Brief: A garden of Van Cleef & Arpels treasures pops up in Hong Kong

Turquoise and a gold rope-twist give this Van Cleef and Arpels brooch a more bohemian feel. Photos courtesy Bonhams.

Turquoise and a gold rope-twist give this Van Cleef and Arpels brooch a more bohemian feel. Photos courtesy Bonhams.

 

Bonhams estimates that this sweet Van Cleef & Arpels clip from 1939 could fetch as much as $17,000 at auction. The piece glitters with approximately 26.20 carats of sapphires.

Bonhams estimates that this sweet Van Cleef & Arpels clip from 1939 could fetch as much as $17,000 at auction. The piece glitters with approximately 26.20 carats of sapphires.

BY KAREN AANONSEN

As the Fine Jewelry & Jadeite bidding war blooms on June 3, buyers at Bonhams Hong Kong, Admiralty, will want to keep their eyes out for a bouquet of Van Cleef & Arpels offerings. The design house is represented by a gorgeous selection of floral-themed pieces, including a remarkable sapphire and ruby clip from 1939, within the over 150-lot sale. Flowers were a main source of inspiration for Van Cleef & Arpels from the late 1930s through the 1940s — and Lot 516, boasting intricate, captivating ruby stamen and sapphire petals, shows it was a match made in heaven.

—May 2015

 

Lot 541, another Van Cleef & Arpels brooch, wows with its brilliant-cut diamond pistil, calibré-cut emerald petals and tapered baguette-cut diamond stem.

Lot 541, another Van Cleef & Arpels brooch, wows with its brilliant-cut diamond pistil, calibré-cut emerald petals and tapered baguette-cut diamond stem.