VAN CLEEF & ARPELS AT 26TH THE EUROPEAN FINE ARTS FAIR (TEFAF) AT MAASTRICHT, HOLLAND FROM 15 TO 24 MARCH 2013

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, ONE OF THE PLANET'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND AMAZING JEWELLERS, WILL BE PARTICIPATING AT THE ANNUAL TEFAF (THE EUROPEAN FINE ARTS FAIR) 2013 AT MAASTRICHT, HOLLAND FROM 15 TO 24 MARCH 2013.

This is the 16th TEFAF which is considered one of the top 3 art fairs in the world and possibly the most important and powerful. There will be 260 art dealers from across the globe from 15 countries. 

Everything your heart desires and aspires will be here, from paintings, sculptures, porcelain, woodcrafts, bronze, ancient/modern artworks, Chinese, European, Pre-Columbian, Ancient Egyptian, Modern Masters, Impressionists, Old Masters, textiles, carpets, sculptures and of course jewellery.

And of course Van Cleef & Arpels will be there! Here is a sneak preview of what your loose change can buy...

Platinum necklace of 2 natural pearls and 10.06 carats diamonds circa 1933. Bracelet of platinum and diamonds circa 1964. Yet both look astonishingly modern and au courant!

Necklace of carved coral and green onyx 1961, bracelet of yellow gold, platinum and diamonds 1965, zip necklace transformable into bracelet, 2012

Multi-gem earrings, 1961. Bracelet of sapphire and diamond, 1925

Magic Alhambra earrings, white gold and diamonds

My favourite! Mystery Set ruby ring with diamond. The rubies appear to be set in place by magic without any visible prongs or metal holding the individual rubies in place

Diamond and natural pearl necklace

Diamond and gold cuff

Lady Arpels Enchanted Ballerina watch

Turquoise and diamond bracelet

Carved coral and jade necklace

Diamond and sapphire bracelet
Diamond bracelet

Dramatic 2-finger Paradise Bird ring

Signature Van Cleef & Arpels zipper necklace

Zipper bracelet

Gorgeous multi-gem earrings 
Important diamond earrings with Mystery Set rubies

Enchanting Summer Butterfly pendant

Art Deco zipper necklace




The art of Enchantment

Pierres de caractère, savoir-faire, imagination and technical virtuosity. Born in 1906 out of the love story between Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef, the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels has always emphasized a style whose  classicism is associated with an invitation to every form of journey and metamorphosis: the Zip necklace, which may also be worn as a bracelet, provides an eloquent example. Clips, bracelets and earrings celebrate an absolute elegance, an allure prized by all women in search of the unique, marked with a signature whose distinction is eternal.

“Creativity as a world vision”

“Authenticity, refinement, femininity, creativity and transmission: these watchwords have defined the spirit of Van Cleef & Arpels for over a century. Like ballet, music and literature, art history provides the Maison with a precious source of enchantment – a renewed invitation to create and to dream. It is embellished with creations inspired by a certain way of seeing the world, by a particular sensibility for nature, love and luck. The imaginative impulse is combined with peerless execution, further enhanced by the quality of the stones, a sense of movement, transparency and the gradations and subtle combinations of colors.

Instantly recognizable, the Van Cleef & Arpels style evokes memory and the imagination: its icons are linked to a savoir-faire, to the synergy of a design studio and workshop working together to create something fairylike and exceptional. In 2013, Van Cleef & Arpels’s first ever participation in the prestigious TEFAF in Maastricht provides an opportunity to share the same high expectations and elective affinities with collectors from all over the world.”

Inspired light

In 2013, for the first time in its history, the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels is attending Maastricht’s TEFAF. At the world’s most prestigious art and antiques fair, bedazzlement goes hand in hand with tradition and savoir-faire.  Alongside 250 renowned participants from 19 countries, Van Cleef & Arpels celebrates both an art de vivre and a philosophy of light. From the 2012 Biennale des Antiquaires to the success of the “Van Cleef & Arpels, l’Art de la Haute Joaillerie” exhibition at Paris’ Musée des Arts décoratifs and the foundation of the École Van Cleef & Arpels at the Place Vendôme in 2012, heritage and creativity have been united by a sensual and intimate bond.

Ballets, nature and imaginary journeys inhabit a boundless kingdom of chimeras and fairies. In their jewelry, designers and stone-setters strive to express the soul of masterpieces created by painters and authors. Their forms, airy openwork and delicate settings offer a lesson in grace with a thousand and one facets.

A Century of History

1895: Alfred Van Cleef, son of Charles Van Cleef, a diamond dealer, marries Esther, known as Estelle, Arpels.

1906: Alfred and his brother-in-law Salomon, also known as Charles, Arpels join forces to found the Maison Alfred Van Cleef & Salomon Arpels, at 22 Place Vendôme.

1933: The first patents are registered, the Minaudière ™ and the Mystery Setting ™.

1935: Creation of the Cadenas watch.

1939: Van Cleef & Arpels opens a store at the Rockefeller Center; three years later it moves to 744th Fifth Avenue, its current address.

1939: Creation of the Passe-partout, a piece transformable in multiple ways.

1951: Van Cleef & Arpels creates the transformable Zip necklace, inspired by the Duchess of Windsor.

1955: Acquisition of Grace Kelly’s wedding set by Prince Rainier III.

1967: The New York Premiere of “Jewels”, a ballet in three tableaux inspired by George Balanchine’s encounter with Claude Arpels.

1968: Creation of the Alhambra ™ collection.

1990: First retrospective at the Los Angeles Museum of Art, followed by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

1999: The Richemont group acquires an interest in the Maison.

2006: Creation of the Poetic Complications ™ watches.

2008: Launch of Perlée ® collection.

2010: “The Spirit of Beauty” exhibition, Mori, Tokyo.

2011: “Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels” exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York.

2012: Foundation of the École Van Cleef & Arpels. “Timeless Beauty” exhibition at MoCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai and “Van Cleef & Arpels, l’Art de la Haute Joaillerie”, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

The High Jewelry Collections

2005: Couture collection

2006: Pierres de Caractère ™, Trésors Révélés and Une journée à Paris collections

2007: L’Atlantide and Ballet Précieux collections

2008: Les Jardins (presented at the Biennale des Antiquaires, Paris) and Eternal Pearls collections

2009: Oiseaux de Paradis and California Rêverie ™ collections

2010: Papillons and Les Voyages Extraordinaires ™  collections (presented at the Biennale des Antiquaires, Paris)

2011: Bals de Légende™ collection

2012: Couleurs de Paradis™ and Palais de la Chance ™ collections (presented at the Biennale des Antiquaires, Paris)

Van Cleef & Arpels’ participation at the TEFAF,

taking place in Maastricht, from March 15^th to March 24^th.