Royal Shopping: Jewels - Van Cleef & Arpels

-
"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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who is who? de Liedekerke family!

-
Image
Only a few noble families are intertwined with the history of  a country.  The de Liedekerke family has it all: a long and interesting history and close ties to the rules of their country.  Let's take a closer look!  History It was in 1301 that the history of the family de Liedekerke started.  Then Knight Raas of Herzele signed an official document in Beveren. His son was Raas of Herzele of (de) Liedekerke. His descendants called themselves de Liedekerke.  But there were many interesting people in the family de Liedekerke. connections with the Duke of Burgundy Raas of Liedekerke, lord of Nieuwerkerken (+/- 1421 - 1494/1495) was married to a certain Johanna. Due to his marriage he became Lord of Heestert and Zulte. In 1476 he went on a military campaign with Charles the Bold. Duke of Burgundy. In 1477, Mary of Burgundy, appointed him as bailiff of Aalst and Geraardsbergen.  Charles the Bold Mary of Burgundy Connections with the House of Habsburg Steven of Liedekerke (+/- 1457 - 1530
Read more

House of Wittelsbach - Between crazyness and excellence

-
Image
Plate with the coat of arms of Bavaria, Germany own picture taken in Munich With this blog post about the House of Wittelsbach I take you on a trip to Bavaria (Bayern) in Germany. Since 1996, the royal family's head is: Franz, Duke of Bavaria. So far is the situation nowadays but this royal familie has a very nice history. Own picture taken of the Coat of Arms of Bavaria The House of Wittelsbach: the origin Otto II, Count of Scheyern (who died on 31 October 1120) could acquire the castle of Wittelsbach near Aichach. Later the Counts of Scheyern left the castle in 1119 for Wittelsbach Castle and the former was given to monks to establish Scheyern Abbey. From 1180 till 1918 the Wittelsbach dynasty ruled several German territories in Bavaria and the Electorate of the Palatinate (till 1805). In 1329 under the Treaty of Pavia, the House of Wittelsbach split in two branches. Emperor Louis IV granted the Palatinate including the Bavarian Upper Palatinate t
Read more

Who was Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan?

-
Image
On 14 May 2022 Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan passed away at the age of 73. Family Khalifa was born on 7 September 1948 at Qasr Al-Muwaiji, Al Ain, in Abu Dhabi (then part of the Trucial States), the eldest son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Hassa bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Education   He was a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Crown Prince When his father, Zayed, became Emir of Abu Dhabi in 1966, Khalifa was appointed the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi and Head of the Courts Department in Al Ain. Zayed was the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region before he became the Emir of Abu Dhabi. A few months later the position was handed to Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan. On 1 February 1969, Khalifa was nominated the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and on the next day he was appointed Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Defense. In that post, he oversaw the build up of the Abu Dhabi Defense Force, which after 1971
Read more