THIS March, Van Cleef & Arpels is celebrating spring by unveiling new pieces in its Two Butterfly collection. Inspired by all the freshness and vitality of the season, these creations combine the gentle luster of mother-of-pearl and pink gold with the sparkle of diamonds.
Enthralled by the spectacle of nature’s awakening, the Maison celebrates the coming of spring each year with creations touched by an ethereal grace. With this bloom of jewelry, it transcribes the infinite shades of flora, the trembling of a petal or the delicate beating of wings.
Butterflies are true emblems of Van Cleef & Arpels. Present in the Maison’s imagination since the 1920s, they express the joyful energy that drives this season of renewal. In the Two Butterfly collection, they reveal themselves alone or in pairs, bestowing their caress on the skin like the messengers of a benevolent nature.
For the first time, the collection takes on the delicate luster of mother-of-pearl, associated with pink gold and diamonds. Revealing their iridescent hues to the light, two butterflies – punctuated by a glittering heart – form a feminine pair of earrings. This tender couple also alights on a Between the Finger™ Ring, whose inverted motifs – respectively adorned with mother-of-pearl and sparkling paving – illustrate the asymmetric style cherished by Van Cleef & Arpels. It provides an aesthetic evocation of the ceaseless movement of nature gives rise to harmonious juxtapositions of materials and instills the creations with a gentle vitality. Captured in mid-flight, the Maison’s ethereal emblem also becomes a pendant, drawn to a fine chain by the sparkle of a round diamond.
Inspired by nature since its foundation, the Maison chooses from among her finest materials. In keeping with Van Cleef & Arpels’ tradition of excellence, they are selected using the most stringent criteria of quality.
Informed by over a century of jewelry-making expertise, the new Two Butterfly creations reflect all the Maison’s savoir-faire, from the creative process through to the final polish. Their set surfaces have been carefully pierced to allow the light to pass through the stones and accentuate their brilliance: when viewed from different angles, the pieces thus present a spectacle of equal refinement. The same care has been applied to embellishing the mother-of-pearl: hand-polished, it subtly unveils its reflections to evoke the butterfly’s shimmering hues.
The polishing process reveals pink gold’s gentle glitter, while the stone-setting is accomplished in a way that fully magnifies the diamonds. Three setting techniques have been employed, depending on the piece. Grain setting – present on the Finger Ring’s paved motif – stands alongside prong setting, which retains the marquise-cut diamond that depicts the animal’s body. On the pendant, a round diamond in a closed setting punctuates the chain with a halo of light.
