High jewellery is the most storied of all creations, showcasing incredible gemstones with origin stories to tell and exquisite craftsmanship that speaks to a heritage of innovation. This is clearly the case with Van Cleef & Arpels’ latest high jewellery collection, which draws from the splendid collective imaginary worlds of Robert Louis Stevenson’s epic adventure Treasure Island (1883). Conjuring mystery and marvel, the new jewels playfully interpret a voyage to the heart of stones via the ends of the Earth.
En route to this contemporary bejewelled isle, the maison dips into past maritime endeavours for inspiration, from an early model of the legendary 19th-century Varuna schooner to a veritable shoal of figurative fish and stylised shellfish. It also opens a new page in its literature-led collections of masterpieces that include Grimms’ Fairy Tales (1812) and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600), and follows in the footsteps of Claude Arpels, who travelled the world to find astonishing stones whose souls would shine in emblematic multicoloured necklaces.
Pirate John clip (Photo: courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
Palmeraie Merveilleuse necklace and clip with detachable pendant (Photo: courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
Van Cleef & Arpels’ Treasure Island collection unfolds in three glorious chapters, bringing together landscapes and treasures from around the world. An adventure at sea sees glistening blue, turquoise and sun-kissed yellow stones decorating depictions of sea creatures and sailor’s knots. The Écume Mystérieuse necklace rides the crests of waves in sapphires and diamonds secured by the maison’s Traditional Mystery Set technique, while its braided gold craftsmanship realises a ship’s ropes in the En Haute Mer transformable necklace and ring, starring a 55.34-carat emerald-cut sapphire. Offering a whimsical dash of derring-do, a trio of Pirate clips are captured in amazing three-dimensional detail through finely worked three-colour gold, diamonds and gems.
Gouvernails earrings with detachable pendants, Écume Mystérieuse necklace, Traversée Mystérieuse bracelet, Regard Vers le Ciel (Photo: courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
Pirate Jim clip, Harmonies Persanes transformable long necklace, Joyau de Lagos ring (Photo: courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
The master jewellers discover nature’s lush diversity when they drop anchor and explore the island. The Coquilles Mystérieuses bracelet is a row of sapphire seashells edged with scalloped white gold lying on a beach, and the Ondulations Marines earrings echo fabulous fauna with mauve and pink sapphires and ramolayé sculpted yellow gold.
The treasure hunt concludes with high jewellery foraged from the four corners of the world. Rings nod to the Victorian era and the floral motifs of the Mughals, while straight from the pages of Treasure Island comes the Carte au Trésor clip, a delightful miniature, gold-carved treasure map, tied with ruby and diamond tassels. What an absolute treasure!