part of the existing Perlée couleurs pendant design, rounded cabochon coral and lapis lazuli are ensconced within a circlet of yellow gold beads. Additionally, they pair beautifully with diamond brilliants in the exceptional Perlée couleurs bracelet, a 2017 design featuring a golden bangle completely paved with beads.

The maison adheres to strict guidelines when it comes to stone selection. Ideally, lapis lazuli, for example, should be a deep, pure blue without traces of calcite and with minimum flecks of evenly dispersed yellow pyrite. There should also be distinct striations in the malachite, and the turquoise should be free from any matrix and have a pure, intense blue hue.

As for the sustainably farmed Mediterranean coral, they come from the trunk of the coral and are rare. Coloured gemstones are also used for the first time in the Perlée collection. In the three Perlée couleurs five-row rings, a modern remake of the Caroline rings and bracelets from the 1970s, the emblematic spheres are matched with emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

Each ring is adorned with five rows of yellow gold orbs in graduated sizes that playfully wrap around the finger, interrupted in the middle by a diagonal band of precious stones. Diamond-set variants in white, rose, or yellow gold include diamonds of the highest gemmological standards: D to F for colour, and IF to VVS for clarity.

Each gemstone is also set in place by polished gold nails positioned between them — a technique used in the Perlée collection for the first time that can only be accomplished by an experienced stone-setter. Under the gemstones, an openwork mount allows maximum light to pass through.

Following the scintillating Perlée pavé rings of 2020, Van Cleef & Arpels adds diamond-set earrings to the line. Defined by their fluted sides, each pair features domed tableaus set with 74 round diamonds of varying sizes surrounded by shimmering white gold beads. Hand-shaped and polished gadroons ensure a harmonious and consistent sheen, and a honeycomb mount allows light to pass through the stones.

Finally, Van Cleef & Arpels offers its vision on jewels that tell the time with three new variants of its Perlée Toi & Moi secret watches, and a new collection of elegant timepieces. A 3D cuff entirely covered in golden beads distinguishes the former. A mother-of-pearl dial sits beneath a turquoise or carnelian disc that swivels to reveal or hide the time at one end. At the opposite end of the cuff, coral, diamond-studded gold or black pietersite cabochons accentuate the dynamic appeal of these elegant bracelets.

As for the new collection of dainty Perlée watches, four come in 23mm cases and one in a 30mm yellow gold case. They feature beautiful guilloche dials made of mother-of-pearl, yellow gold or onyx, framed by a circlet of delicate gold beads. They also come with interchangeable straps, and you can purchase a fully articulated bracelet made from gold bead links.

There are no limits to what Van Cleef & Arpels can create with golden beads. Firmly embedded in the brand’s DNA more than a century later, these precious spherules continue to weave their unassailable charm over the jewellery cognoscenti.

The Midas Touch

How golden beads became a signature motif at Van Cleef & Arpels:

1920s: Used predominantly to emphasise a design or border a stone, the golden beads have gleamed in Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations from as early as the 1920s.1948: The beads expanded in size and spread through the Couscous and Bagatelle collections.

1954: Van Cleef & Arpels used its beading expertise to animate the charming animal clips from the “la Boutique” collection.

1960s: In the Twist collection, golden beads were strung and braided with ornamental stones and cultured pearls.

1968: The maison introduced its emblematic Alhambra collection. Golden beads bordered these clover leaf-inspired icons of luck.

2008: Van Cleef & Arpels debuted Perlée, an entire collection that paid tribute to the precious golden beads.