Few houses today can boast a highly magical world. And when one thinks of magical creatures, princes and princesses, one house inevitably comes to mind: Van Cleef & Arpels. Over the last few years, the workshops of the house have rivalled in ingenuity to create the designs of the design studio and thus give reality to “Peau d’Âne” or to the magnificent pieces that made up the “Le Secret” collection that we discovered last July. For this new collection, four little-known tales by the Grimm brothers have been chosen as the main theme for the almost 110 pieces that will be produced. We were able to discover more than 60 of them during the presentation held at the Ecole des Arts Joailliers. A journey full of colour, stories and techniques. Not forgetting the Pierres de Caractère™ that also make the house famous. If we have to choose pieces, and to mention only the most singular, we will retain the feather with the vitrail setting (a variant of the mysterious setting which uses cabochons known as “swiffé facetté”), the twelve princesses, each more beautiful than the last, particularly charming princes and a bird with golden plumage. But I suggest you discover much more in this article!
The books that guided the designers of the house were published in two volumes between 1812 and 1815 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm under the title “Tales for Children and the Household, collected by the Brothers Grimm”. They are mainly stories from the oral tradition of their country: Germany .
These stories are comparable to “small pieces of a precious stone scattered among the grass”
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
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the Shoes Worn at the Ball
“Once upon a time there was a king who had twelve daughters of immense beauty. Inseparable, they brightened the palace and its gardens from morning to night. Then they went to bed in their room, where their twelve beds were lined up. Every evening, the king locked their door. And every morning he found their shoes worn out from dancing too much. The king questioned them and made enquiries, but no one could unravel the mystery. Furious, he decreed that the one who succeeded would marry one of the princesses and inherit the kingdom
Princess Hemera” clip, blue and purple sapphires, emeralds, tsavorite garnets, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Spinel chalice” ring. Oval pink spinel of 6.25 carats, rubies, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Clip “Souliers précieux”, spessartite troïdia garnet of 6,91 carats, emeralds, lapis lazuli, white cultured pearls, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Princess Danica” clip, yellow sapphires, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Bracelet “Traversée étoilée”. Two pear sapphires for a total of 50.03 carats (Burma), sapphires, turquoise, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
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the Golden Bird
“Once upon a time there was a king who had a tree in his garden with golden apples. One morning, when the ripe fruits were shining like nuggets, he noticed that one was missing. The king called his three sons and said to them:
– I want one of you to stand guard at the foot of the tree every night.”
Clip “Golden Bird”, yellow sapphires, spessartite garnets, onyx, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
“Golden Plumage” necklace, 3.31 carat emerald-cut Fancy Vivid Orangy Yellow diamond, white and yellow diamonds. Necklace and clip with interchangeable motifs. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Clip “The Prince and the Bird”, 3.18 carat oval purple sapphire (Madagascar), blue sapphire, onyx, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Ring “Hespérides”, oval yellow sapphire of 20.36 carats (Sri Lanka), onyx, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Clair de lune” long necklace, 29.63 carat violet sugar loaf sapphire (Sri Lanka), blue and violet sapphires, grey cultured pearls, diamonds. Transformable long necklace with detachable clip. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
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the Three Feathers
“Once upon a time there was an old king who had three sons. While the two eldest seemed kind and wise, the last one spoke so little that he was called “the fool”. Feeling his end approaching, the king called them together and said:
– My dearest sons, I do not know which of you will succeed me on the throne. Therefore I entrust you with a mission: go and travel the world. Whoever brings me the most beautiful and delicate carpet will inherit my kingdom. The old king then blew on three feathers. The first flew west, the second east and the third fell to the ground.
– Look at these feathers,” said the king. Choose yours and follow it
Clip “Panache Mystérieux”, Mystérieux Stained glass coloured sapphires, diamonds. Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels
Clip “Trio Précieux”, Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond centre of 2.51 carats and diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Serapi” ring, rubies, blue and pink sapphires, coral and diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Bracelet “Carrousel des Demoiselles”, 10.41 carat TE emerald (Brazil), sapphires, diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
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the Bremen Musicians
“Once upon a time there was a donkey that carried heavy bags of flour every day. As his strength waned, he heard his master announce one morning that he was to replace him. At these words, the donkey ran away and took the road to Bremen. “There, I’ll try to join the city band,” he thought. As he walked along, he came across a dog lying in a ditch barking in exhaustion.
– What are you doing here?
– My master thinks I’m too old to hunt. So I ran away! – I’m going to Bremen to join the brass band,” replied the donkey.Come with me instead, you’ll play the timpani!
Necklace “Under the Moon”, emerald cabochon of 29.44 carats (Colombia), 464 sapphire balls for a total of 647.02 carats (Burma), sapphires, emeralds, diamonds. Necklace with detachable clip. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Bracelet “Lumière”, black spinels, onyx, colourless and pink diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
Earrings “Victoire”, fourteen 18.18 carat rose-cut yellow diamonds and colourless diamonds. Photo : Van Cleef & Arpels
See you soon!
