VAN CLEEF & ARPELS at Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition
Maison Van Cleef & Arpels and its partner in Qatar Ali Bin Ali Watches & Jewellery are proud to participate at the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition taking place at the Qatar
National Convention Center from 25th February to 2nd March 2014. They present at this edition more than 80 pieces of Van Cleef & Arpels unique high jewelry creations and
exceptional timepieces from an array of enchanting collections.
Exuding refinement and elegance, Van Cleef & Arpels’ pavilion at the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition demonstrates the great savoir-faire and prominent inspirations of the
French jeweler.
Drawing on the spirit of timeless elegance and virtuoso craftsmanship, the Maison showcased unique creations that combine style and technical prowess such as iconic Zip™
necklaces first produced in 1951, jewelry featuring the Mystery Setting™ technique patented in 1933 and transformable long necklaces with moveable motifs. Highlighting
further its creativity and cherished themes, Van Cleef & Arpels gathered one-of-a-kind pieces from High Jewelry collections inspired from nature, luck, art, culture, couture,
fantasy and poetry notably Les Jardins, Ballet Précieux, Bals de Légende and Palais de la chance™.
One of Van Cleef & Arpels’ most spectacular creations is the Zip™ necklace, masterpiece of ingenuity blended into superb design. The closure system was first used for aviator jackets and sailors’ uniforms before being appropriated by the fashion world in the 1930s. It was the Duchess of Windsor who, circa 1938, suggested to Renée Puissant, the Maison’s Artistic Director, a piece of jewelry inspired by this technological marvel. Eventually created in 1951, the Zip™ can be worn open as a necklace. The tassel fringe at the center can then slide up transforming the zipper into a bracelet. This piece of jewelry, very characteristic of the couture theme of Van Cleef & Arpels, exemplifies its interest for transforming objects and flexibility.
Van Cleef & Arpels launched Palais de la chance High Jewelry collection in 2012 in celebration of luck. The Maison has drawn inspiration from stories and motifs gleaned between heaven to earth and across the seven seas, reinterpreting them as exquisite jewels. In the nature-inspired Trèfles Mystérieux set, the Mystery Setting emerald gives added majesty to this lucky plant. In the hollows of the clover motifs are four marquise-cut diamonds that highlight the magical appearance of this set.
Mystery Setting™ is the unique technique associated with Van Cleef & Arpels ever since the Maison patented this dazzling invention in 1933. It consists of setting stones in such a way that no prongs are visible. The level of expertise required makes Mystery Setting™ the exclusive realm of a very small number of master jewelers.
One of the Maison’s favourite themes, Nature finds its full expression in Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations. With Les Jardins, Van Cleef & Arpels draws on the art of ornamental gardening to revisit the natural world which has inspired so many of its creations. The Victoria set is inspired from Victoria Park known today as Hyde Park. Featuring a delicate work of stone polishing and setting, the finesse of the settings is a special feature of this piece, with the metal being concealed to better reveal the stones, in terms of both their shape and size. At the center of the necklace is the choker, which has given rise to two bell flowers, from which emerge two asymmetrical delicately interlaced stems. Movement, dynamism, and the fleeting impressions which characterize nature are born from asymmetry. Through asymmetry, the Maison creates a natural and ineffable harmony which breathes life into all its jewels.
With the Bals de Légende High Jewelry collection launched in 2011, Van Cleef & Arpels pays homage to the great balls of the 20th century which were the expression of a sumptuous art of living. Organized around extravagant themes, they brought prestigious guests to exclusive locations in the name of high culture and joyful celebration. Van Cleef & Arpels was a faithful witness to these occasions, where its creations sparkled on a host of magnificent costumes.
Inspired from the Bal Oriental, the Scent of Jasmine necklace evokes the heady scents and the splendour of the Orient. A subtle combination of shapes and cuts but also the exceptional engraving works on the central motif and the tourmalines make this necklace a real jewelry sculpture. A concept dear to the heart of Van Cleef & Arpels, the necklace is convertible as the central motif can be detached and may be worn as a clip.
For its timepieces lovers and connoisseurs in Qatar, Van Cleef & Arpels unveiled two genuine marvels from the Poetic Complications collection™ that combines stylistic
inventiveness and technical virtuosity, in addition to refined and sophisticated High Jewelry timepieces in a sublime setting of the most precious stones. Through its High
Jewelry timepiece line, Van Cleef & Arpels offers the best of both worlds: expertise in Fine Watchmaking and flair for High Jewelry.
Half-dancer, half-butterfly, the Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée timepiece perpetuates the tradition of ballerinas and fairies to which the Maison is so attached. While an inner corolla of champlevé enamel clothes the dancer, the outer veils – like a pair of openwork wings – come to life to display the time in a retrograde movement.
The fairy in the Lady Arpels Féerie Rouge timepiece marks the minutes with her central wing, and the hours with a gracious and elegant movement of her wand. This enchanted piece of jewelry in which the central character becomes the animated actor of this fairytale timepiece is available now in ruby red colour dial.
The Pavot Mystérieux High Jewelry timepiece combines several of the Maison’s emblematic techniques. Adorned with Mystery Set™ rubies, the Pavot flower is graced with sparkling leaves of pink gold and rests on a ribbon whose round and baguette-cut diamonds create an effect of movement. Maintaining the tradition of convertible jewelry, the Pavot flower can be removed and worn as a clip.
