VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Lucky Animals collection
Presenting a joyful and endearing nature, the Lucky Animals collection of clips reflects the generous and benevolent nature that has always inspired the Van Cleef & Arpels style. Today, this new family brings together nine models, including a cat, a lion, a hummingbird and a rabbit. They follow in the footsteps of the playful creations of “La Boutique”, launched by the Maison in the 1950s.
appealing animals Within this adorable group, the animals’ lively and graceful posture lends them a tender charm. They seem to come to life, their onyx eyes focused – as if they had just paused to listen and observe. Luminous mother-of-pearl and dazzling hard stones combine in delicate marquetry, illuminated by a contour of golden beads. Intricate details – a beak, a muzzle, whiskers or a mane – protrude slightly to bestow each one with a unique personality.
Dazzling materials The hard stones that embellish the animals – tiger’s eye, malachite, lapis lazuli, carnelian or onyx – reinterpret the natural shades that decorate their feathers and coats. Tiger’s eye reproduces shimmering plays of light on golden fur. Naturally striated with golden-brown bands, it is positioned to match the grain of the coat or trace out the bounding back of the rabbit. Carefully polished onyx – of a deep and brilliant black – evokes the sheen of the cat’s fur. Lapis lazuli and malachite embellish the hummingbird in flight, while carnelian recalls the squirrel’s beautiful tawny hue.
The palette of hard stones has always inspired Van Cleef & Arpels. In vogue in the 1960s, they reflected the explosion of new materials, colors and forms that marked the era. Afterwards, they regularly adorned the Maison’s Jewelry and High Jewelry collections, expressing the wealth and diversity of nature.
Expertise of hand and eye Presenting the hard stones and mother-of-pearl in their best light requires special expertise. Van Cleef & Arpels selects these materials according to the most stringent criteria of quality. Their color must be bright and even, and their veins – for tiger’s eye and malachite – evenly spread across their entire surface.
The white mother-of-pearl has been chosen from the rarest varieties – those with regular and cloudless overtones – and the gray mother-of-pearl according to its sheen, which reveals subtle blue or pinkish hues. The arrangement of the reflections and the matching of the various elements on a single clip call for very precise selection and positioning.
The Lucky Animals collection remains faithful to Van Cleef & Arpels’ emblematic aesthetic and savoir-faire, while inaugurating a discrete and elegant style well suited for daily wear.
The animal kingdom according to Van Cleef & Arpels From the outset, Van Cleef & Arpels’ jewelry has depicted a world of graceful and delicate animals. Diamond birds, colorful butterflies, perching squirrels, hopping rabbits and a host of other creatures have enriched the Maison’s menagerie over the years.
In 1954, the charming animals of the “La Boutique” collection opened a tender and light-hearted new chapter. Among them, the Lion ébouriffé and the Chat malicieux became genuine icons, cherished for their mischievous appearance. In 2016, the High Jewelry collection “L’Arche de Noé racontée par Van Cleef & Arpels” explored the animal theme once again, with its depictions of couples in precious and hard stones. Today, it is the turn of the Lucky Animals creations to celebrate color and vivacity, by evoking one of the Maison’s dearest traditions: recounting a gentle and poetic nature.
About Van Cleef & Arpels To discover the source of this playful and tender menagerie with roots dating back to the 1950s, Van Cleef & Arpels invites readers to dive into Les
Histoires on Van Cleef & Arpels’ website. A light-hearted journey through the Maison’s heritage.