Enthralled by the spectacle of the celestial bodies and the heavenly vault, Van Cleef & Arpels honors the stars and the zodiac with a collection that recreate the symbolism of the constellations..
Man has looked to the stars in wonder since time began and this year Van Cleef & Arpels has unveiled two jewelry sets with a new interpretation of the Western zodiac signs to celebrate some of the iconic creations of its heritage
Crafted from intricately polished yellow gold, the new Zodiaque jewellery collection
depicts the signs of the Zodiac in two striking ways with a selection of long necklaces
and pendants. The first set encrusted with rare ornamental stones with each sign individually represented with a stone chosen for their aesthetic characteristics, they also form harmonious colored compositions for each element. Thus, those selected for the water signs evoke the seas of the world, the blue quartz of Cancer embodying the depth of the oceans, the sodalite of Pisces the salty foam and the turquoise of Scorpio the clear waters of exotic shores. The intense nuances of the earth signs echo the lush nature that has inspired Van Cleef & Arpels since its origins: malachite with wavy patterns undulating patterns of malachite in Virgo, the random chromium aventurine in Taurus, and the vivacious amazonite in Capricorn.
The air signs illustrate the poetry of nocturnal skies, the intensely glittery blue of lapis lazuli for the Gemini long necklace responding to the bluish aventurine of Aquarius and the shimmering golden obsidian of Libra. Particularly graphic, the materials chosen to adorn the signs of fire evoke in turn flames and lava, like the iron eye selected for Aries, volcanic magma, such as red pietersite from Sagittarius, or even embers. fiery, like red jasper whose mottled patterns give life to the Lion.
A second set of twelve pieces offers a contemporary vision of the yellow gold medals that appeared in Van Cleef & Arpels' collections in the 1950s. These historic creations of the Maison have been declined over the ages in different sizes and various functions. Thus, charms, bracelets, pendants, clips or even cufflinks, inspired by the theme of the zodiac, marked the history of Van Cleef & Arpels until the 2000s.
