Van Cleef & Arpels unveils new Perlée jewels

By Kim Parker

With almost 120 years of history behind it, it’s no wonder the house of Van Cleef & Arpels has an extensive archive from which to draw inspiration. And the designs for the Maison’s summery new Perlée jewellery (the name translates to ‘beaded’) are certainly no exception.

Originally launched back in 2008, Perlée is an homage to the traditional jewellery technique which used beads of gold to highlight the settings of gemstones or create borders around them. It first appeared as early as the 1920s, but became a design feature in its own right in the 1940s, namely in Van Cleef & Arpels’ signature ‘Couscous’ and Bagatelle pieces, in many of its animal brooches and, later, in its Alhambra collection.

This month, the jeweller unveiled sparkling additions to the fine jewellery line, in yellow, rose and white gold. Five new rings come adorned with 70s-style ornamental stones such as turquoise, malachite and lapis lazuli, edged with the Maison’s iconic golden beads. Other chunky rings feature dazzling rows of golden beads set with polished sapphires, emeralds, rubies or diamonds.

The same aesthetic can be seen across two new pendant necklace and bracelet sets, embellished with either lapis lazuli or polished coral, as well as three new pairs of diamond stud earrings, each framed with a gadroon of shimmering gold beads. A clutch of new secret jewellery watches, inspired by the twin gemstones of romantic ‘toi-et-moi‘ jewels, feature colourful stone cabochons edged with more gold beading, their mother-of-pearl dials hidden beneath a smooth disc of bright blue turquoise or deep red carnelian.

Like this? Discover Van Cleef & Arpels’ latest high jewellery collection, Legends of Diamonds