Tour de Force: Van Cleef & Arpels takes a trip with high jewelry

"A man who has not been to Italy is always aware of an inferiority, of the fact that he has not seen this what is expected of a man. wrote English critic Samuel Johnson at the height of the Grand Tour's popularity. (So much for #FOMO being a modern invention.) For affluent young Europeans from the 17th to 19th centuries, these trips through Italy and France were a rite of passage, a way to complete their education by permeating the treasures of classical antiquity. and the Renaissance. The shared experience of the Grand Tour has also contributed to a revival of classic styles among designers and architects, thanks in large part to the objects with which travelers filled their country homes on their return.< /p> $loggia of the lion facing the gardens\, villa medici\, 1576\, architect bartolomeo ammannati\, 1511 92 italian\, rome\, italy\, with copy of mercury in bronze by giambologna$
Unmissable visit of the Grand Tour: a loggia with a lion facade facing the garden of the Villa Medici.
Gianni Dagli Orti/Shutterstock
This season, Van Cleef & Arpels took editors on their own journey. Held at the Villa Medici in Rome (built in 1540, it later became an essential stopover for scholars on pilgrimage to the Eternal City), the presentation of the jeweler's latest collection, dubbed Le Grand Tour, included a dinner and a performance by opera, complete with a soprano serenading guests from a hot air balloon.

Piazza Divina earrings in emerald, sapphire, diamond and pink, yellow and white gold from the Le Grand Tour collection, Van Cleef & Arpels.
Pierre Langer
“This high jewelry collection celebrates a tradition that has always fascinated us,” says Nicolas Bos, Chairman and CEO of Van Cleef. When the house was founded at the turn of the 20th century, “curiosity [about] other cultures, periods and art forms was a way to fuel his imagination and give birth to innovative creations. »

Among the collection's many must-haves are the Piazza Divina necklace and earrings, inspired by Bernini's Piazza San Pietro in Vatican. Crafted in white, rose and yellow gold as well as platinum, these pieces are every bit as elaborate as the Baroque architecture that influenced their design. In the center of the necklace: a 13.09 carat oval-cut Ethiopian emerald.

Fashion Sep 6, 2023 0 34 Add to Reading List

Tour de Force: Van Cleef & Arpels takes a trip with high jewelry

"A man who has not been to Italy is always aware of an inferiority, of the fact that he has not seen this what is expected of a man. wrote English critic Samuel Johnson at the height of the Grand Tour's popularity. (So much for #FOMO being a modern invention.) For affluent young Europeans from the 17th to 19th centuries, these trips through Italy and France were a rite of passage, a way to complete their education by permeating the treasures of classical antiquity. and the Renaissance. The shared experience of the Grand Tour has also contributed to a revival of classic styles among designers and architects, thanks in large part to the objects with which travelers filled their country homes on their return.< /p> $loggia of the lion facing the gardens\, villa medici\, 1576\, architect bartolomeo ammannati\, 1511 92 italian\, rome\, italy\, with copy of mercury in bronze by giambologna$

Unmissable visit of the Grand Tour: a loggia with a lion facade facing the garden of the Villa Medici.

Gianni Dagli Orti/Shutterstock

This season, Van Cleef & Arpels took editors on their own journey. Held at the Villa Medici in Rome (built in 1540, it later became an essential stopover for scholars on pilgrimage to the Eternal City), the presentation of the jeweler's latest collection, dubbed Le Grand Tour, included a dinner and a performance by opera, complete with a soprano serenading guests from a hot air balloon.

Piazza Divina earrings in emerald, sapphire, diamond and pink, yellow and white gold from the Le Grand Tour collection, Van Cleef & Arpels.

Pierre Langer

“This high jewelry collection celebrates a tradition that has always fascinated us,” says Nicolas Bos, Chairman and CEO of Van Cleef. When the house was founded at the turn of the 20th century, “curiosity [about] other cultures, periods and art forms was a way to fuel his imagination and give birth to innovative creations. »

Among the collection's many must-haves are the Piazza Divina necklace and earrings, inspired by Bernini's Piazza San Pietro in Vatican. Crafted in white, rose and yellow gold as well as platinum, these pieces are every bit as elaborate as the Baroque architecture that influenced their design. In the center of the necklace: a 13.09 carat oval-cut Ethiopian emerald.