In the “Why I Love” series, Berry shares her passion for exceptional jewelry creations, visionary designers, and iconic maisons, revealing the subtle details that make her fall in love with them time and again.
There’s a rare magic born when craftsmanship transcends its boundaries to become art, and when jewelry evolves beyond mere adornment to become poetry you can wear. For me, Van Cleef & Arpels embodies this magic in every creation, weaving threads of heritage, innovation, and absolute devotion to beauty into a world that has captivated my heart for years. From the four-leaf clover motif in the Alhambra collection to the revolutionary Mystery Set technique, this legendary Maison has created a universe of elegance that speaks to the soul and celebrates life’s most precious moments with pieces that feel simultaneously timeless and contemporary.
Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra Necklace – An Icon of Luck and Elegance
The Alhambra Collection: An Icon of Luck That Transcends Time
My love story with Van Cleef & Arpels began, like so many others, with the Alhambra collection. There’s a profound allure in the four-leaf clover symbol that has distinguished this iconic collection since 1968, serving as an emblem of luck that retains its magic across generations. Vintage Alhambra pieces showcase the collection’s original aesthetic with their instantly recognizable style, where each motif is encircled by a delicate frame of gold beads and set with natural materials like mother-of-pearl, onyx, malachite, and carnelian. What captivates me most about these pieces is their versatility—a single Vintage Alhambra necklace in rose gold and mother-of-pearl can elevate a simple daytime look while adding refined softness to an elegant evening ensemble with equal grace.
Magic Alhambra creations take this beloved symbol to broader horizons with their bold asymmetrical designs, where shapes and materials harmonize in vibrant compositions. From carnelian and tiger’s eye to white and grey mother-of-pearl, white gold, and diamonds, the clover motif is presented in multiple sizes that dance together in captivating formations. I’m particularly drawn to the convertible long necklaces with their ingenious English blade clasps that allow seamless transformations without compromising visual elegance, giving me multiple looks from a single piece. Meanwhile, the Sweet Alhambra collection embodies the spirit of delicacy and lightness, offering luck symbols in intimate miniature form, perfect for everyday wear while maintaining Van Cleef & Arpels’ refined signature.
Van Cleef & Arpels Frivole Floral Earrings – Nature’s Beauty Crafted in Gold and Diamonds
The Frivole Collection: Nature’s Poetic Movement in Precious Metal
The Frivole collection represents everything I adore about Van Cleef & Arpels’ ability to immortalize nature’s fleeting beauty in permanent form. These floral creations with their heart-shaped petals capture nature in all its softness and generosity, where each piece is executed with extraordinary care by skilled artisans who prepare the white gold to receive diamonds through precise openings in the structure, allowing light to penetrate and enhance brilliance. The mirror polishing—a signature technique of the Maison since the 1920s—is performed by hand on each piece to increase its radiance, ensuring light flows unobstructed so the pieces sparkle intensely against the skin.
What mesmerizes me most about Frivole is the sense of movement it conveys, as if the flowers were captured in a gentle breeze with their petals about to dance. The Frivole bracelet with seven flowers clearly embodies this mastery, where each flower is carefully crafted to form an enchanting garden that wraps around the wrist. Whether rendered as delicate earrings that frame the face with floral elegance, rings that bring nature’s beauty to the hand, or necklaces that flow with graceful botanical charm, Frivole expresses a femininity that combines gentleness with strength. It’s an extension of the Maison’s traditions of excellence, where multiple expertises converge to bring creations to life and instill a brilliance and intensity that speak to my deep appreciation for the art of jewelry.
Van Cleef & Arpels Perlée Bracelet – Gold Beads Embodying Elegance Infused with Joy
The Perlée Collection: Tactile Beauty in Every Gold Bead
The Perlée collection holds a special place in my heart thanks to its quiet elegance and playful spirit. The generous, smooth, symmetrical gold beads give each piece a harmonious sense of volume that combines luxury with wearability. Launched in 2008 and inspired by Van Cleef & Arpels’ rich history, each bead is crafted using the lost-wax casting technique in precious metals that capture and reflect light with every movement. These pieces offer a distinctive tactile experience, where running your fingers over the refined beads creates an intimate connection between the wearer and the jewelry.
When set with gemstones, Perlée reveals meticulous craftsmanship that enhances light flow and increases overall brilliance, with thoughtful selection of diamonds and colored stones according to the Maison’s exacting standards of excellence. I’m particularly drawn to Perlée watches, which blend jewelry expertise and watchmaking in poetic pieces that can be worn as a gold bead bracelet or on a chain as a long necklace, adorning both wrist and silhouette with warm radiance. The collection offers cuff bracelets, bangle designs, and rings that balance simplicity with refined craftsmanship, serving as elevated everyday choices that never lose their distinction. With a playful and joyful spirit, these creations are available in diverse colors and materials, from polished gold to diamond accents, confirming that luxury can be both refined and lighthearted, formal yet accessible.
