Royal Shopping: Jewels - Van Cleef & Arpels

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"Diamonds are a girl's best friend", Marilyn Monroe knew it already in 1953.
However some royal jewelry really has a famous and very nice history on its
own.

In this blog post  about the jewelry Van Cleef & Arpels, I especially mentioned
the former royal family of Iran because their crowns really were fantastic!


Imperial Crown of Farah Pahlavi of Iran
Source picture: Wikipedia



On this picture, you see the Imperial Crown of Farah Pahlavi of Iran. This piece 
of art was made by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1966.

Some history of the company

The jewelry company was founded in 1896 by Alfred van Cleef and 
Salomon Arpels in Paris. 

Later Alfred and two of his brothers-in-law, Charles and Julien, acquired space
for Van Cleef & Arpels at 22, Place Vendôme, just across the Hôtel Ritz, where
the jewelry company opened its first shop. 

Place Vendôme in Paris, France own picture taken in 2017


Van Cleef & Arpels also opened boutiques in holiday resorts such as Deauville,
Vichy, le Touquet, Nice and Monte-Carlo in Monaco. 

Van Cleef & Arpels in Monaco, own picture taken in 2013


In 1925, a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet with red and white roses fashioned
from rubies and diamonds won the grand prize at the International Exposition
of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts. 

Van Cleef & Arpels were the first French jewelers to open boutiques in
Japan and China.

In 1999 Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. acquired the firm. 

Famous royal clients

As mentioned before, in 1966 Van Cleef & Arpels was charged with the task
of making the crown of Empress Farah Pahlavi for her upcoming coronation in 
1967. A team was sent to Iran to choose the major gems to use for the crown.
After 11 months of work, the company presented the empress with a crown
made of emerald velvet set with 36 emeralds, 36 rubies, 105 pearls and at 
least 1469 diamonds.


Coronation of Farah Pahlavi
Source picture: Wikipedia


Other famous royal clients were:
- Soraya, queen consort of Iran
- Duchess of Windsor (she had inter alia a bracelet and a necklace)
- Princess Grace of Monaco. 

Shops

Nowadays Van Cleef & Arpels have stores in the Middle East and South East
Asia. They have also boutiques located in Geneva, Zurich, Munich, London,
Milan, Shanghai and Paris.

In the United States the jewelry company has standalone boutiques in
New York City, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Houston and Las Vegas. 

In 2016 the brand expanded to Australia, they opened a boutique at
Melbourne and Sydney. 
Location: Parijs, Frankrijk

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