Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels. World renowned French jewelery, watchmaking and perfume company founded in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his uncle Salomon Arpel in Paris. Their artwork often depicts flowers, animals and fairies and has been worn by style icons such as Farah Pahlavi, Duchess of Windsor, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.Alfred Van Cleef and his uncle Salomon Arpels founded the company in 1896. In 1906, the business became the Van Cleef family business. Alfred and his sons-in-law, Charles and Julien, purchased a boutique space at 22 Place Vendôme, opposite the Ritz, where Van Cleef & Arpels opened their first boutique store. The company has opened boutiques in resorts such as Deauville, Vichy, Le Touquet, Nice and Monte Carlo. In 1925, a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet with red and white roses in rubies and diamonds won the grand prize at the International Exhibition of Contemporary Industrial and Decorative Arts. Alfredo′s daughter, Rene Poissant, took over the artistic direction of the company in 1926. She worked closely with the draftsman René Sim Lacaz for twenty years. Van Cleef & Arpels was the first French jeweler to open boutiques in Japan and China, and in 1966, Van Cleef & Arpels was honored to create the crown of Empress Farah Pahlavi for her forthcoming coronation in 1967. A team was sent to Iran to select the main gems for the crown. After 11 months of operation, the company presented the Empress with an emerald velvet crown with 36 emeralds, 36 rubies, 105 pearls and 1,469 diamonds.