To the long line of creative thinkers for whom Cleopatra has played muse – from Plutarch and Dante to Shakespeare and Théophile Gautier – add the name Catherine Rénier, president and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels. The new collection by the French high-jewelry house, entitled Fascinating Egypt, features 180 abstract or figurative pieces which evoke all the splendor and opulence of the court of Cleopatra.
“For many years, the maison Van Cleef & Arpels, so inspired by Egypt in the 1920s, has wished to prolong the story and present its own vision of this ancient heritage,” says Rénier. And indeed, the pieces vividly display Van Cleef’s signature colored-stone style – using rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, and rubellites – in various homages to some of the motifs revealed in Tutankhamun’s tomb which, when it was discovered in 1922, prompted a new wave of interest in Egyptology.
You can channel the period through brooches, necklaces, and earrings, but perhaps the most eye-catching are the series of figurative Muse clips, playful interpretations of Cleopatra, the final pharaoh of Egypt who died, aged 39 in 30 BC, after reigning for 21 years.
From her headdress to her shoes, precious metals and diamonds stream down her torso in a dazzling cascade of color and drama. Curiously, these Muse clips are inspired by no less a figure than Cher, who dressed as Cleopatra in a figure-hugging silver sequined gown with exposed midriff and black velvet hairpiece for her debut perfume launch in 1988.
See more: Should You Ever Wear Ancient Artifacts as Jewelry?
Continuing this contemporary saga, Fascinating Egypt also wittily references the fine-braided melon coiffure Elizabeth Taylor sported in the 1963 historical epic Cleopatra. And the iconic profile of Cleopatra is reborn in superb brooches starring her dramatic Egyptian eye, and composed in turquoise, diamonds, and lapis lazuli. It’s a collection that puts the talents of Van Cleef’s artisans to the fore.
A trio of Paysage cuff bracelets depicts temple columns, moons, and mummies. The Paysage merveilleux features pyramids, trompe-l’oeil effects, mirror-polished gold circles as celestial bodies, and the beauty of the desert night conjured up in meticulously set sapphires and black spinels.
To capture the scene, the maison employed a particular flat adjustment technique, known as emmaillement haricots, or bean-shaped joints, that ensures the bracelet lies flat when open, so the design can be admired while offering both comfort and flexibility when worn.
The Collection
Pharaon sacré clip with rose gold, white gold, rubies, and diamonds
Pharaon mythique clip with rose gold, white gold, emeralds, and diamonds
Muse éternelle clip with white gold, yellow gold, and diamonds
Silhouette divine clip and pendant with white gold, yellow gold, coral, turquoise, malachite, white mother-of-pearl, onyx, and diamonds
These pieces can take more than six months to produce, given the complexity of the house’s Mystery Set technique, which was patented in 1933 and is used today in the Griffon Mystérieux, where a sphinx with a falcon’s head grasps an oval-cut Type 2A diamond weighing 3.94 carats, supported by an intricate – and hidden – lattice with prongs and bezels.
Lapidaries use diamond saws to cut individual grooves in gemstones such as lapis lazuli, rubies, or onyx, which are then precisely secured in place. Cutting one stone alone can take a full day – especially emeralds, which are particularly fragile. Each piece is hallmarked with a cartouche in hieroglyphics reproducing the Van Cleef & Arpels monogram.
All prices are on request.
