Van Cleef & Arpels : THE ROCHER AUX MERVEILLES

THE ROCHER AUX MERVEILLES

On the occasion of the exhibition “Pierres précieuses” (Gems) which will take place from September 16, 2020 to June 14, 2021 at Paris’ Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (National Museum of Natural History), Van Cleef & Arpels is unveiling a unique objet,specially created for the event: the Rocher aux merveilles (Rock of marvels). Echoing the theme of the exhibition, rough stones stand alongside nine creations in a precious tableau, the fruit of human imagination and skill. Taking the form of a dreamlike landscape,inhabited by fantastic flora and fauna, this encounter between High Jewelry and mineralogy inspires a sense of surprise and wonder.

AN OBJECT
AT THE CROSSROADS
OF JEWELRY AND MINERALOGY

A steep, lapis lazuli mountain rises from a plain of blue quartz, as if in a dream.
At its feet, crouching in a forest of tourmaline crystals, a chimera of precious
stones stands guard over a treasure: a ring set with a two-colored tourmaline.
A unicorn and two fairies – the other inhabitants of this wondrous refuge – rest
among flowers, refreshed by a waterfall of diamonds and sapphires. Evoking
the setings of fairy tales and such baroque epics as Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando
Furioso, this dreamlike landscape bridges the gap between the universe
of precious stones and the imaginary worlds that fuel Van Cleef & Arpels’
creativity.

“The Rocher aux merveilles sums up the exhibition “Gems”, with a combination of mineralogical elements and jewelry savoirfaire. These two dimensions, both fascinating in their own right,blend with the universe of the Maison to create a story suffused with enchantment.” Nicolas Bos, President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels.


Ever since its foundation, the Maison has been sensitive to the poetry of
wonder, expressing it in the diversity of its creations: its universe is inhabited
by fairytale fgures, fantastic beasts and luxuriant gardens, perpetuating the
art of enchantment that it holds dear. The Rocher aux merveilles echoes another object presented at the exhibition: L’Arbre aux tourmalines (Tourmaline Tree) by Jean Vendome. This stylized tree combines precious metal and slices of green and raspberry-colored tourmalines, alongside other multicolored gems. It reflects the unique and visionary style of this mineral enthusiast, who is considered a pioneer of
contemporary jewelry.

Composed of rough or polished stones and detachable jewels, this object has
been designed as a mineral sculpture, in which each self-contained element
lives in harmony with the ensemble. Van Cleef & Arpels’ design studio, stone
department and the workshops of Place Vendôme have worked hand in hand
to achieve this result.

It took nearly two years to bring the object to life, along with its nine creations.
Once the design had been chosen from among several creative propositions,
expert gemologists set off in search of precious materials that would meet the
stringent criteria of High Jewelry, for both the cut and the rough stones.

HOMAGE
TO THE BEAUTY
OF STONES

At the heart of the Rocher aux merveilles, the 6.2-kilo block of lapis lazuli
was chosen for its shape and irregular texture, which evoke the slopes of a
mountain, along with its dazzling blue color. It has been retained in its rough
state, just as nature created it, giving the object a unique quality. The 13-kilo
block of quartz on which it stands is a “semi-rough,” since it has been lightly
smoothed to provide a stable surface for the lapis lazuli.

Thirty-two tourmaline crystals — for a total of 2,171 carats — form a mineral forest: their brilliance and transparency contrast with the blocks on which they rest. Following a complex research process, the jewelers devised a method of fxing them securely to the lapis lazuli and quartz, while ensuring that each element remains intact.

The cut and polished stones that adorn the jewelry pieces have been set in different ways, including closed, semi-closed, grain, prong and serti neigestyle seting. This variety of techniques magnifes the gems, while infusing each piece with vitality and brilliance.

“We selected these roughs from among hundreds of pieces. The stones are of such high quality that we could have cut them for High Jewelry pieces. We insisted on having the same quality for the roughs as the faceted stones.” Expert gemologist from Van Cleef & Arpels

 A unique object that includes numerous transformable pieces, the Rocher aux merveilles posed a real challenge for the Maison’s teams, and notably for the workshops responsible for its technical production. Between making a mockup, sculpting the fairies and unicorn in wax, recuting the stones, assembly,jewelry crafsmanship, seting and polishing, it took nearly 6,400 hours to bring this piece to fruition. The process required over 4,700 hours of jewelry work,over 1,200 hours of seting and nearly 500 hours of polishing.

