Set in Style - The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels (Hardcover)

Since its opening on the place Vendome in Paris in 1906, renowned jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels has played a leading role in setting style and design trends in luxury jewelry and in the development of the art of jewelry design. Van Cleef & Arpels pieces have been worn by such style icons as the Duchess of Windsor, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, and the company's prestige has spread throughout the globe, thanks to an unending list of prominent commissions issued by royal and imperial courts and the world's rich and famous. "Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels" explores the historical significance of the firm's contributions to jewelry design in the twentieth century, including the establishment of Van Cleef & Arpels in New York in 1939. The book features more than 350 of Van Cleef & Arpels' most celebrated works from museum and private collections worldwide, including jewels, timepieces, fashion accessories and objets d'art, focusing on those created exclusively for the American market. Six accessible essays accompanied by nearly 400 photographs, including previously unpublished design drawings from the Van Cleef & Arpels archives, examine the precious pieces through the lenses and themes of innovation, transformation, nature, exoticism, fashion and personalities.