Editor’s Note
This article highlights how Van Cleef & Arpels leverages its archival heritage, presenting vintage pieces at premier fairs like Tefaf to distinguish itself in the luxury market.
With its vintage jewelry stamped “Heritage,” Van Cleef & Arpels is betting on its long history to stand out from the competition. Last March, several dozen pieces from this collection were unveiled at the prestigious Tefaf Maastricht art fair in the Netherlands.
This marked the thirteenth participation of Van Cleef & Arpels in Tefaf, also known as The European Fine Arts Foundation. This fair has become the world’s most powerful art and antiques event.
A 1935 clip named “Flot de rubans,” whose thick and thin lines in platinum and diamonds evoke the reflections of silk; a 1955 necklace inspired by the 18th century where diamond flowers alternate with large cabochons of Iranian turquoise, stones of a luminous blue now impossible to find; a 1990 Caiman torque, whose yellow gold scales are colored with polished plates of chrysoprase and rhodochrosite… Last March, 35 jewels from Van Cleef & Arpels’ Heritage collection paraded in the display cases of the house’s booth at the prestigious Tefaf Maastricht art fair in the Netherlands.
On the opening day, elegant women from Asia or America rushed to try on these creations from the past, which represented 60% of the booth’s offerings. The highly graphic 1994 Orsay bracelet, a hoop paved with sapphires in a mysterious setting striped with lines of diamonds, found a buyer within the first few hours.