Van Cleef & Arpels, a house born from love

The story of a house born from love and know-how

Van Cleef & Arpels was born in 1896 from the love story and marriage of Estelle Arpels , daughter of a gem merchant, and Alfred Van Cleef , son of a lapidary and diamond broker. This marriage gave birth to an exceptional jewelry house , where love and poetry have always been at the heart of creation .
Since its founding, Van Cleef & Arpels has drawn inspiration from emotions , fairy tales , and life's great moments . Among its many iconic creations, the love story between Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco remains a powerful symbol. In 1956 , on the occasion of their wedding , Grace Kelly received a sumptuous gift from Van Cleef & Arpels: a set of fine pearls and diamonds , which she would wear throughout her life. A few months later, the Maison was honored with the title of " Official Supplier to the Principality of Monaco ," a testament to its privileged relationship with royalty .

Legendary collections from Van Cleef & Arpels

Over the decades, Van Cleef & Arpels has left its mark on the world of jewelry with several legendary collections:
The Alhambra collection (created in 1968 ): inspired by the shape of the four-leaf clover , a symbol of luck and happiness . This iconic collection blends motifs in mother-of-pearl, onyx, malachite, and precious stones, and has enjoyed lasting international success, becoming a prized lucky charm .
The Poetic Collections - Fauna and Zodiac : The Fauna collection celebrates the animal kingdom with gold jewelry set with diamonds and colored gemstones, depicting wild or fantastical animals in poetic scenes . The Zodiac collection draws inspiration from astrological signs to create symbolic and personalized pieces, blending gold, diamonds, and precious stones.
Transformables : these ingenious jewels , often from the 1930s and 1950s, allow the same jewel to be worn in several forms (necklace, bracelet, brooch), illustrating the technical mastery and avant-garde vision of the house.

Expertise and innovation

Each Van Cleef & Arpels creation testifies to exceptional know-how , notably with the patented Mystery Set technique , which allows precious stones to be inserted side by side without the prongs being visible , offering a unique effect of uniformity and fluidity .
Today, Van Cleef & Arpels continues to combine tradition , innovation and poetry to create jewelry that transcends time, perpetuating the spirit of love that gave birth to it.