Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Van Cleef & Arpels Seven Seas
November 25th, 2015
Clapotis necklace: White gold, round and pear-shaped diamonds, sapphires, one white cultured pearl, one cushion-cut green tourmaline of 15.73 carats. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Clapotis necklace
Clapotis necklace: © Van Cleef & Arpels - Photo by Sonia Sieff – Dress by Gaspard Yurkievich
Like a sea trembling beneath the breeze’s caress, the Clapotis necklace unfurls volutes set with sapphires and round and pear-shaped diamonds. Embraced by these arabesques, a tourmaline weighing 15.73 carats draws the gaze to the center of the piece. Evoking the shores of the Mediterranean, its bright and vivid lagoon green complements the whiteness of a large cultured pearl, plunging deep into the neckline. The latter can be removed – along with the jewelry motif from which it is suspended – enabling the necklace to be worn in different ways. Alternately sparkling, luminous and iridescent, the materials combine into a precious, crystalline melody to suit every occasion.
Clapotis necklace: White gold, round and pear-shaped diamonds, sapphires, one white cultured pearl, one cushion-cut green tourmaline of 15.73 carats. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Clapotis necklace: White gold, round and pear-shaped diamonds, sapphires, one white cultured pearl, one cushion-cut green tourmaline of 15.73 carats. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Clapotis necklace: Drawing & Gouaché
Rouleau Azur bracelet
Rouleau Azur bracelet: White gold, diamonds, white cultured pearls, lapis lazuli and turquoise beads. © Van Cleef & Arpels
The deep blue of the open sea, limpid coastal waters, the dazzling white of foam on the sand... The various shades of the Mediterranean come together on this bracelet composed of lapis lazuli, turquoise, pearls and diamonds. Its braided structure makes it highly flexible and enables it to reproduce the volume of a breaking wave. A traditional technique at Van Cleef & Arpels, the knotted threading used for these pearls also gives great strength to this azure breaker.
Rouleau Azur bracelet: White gold, diamonds, white cultured pearls, lapis lazuli and turquoise beads. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Rouleau Azur bracelet: Gouaché
![Savoir-faire :Rouleau Azur bracelet - Threading work - traditional threading]()
Threading work - traditional threading
![Savoir-faire: Rouleau Azur bracelet - hreading work - tying the knot]()
hreading work - tying the knot
![Savoir-faire: Rouleau Azur bracelet - Threading work - traditional threading]()
Threading work - traditional threading
Savoir-faire: Rouleau Azur bracelet
Flamant corail necklace
Flamant corail necklace: © Van Cleef & Arpels - Photo by Sonia Sieff – Dress by Gaspard Yurkievich
Flamant corail necklace: Pink gold, round diamonds, round and pear-shaped pink sapphires, round peridots, pink and red coral, onyx. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Attracted by the joyous and colorful allure of birds, Van Cleef & Arpels has often paid tribute to them in its creations. The pink flamingo, that graceful inhabitant of the Mediterranean shoreline, here seems to spread its wings around the neck in a delicate pastel embrace. Thanks to meticulous articulation, its plumage – adorned with pink sapphires and diamonds – is reproduced in all its lightness. Like precious droplets, the pear-shaped stones complete the central motif, with its association of two different shades of coral. The bird’s body – remarkable for its curved volume clad in ethereal feathers – can become a clip, in keeping with the Maison’s tradition of transformable pieces.
Flamant corail necklace: Pink gold, round diamonds, round and pear-shaped pink sapphires, round peridots, pink and red coral, onyx. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Flamant corail necklace: Gouaché
![- Polishing work , brush polishing]()
Polishing work , brush polishing
![- Polishing work , brush polishing]()
Polishing work , brush polishing
![- Jewelry work - adjusting on the coral]()
Jewelry work - adjusting on the coral
![- Jewelry work - adjusting on the coral]()
Jewelry work - adjusting on the coral
![- Jewelry work - necklace pieces]()
Jewelry work - necklace pieces
![- Jewelry work - necklace pieces]()
Jewelry work - necklace pieces
![- Polishing work - thread polishing]()
Polishing work - thread polishing
![- Setting work - adjusting the stone]()
Setting work - adjusting the stone
![Savoir-faire : Flamant corail necklace - Jewelry work - assembling]()
Jewelry work - assembling
![Savoir-faire : Flamant corail necklace - Jewelry work - positioning the onyx beak]()
Jewelry work - positioning the onyx beak
![Savoir-faire : Flamant corail necklace - Jewelry work - positioning the peridot eye]()
Jewelry work - positioning the peridot eye
Savoir-faire : Flamant corail necklace
Flamant corail earrings
Flamant corail earrings: © Van Cleef & Arpels - Photo by Sonia Sieff – Dress by Gaspard Yurkievich
![Flamant corail earrings: Pink gold, round diamonds, round and pear-shaped pink sapphires, pink coral. © Van Cleef & Arpels - <b>Flamant corail earrings:</b> Gouaché]()
Flamant corail earrings: Gouaché
Flamant corail earrings: Pink gold, round diamonds, round and pear-shaped pink sapphires, pink coral. © Van Cleef & Arpels
![Savoir-faire: Flamant corail earrings - Jewelry work - assembling]()
Jewelry work - assembling
![Savoir-faire: Flamant corail earrings - Setting work - prong setting]()
Setting work - prong setting
Savoir-faire: Flamant corail earrings
Sirène Mystérieuse clip
Sirène Mystérieuse clip: Vitrail Mystery Set colored sapphires, sapphire, onyx, diamonds. © Van Cleef & Arpels
This mermaid gracefully cleaves the waters of the Mediterranean, a sparkling jewel in her hands. A halo of light seems to illuminate her rose-cut diamond face, along with her long hair that undulates in the current. Renewing the tradition of fairies created by Van Cleef & Arpels since the 1940s, this spellbinding creature is further magnified by a new Mystery Set technique.
Sirène Mystérieuse clip: Gouaché
Unveiled in 2014 on the Libellule clip, this unique savoir-faire enables the Maison to multiply the plays of reflections, colors and reliefs, while highlighting the translucence of the gems. Here, the eye encounters a delicate gradation of blue and violet sapphires that completes the outline of the mermaid. Thanks to stone cutting of great precision, each gem has been intricately buffed on one side to bring out a rounded softness, and faceted on the other for added brilliance. It is then perfectly inserted into the golden setting, which remains invisible on both sides of the piece. A feat of jewelry making becomes an art of mystery, which here finds its ultimate expression.
![- Green wax work - sculpting]()
Green wax work - sculpting
![- Green wax work - sculpting]()
Green wax work - sculpting
![- =Green wax work - shaping]()
=Green wax work - shaping
![- Green wax work - sculpting]()
Green wax work - sculpting
![- Jewelry work - work on the gold structure]()
Jewelry work - work on the gold structure
![Savoir-faire: Sirène Mystérieuse clip - Polishing work - thread polishing]()
Polishing work - thread polishing
![Savoir-faire: Sirène Mystérieuse clip - Polishing work - thread polishing]()
Polishing work - thread polishing
Savoir-faire: Sirène Mystérieuse clip
Bal Sous-Marin ring
Bal Sous-Marin ring: White cultured pearl and diamonds. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Bal Sous-Marin ring: Gouaché
Fleur des Mers ring
Fleur des Mers ring: One cushion-cut sapphire of 14.08 carats Sri Lanka, sapphires, aquamarines, diamonds. © Van Cleef & Arpels
Hippocampe clip
Hippocampe clip: Gray cultured pearl, blue and mauve sapphires, Paraíba-like tourmalines, amazonite, diamonds. © Van Cleef & Arpels