Van Cleef & Arpels

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Van Cleef & Arpels
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Luxury goods
Founded1896;129 years ago (1896)
FoundersAlfred Van Cleef
Salomon Arpels
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Number of locations
155 (2022)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Catherine Rénier (CEO)
Products
  • High jewelry
  • watches
  • perfumes
Parent Richemont
Website vancleefarpels.com
Van Cleef & Arpels-designed crown of Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran. She wore the crown in 1967 coronation ceremony. Imperial Empress Crown 2.png
Van Cleef & Arpels-designed crown of Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran. She wore the crown in 1967 coronation ceremony.
Pop-up exhibition in The Landmark, Hong Kong (2013) HK Central Landmark Van Cleef & Arpels May-2013 ceiling.JPG
Pop-up exhibition in The Landmark, Hong Kong (2013)

Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury jewelry company. [1] It was founded in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels in Paris, France. [2] The company's pieces often feature flowers, animals and fairies.

Contents

History

The business was established in 1896 by Dutch diamond-cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law, Salomon Arpels. In 1906, following the death of Arpels, Alfred and two of his brothers-in-law, Charles and Julien Arpels, acquired space at 22 Place Vendôme, across from the Hôtel Ritz, where Van Cleef & Arpels opened its first boutique. [3] The third Arpels brother, Louis, joined the company in 1913. [4]

Van Cleef & Arpels opened boutiques in holiday resorts such as Deauville, Vichy, Le Touquet, Nice, and Monte-Carlo. In 1925, a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet with red and white roses fashioned from rubies and diamonds won the grand prize at the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts. [5]

Alfred and Esther’s daughter, Renée (born Rachel) Puissant, assumed the company’s artistic direction in 1926. Puissant worked closely with draftsman René Sim Lacaze for the next twenty years. [5] Van Cleef & Arpels was the first French jeweler to open boutiques in Japan and China.

Van Cleef & Arpels was charged with the task of making the crown of Queen Nazli of Egypt during the 1930s. [6]

In 1966, Van Cleef & Arpels was charged with the task of making the crown of Empress Farah Pahlavi for her upcoming coronation in 1967. A significant challenge in creating the crown was that all the precious stones had to be selected from the Imperial Treasury of Iran, and none of the gems could leave the country, so the work had to be done there.[ citation needed ] A team was sent to Iran to choose the major gems to use for the crown. After 11 months of work, [7] the company presented the empress with a crown made of emerald velvet set with 36 emeralds, 36 rubies, 105 pearls and 1,469 diamonds. [8]

In 1999, Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. acquired the firm. [9]

In 2024, Nicolas Bos, who had been leading Van Cleef & Arpels since 2013, was appointed CEO of the Richemont group. [10]

Boutiques

Van Cleef & Arpels has 155 stores. Products are in standalone boutiques, boutiques within major department stores, and in independent stores. Standalone boutiques are present in Geneva, Zürich, Vienna, Munich, London, Milan, Shanghai and Paris, where the company has multiple locations, including its flagship store at Place Vendôme.

In the United States, the company operates standalone boutiques in Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Manhasset, Naples, Palm Beach, San Francisco, Bal Harbour, Chicago, Houston, McLean, King of Prussia, Short Hills, Aspen, Beverly Hills, Costa Mesa and Miami alongside their New York City flagship store, which was redesigned in 2013. [11] [12] The Chicago boutique opened in 2001 at 636 North Michigan Avenue and moved to a larger location within the Drake Hotel in November 2011. They also operate boutiques within selected Neiman Marcus stores.

The brand expanded to Australia in 2016, opening a boutique at Collins Street, Melbourne. [13] The following year, another boutique opened at Castlereagh Street, Sydney. [14] A second Melbourne boutique opened in 2018 in the Chadstone Shopping Centre. [15] They continued their expansion into Oceania in 2022, when a store opened in New Zealand on Auckland's Queen Street. [16]

They also operate independent boutiques in the Middle East, South America and Asia.

Notable clients

Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery has been worn by style icons and royalty such as Grace Kelly; Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; Diana, Princess of Wales; Ava Gardner; [17] Farah Pahlavi; [18] Eva Perón; [19] Elizabeth Taylor; the Duchess of Windsor; Queen Nazli of Egypt; Queen Camilla; Gwyneth Paltrow; and Reese Witherspoon. Top-ranked tennis players such as Grigor Dimitrov, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elina Svitolina also have sported Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry.

Value

In 2010/2011, the company's estimated sales were €450 million in total sales and €45 million in watches. [20]

A 1936 Van Cleef & Arpels custom jewelry piece with a "Mystery Setting" sold for $326,500 during an auction at Christie's New York in 2009. [21]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Chevalier, Michel; Mazzalovo, Gerald (18 May 2012). Luxury Brand Management: A World of Privilege. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   9781118171790 . Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "Van Cleef & Arpels love story". www.perfumesociety.org. 10 July 2018.
  3. ↑ vancleefarpels.com
  4. ↑ "Van Cleef & Arpels". British Museum. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  5. 1 2 Serafin, Amy (Fall 2012). "The Family, The Jewels, The Legend". France Magazine .
  6. ↑ "The Royal Treatment: Van Cleef & Arpels and the Royalty Who Wore Them". Prestige Online - Indonesia. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Mun-Delsalle, Y-Jean. "Emeralds Are The Gemstone Of Choice In Van Cleef & Arpels' New Fine Jewelry Collection". Forbes. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  8. ↑ Lee, Jeffrey (2000). Crown of Venus: A Guide to Royal Women Around the World. iUniverse. ISBN   9780595091409.
  9. ↑ LUXUS + (15 October 2021). "A brief history of luxury: the crazy Richemont adventure". Mag Luxus+. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "Catherine Rénier prend la tête de Van Cleef&Arpels". Agefi (in French). 2 July 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  11. ↑ Lee, Chai (11 January 2011). "Rolex and Van Cleef Play Mich Ave Retail Space Musical Chairs". Racked Chicago. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Blake Lively In Marchesa – Van Cleef & Arpels Celebrates The Redesigned New York 5th Avenue Flagship Maison". Red Carpet Fashion Awards. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  13. ↑ Hayes, Jacquie (6 December 2016). "Australia the finishing jewel in Van Cleef & Arpels' global crown". Australian Financial Review . Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  14. ↑ Gore, Victoria (17 February 2017). "Van Cleef & Arpels opens largest Australian boutique". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  15. ↑ Wallace, Francesca. "Inside Van Cleef & Arpels' newest Australian flagship boutique". Vogue Australia .
  16. ↑ Denizen, The (1 August 2022). "The fascinating story behind the iconic jewellery maison that has just opened its first NZ store". Denizen. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "Understanding Jewellery in the news: Tribune des Arts - when David met Ava - Understanding Jewellery".
  18. ↑ The Queen of Culture Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine ; The official website of Queen Farah
  19. ↑ "Reflecting Personalities: Jewelry on the Famous and Its Impact on Design". New York: Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  20. ↑ Chevalier, Michel; Mazzalovo, Gerald (18 May 2012). Luxury Brand Management. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-1-118-17176-9 . Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  21. ↑ Mulier, Thomas; Campbell, Keith (13 September 2009). "Hyperinflation Worries? Buy My Jewelry, Richemont's Rupert Says". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
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