A Creation in Van Cleef & Arpels Mystery Set Technique – The Revolutionary Technique That Defines Excellence
Mystery Set: A Revolutionary Technique Embodying the Pinnacle of Mastery
Perhaps nothing expresses Van Cleef & Arpels’ commitment to innovation and excellence like the Mystery Set technique, which solidifies my profound admiration for the Maison. This groundbreaking technique was patented in 1933 and introduced a new method of setting gemstones that preserves their beauty by completely concealing the metal. The secret lies in delicate gold rails less than two-tenths of a millimeter thick, into which specially cut stones are inserted with extraordinary care—typically rubies, as well as sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds. Once secured, the stones cover the setting’s entire surface, giving the piece a velvety luster that defies the laws of physics.
The level of expertise required to execute a Mystery Set piece is extraordinarily complex, such that only a handful of artisans have mastered its secrets—cutting each stone can take up to eight hours, while a single clip may require approximately 300 hours of work between the jeweler and specialized cutting expert. What moves me about these creations is the patience, precision, and dedication they represent—each piece a testament to the highest achievement of human artistry. Over the years, the Maison has developed several variations such as Individual, Hexagonal, and Navette Mystery Set to give pieces new dimensions and nuances, alongside innovations like Vitrail Mystery Set that conceals the structure from both front and back, displaying colored sapphires with a transparent effect.
The Art of Craftsmanship at Van Cleef & Arpels – Where Expertise Meets Passion
Savoir-Faire: Craftsmanship That Tells a Story
What makes me fall in love with Van Cleef & Arpels again and again is the exceptional savoir-faire inherent in every creation. Each piece benefits from the Maison’s expertise in High Jewelry, inherited by workshop artisans for over a century and manifested through techniques executed with patience, where gold and platinum reveal their brilliance and precious and ornamental stones are showcased with skill. From goldsmiths to stone setters to polishers, skills unite to give each piece a feeling that rises to the Maison’s precise standards, making the jewelry come alive with the passion of its makers.
The mirror polishing technique has been celebrated for decades across countless clips, earrings, rings, bracelets, and necklaces, illuminating the Maison’s sources of inspiration from nature to haute couture, from love to luck, and expressing its enchanting world with captivating brilliance. I’m captivated by the rigorous scrutiny in stone selection, where gem experts choose each stone to adorn jewelry and timepieces, ensuring diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds meet standards for color, clarity, and luster. This insistence on perfection and refusal to compromise on quality aligns with my values and appreciation for everything crafted with mastery, regardless of the time and effort required.
Van Cleef & Arpels Boutique on Place Vendôme – Where Dreams Meet Heritage Since 1906
The Heritage: A Story Built on Love and Excellence
My love for Van Cleef & Arpels extends beyond the jewelry itself to embrace the romantic founding story of the Maison. The company emerged following the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef—son of a stone cutter—to Estelle Arpels, daughter of precious stone merchant Salomon Arpels in 1895, uniting goldsmithing expertise with stone selection mastery. Ten years later, in 1906, the Maison opened its first boutique on Place Vendôme in Paris, stepping confidently into a square already teeming with High Jewelry houses, while Van Cleef & Arpels remained distinguished by the consistent color and purity of its stones and the innovation of its designs.
This heritage built on love, passion, and family commitment touches me personally and reminds me that the most beautiful creations are born from sincere emotions and shared dreams. The Maison has always been in touch with the spirit of the times—introducing Egyptian motifs following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, focusing after World War II on natural forms like birds, flowers, and winged insects as symbols of freedom, and drawing inspiration from the Near East and India during high society’s fascination with these cultures in the 1960s. This ability to evolve while preserving core values of excellence and artistry reflects a wisdom I deeply appreciate and proves that tradition and innovation can coexist harmoniously when guided by genuine passion for the craft.
Van Cleef & Arpels boutique at 22 Place Vendôme 1906
The Emotional Connection: Jewelry That Celebrates Life’s Moments
My love for Van Cleef & Arpels springs from the emotional connection these pieces create and their ability to accompany life’s happiest moments to become part of our personal stories. The Maison’s philosophy of creating jewelry that tells time poetically, transforms with ingenious mechanisms, and evokes luck and love through meaningful symbols aligns with my belief that jewelry should be significant, not mere decoration. Each piece carries the dreams and dedication of countless artisans, materials carefully selected over years to secure, and innovative techniques that push boundaries while respecting traditions.
When I wear a Van Cleef & Arpels piece, I’m not simply adorning myself with beautiful jewelry—I’m carrying a piece of art history, a symbol of the highest manifestations of human creativity, and a tangible connection to more than a century of excellence and innovation. The way a Vintage Alhambra necklace captures light, the tactile pleasure of Perlée’s gold beads against the skin, the beauty of Frivole flowers about to bloom, and the magic of metal disappearing in Mystery Set—these are experiences that transcend the material to become personal and profound, creating memories and emotions that endure.
This is why I love Van Cleef & Arpels: because it celebrates not just beauty, but the beauty of living fully, appreciating craftsmanship, honoring both heritage and innovation, and believing that elegance is timeless and that poetry belongs in everyday life.
Van Cleef & Arpels has taught me that true luxury doesn’t lie in ostentation, but in the masterful union of art, quality, and emotion. Each collection, each technique, each piece executed with care represents a commitment to excellence that inspires me to seek beauty and meaning in every detail of life, appreciate the dedication behind every creation, and celebrate important moments with jewelry that will be inherited and increase in value across generations.
