Indian Embroidery necklace

The influence of India

While these small flowers are highly stylized, they nonetheless recall the opulence of the Indian decorative vocabulary. Furthermore, the association of rubies, emeralds, and diamonds with yellow gold is strongly reminiscent of the colorfulness of Indian jewelry, as aided by the coun- try’s wealth of gemstones. This early 1950s rendition, however, displays a different sensibility, translating a new stylistic approach resulting from the first voyage undertaken by Pierre and Claude Arpels to India in 1947.

Rajah clip, 1947

Rajah clip, 1947

The Rajah clip, portrayal of an Indian lute player illustrates the taste for distant lands, dear to the Maison since the 1920s. Particular care was given to the gold work here, with the player’s arms made of highly polished yellow gold, suggesting flexibility and movement, and his turban composed of yellow gold gadroons. Both his small collar and his turban end in rubies and diamonds, as does the handle of his lute. The raja’s face consists of an antique-cut diamond, while three sizeable emerald cabochons, 18.55 carats each, form his body and legs. The use of stones cut in this way pays tribute to India, an important country historically for the gemstone market.

Sketch of a Clairvoyant clip, 1949. Pencil and gouache on paper.

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The Arpels brothers’ Indian journey

Over the years, the Arpels brothers were both to undertake no less than ten trips to India,¹Christy Fox, “Claude Arpels: Living Proof of Renaissance Man Theory,” Los Angeles Times (May 12, 1969): n.p. which Claude Arpels recounted in Bejeweled Adventure,²Claude Arpels, Bejeweled Adventure, 1956. Paris, Van Cleef & Arpels Archives. a dreamlike account of their journey from Varanasi, the holy city of the Ganges, to “pink Jaipur.” During this first trip, the two brothers sought out the “fabulous precious stones that bedecked legendary maharajas.” They are marveling at the “saffron robes” and rich colors of the “markets and bazaars”. They also noted “the gold and silk brocade,” which no doubt inspired the Indian embroidery of this 1950 choker.

Creative exchanges between India and France

Claude Arpels admired Indian-style jewelry enormously, and sought to promote a “reciprocal exchange of ideas” between India and France. Balmain already used Indian fabrics, but it was Claude Arpels who incited Christian Dior to do likewise.³Christy Fox, “Claude Arpels: Living Proof of Renaissance Man Theory,” Los Angeles Times (May 12, 1969): n.p. In addition to actual gemstones, he brought “pieces of jewelry” back to France that revived the taste for the forms and colors of Indian art.⁴Anonymous, “Diamond King in Bombay,” Gateway Gossip (February 1957): 23. In this respect, Claude Arpels contributed to the revived enthusiasm for Central Asia from the 1950s.