Curations: Lucky Spring blooms for Van Cleef & Arpels, with new jewellery creations inspired by nature
- The latest collection by the French maison features 6 pieces with gemstone motifs of ladybugs, plum blossoms and lily of the valley set in rose gold
- It marks the return of a good-luck symbol cherished by the brand, as the ladybug has been appearing in its jewellery since the 1930s
It has become a yearly tradition for Van Cleef & Arpels to celebrate the season of rebirth by unveiling new nature-inspired jewellery pieces. The maison’s latest collection, Lucky Spring, comes to life with motifs of ladybugs and blooms in an array of precious materials.
The collection includes a long necklace, a trio of bracelets, a clip and a pair of earrings crafted in rose gold with accents of mother-of-pearl, carnelian and onyx, in designs that combine two enduring sources of inspiration for the French luxury brand – luck and nature.
The ladybug embodies both themes. Considered a “good luck” creature, it has appeared on many Van Cleef & Arpels pieces over the decades, starting with charms in the 1930s and then fluttering from bracelets and clips to watches and high jewellery pieces. Its distinctive silhouette and spotted shell have previously been replicated in a variety of materials and gems, including coral, cultured pearls, enamel and rubies.
Reimagined once again for the Lucky Spring collection, the ladybug is complemented by floral motifs of plum blossoms and lily of the valley bells and leaves. These new designs join a vast garden of flora that the maison has been emulating in its jewellery creations since the 1920s.
The long necklace and matching bracelet offer a playful array of all four design motifs, led by the ladybug in rose gold, carnelian and onyx. Both types of flowers are made from mother-of-pearl, with five golden pistils set at the centre of the plum blossoms. The dangling charms of lily of the valley leaves are cast in textured rose gold.
The other two bracelets in the collection pay tribute to the iconic ladybug and its role as a herald of the arriving spring. Van Cleef & Arpels presents the ladybug solo, in a different way on each bracelet: with the wings fully folded, and with the wings spread as if it’s about to take flight.
The shell is crafted in vivid red-orange carnelian, with polished gold pins representing the spots, while the shiny black onyx is used for the head, providing a striking contrast. The open-wing ladybug also has a slightly vaulted body made of mirror-polished rose gold. Each ladybug motif is outlined in beaded rose gold.
The Lucky Spring clip gathers all four motifs into a single, textured jewellery piece designed as a springtime tableau. Completing the collection are the simple yet elegant plum blossom earrings, in iridescent white mother-of-pearl framed with beaded rose gold.
The maison’s precision and attention to detail are apparent across the Lucky Spring collection, starting with the work of in-house stone experts to carefully select and match gemstones based on the natural colours of ladybugs and blossoms. They are then meticulously cut and polished before being placed into the rose gold settings.
The beaded gold mount seen on each piece – a Van Cleef & Arpels design signature – is created by jewellery craftsmen who work each bead one at a time by hand. This handiwork also conceals the prongs that hold the stones in place.
The bracelets and long necklace call for extra work, as the motifs on these jewellery pieces are made to appear identical on both sides so that the stones and gold decor are visible from every angle. The production process is completed by giving a final polish to each assembled piece.
To further expand its vision of spring, Van Cleef & Arpels collaborated with French designers and architects who reinterpreted the Lucky Spring collection into a series of nature-themed works.
The maison selected two creative teams – Céline Thibault and Géraud Pellottiero, and Kim Haddou and Florent Dufourcq. Both duos have competed at Design Parade Toulon, an international festival of interior design, and won its Grand Prix Van Cleef & Arpels award in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Thibault and Pellottiero created a triptych intended to evoke the movements of a ladybug, using bas-relief cherry wood carvings that were given an iridescent finish. The work provides a three-dimensional display for pieces from the collection, making for contrasting effects while also highlighting the rose gold.
The works by Haddou and Dufourcq draw inspiration from the lush vegetation of spring, as well as the season’s ideas of reawakening and change. The duo sketched leaves and flowers bursting forth from frames, creating a dreamlike backdrop for showcasing the Lucky Spring jewellery.
These artistic pieces add the crowning touch to Van Cleef & Arpels’ vibrant, delicate and joyful expression of spring.