Floral Reflections: Van Cleef & Arpels

Maison Van Cleef & Arpels has announced five new incredible additions to their iconic Frivole jewellery collection. Inspired as always by the delicate, sublime beauty of nature, these include a white gold seven-flower bracelet, a between-the-finger ring in rose gold and an eight-flower ring that presents a dialogue between rose and white gold.

The Maison’s savoir-faire – from selecting and matching the diamonds to the mirror polishing – is showcased in these sparkling corollas, which illuminate the skin with their sunny glow. Such precise manual processes create unique reflections within each piece, imbuing them with an eternal shine that brings the collection’s signature petals to life.

Van Cleef & Arpels has long held a fascination with the idyllic image of flowers, beginning in 1907 with the motif on its Marguerite brooch. Rich bouquets – immortalised in bejewelled tableaux – then continued to bloom throughout the 1920s, only to be joined in the following decade by voluminous corollas set with diamonds and coloured stones, held together by precious ribbons and accentuated by glittering large-scale leaves formed from mirror-polished gold. Jewellery sets and beauty accessories produced by the Maison, such as minaudières, embody scenes of the countryside and verdant gardens in the form of common and ox-eye daisies and primroses; a celebration of vital, vibrant flora, filled with wonder at the endless transformations of nature.

However, these figurative creations have also inspired great technical innovations over the decades. Clips, earrings, rings, bracelets and pendants have all illustrated the skill of Van Cleef & Arpels artisans, as well as the stylistic evolution of the Maison, giving rise to heart-shaped petals, introduced in the 1940s on cigarette cases and pill boxes, and then on the Trèfle clip in 1954. The creations gathered within the Frivole collection stand as another essential element in this creative tradition since 2003 of beauty and harmony, with their polished gold and diamond-paved corollas.

Multiple aspects of the Maison’s extensive savoir-faire come together to breathe life into the pieces of the collection, infusing them with an incredible shine and intensity. Chief among these is the mirror polish technique – an emblematic Van Cleef & Arpels signature process since the 1920s – which is painstakingly executed by hand on each piece of jewellery to enhance its radiance; the careful, precise hands of the Maison’s craftspeople ensure that the flow of light remains unimpeded over the entirety of these marvellous creations, resulting in a peerless final gleam against the skin of the wearer.

Each of the precious stones used in the creation of the pieces undergoes a two-fold selection process, which is both scientific and specific to Van Cleef & Arpels and grounded in more than a century of expertise. The mounts are then meticulously worked by the jeweller to guarantee that the precious metal is correctly prepared to accept these diamonds; openings are cut that let light pass through the gemstones, further intensifying their sparkle.

This year, the exquisite and graphic flowers of Frivole emerge upon the white gold of a seven-flower bracelet with unmatched grace, illuminated by the glittering of almost 300 individual diamonds, selected according to the most exacting of criteria and reflecting the Maison’s high standards and taste in gemstones. Together, they shine as one, providing an intense gleam against the skin, while the asymmetrical design and tilt of the curved, heart-shaped petals echo the spontaneous whimsy of nature.

Elsewhere, in a first for the collection, an eight-flower ring combines both rose and white gold with diamonds, with five white gold flowers– each meticulously positioned at different heights and paved with diamonds – in dialogue with three rose gold ones, accented by a central stone. The virtuosity of the Maison’s artisans is demonstrated aptly in the manner in which these eight flowers have been assembled on the ring, decorating the finger with a three-dimensional bouquet, which is then further intensified by the mirror-polished effect of the rose gold, highlighting the juxtaposition of light and reflections, as if the ring were sparkling in the sunlight.

The collection this year also reveals a new aesthetic of rose gold interspersed with diamonds, reflected in two pieces: a pendant –featuring a new size – and earrings. On both, the corollas unfurl the softened hues of the precious metal, casting a warm glow on the silhouette against the skin.

The last – but far from least – of the new creations presents a subtle tête-à-tête between two mirror-polished rose gold flowers, in the form of a between-the-finger ring. The playful asymmetry of the motifs extends even to the diamond settings, with one stone set in the heart of the smallest flower and three on the largest, blending harmoniously with the reflections of the mirror-polished gold.

As refreshing and bright as newly blooming flowers, these latest additions to Van Cleef & Arpels’ Frivole collection are a beautiful accompaniment to any set. They can be combined to suit whatever mood, offering a subtle elegance that belies the masterful techniques behind their creation.