Van Cleef & Arpels' New High Jewellery Collection Celebrates Wildlife Wonder

Get up close to Van Cleef & Arpels' second high jewellery collection — L’Arche de Noé — at the exhibition at the Hôtel d’Évreux. Focusing on the animal kingdom, the collection features over sixty animal couples in the form of clips. From giraffes, koalas, penguins and rabbits, the creatures in a dazzling array of precious, fine and hard stones pay tribute to the Maison's heritage of incorporating animals into their jewellery and Noah's Ark.

“The concept of staging sixty or so animal pairs in connection with Noah’s Ark originates from a painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder exhibited at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles,” explained Nicolas Bos, CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels. “I will never forget the shock I felt as I stood gazing at the painting The Entry of the Animals into Noah’s Ark, and the journey it embarked me on at once,” he added.

Van Cleef & Arpels collaborated with Robert Wilson, an American set designer famed for his radiant, subtle, and thrilling conceptions, with the scenography to present the new High Jewelry collection of bejewelled bestiary. Further to the L’Arche de Noé racontée par Van Cleef & Arpels  exhibition at the Hôtel d’Évreux, Van Cleef & Arpels is offering a journey through its animal creations at its Heritage Gallery at 20 place Vendôme. From mid-September to mid-November 2016, the boutique will exhibit nearly 70 pieces dating from the 1920s to the modern day.

The exhibition runs from September 3 to 26 2016, with free admission from 12:00 to 8:00pm at the Hôtel d’Évreux, 19, place Vendôme 75001 Paris.

By Debby Kwong

The penguins’ bellies – mirror-polished for added brilliance – contrast with their onyx backs, while the ice floe is suggested by an irregular play of cabochons.

Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels

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Traditional Mystery Set rubies, associated with golden mother-of-pearl, evoke the flamboyant plumage of an animal capable of rising from its own ashes.

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First depicted by the Maison in the 1940s, the unicorn embodies the enchanted imagination of Van Cleef & Arpels.

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With their dazzling gradation of gems, the Toucans clips recreate the multicolored brilliance of these tropical birds.

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Bird clip with a 96.62 briolette cut yellow diamond. the bird’s wings and tail become earrings and a clip respectively, while the yellow diamond can be detached and worn as a pendant.

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In 1954, Van Cleef & Arpels introduced the “La Boutique” collection comprising cute and humorous animal clips.

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The Chat malicieux (Winking cat) is one of the legends of VCA and is sought after by collectors to this day.

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