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What started as an idea to create just four or five new high jewelry pieces turned into the launch of one of Van Cleef & Arpel’s grandest collections.  Love and luck have run in the veins of the luxury jewelry brand since it was founded in 1906 with the marriage of Esther Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef.  Over the last century, the brand has continued to create iconic collections, such as the four-leaf clover in the Alhambra collection. 

For the last 12 years, the charming and intelligent Nicolas Bos has been at the helm of the international creative direction for the brand, where he makes sure to maintain the soul of the brand while also keeping it relevant to today’s luxury consumer.  His inspiration for the latest collection was the culture of luck. As he said, he pulled a thread and unraveled a much larger theme than he had originally planned. After much research into how people interpret luck in their own lives, legends, and history, the final result is the exquisite Van Cleef & Arpels Palais de la Chance collection.

Coming up in Paris this September is a retrospective exhibition featuring the most iconic pieces of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry from the last century, in chronological order. This will be the first exhibit of its kind, and Nicolas believes it is the best way to understand how the historic house of fine jewelry has evolved yet maintained a superior level of craftsmanship.  Also happening in Paris this September is the much-anticipated Biennale des Antiquaires.  This special event happens once every two years, and opens the stage for the fine jewelry makers of the Place Vendôme to present their proudest pieces.  Together with the likes of Boucheron, Cartier, Chanel, Harry Winston, Piaget, Bulgari, Chaumet, Dior, and Wallace Chan, Van Cleef & Arpels will present pieces from the Palais de la Chance collection. 

Biennale des Antiquaires | Le Grand Palais September 12 to 23, 2012

Van Cleef & Arpels | Musée des Arts Decoratifs September 20, 2012 to February 10, 2013