Van Cleef & Arpels heritage: rare jewelry with history in the collection

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Vintage jewelry has a genuine charm and romance. They showcase the design of an era that has been left behind, and serve as a kind of historical treasure that can be admired and admired as much as any museum exhibit. However, unlike a terracotta vase from ancient Greece, these amazing pieces can easily be worn to a cocktail party.

The popularity of antique jewelry has grown significantly over the past decade, with research firm Kentley Insights estimating sales in the global retail sector at US$4.2 billion (approximately S$5.74 billion) according to their August 2023 report. The good news is that auctions and private jewelry dealers aren't the only resources for those looking to acquire or start amassing a vintage jewelry collection. Van Cleef & A Heritage Collection

The Van Cleef & Arpels Heritage Collection

Founded in 2007, the Heritage Collection began as a small project when a boutique manager in New York realized that his customers were turning to auctions to acquire vintage Van Cleef & Arpels designs. "He had many clients, including those he worked with at auctions," said Van Cleef & Arpels deputy heritage director Natasha Vasilchikova. - "So he thought it might be interesting to offer some of these products themselves. He started with small purchases and resale, more as a personalized service [for customers]. It was quite successful, and he took the collection to an international level. "

How the heritage collection works

Today, the collection has nearly 200 pieces of precious jewelry and objects from the 1920s through the 1990s - all available for purchase and regularly updated with new acquisitions that have been carefully authenticated and verified.

First, Van Cleef & Arpels' Patrimoni department examines archives (including client records, ledgers and sets of drawings) to identify the creation. It then falls into the skilled hands of master craftsmen in the workshop, who analyze its materials and condition before cleaning and restoring it with the exacting standards of maison craftsmanship. A series of careful processes take place before a piece is accepted into the heritage collection and ready for sale - which can sometimes lead to some upset. "We have a separate team for sourcing and buying [pieces], and they told me a story about a beautiful bracelet with aquamarines that was presented to us," Vasilchikova shared. - "It was from the 1960s; the signature looked right and everything looked perfect. We were very happy until we researched it in the archives and discovered that the stones were originally sapphires that had been replaced with aquamarines. That's why we couldn't take him back. It was a big disappointment, but these things happen. "

She is quick to add that these moments more than pay off when a client brings in a design that meets all the requirements and is thrilled to learn the provenance of their product. In other words, the heritage collection epitomizes more than just a sales channel. Instead, it is a means of preserving and communicating the history and creativity of maison with the stories that accompany each creation.

Why the Van Cleef & Arpels heritage collection

"Our goal is to let our clients know that this collection exists because it serves several purposes," Vasilchikova explained. - "This is an educational tool that showcases Maizon's rich history and level of excellence, and reinforces the fact that our state-of-the-art products will be the legacy of tomorrow.

It's not just about the high jewelry art to which Vasilchikova refers. She said the team works hard to ensure that the heritage collection is comprehensive and includes designs from different decades (those from the 1920s to 1940s have proved the most difficult to deliver), different types of jewelry (brooches have been the most popular in recent years) and, most importantly, different price points: they start at around S$21,800 and go up to S$7.3 million, with most of them below the S$300,000 mark. "We don't view [the heritage collection] as exclusive, in the sense that only VIPs have access to it," she said. - "We always have some products at events and try to distribute them to our boutiques so customers can see them all over the world. We also have a separate Instagram account for the collection. "

The latter is a particularly effective strategy for maizon. After all, the collection has its fans among young people and their love of nostalgia - a fact that Vasilchikova admits was unexpected when she started working on the heritage collection about five years ago. "Honestly, I envisioned the buyers as adult customers, real collectors. Today, I notice they are less collectors than clients who just fell in love with the design. Today, it is increasingly common for young customers to wear a beautiful legacy with jeans and a t-shirt, especially in Asia. It's a new market: young people who think heritage is fashionable. "

Recommendations for young jewelry lovers

What legacy designs would she recommend to young jewelry lovers? "I would start with an Art Deco double clip; diamond in platinum or gold that can be worn in a variety of interesting ways. We made a lot of beautiful videos like this, and in my opinion, they represent a different era and the high jewelry art of maison very well. I would also say the same thing about the Mystery Set Ludo bracelet. But the problem is that they are so iconic and almost impossible to find. So, realistically speaking, buy a 1960s bracelet with incredible gold work that can easily be worn combined with other bracelets; they are a pleasure to wear. Then choose a piece inspired by faraway countries such as India or China - they have had a huge impact on the history of jewelry. I think that's what customers are most often surprised by in maison: The richness of his background and diverse creative paths. That's what the heritage collection shows.".