Resolving the various technical challenges — fxing the elements together and creating the mechanisms to transform the pieces, for example — called for ingenuity on the part of the crafsmen. Forged by this collaborative approach, the fnished object invites the onlooker to draw closer and admire all its details and secrets.

TECHNICAL CHALLENGE,
COLLECTIVE PROJECT
Sculpting the unicorn in green wax Seting the spessatite garnet on the Fée Ostara clip
The Maison has imagined this object as a changing landscape, in whichelements can be removed from the base to take on new life. The Rocher aux merveilles thus includes nine High Jewelry creations that can respectively be worn as a ring, clips, a pendant, earrings and a bracelet.

THE ART  OF METAMORPHOSIS

THE UNICORN 

This white gold unicorn seems poised to stride across the block of quartz, its body set with round diamonds and its mane with pearshaped diamonds that gleam with an intense sparkle. Designed as a miniature sculpture, it can be transformed into a jewel using a hidden mechanism: part of its flank can be removed, revealing the fastening that enables it to be worn as a clip.

THE CHIMERA

Resting on the tourmaline crystals, the chimera spreads its wings and body in a majestic motion. The creature’s wondrous nature is emphasized by the varied materials of which it is composed (white and yellow gold, emeralds, rubies, colored sapphires, garnets, cultured pearls and diamonds). Its head can be removed to adorn a bracelet in white gold, entirely set with garnets, sapphires and diamonds.


THE RING

Beneath the chimera’s protective gaze, the Nature bicolore ring gives pride of place to an emerald-cut tourmaline weighing 24.88 carats. A two-colored center stone of great purity, it displays shades that range from green to pink. These are accentuated by the emeralds and pink sapphires that surround the stone, along with the diamonds that adorn the ring’s hoop.

THE FAIRY OSTARA

Faithful to the tradition of feminine fgures which the Maison inaugurated in the 1940s, the fairy Ostara graces the rock with her benevolent presence. Celebrating the coming of spring and nature’s renewal, she reclines on the slopes of the rock, a bright orange
spessartite garnet weighing 5.31 carats held preciously in her hands. The fairy’s slender silhouete was sculpted in wax before being created in white gold. Wings of different-sized mauve sapphires and diamonds, in various cuts and a headdress of buff-topped emeralds give her a graceful and delicate allure. A fastening enables the fairy to be worn as both a clip and a pendant. Nature bicolore ring Yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, one emerald-cut green and pink tourmaline of 24.88 carats, emeralds, pink sapphires, diamonds Fée Ostara clip transformable into a pendant. White gold, yellow gold, one oval-cut spessartite garnet of 5.31 carats, emeralds, mauve sapphires, diamonds

THE FLOWERS
Three oleander flowers blossom in a harmony of pink and mauve tones, suggesting a precious garden. Their graphic diamond petals contrast with others adorned with colored sapphires, in an interplay of lines and shades.  At the heart of each corolla gleams a different precious stone: a purple sapphire, a ruby and a blue sapphire. These creations, which can be worn as clips, evoke the vitality of nature that has inspired Van Cleef & Arpels since 1906.

Laurier-rose clip

• White gold, yellow gold, one oval-cut ruby of 2.45 carats
  (Mozambique), pink sapphires, diamonds
  
• White gold, rose gold, one oval-cut violetpurple sapphire of 2.94 carats (Madagascar), pink sapphires, diamonds
• White gold, one oval-cut blue sapphire  of 2.60 carats (Sri Lanka), pink and mauves sapphires, diamonds

THE FAIRY AND THE CASCADE

Two detachable creations form a glitering  cascade: a clip and a pair of earrings that recreate the fluidity of water. While the openwork structure in white gold suggests the delicacy of droplets, light passes through each precious stone, set on a bezel. A miniature fairy gazes peacefully at the streams of diamonds and sapphires that flow before her eyes.
 

#VCAobjects #VCAhighjewelry #VanCleefArpels @vancleefarpels

#GemsExhibition #MNHN @le_museum 

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