THE beauty of high jewellery goes beyond the use of sparkling precious stones to fetch its super-high price tags. In many instance, it's the artistic work that goes into these pieces that make them so coveted and expensive.

Just look at Van Cleef & Arpels' ballerina clips and you get an idea of how painstakingly hard the process is, capturing a dancer's grace, complete with emotions and accessories like super-tiny ballet shoes.

The range is one of the house's signature, and the bond between Van Cleef & Arpels and dance dates back to 1920s Paris.

Co-founder Louis Arpels, a fervent lover of ballet, often took his nephew Claude to Opera Garnier, a short walk from his Place Vendome boutique. The brand's first ballerina clips were created in the early 1940s and they soon became the brand's signature pieces.

Their aerial attitudes and the beauty of their attire immediately captivated collectors.

Featuring a gold or diamond face complemented by a precious head ornament, dancers are depicted with point shoes and a tutu set with diamonds or coloured gems that seem to flow, echoing their movements.

Apart from movement, the dancers also reflect the influences that different cultures have had on its creations. They wear costumes from all over the world, from the South Pacific islands to the Orient.

In the ballet Don Quixote by Marius Petipa, the young Dulcinea embodies the feminine ideal that Don Quixote spends so much time dreaming about.

The airiness of this dance inspired the Dulcinea ballerina clip. The unfurled tutu instills the young woman's silhouette with a particularly realistic relief effect.

The Camille ballerina clip seems to mark a graceful pause. Photo by Clara Gaudillere.
The Camille ballerina clip seems to mark a graceful pause. Photo by Clara Gaudillere.

ART OF MOVEMENT

The silhouette of the Camille ballerina clip seems to mark a graceful pause, as if about to launch into a whirling figure.

Captured in an ethereal posture, the dancer's body is intricately sculpted in green wax before being shaped in polished white gold. The ballerina's gesture is accentuated by the shimmer of the precious metal, while her diamond face is subtly crowned with a headdress in yellow gold and yellow sapphire.

The newer Bouton d'or collection combines a graphic interpretation of the "paillette" motif with the graceful world of dance.

Meanwhile, the Lady Danse Duo watch depicts a group of dancers performing in a setting that evokes the skyline of New York.

Buildings in turquoise and white gold set with diamonds are silhouetted against a background of white mother-of-pearl. Below them, three dancers in costumes created with miniature painting perform a choreography together. On the other side of the stage, the ballerina in her red tutu has joined her partner for a duet.

In the world of high jewellery, a watch isn't just to tell time, it re-enacts an impressive miniature movie, all on your wrist.

The Lady Danse Duo watch depicts a group of dancers performing in a setting that evokes the skyline of New York.
The Lady Danse Duo watch depicts a group of dancers performing in a setting that evokes the skyline of New York.

SUPPORTING DANCE

LAST year, Van Cleef & Arpels launched The Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, an initiative with international partners to support choreographic legacies, engaging in the development of contemporary creations and popularising this artistic universe to a broader audience.

It will organise a choreographic event, featuring a varied and rich selection of creations. In addition, awareness raising measures, focused on culture and dance, will be implemented for professionals and amateurs.


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