Van Cleef & Arpels Debuts Fascinating Egypt High Jewelry in Paris

Van Cleef & Arpels just debuted its very collectible and much anticipated high jewelry collection, Fascinating Egypt, in Paris this week. The vast array of gems is a tribute to the maison’s rich history of Art Deco style and its early Egyptian Revival pieces, dating to an era when a new modern style was taking hold just as some antuiquity’s most significant discoveries were captivating the Western imagination.

The jewelry is an impressive tour de force of the company’s long-held savoir faire. A prime example is an instantly-sold, jaw-dropping necklace of 10 Colombian emerald drops totaling 107.37 carats interspersed with seven natural pearls of 85.13 carats dripping from a diamond-set 18-karat white gold Art Deco-inspired collar. The piece is a nod to a famous 1929 Collerette necklace, also made from the same materials, created for Princess Faiza of Egypt, a glamorous member of the Muhammad Ali dynasty. Elsewhere, the collection revisits Van Cleef’s greatest hits, including the Dèese ailée Mystérieuse set in 18-karat white and rose gold, decked with rubies in the house’s Traditional Mystery Setting, and lined in diamonds in a wing-like collar design. It comes topped off with an impressive pear-shaped DFL Type 2A diamond of 14.05 carats that can be interchanged with another similar setting on a ring. Another blindingly beautiful collar, the Beauté Légendaire, which will debut in Robb Report‘s annual Best of the Best issue on June 16, shows off the impressive setting skills of Van Cleef’s stone artisans with a pavé of diamonds punctuated by larger diamonds on scallops of 18-karat gold culminating in a rare cushion-cut Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond of over 10 carats.

Of course, there were also the brand’s coveted character brooches on display such as the heads of Egyptian goddesses and other figurines. The standouts, however, came in the form of hieroglyphic representations. There are a dozen on offer in various compositions, but a trio were presented at debut with slabs of coral, turquoise, and lapis lazuli as their backdrop. Each piece spells out a message—happiness, beauty, and magnificence—in the ancient pictorial writing.

Although the theme of the collection is rooted in antiquity, many of the jewels also took inspiration from modern art such as the ’80s Memphis Movement or, in the case of the hieroglyphic clips, Frank Stella’s geometric shapes and bold colors of the ’70s. Each of the asymmetrical stones used in the brooches, which were individually polished and finished, were cut specifically for the drawing of the creation with 18-karat yellow gold prongs screwed in to protect the fragile stone tableaus. Countless meetings between the designers and workshops were reportedly held to ensure the pieces worked both technically and aesthetically.

It took over four years to realize the collection, according to CEO and president, Catherine Renier, who noted that many of the stones had to be recut for the specific designs. The Mystery Set pieces alone take over two years to produce. “It’s refreshing to see them all together, because we see them come out one after the other, and to have them all in this setting is never going to happen again,” she tells Robb Report. “We make sure each piece is tried on to ensure the comfort of the piece…so I would see them all as they come out, but never altogether.”

Indeed, most of the collection is already sold to VIP clients. But the incredible work that goes into creating these jewels is only half the story. Van Cleef & Arpels originally planned to debut the collection in Paris and then bring guests to Egypt to immerse themselves directly in the history that inspired it. But, of course, the political climate in the Middle East threw a wrench in those plans. The company instead pivoted, bringing guests on a one-day jaunt to Vienna to see an expansive exhibition of Van Cleef & Arpels jewels at the city’s MAK Museum, which one longtime employee told Robb Report was the largest they had ever seen during their 14 years at the house. Jewelry obsessives should start booking travel immediately to see this wildly impressive array detailing the house’s incredible 120-year history. It comprises over 3,000 archival pieces of jewelry, watches, and precious objects. Glanzstücke: Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry x Masterpieces from the MAK Collection will be on display now through January 27, 2027, and it may well be the only opportunity for years to see so many treasures from the maison gathered under one roof.