By royal approval: Van Cleef & Arpels' floral jewels
A century ago, the jewellery designer Alfred Van Cleef introduced an extraordinary floral bracelet at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels in Paris, the fair that is credited with launching the art deco movement. Adorned with diamonds, rubies and emeralds set in platinum, Van Cleef's Fleurs enlacées, roses rouges et blanches (Entwined Flowers) cuff evoked a border of blowsy red and white roses and stunned the judges, who awarded the jewel the Grand Prix.
Since then, bejewelled buds, sparkling corollas and golden leaves have flourished within Van Cleef & Arpels' design repertoire. 'Nature has been a perennial source of inspiration,' says the company's CEO, Catherine Rénier. 'For me, this theme embodies freshness, vitality and joy.'
As the techniques of its craftsmen have evolved, so have the jeweller's motifs. Patented in 1933, its signature Mystery setting allowed precious stones to be arranged tightly together without any visible metal, giving the petals of rose, peony and chrysanthemum brooches an unprecedented volume, depth of colour and almost velvety texture. With the sleek lines and pared-back silhouettes of early mid-century modernism came a plethora of stylised florals, such as the Fleur Silhouette brooch from 1937, which was crafted from loops of gold wire and curved rows of precious stones. Around the same time, Hélène Arpels — the glamorous wife of Louis, the youngest of the Arpels brothers, who regularly appeared on international best-dressed lists — was pictured wearing the house's iconic Passe-Partout collection at the Prix de Diane horse race in Chantilly. These multipurpose jewels had chunky sapphire, ruby and diamond flower clips threaded onto flexible gold 'Tubogas' chains, allowing them to be worn as bracelets, necklaces or belts.
By 1939, one of the maison's gem-set posies had found its way into the wardrobe of one of the era's most infamous women, Wallis Simpson. The Duchess of Windsor was a longtime admirer of Van Cleef & Arpels' work, and many of the spectacular jewels in her collection (so large it has been dubbed the 'alternative Crown Jewels') hailed from its atelier, including a ruby and diamond bracelet gifted to her in 1936 by the Duke of Windsor (memorably inscribed with the words 'Hold tight'); a ruby-studded 'cravat' necklace that was a 40th birthday present, and a polished sapphire and diamond clip that she wore for her marriage to the Duke in 1937.
For Christmas the following year, the Duchess received an ornate brooch shaped like a bouquet of ruby and sapphire flowers from her doting husband. The 8in-long jewel came from a new Van Cleef & Arpels collection called Hawaï, which featured miniature red and blue blossoms dotted about 18-carat gold stems and leaves. The gift was a hit: the Duchess wore it to sit for the artist Gerald Leslie Brockhurst in 1939 and the resulting portrait was given pride of place in the library at the Windsors' villa in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. (It is now displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in London.)
Next month, Van Cleef & Arpels will unveil the latest take on its Hawaï design, entitled Fleurs d'Hawaï, in a garden with a modern royal connection. The capsule line of graphic floral earrings, rings and three 'secret' watches — all composed with vibrant, pear-cut gemstone petals and white diamond pistils set in gold — will debut in a sunny spot within the five-acre Queen Elizabeth walled garden at Dumfries House, the 18th-century Palladian mansion in East Ayrshire that was saved for the nation by King Charles in 2007. The 2,000-acre estate is now also the headquarters of the King's Foundation, a charity founded in 1990 to champion regenerative community projects and sustainability.
Since 2023, the maison has been the principal patron of the King's Foundation Gardens and Estates (which also includes the Castle of Mey in Scotland and Highgrove in Gloucestershire), helping to fund its extensive horticultural projects, such as boosting biodiversity and the creation of new woodlands and hedgerows. Among its first initiatives was preserving the rose garden at Dumfries House. The 3,300-plus plants that fill its beds and scramble over its arbours bear luxuriant, fragrant blooms resembling clusters of deep red rubies, pink spinels and peach-tinted sapphires in the summer sunlight.
