A fascinating thing about Paris is its rich and exquisite penchant for pieces of jewelry. In the past, men and woman wore gemstones embedded in their clothing. this is used to signify beauty and power. sadly, nowadays, it’s more of a feminine symbol used to show social status and acceptance.
Place Vendôme, Paris-home to one of the finest jewellery makers in the world- Van Cleef & Arpels- famous for her artistic jewellery designs offers style with class. Just about seven minutes away from our luxury boutique hotel on Haussmann Boulevard, Place Vendôme is a hotspot for high jewellers and a perfect spot for their jewellery school L’École Van Cleef & Arpels.
A bit of history
Van Cleef & Arpels one of the finest French luxurious jewelry, watch and perfume company founded in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his brothers-in-law Julian & Charles Arpel and later joined by their youngest brother Louis Arpel. Both families have been in the jewelry business for generations before opening a shop on 22 Place Vendôme (1906) where they are still located till this day- they were fully acquired in 2003 by Compagnie Financière Richemont SA- since then, they’ve fully implemented some of the strategies they learned with Cartier.
Boutiques and Art
With stores in multiple locations in the middle and south-east of the globe, its line of fascinating ornaments is also in major departmental stores and stand-alone boutiques in Milan, London Zurich and Paris. Their pieces are ornamented with features like flowers, fairies and animals have been worn by style icons such as the Duchess of Windsor, Eva Peron, Fral Pahlavi, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Having won the Grand Prix in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs for the above jewelry, Van Cleef & Arpels started focusing more on gemstones and its flawless gem cutting, giving it a distinguishable effect across all its jewelry.
Throughout the 1930’s, they came up with an brilliant designs just like the one above. It is worn on both sides- they went on to receive French patent no 764966 in 1933 for an exclusive gem setting known as the “Sert Mysterieux” or the mystery setting. A technique employing more than 300 hours of work to craft, hiding the prong from becoming visible. The newer styles of Van Cleef & Arpel taps deeply into this heritage.
The opulence of heralding a new age of elegance in its collections- Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels happened to be the best jewelers during that Era and still is today with a broad base of merchandising costing more than a million dollars for some expensive pieces.
Do you plan on visiting the place Vendôme in Paris to see some exquisite jewellery? Don’t miss the opportunity of a wonderful scenery and a real luxury experience when you visit our boutique hotel close to the Champs Elysées to enjoy a wonderful stay. Happy visiting!