15 Jun 2024
Golden beads illuminate the new Perle?e creations in an exquisite harmony. Bracelets, rings, and earrings are adorned with the radiance of yellow, rose, or white gold and the shimmer of diamonds. Masterfully chosen and set, the gems create intense plays of light against the skin, reflecting the taste and expertise of Van Cleef & Arpels.
The Perle?e diamonds 5-row bracelet sees the golden beads dance around the wrist in an asymmetric composition. This dynamic aesthetic, which already graces the rings, has pride of place on this new piece in yellow, rose, or white gold. The dazzling golden beads become one with the diamonds arranged harmoniously in a series of diagonal bands. Consisting of two, three, or five rows, they bring the creation to life with interplays of shapes and light. The gemstones are highlighted through openwork on the precious metal, with honeycomb-shaped apertures that allow light to travel through the stones and enhance the shine of the overall piece.
Colored precious stones also adorn this new creation, expressing the wealth of materials within the Perle?e collection. The fiery red of ruby meets the softness of rose gold, while the hues of sapphires and emeralds combine with the radiance of yellow gold. The selection and matching of the 50 stones that illuminate this bracelet reflect the taste of the Maison for gemstones as well as its expertise.
Reflecting the creativity of Van Cleef & Arpels, the Perle?e diamonds duo ring presents a unique and surprising aesthetic. In yellow, rose, or white gold, it showcases the meeting between two rings: one in mirror-polished gold, one of the Maison’s signature savoir-faire; the other set with round diamonds that shimmer on the hand thanks to a carefully openworked structure. The gems are held in place by delicate grains, whose round form echoes that of the golden beads.
Both bands are edged with a beaded border and combine to form a dazzling composition that lends itself to endless elegant pairings: it can dialog with the delicate calligraphy of the Perle?e signature ring, the harmonious curves of the Perle?e pearls of gold pieces, or the diamond motifs adorning the Perle?e clovers creations.
Striking a balance between radiance, movement, and lightness, the Perle?e diamonds earrings showcase the stones in a generously proportioned composition. The jewelry creation, in yellow, rose, or white gold, reveals round and voluminous proportions with a dome paved entirely with diamonds and paired with a similarly gem-set ring.
Conveying the Maison’s tradition of excellence, the diamonds are selected according to the strictest criteria and are then skillfully set. They shine as one on the earrings, forming a halo of light on either side of the face. The entire piece is bordered with golden beads, enhancing its radiance. The diamonds and golden beads increase in size around the band to give the overall piece a dynamic feel. This is accentuated further still by the jump ring, developed to secure the band while adding suppleness and flexibility. As a result, the earrings come to life with every movement, their plays of light reflecting against the face.
Van Cleef & Arpels, founded in 1906 at Place Vendo?me in Paris, deploys all its jewelry expertise to bring the Perle?e creations to life. They reflect the Maison’s taste in gemstones, developed over more than a hundred years of savoir-faire. To add to the brilliance and intensity of the pieces, only stones meeting the strictest criteria are selected: D to F in color, and IF to VVS in clarity. For the sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, expert gemologists intently study the color of the stone, the beauty of the material, its weight, its cut, and the elegance of its shape. The gems have been meticulously matched, particularly on the Perle?e couleurs 5-row bracelet, which presents 50 of them.
To prepare the precious metal for the stones, the jeweler crafts an openwork structure to enable light to pass through the stones and amplify their shine. The setting stage also requires care and precision, reflecting the excellence of Van Cleef & Arpels’ savoir-faire. On the bracelet, the gems are delicately held in place by prong settings. Lastly, mirror polishing – one of the Maison’s signature savoir-faire since the 1920s – reveals the full radiance of the creations. It leaves the golden beads soft and gleaming, allowing them to catch the light with every movement. Perpetuating Van Cleef & Arpels’ attention to detail, both the front and back of the creations are mirror-polished to ensure they always appear in the best light.
The golden bead, one of the Maison’s iconic motifs, has adorned Van Cleef & Arpels’ jewelry and watch creations as a decor effect since the 1920s. It was also incorporated as a centerpiece on the voluminous Couscous and Bagatelle pieces in 1948, and on the humorous clips from La Boutique, particularly from the 1960s onwards. Since the first Alhambra creation in 1968, golden beads have bordered the Maison’s iconic clover-shaped motif and become established as a timeless and emblematic signature of Van Cleef & Arpels.
Reflecting both the creativity and heritage of the Maison, the aesthetic of the new Perle?e creations draws inspiration from patrimonial creations, such as the Tartelette pieces, where gadrooned settings surround diamond-paved domes to create the effect of golden beads. Later on, the 1980s saw the advent of geometric and abstract shapes, as found in the asymmetric aesthetic of the Caroline ring, which presents a diagonal diamond-set band on top of a beaded ring body.
