Bird brooch and detachable briolette and wings, made with yellow gold, sapphires, yellow diamonds (briolette 95 carats) and white diamonds, 1971, owned by Ganna Walska.
I always love looking at things of beauty, and if you appreciate fine craftsmanship and are going to be in New York any time soon, stop in at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, which is presenting “Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels.”
The exhibition opened last Friday and will continue through June 5, 2011, showcasing the craftsmanship behind the company, which opened its doors in 1906 on the Place Vendôme in Paris. The exhibition features more than 300 works, including jewels, timepieces, fashion accessories and objets d’art, many created exclusively for American clientele, along with drawings, commission books, fabrication cards and imagery from the firm’s archives.
Mystery-set rubies in Van Cleef & Arpels "Peony" brooch, with gold, platinum and diamonds.
One of the technical innovations perfected for curved surfaces by Van Cleef & Arpels is the “Mystery Setting” technique in which the setting does not show between the stones, creating a solid field of color. The stones need to be cut exactly to fit the designs and their channel settings and need to be matched to exactly the right color. One example is a 1937 “Peony” brooch with mystery-set rubies.
The museum is at 2 East 91st St. at Fifth Ave., (212) 849-8400.
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