One of the great names in jewelry, Van Cleef & Arpels, presents two new collections at once: Flowerlace and Fleurs d’Hawaï. Both draw inspiration from flowers, a recurring motif from the Richemont Group’s Maison. Flowers and petals, however, are interpreted differently across the two jewelry lines, albeit with a shared style.
Flowerlace Collection
These jewels are inspired by the silhouette of an openwork corolla in yellow gold, the color of the sun, and diamonds. The petals and lines that outline the flower’s elegantly rounded shape evoke the fluidity of a ribbon, a nod to another source of inspiration for Van Cleef & Arpels: fashion.
The collection includes five creations: a ring, a double-finger ring, a pair of earrings, a pendant necklace, and a pendant brooch. This last piece can be worn two different ways. The slightly inclined petals lend greater volume to the ensemble, while the pistil is embellished with gold pearls and diamonds of varying sizes, creating a slightly asymmetrical composition that expresses the idea of nature in motion. The diamonds, selected according to the most rigorous criteria (from D to F for color and from IF to VVS for clarity), are set by the gemsetter using various techniques.
The creations recall two emblematic Van Cleef & Arpels motifs: the Silhouette brooches, created by the Maison in the late 1930s, and the eponymous high jewelry collection, created in 2007.
Fleurs d’Hawaï Collection
This line is inspired by the hues of a vivid garden. Like newly bloomed flowers, the jewelry and watches combine precious stone petals, diamond pistils, and gold leaves to create luminous creations with generously proportioned corollas, evoking a lush, sun-kissed nature.
Five gemstone varieties are used alongside rose, yellow, or white gold for rings, pendant necklaces, and watches in the Fleurs d’Hawaï collection: yellow-orange citrine, amethyst, rhodolite, aquamarine, and peridot. The pear-shaped gems form a corolla, each petal rising, lending the creation lightness and vitality. The gold setting features an openwork structure that allows light to pass through the gems, enhancing their colors. The pistil, slightly raised to infuse further movement into the piece, features seven diamonds at its center that sparkle in unison, surrounded by gold pearls whose roundness recalls the claws, handcrafted to achieve a spherical finish. A delicately curved gold leaf with a polished finish adds volume to the composition, lending it a distinctive asymmetry.
The three Fleurs d’Hawaï secret watches feature a corolla composed of 12 matching pear-shaped gemstones. The corolla opens around a white mother-of-pearl dial, framed with round-cut diamonds. A pear-cut diamond, positioned at 12 o’clock, illuminates the ensemble. The entire piece is concealed by a rotating element that expresses the Maison’s penchant for mystery. The flower is removable and can be worn as a bracelet, brooch, or pendant. Citrine and yellow gold, rhodolite and rose gold, aquamarine and white gold are combined on the satin strap that accompanies each watch.
The bouquets retrace the footsteps of an emblematic Van Cleef & Arpels creation: the Passe-Partout jewel, patented in 1938. A jewelry masterpiece, often characterized by colorful, generously sized floral motifs, mounted on a gold Tubogas chain. This period also saw the launch of other creations combining flowers and colored gemstones, including the Hawaii jewels, in which ruby, sapphire, and diamond flowers adorn rings, brooches, and earrings.
