The meticulous work of the creators, of the craft artists, has resulted in an outstanding fluency in Van Cleef & Arpels’ newly launched collections. 2022 is the year when this brand reappears on the list of exhibitors at Watches and Wonders Geneva, as well as the year when they launch spectacular collections, in tune with their distinctive style which seduces the viewers from the very beginning.

And besides their exceptional watchmaking creations, which easily carry you away to a world of fantasy and romance, Van Cleef & Arpels also launches a jewelry show this year – the Legend of Diamonds collection.

The story behind these extraordinary pieces was written in four years’ time and comprises two chapters.

Legend of Diamonds is a collection first designed and launched in 2018, when the specialists discovered a rough diamond called the Legend of Lesotho – a gemstone of unusual weight and brilliance. More specifically – the fifth largest diamond in the world (in terms of both size and clarity).

It was introduced to the watch and jewelry house by their business partner, diamond supplier Tache. This was how Van Cleef & Arpels got in contact with an exceptional rarity, thanks to its 910 carats, perfect color, composition and degree of crystallization.

Van Cleef & Arpels collaborates with various partners to create the jewelry collection developed around this diamond. Technicians and experts have joined forces to deliver the new collection, the entire process spanning over a period of four years. The best diamond cutters in Antwerp have used both traditional methods and state-of-the-art 3D software to produce a family of 67 diamonds totaling 441,75 carats – almost half of the weight of the original gemstone. Each of the extracted diamonds is of exceptional quality, ranging from Flawless to Internally Flawless, which is the highest possible standard of purity.

And this is how the first chapter of the Legend of Diamonds was written, with 25 spectacular pieces based on the Mystery Setting technique, developed and patented by Van Cleef and Arpels. It consists in setting the gemstones by sliding them onto extremely thin gold rails that form an invisible lattice framework underneath the surface, so that the gemstones appear to be floating, without any metal prongs holding them in place.

The centerpiece of the collection is Atours Mysterieux – a magnificent necklace showcasing the largest diamond cut from Lesotho Legend. This is surrounded by an abundance of rubies and diamonds, the entire piece being an expression of the brand’s inspiration and passion for woven patterns. The central diamond is detachable, and it can be worn as a pendant on an ordinary chain.

If the first part of the Legend of Diamonds bears the imprint of color, standing out through the use of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, the second chapter focuses strictly on diamonds. The diamonds themselves are a constant in the Van Cleef & Arpels collections. Throughout the years, diamonds have been highlighted within various themes – in creations that seem to defy time or look like they have been taken from fairy tales. And it is precisely these styles and milestones that are celebrated through the 82 pieces of jewelry in the White Diamonds collection.

Two of the highlights of this collection are: the Roaring Twenties necklace, that can be worn in eight different ways, and the Chrysler earrings – named after the legendary Manhattan building, whose architecture inspired their design.

In conclusion, we believe we can deem as art any thing or action that we can perform in an exceptional manner. Well, the experts at Van Cleef & Arpels create art through their pieces of jewelry, through the design they think up and then create, through the techniques they master to perfection, through their impeccable execution.

And we cannot help but admire and appreciate their spectacular creations.