Since the early 20th century, Van Cleef & Arpels has oft turned to the cosmos for divine inspiration. This love affair culminated in 2011 for the launch of Les Voyages Extraordinaires, a high-jewellery collection inspired by Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon, a prophetic novel of man’s race to the stars.
in white gold, rose gold, with one pear-shaped imperial
topaz of 24.38 carats, one oval-cut pink sapphire
of 3.03 carats (Mozambique), pink sapphires,
diamonds.
A decade later, the maison has introduced Sous les étoiles, a 150-piece high-jewellery collection entirely dedicated to the galaxy. To ensure the most accurate representation of celestial bodies, the design team referenced 19th-century French astronomer Nicolas Camille Flammarion’s Astronomie Populaire and sought the expertise of astrophysicist Isabelle Grenier.
The professor of astrophysics and specialist in high-energy stars and interstellar medium shared colourful Esa and Nasa photographs that greatly inspired the team, allowing its designers to push their imaginations further and dive deeper into space.
The result? A scintillating collection evoking the nebulae, planets and cosmic-scapes that combine art, poetry and accurate scientific references.