'It is such a focal point for the celebration of nature and the gardens,' says Simon Sadinsky, executive director at the King's Foundation. 'Dumfries and Van Cleef & Arpels both understand the importance of preserving traditional skills and crafts, and of providing the next generation with the opportunity to learn these traditions. In our one-acre education garden, we teach young people about seasonal growing and sustainable waste. You'll find students from local schools there, as well as trainees and experts from around the world. An appreciation of nature and understanding our part in the ecosystem is really fundamental to the King.'
Much like the youth programmes at Dumfries House, a key part of Van Cleef & Arpels' strategy is its own educational platform, De Mains en Mains (From Hands to Hands), which introduces school pupils to the heritage crafts of jewellery making and goldsmithing, and offers mentorship to adults who hope to work in the jewellery sector. It is also growing its manufacturing ateliers in France to meet the demand for its bestsellers, such as the clover-shaped Alhambra design, an evergreen favourite of the Queen and the Princess of Wales. Each 18-carat gold four-leaf motif is still finished entirely by hand and every one of its colourful ornamental stone centres is cut and polished by an artisan, just as they were when the collection first appeared in 1968. vancleefarpels.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Those silly Mitford sisters? It's hours of mindless fun to binge-watch
A contestant on the teatime quiz show Tipping Point (ITV, Mon-Fri) was asked which British prime minister had a controversial portrait painted in 1953 by Graham Sutherland. She looked askance for a moment and replied: 'I'm not entirely sure, but for some reason the name Ronald is coming to me. Ronald … Ron … Reagan?' Another question on the same show was: 'The Jacobite rising in Britain in 1745 took place in which century?' All of human life is on television, somewhere, including that tranche of life that needs instructions on how to breathe. Indeed, Tipping Point is a repository for people so dim that you marvel where ITV finds them. Is there really, beneath the surface of our country, a depthless lagoon of pig-ignorance? Are the people who think Ronnie Reagan was our prime minister in 1953 in the majority? The people for whom history is a blank canvas except maybe for Henry VIII — he had some wives, he lived a long time ago, possibly the 1920s? How do they make sense of the world? It was in the 1920s (possibly as Henry VIII was embarking on his fourth marriage) that the six Mitford sisters came along and their various cheeky little escapades (marrying Oswald Mosley, hobnobbing with Hitler and Goebbels, joining the Communist Party) were a useful reminder that the aforementioned lagoon of pig-ignorance is also full of yer toffs as well as the kinds of non-U people who make it on to Tipping Point. Outrageous (U&Drama, Thu) was a delightful scamper through the lives of these gilded, thick-as-mince slappers, or 'bright young things' as they were known at the time. They were, of course, ludicrous human beings bred from a ludicrous family — you know you're in for a good time when Oswald Mosley is the most likeable person in a drama. We had the glacial, beautiful Diana (fascist, bit of a goer) and the debutante Unity (fascist, lumpen and awkward), plus Debo (SDP!), Jessica (quite fetching, commie) and the comparatively sane Nancy, who sadly missed out on the looks and was still a virgin at 28. They were swooned upon by various indistinguishable chinless scions, all of whom were encouraged by the senior Mitfords so that their brood might be financially provided for. There was an excellent performance from Joanna Vanderham as Diana, simpering after Mosley (Joshua Sasse) like an alley cat on heat ('Is that the fifth column or are you just pleased to see me?'), and indeed by Shannon Watson as Unity — soon to eclipse Diana as the most hated woman in the country — who took her pet rat in a handbag to her coming-out party. I shall binge-watch this one because, even though this country might be a marginally better place if old Pa Mitford had kept it zipped up, it's hours of mindless fun and we could all do with that, no? Also, it bestowed on us a neat euphemism for homosexuality. 