Van Cleef & Arpels transform Ancient Egypt into high jewelry’s most breathtaking masterpieces.
From left: Scarabée Divin Transformable long necklace in 18k yellow gold, 18k white gold with 6.61ct. aquamarine, lapis lazuli, turquoise, rock crystal, white cultured pearls, and diamonds by VAN CLEEF & ARPELS; Rameau Délicat clip in 18k yellow gold, 18k rose gold, and 18k white gold with 8.29ct. indicolite tourmaline, sapphires, tsavorite garnets, white mother-of-pearl, and diamonds by VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
If Cleopatra were alive today, she would be a Van Cleef & Arpels client. Not because of the brand’s most recent high jewelry collection but because VC&A is truly the best at what it does. The house’s most recent collection, Fascinating Egypt, was unveiled in Paris in June and was unbelievable. In fact, the word unbelievable does not do it justice. I do not say this lightly: it may be the finest high jewelry collection I have ever seen. For more than 2,000 years, Ancient Egypt has captivated the global imagination. Among my friends, I am a self-proclaimed Egyptologist, so this collection felt very personal. From the Roman fascination with Egyptian divinities to Jean-François Champollion’s decoding of hieroglyphics in 1822, from the Luxor Obelisk rising over Place de la Concorde in 1836 to the many waves of 20th-century Egyptomania in art and design, Egypt has remained an enduring source of creative obsession.
Van Cleef & Arpels has taken that immense history and transformed it into something extraordinary: a contemporary saga told through approximately 180 breathtaking high jewelry pieces. What struck me immediately about Fascinating Egypt was how each piece was made. Every line, every setting, every articulation felt deliberate. Nothing was overworked. Nothing was excessive. In a category where big and costly can often overshadow refinement and style, Van Cleef & Arpels achieved something far more notable: grandeur that is still so chic.
The bracelets alone were astonishing. Inspired by the maison’s Egyptian-style cuff bracelets of the 1920s, these fully flexible creations wrapped around the wrist like wearable frescos. Their sculpted gold surfaces – engraved, hammered, polished, gadrooned – provided the architectural scaffolding for faceted stones composed of micro-mosaic panoramas of almost impossible detail.
Paysage Merveilleux bracelet in 18k yellow gold and 18k white gold with sapphires and black spinels by VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Rubies, emeralds, colored sapphires, spinels, garnets, onyx, and diamonds were selected not simply for their rarity, but for hue, tone, and emotional impact. The gem-setting was so masterful that the metal nearly disappeared, allowing pure color and light to take over. You cannot take your eyes away from the collection’s Paysage bracelet. Its futuristic pyramid landscape felt both ancient and startlingly modern, like history rendered in gemstones. Hidden within its hieroglyphic symbols lies the phrase “horizon of eternity”, a poetic detail that perfectly encapsulates the collection’s intellectual richness.
Then there were the fragment clips – small masterpieces that felt almost archaeological, as if precious Egyptian relics had been excavated and reimagined through a thoroughly modern lens. They were graphic, intelligent, and so beautiful. And the scarab. One of the most famous Egyptian symbols in decorative arts is often overused or reduced to cliché. Van Cleef & Arpels had the confidence to deploy it in only two pieces across the entire collection. Hidden very discreetly within two masterpiece necklaces, one was a more traditional scarab and the other more of an abstract, inspired by the Memphis movement style.
This is why Van Cleef & Arpels remains a cut above the rest. Great high jewelry cannot be rushed. Collections of this caliber require years of study, design, gem-sourcing, engineering, and restraint. Fascinating Egypt is proof that not only is time a luxury in creation – it is a necessity. Every piece felt breathtaking. Every piece felt considered. And every piece reminded me that true excellence doesn’t have to be loud, but it is exact. Last observation: why am I not a billionaire?
Divination du Bonheur ring in 18k rose gold with rubies, pink sapphires, and diamonds by VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Taken from 10 Magazine USA Issue 7 – HERITAGE, LEGACY, FUTURE – out September 18! Order your copy here.
Photographer CHELSIE CRAIG
Text DORA FUNG
Set Designer NICOLE LOUIE at Walter Schupfer Management
