[Van Cleef & Arpels] Announces New Jewelry in the "Sous les Étoiles" Collection

"Sous les Étoiles"

A Dialogue Between Astronomy and Jewelry

Since its founding in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels has been captivated by the celestial world and the observation of stars. From the ballet of planets to the paths of constellations and the zodiac, astronomy has richly colored the Maison's imaginative universe, leading to the creation of the "Sous les Étoiles" High Jewelry collection in 2021, which evocatively depicted the cosmos. This year, Van Cleef & Arpels pays homage once again to the poetic heavens by unveiling a set of rings and earrings that reflect this heritage.

Celestial Bodies Gleaming with Gold and Diamonds

The "Sous les Étoiles" ring, with its striking rounded silhouette, inherits the tradition of richly voluminous pieces designed by Van Cleef & Arpels in the 1960s. The hammered yellow gold is meticulously polished by hand to enhance its luster, while diamonds are set in the stars engraved on the dome, adding brilliance. The entire piece shimmers under light, with noble materials evoking the profundity of the universe. The hollowed interior of the ring enhances comfort when worn, and mirror polishing creates a vibrant play of light on the gold. The openwork gold structure gently embraces the finger, adorned with motifs reminiscent of a starry sky, allowing glimpses of the diamond's reverse side and three-dimensional hollows.

The Maison has also created matching earrings to complement this ring. The earrings consist of spherical forms of hammered gold, studded with diamonds in a star setting. The arrangement of stars differs between the left and right earrings, presenting a new interpretation of the celestial sphere. This delicate asymmetry is one of the Maison's signature styles and continues to the back of the pieces, where a stylized openwork design subtly indicates how they are to be worn.

"Sous les Étoiles" Earrings (Yellow Gold, Diamonds)

"Sous les Étoiles" Ring (Yellow Gold, Diamonds)

Radiant Gold

Van Cleef & Arpels employs exceptional savoir-faire, including engraving, openwork, texturing, and polishing, to give gold diverse forms and volumes.

The rounded shapes and hammered finish of the pieces utilize the lost-wax casting technique. Originating in antiquity, this method involves sculpting a wax block to create the piece's prototype, which is then encased in plaster. The wax is melted out in a high-temperature kiln, and molten metal is poured into the cavity to cast the piece.

Several stages of manual polishing follow, further accentuating the piece's curves and volumes. The interior of the ring boasts a dazzling shine through mirror polishing, a technique that has symbolized Van Cleef & Arpels since the 1920s. The rigorous savoir-faire applied throughout the polishing process enhances the brilliance of the gold's surface. The exterior, meanwhile, is carefully finished to preserve the relief and unique texture.

Preliminary polishing of the "Sous les Étoiles" Ring

Selection of Diamonds

The Maison is known for its exceptionally strict standards in diamond selection, requiring a dual verification process. Each gemstone is assessed against the quality criteria of the "4Cs"—color, clarity, cut, and carat—in pursuit of Van Cleef & Arpels' excellence. Only diamonds of DEF color and IF to VVS clarity are selected. The quality of pavé diamonds is systematically inspected using a 10x loupe, following the Maison's rigorous process to ensure the brilliance of the pieces.

Setting work on the "Sous les Étoiles" Ring

Historical Sources of Inspiration

The observation of the heavens has been a theme that has fascinated Van Cleef & Arpels since its founding. According to the Maison's earliest sales records, a crescent moon jewel set with sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds was sold in 1906, followed by a star brooch made of pearls and diamonds in 1907. A pocket watch created in 1929 displayed the phases of the moon, and the "Pilon" jewelry presented in the late 1930s evoked celestial bodies with its dynamic, upward-reaching lines.

Van Cleef & Arpels also designed colorful pieces that sculpted flowing curves with rich volumes. A 1954 clip, adorned with sapphires, rubies, and diamonds, offered a modern interpretation of stars and rings of light.

Pocket watch, 1929 (Platinum, Enamel) Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Clip, 1954 (Platinum, White Gold, Sapphires, Rubies, Diamonds) Van Cleef & Arpels Collection

In 1969, the year of humanity's first moon landing, the Maison created pendants to be gifted to the wives of the Apollo 11 astronauts. Their textured gold evoked the rugged surface of the moon. Since the 2000s, Van Cleef & Arpels has further explored this theme through its "Poetic Complications" watches, such as the Lady Arpels Jour Nuit and Lady Arpels Planetarium. In 2021, the "Sous les Étoiles" High Jewelry collection was unveiled, reinterpreting the forms of stars in 150 pieces. These included the Saturn clip crafted from gold and diamonds, and the Galilée ring, which combined spheres of hammered gold with sapphires and diamonds, and spheres of lapis lazuli.

Designers sought inspiration in legends, prints, paintings, and photographs to bring their ever-expanding repertoire to life. They delved deeply into early scientific works, such as Johannes Kepler's "Somnium" (1634) and Camille Flammarion's "L'Astronomie populaire" (1880).

Lady Arpels Planetarium Watch (White Gold, Rose Gold, Diamonds, Aventurine Glass, Pink Mother-of-Pearl, Enamel, Turquoise, Automatic Mechanical Movement with Planetarium Module) Lady Arpels Jour Nuit Watch (White Gold, Yellow Gold, Diamonds, Yellow Sapphires, Aventurine Glass, White Mother-of-Pearl, Automatic Mechanical Movement with 24-hour Module)

Lune Pendant, 1969 (Yellow Gold, Rubies) Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Galilée Ring (White Gold, Yellow Gold, Colored Sapphires, Lapis Lazuli, Diamonds)

[Product Credits]

"Sous les Étoiles Ring" (Yellow Gold, Diamonds) ¥2,890,000 (tax included)

"Sous les Étoiles Earrings" (Yellow Gold, Diamonds) ¥4,342,800 (tax included)

(Release Date: July 1, 2026)