Van Cleef & Arpels Plumbs Maritime and Literary References to Create an Object of Singular Beauty
Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels
Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel Treasure Island has long captivated audiences with its tales of swashbuckling pirates, maritime travel, and lavish loot. Leave it to Van Cleef & Arpels to make that seafaring saga glitter in our imaginations as never before. For its 2024 High Jewelry Collection, the esteemed French maison has reinterpreted the iconic story in the form of its own gem-encrusted wonders—from necklaces inspired by forceful waves and boating knots to clips modeled after turtles and shells. Unrivaled among these beauties is Onde Mystérieuse, a decorative box that surfaces under-the-sea drama through timeless craft.
The latest in Van Cleef & Arpels’s historic line of precious decorative objects, this one-of-a-kind piece is at once a feat of artisanal savoir faire and a flourish of figurative artistry. Swimming across its round face is a school of white- and rose-gold fish, all rendered against a background of paillonné enamel, a time-intensive technique that sandwiches thin leaves of metal between silica powder to lustrous effect. Two interchangeable diamond-covered clips can affix to the top—both in swirling nautilus forms, one with bands of sapphires imperceptibly anchored by the house’s signature Mystery settings, the other with scattered sapphires and blue tourmalines. Swivel them open to reveal a watch dial paved with yet more diamonds. Here, another gleaming sapphire marks noon, expanding on the azure materials palette that also includes a base of rare Brazilian blue quartz.
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For Van Cleef & Arpels, comme d’habitude, there’s no detail too small. Its face of polished rock crystal bears tiny bubbles for aqueous intrigue. Those clips, meanwhile, feature stones in a carefully calibrated variety of diameters, yielding surfaces as richly textured as the ocean floor. The hammered white-gold rim of the lid was cast as a single element, challenging even the jewelry house’s most experienced metalworkers. Open the lid and discover two nested compartments of ebony wood lined in fine goat leather. What to stow there? That treasure hunt will fall to its lucky owner. Price upon request; vancleefarpels.com
This story appears in AD’s January issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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