'Is he, you know, a fan of Oscar Wilde?' • Read more from Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times I like to think I would not have binge-watched the Japanese show Susunu! Denpa Shonen if it had made it over here. This exercise in calculated cruelty was a reality show — possibly the first — at the end of the 1990s. For one challenge a contestant, chosen by lottery, was stripped naked and left alone in a tiny apartment. To procure food (and clothing) he had to enter magazine competitions each day and hope that one might offer the prize of a pack of rice or some crisps. And he was kept like that for how long? One year and three months. This grotesque abuse of television was the subject of Storyville — The Contestant (BBC4, Tue). I vaguely remember covering the show when it was broadcast and was pulling in 30 million viewers every week. The poor dupe chosen for this exercise was the comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi because his long face was supposedly like an aubergine. And to cover his nakedness on screen they used an aubergine emoji, which is how it has come to represent a penis on texts today. Nasubi almost died from malnutrition and began displaying Stockholm syndrome. When he was finally released in front of a huge live audience he had already stripped off his clothes once again. The documentary would have been improved if it had shown the odious, smug producer (not unlike Ed Harris's character in The Truman Show) being pelted with excrement in the stocks at the end until the stupid smile was wiped from his face. This was dehumanising and vile television, dreamt up by a megalomaniac and sadist and watched, shamefully, by so many millions. • Read more TV reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews The true crime series Murder 24/7 (BBC iPlayer) kicked off with the investigation of the killing of a delivery driver in Shrewsbury and we learnt quickly that robbery had not been the aim of the exercise. Aurman Singh got a golf club wrapped around his head as well as a huge axe wound to his skull. He died in the arms of the police officer who was first to attend. Another intrepid copper soon tracked down one of the two suspect cars and tailed it through half of Shropshire. It turned out the perps were all called Singh and there had been some barney at a sporting event. It was a revenge killing. This was a neatly edited and produced chunk of television and slightly renewed my faith in the police, who handled the case with speed and assiduity. They do very well on the quiz show The Chase, coppers and ex-coppers. Much better than teachers or doctors. What have you been enjoying on television recently? Let us know in the comments below Love TV? Discover the best shows on Netflix, the best Prime Video TV shows, the best Disney+ shows , the best Apple TV+ shows, the best shows on BBC iPlayer , the best shows on Sky and Now, the best shows on ITVX, the best shows on Channel 4 streaming, the best shows on Paramount+ and our favourite hidden gem TV shows. Don't forget to check our critics' choices to what to watch this week and browse our comprehensive TV guide
Times
6 hours ago
- Times
Inside Coco Chanel's Riviera holiday hideaway
T he year is 1938 and Salvador Dalí is in full artistic flow, painting on the balcony of the west wing of Coco Chanel's villa La Pausa, where the shadow-eliminating north light is best. In the evening he would roll back the salon rugs and beckon guests to dance while the renowned pianist Misia Sert played, before retiring to the guesthouse with his wife, Gala. In total he completed 11 paintings at La Pausa, one time staying there for four months. 'The vibe was chilled, guests could do as they pleased,' says Yana Peel, Chanel's president of arts, culture and heritage. For the likes of Dalí, Jean Cocteau and Igor Stravinsky there were no schedules; Chanel herself rarely emerged until 1pm, and there was no dress code — the designer found comfort in stripy tops, wool trousers and cork-soled espadrilles. Meals were served buffet style (platters of pasta, French potatoes and roast beef), and staff appeared frequently to replenish champagne and pour fine wine. There were Easter parties, masked balls and tennis tournaments, views of a glittering Mediterranean sea under an enormous sky.
Times
6 hours ago
- Times
2 ways to look smart in the summer heat
I t's hardly groundbreaking to suggest that you should invest in shorts and pastel shades for the summer. But these perennial favourites have made a return with a dash of difference. Gone are the days of tiny denim, stripy linen or crochet shorts — this season, it's all about tailored styles. In crisp white, rich brown or jet black, shorts have made the move to the smarter end of your wardrobe. Wear yours to the office with a sharply tailored jacket (don't worry, you don't have to wear it on the bus or the Tube), soft loafers and some no-nonsense chunky jewellery. For the evening, swap in a dramatic one-shouldered top and a pair of heeled sandals to make the most of your new-found best friends.
