Van Cleef & Arpels came into being when Alfred Van Cleef married Estelle Arpels in Paris in 1895. Alfred Van Cleef founded the company in 1906 with his father-in-law Saloman Arpels, setting up their boutique on Paris’s famous Place Vendôme.

Van Cleef & Arpels’s creations are inspired by nature, couture, and fantasy and demonstrate the brand’s exceptional expertise in both jewelry and watchmaking. Their timepieces are recognized for their incredible dials that often ophiemix a myriad of métiers d’art. Van Cleef & Arpels is part of the Compagnie Financière Richemont SA.

Five interesting facts about Van Cleef & Arpels

• Van Cleef & Arpels is the owner of the 1933 patent for the mystery setting where no metal prongs are visible between gemstones.
• Van Cleef & Arpels opened its first boutiques in holiday resorts like Deauville, Vichy, Le Touquet, Nice, and Monte-Carlo to attract the trendiest of clients.
• The brand’s lucky four-leaf clover jewelry and timepieces were inspired by Jacques Arpels who loved to collect four-leaf clovers in his garden. He would often present them to staff members, along with a poem he had chosen. The gesture was meant as a reminder to always be hopeful.
• During World War II Van Cleef & Arpels’s family members moved to New York to carry out their business from the safety of the American city.
• Iconic clients of Van Cleef & Arpels include The Duchess of Winsor, H.S.H. Princess Grace of Monaco, Barbara Hutton, Maria Callas, and Florence Jay Gould, among others.

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