Van Cleef & Arpels Returns to the Zodiac
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The history: The 12 signs of the Western Zodiac have long been irresistible to jewelers, but of late Van Cleef & Arpels seemed to be refraining from the trend. Perhaps that’s because it all started, some say, in the 1950s, when the house’s first astrology-themed collection of pendants was introduced. And then Van Cleef reignited it with a collection of slightly larger, more intricate medallions in the ’70s.
The fans: For some collectors, a vintage Van Cleef Zodiac charm remains the holy grail. The few that come up at dealers like Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos (or on 1stdibs.com) have the world “SOLD” next to the description soon after they are posted.
The news: At long last, a new Van Cleef collection of astrological pieces has fallen from the skies—or more precisely, from the workshops of Paris. The Zodiaque collections of pendants, like those that came before them, are crafted in all gold, as well as in gold with stones like lapis lazuli, amazonite, and chromed aventurine. In the latter, collection, reminiscent of the coveted 1970s charms, each stone is chosen to correspond with the qualities of the sign it adorns. So fire sign Leo gets red jasper, the earth sign Virgo gets green malachite, and a water sign like Cancer gets blue quartz. We think we see one in your future.
This story appears in the November 2021 issue of Town & Country.
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