Brief: Van Cleef & Arpels looks to the sky for its latest collection

Asymmetric earrings enchant with their varied usage of pink gold, white gold, sapphires, and mother-of-pearl. Photos courtesy Van Cleef & Arpels.

Asymmetric earrings enchant with their varied usage of pink gold, white gold, sapphires, and mother-of-pearl. Photos courtesy Van Cleef & Arpels.

Kites — a symbol of protection in Asian culture — act as inspiration for the Cerfs-Volants collection.

Kites — a symbol of protection in Asian culture — act as inspiration for the Cerfs-Volants collection.

BY KAREN AANONSEN

Van Cleef & Arpels aficionados are getting swept away by the maison’s latest creations. Designed to evoke kites fluttering in the wind, the new Cerfs-Volants collection is at once playful and sophisticated, innovative and classic, taking flight in a cloud of white and gray mother-of-pearl, diamonds, and pink and mauve sapphires. To emphasize the ethereal nature of the Cerfs-Volants muse, openwork has been used on the back of the jewels — a necklace, a bracelet, a clip, two rings, and three sets of earrings — to allow light to pass through. Additionally, Van Cleef & Arpels has crafted seven unique, diamond- and ruby-bedecked high jewelry pieces that take on the delightful kite theme.

—April 2015