Whoever owns pieces of high jewelry, such as those made by Van Cleef & Arpels, has a treasure. But it is not just the material value that counts: there is also a treasure of emotions and fantasies. Thus the new Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry collection is inspired by a famous novel Treasure Island, written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1883. But fortunately there are no more pirates and the treasure chest of jewels can be kept at home or in a bank. For the collection, however, the charm of the adventurous story, a journey through nature and traps, remains.
Van Cleef & Arpels often uses the appeal of the story for its high jewelry collections. In the past, it has proposed a line inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and then with The Extraordinary Voyages by Jules Verne, Donkey Skin by Charles Perrault and the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Now it is the turn of the adventure novel, a classic. The collection is entitled L’Ile au trésor racontée par Van Cleef & Arpels (Treasure Island told by Van Cleef & Arpels) and brings together landscapes and treasures from around the world in a journey in three chapters.
The adventure at sea
In the first, the Maison takes inspiration from nautical knots and a variety of tools characteristic of the art of navigation. The ocean is reinterpreted in a harmony of blues: from turquoise to emerald green to the solar reflections of the afternoon heat or the moon reflecting on the surface of the water.
Knots become a clever aesthetic motif with the En haute mer necklace. Drawing inspiration from the adventures of Jim Hawkins and his crew, the creation also recalls the creative and technical history of Van Cleef & Arpels, which has distinguished itself in the interlacing of yellow gold since the 1940s. The Maison uses it here to transpose the three-dimensional texture of cordage into the precious metal. The ensemble unfolds symmetrically on a structure of interwoven yellow and white gold. Flag, Carrick, spoken or flat knots thus delineate the set of moorings on the deck of a ship. A 55.34-carat emerald-cut sapphire, set horizontally in the center of the composition, emphasizes the reference to navigation. The removable stone can crown a solitaire, whose twisted motifs reproduce the interlacing patterns of the necklace.
Another example is the Hispaniola brooch, which pays homage to the eponymous vessel with which the characters of Treasure Island brave the oceans. The sails, in white gold set with diamonds to recall the linen of the ships of the time, are astonishing in size. The effect is emphasized by the play of horizontal and vertical lines in the diamond setting, which gives a three-dimensional volume. The arrangement of the gems in an alternating pattern recreates the powerful action of the stern wind on the sails, which, inflated by the breeze, tilt the hull of the vessel. The engravings on the metal of the latter reproduce the wooden planking typical of ancient frigates. The grooves thus created create a contrast with the brilliance of the bowsprit at the bow of the ship.
An exceptional piece in this chapter is the Écume Mystérieuse necklace inspired by the pictorial genre in vogue in the 19th century, the era in which Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island. Écume Mystérieuse expresses the power of the ocean through a movement reminiscent of waves, composed of overlapping lines in white gold set with diamonds and concluded at the bottom by volutes, standing out against a sea of Serti Mystérieux Traditionnel sapphires. The ensemble is studded with diamonds and round-cut sapphires reminiscent of sea foam.
Exploring the island
The second chapter is an ode to nature, a theme dear to Van Cleef & Arpels, which is represented here in all its variety, vitality and absolute spontaneity with iridescent shells, delicate flowers and majestic trees with multiple shades. This chapter opens with the Palmeraie merveilleuse necklace, which reproduces the profile of a crown of palm leaves, in homage to the tropical vegetation described by Robert Louis Stevenson. Entirely articulated, this necklace in gradient envelops the neck with a play of concave and convex volumes, a real challenge for goldsmiths and setters. The irregular contours of the motifs accentuate the impression of movement. At the center, a 47.93-carat cabochon-cut emerald is set on a removable pendant that can embellish a brooch. The elongated oval shape gives depth to its finely crystallized material, whose green recalls the shades of lush leaves.
An example of goldsmith virtuosity in this second chapter is the Coquillage Mystérieux brooch. The surface of the jewel combines the brilliance of diamonds with the velvety effect of the Serti Mystérieux Traditionnel buff-top cut. Square-cut rubies of different sizes punctuate the creation, emphasizing the dégradé of the pink and white diamonds. The setting techniques complement each other: channel, grain, prong, semi-riveted and cornière. The refinement of the front corresponds to that of the back, which conceals a white gold fairy holding an emerald with a delicate shade of green. This feminine figure, emblematic of the Maison, rests on a white cultured pearl, kept in the heart of a coral reef in carved and hammered yellow gold.
The treasure hunt
Finally, the third and final chapter tells the story of a real treasure hunt around the world, from pre-Columbian glories to the wonders of Asia, giving life to creations inspired by elsewhere, with a pinch of fantasy. For example, with the Carte au trésor brooch, which represents a gold map, closed by a braided cord in rose gold topped by two tassels. The parchment wraps sinuously under the effect of the cord, as if it had just been inserted. The tassels, whose thin fringes in rose and yellow gold accompany the movements of the silhouette, emphasize the dynamism of the whole. But the real treasure is hidden between the folds of the parchment: an engraved map reports the names of fantastic places such as the Cape of Tourmalines, the Pearl Islands, the Valley of Rubies, the Island of Sapphires or the Emerald Lagoon. At the center of this landscape, a ruby indicates the hiding place of a precious treasure chest. On the back of the map, its position is indicated by a compass engraved in gold.
Also in the third chapter is the AOrnement d’Alexandrina ring: its design and name pay homage to Victorian-era jewelry. A 12.69-carat mauve sapphire set in the center reveals its harmonious hue, neither too pink nor too blue, through a generous cushion cut that enhances the purity of the material. The mauve color is associated here with the nuances of emeralds, garnets and colored sapphires. This combination of colors and stone cuts reinterprets the tradition of cocktail rings, particularly fashionable in the 1960s. The domed shape of the creation is punctuated by gold studs that accentuate its sphericity. Discreet openwork and round-cut diamonds allow light to pass through the jewel, sublimating the splendor of each gem.
Finally, the playful nature of the collection is also demonstrated by Van Cleef & Arpels’ choice to accompany the jewels with illustrations created by David B., a French comic book artist and scriptwriter, who best interpreted the extraordinary series of jewels.
