Timeless Jewel
Nicolas Luchsinger, the new president of Van Cleef & Arpels Asia Pacific, tells Rachel Ng why both the maison and its jewellery has his heart
When i first met Nicolas Luchsinger in the private room of the Van Cleef & Arpels store at Ion Orchard, he struck me as a very affable person. Soft-spoken and exuding a rather calming aura, the newly appointed president of Van Cleef & Arpels for the Asia-pacific region proved my hunch right a short while later. Surrounded by the gilded and decoupaged walls of the store, I delved a little into his past and came up surprised. How did a law master’s degree holder end up becoming the regional president of a jewellery maison? “I am a lawyer,” he said with a chuckle. “There’s a phrase in French that said, ‘With law, you can work in every field but it’s not easy to leave law’, but to be honest I think it’s very good training.” What about his passion for jewellery? A pensive look settled over his face as he reminisced about his introduction to the glittering world in which he is held willingly ensnared. “I knew I really had a passion for jewellery since I was 12 years old when I didn’t even know much about gemmology yet. I started asking for jewellery books for my birthday and Christmas. When I grew up and had to study something, I had to make a choice—my family members were mostly lawyers. So I did law and I don’t
regret it. I loved reading law, but as soon as I could escape it, I did and I was lucky to find my way to where I am today.” An internship with Christie’s eventually culminated in a career with Van Cleef & Arpels, a decision that Luchsinger remembers as being akin to something out of a dream. We can thank him for his appreciation of the arts and antiques, for without it the vintage collections available in Van Cleef & Arpels today would not exist for our viewing (and purchasing) pleasure. Perhaps it was fate that drew Luchsinger to Van Cleef & Arpels but ultimately it is his trust in the brand’s values that has kept him loyal to the maison. His statement is one of conviction and trust in the jeweller: “We’ve been very faithful to the history of the maison and I want it to stay that way. All our decisions today are made with long-term goals in mind and staying true to our roots. You learn that being true to yourself and always giving your best are truly important traits—much like how our craftsmen dedicate themselves to the finest details of every piece we produce.” Thus, the maison often looks to its past first when it comes to designing new pieces. “Every new collection of jewellery is like a transposition of the past into the future. But we always stay true to our DNA, so we always
“Every new collection of jewellery is like a transposition of the past into the future”
try to find the theme and transform it to become contemporary.” Having worked with and seen so many extravagant and opulent ornaments, I was curious to know if he had any favourites. “It’s a piece whose location I absolutely have no idea of. You know we do a lot of special orders. For the wedding of the Shah of Iran—he was married three times, and the first time he was married to an Egyptian princess, Fawzia Fuad—there’s a beautiful picture of her by Cecil Beaton where she looked like a Hollywood star and she’s wearing an amazing breathtaking diamond necklace. That’s my favourite piece.”