Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels

摘要

Pioneering techniques and designs executed with meticulous craftsmanship characterize the jewels, timepieces, fashion accessories, and objets d'art abundantly displayed in the Van Cleef & Arpels exhibition at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt. In 1906, when the Van Cleef and Arpels families opened their boutique on the Place Vendome, Paris was the international capital of fashion, design, and retail. Their family histories in the diamond and gemstone business provided the milieu for VC&A designers to showcase their virtuosic craftsmanship. Their magasin joined the ranks of the world's leading design firms, including Louis Comfort Tiffany, Faberge, and Lalique, which had displayed their artisanry at the World's Fair held in Paris six years before.