When the first Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry store opened in June 1906 on Place Vendome in the center of Paris, few could have predicted a bright future for an unknown company that would encroach on the global market for fine jewelry. It took a little more
for over a century, and Van Cleef & Arpels is practically the trendsetter of jewelry fashion in the world. That is why people who know did not ignore the event that revealed the essence of this amazing jewelry house.
For the first time in Dubai, as part of the Art Dubai art exhibition held at the Madinat Jumeirah complex in March this year, Van Cleef & Arpels, the most famous jewelry house, presented its own exhibition, entitled The Art of Magical Jewels. Stanislas de Kersiz, president and CEO of this famous jewelry house, personally greeted the guests and gave them a unique excursion into the history of Van Cleef & Arpels. All guests were lucky enough to go through seven thematic halls, in which more than 160 unique jewelry from ancient and modern collections were presented.
One hundred steps forward
The excursion began with the History Hall, in the window of which the first necklace from the 1968 Alhambra collection stood out. Then the guests got into the Nature Hall and could admire decorations inspired by nature itself - brooches in the form of peonies, camellias, butterflies and hummingbirds. Next was the Couture Hall with the most incredible Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, which used lace, ribbons, boas, buttons, and even a zipper, which the company’s jewelers turned into a necklace. Then the guests fell on the red carpet of the Celebrities Hall ("Celebrities"), and immediately found themselves surrounded by stars, or rather their full-length portraits. All the celebrities who got on the symbolic red carpet of the VCA once shone with the most legendary jewelry of the company: Princess Grace Kelly with the magnificent tiara she wore for the wedding of her daughter Princess Caroline in 1978; Princess Suraya with diamond clips, Jackie Kennedy, Maria Callas, luxurious Elizabeth Taylor necklaces and rings, as well as Julia Roberts, Sofia Coppola, Diana Kruger, Eva Mendes and many others .... Further, the path ran through the hall of Eclectism ("Eclecticism") with collections of jewelry and unusual pieces of jewelry, inspired by exotic cultures of the countries of the East, Africa and Asia.
You can see firsthand how designers at Van Cleef & Arpels jewelers can work in the Workshop & Mystery settings hall, as well as ask them about all the secrets the company is so proud of. The last hall, decorated in the style of a luxurious boudoir, was the Ballet Hall, in the windows of which flaunted jewelry from the latest collection of high jewelry art Ballet Precieux. Classical music sounded here, and all the conversations, for some reason, came down to Sergey Diaghilev’s “Russian Seasons” in Paris, masters of Russian ballet and some unknown connection between the art of dance and the art of creating jewelry ...
About crises and love
Stanislas de Kersiz, president and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, briefly looked up from the tour and kindly agreed to answer my questions.
Mr. de Kersiz, how long have you been heading the VCA?
Four years. I came here from Cartier, where I was first president of the French representative office of the company, and then - North American. Van Cleef & Arpels is the "stone of luck" for me. We want all our products to bring good luck to people.
What did you do first when you took the VCA presidency?
Increased emphasis on creativity. For example, for the centenary of the House in 2006, we prepared three jewelry collections at once - that is a lot. We try to be more inventive, to embody everything, even seeming crazy, fantasies.
What is happening in the company now, especially in connection with the crisis?
This is not the first crisis, however, I hope that the latter. In difficult times, man becomes paramount. No matter where we live - in the south, north, east or west, a person always loses something when crises or wars come. At such times, people need beacons that would point them in the right direction. We are such a lighthouse. Still people need care. And it is precisely in difficult situations that people try to tell their loved ones: "I love you, I appreciate you, I need you, you are my friend." People want the best. Maybe not everyone can make a very expensive gift, but this gift to a loved one will be remembered for a lifetime.
Luxurious jewelry and watches from Van Cleef & Arpels can be such a gift for the soul. And the crisis ... Here you can see products of different years - from the 1900s, 1920s to the present day. The best collections were created during periods of crisis. For example, in 1929 - during the time of the Great Depression in the USA, we came up with our invisible fastening of stones in Mystery settings jewelry. Another major crisis erupted in 1939 - it was World War II. That year, we opened our first boutique in New York. If you think about it, this was not a very good time for such a discovery, but after a year it became clear that the decision was right. Even during such a horror as war, people had to show their feelings to each other, give presents and confess their love. And after the war, people came to our boutique.
This year, when everyone was already talking about the crisis, we opened our second boutique in Dubai - at The Dubai Mall. Moreover, in 2009 we opened our boutiques in Bahrain, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi. Thus, we again say to everyone - we believe in the future, we believe in love. And the Middle East region today is the most rapidly developing part of the world, the landscape of the future is being created here. And we also believe in this, so we are here.
What are the tastes of oriental shoppers regarding jewelry?
People in the Middle East have very high demands on quality. They choose the best products, with the best design and the best stones. Therefore, they come to Van Cleef & Arpels, where they will be offered this - jewelry, and creative watches.
What is your opinion about Russian buyers? It is known that Van Cleef & Arpels in Russia has several boutiques ...
Nowadays, people travel more and more. Today they are in Moscow, and tomorrow - in Monaco, London, St. Tropez ... We want them to have the opportunity to enjoy exclusivity where they live. Therefore, we travel in the wake of our customers. Today we have two boutiques in Moscow, one in Yekaterinburg, as well as in stores in Almaty and Kiev. Customers from Russia and the CIS love our jewelry, and we are ready to delight them endlessly.
What are your plans for the future of Van Cleef & Arpels?
Continue to evolve. In the summer, we open a boutique in Milan, because many of our customers often go there. At the end of the year will open a boutique in San Francisco. And this is our challenge to the crisis. After all, how many years are we going to live? Hundred? Two hundred? Not. Therefore, each year is important, each is precious. And today the time has come when it is necessary to tell people again - we love you. And then the crisis will recede, and you need to be prepared for this.
Is it hard to find new talents for Van Cleef & Arpels House with such a history and such a reputation?
I think that is not easy. But for everyone who works at VCA today, creativity is in the blood. We are here to make our world a better place. Even the abbreviation of the name of the House can be read as VCA - Very Creative Artists (Very Creative Artists). We collaborate with the best designers and artists, and nature and high fashion remain sources of our and their inspiration. We have a very recognizable design and we still select the best stones. If we create a rose, then it should be almost like a living one. We select the most expressive stones for her to convey all the grace of the flower. And we try to create unique products that will survive us.
Have you tried to create jewelry yourself? Do you have a talent for jewelry?
My talent is that I just love beauty. Your famous writer Fedor Dostoevsky said: "Beauty will save the world." I agree with him. My talent is also in gathering a worthy team that will create this beauty and continue to make the world a better place.
Who are your main competitors?
Competitors? We work with unique products, and talking about competitors is like comparing who drew the best: Van Gogh or Rafael. Everything is very individual, so I will answer you that Van Cleef & Arpels has no competitors.
What can we expect from Van Cleef & Arpels in the future?
Emotions, surprises, new jewelry and I hope more luck.
Thank you for the interview. Good luck to you.
In the history of world jewelry, Van Cleef & Arpels is associated, first of all, with the introduction in 1929 of a new method of fixing precious stones, called Serti Mysterieux (Mystery settings) and patented in 1933. This method remotely resembles the art of mosaic. Only in bracelets and brooches made using the Serti Mysterieux technique, the base is a mesh of gold threads located on the back of the jewelry. Diamonds, rubies or sapphires faceted and fitted one to another are inserted into its cells (emeralds, as a rule, are not used due to their relative fragility). Then this mesh is pulled together and the stones are fixed in the desired position.
