Van Cleef & Arpels

The story of Van Cleef & Arpels began with a love story when Estelle Arpels, daughter of a precious stone merchant, married Alfred Van Cleef, son of a Dutch diamond-cutter and lapidary, in 1895. The business partnership was established in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels. Following Salomon's death in 1906, Alfred and his brothers-in-law Charles, Julien, and later Louis Arpels opened their first boutique at 22 Place Vendôme in Paris, directly across from the Hôtel Ritz. The maison quickly gained recognition among international elite, expanding to fashionable resort towns including Deauville, Nice, and Monte-Carlo. In 1925, a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet won the grand prize at the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in Paris. The second generation brought new innovations: Renée Puissant, daughter of Alfred and Estelle, served as Artistic Director from 1926 to 1942, working with draftsman René Sim Lacaze to create designs. The maison developed signature techniques including the revolutionary Mystery Setting (Serti Mystérieux) that makes metal disappear beneath precious stones. Van Cleef & Arpels became the first French jeweler to open boutiques in Japan and China. The company's commissions included creating the crown of Queen Nazli of Egypt in the 1930s and the spectacular crown of Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran for her 1967 coronation. In watchmaking, the company produced branded watches as early as 1923, but its 1949 creation of a distinctive rounded case with a single central lug established it as a watch design innovator. In 1999, Richemont acquired a controlling interest, fully absorbing the company in 2000 and partnering it with Jaeger-LeCoultre as a movement supplier. Today, Van Cleef & Arpels operates over 150 boutiques worldwide and remains a global reference for high jewelry and watchmaking.