Op feb13 interview vca nicolas bos eng v7

interview

Lady Arpels Papillon Extraordinaire White gold case, 38 mm diameter, bezel set with diamonds.

Dial: sculpted mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli, plique-Ă -jour enamel, diamonds.

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Oryx Premium February 2013

Nicolas bos CEO and Creative Director, Van Cleef & Arpels Interviewed for Oryx Premium by Estelle Arielle Bouchet

Without doubt, the maison of Van Cleef & Arpels has a palpable air of luxury; it is one of the most prestigious brands within the Richemont Group, the second largest luxury group in the world (after LVMH), and which also owns such brands as Cartier, Baume & Mercier, and Piaget.

From January 2013, the Richemont Group retains its distinct French flair by appointing Bernard Fornas (ex-CEO of Cartier) and Richard Lepeu as joint deputy CEOs (reporting to Johann Rupert).

Stanislas de Quercize (ex-CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels) is appointed as CEO of Cartier, and Nicolas Bos becomes the young CEO Worldwide for the jewellery maison Van Cleef & Arpels, having previously held the positions of CEO North America and creative director (a role that he will maintain).

In an exclusive interview for Oryx Premium, Nicolas Bos casts light on this famous company and its unique notion of luxury, wearing as he does both the hats of CEO and creative director for this illustrious maison.

Van Cleef & Arpels – founded in 1906 – has a style defined by its

stories and its cultural approach to its craft, which have a very feminine and upbeat feel benefiting from its savoir-faire.

Van Cleef & Arpels has also recently opened its doors to training with the launch of L’École Van Cleef & Arpels place Vendôme, an innovative school that sheds light on the secretive world of fine jewellery, sharing the brand’s century of knowledge.

Estelle Arielle Bouchet: The two hats that you wear within Van Cleef & Arpels of CEO and creative director are quite unusual. Can you tell us a little more about this dual role?

Nicolas Bos: As surprising as the two titles may seem, this fusion of roles is quite natural given the specific environment of a jeweller’s, or decorative arts, maison. The role I perform as creative director necessitates that I orchestrate the complete, collective process. The foundation of this maison and the key to its success and longevity lies in transforming a distinctive creation into a commercial activity. These two stages are very closely linked.

There’s a team of experts required to work together to develop each creation, and each piece has to

have complete respect for the history and identity of the maison.

This definition of the creative direction involves both the orchestration of the creative process, which is fairly long – around three years – and the adherence in style of each collection with the identity of the maison – whose hallmarks are its history and the importance of its heritage.

At Van Cleef & Arpels, we are grounded both in continuity and in a process of collective creation, which includes a wide range of expertise in keeping with the different, traditional crafts of jewellery. We have workshops, teams, boutiques, and a company that is based around creativity and on transforming this into collections and products that will find the clientele to wear them, and thus foster the cycle of commercial activity. Sometimes, we do collaborate with others, such as an artist expressing their own vision through their work, or a fashion designer who will be adding their own personal interpretation, but we never dilute the essence of Van Cleef & Arpels.

Nicolas Bos

Qatar Airways has 18 flights per week from Doha to Paris.

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interview

EAB: Looking at all the jewellers in the place Vendôme, what sets the style of Van Cleef & Arpels apart? What are the trends, and what remains constant?

NB: The constant is the principles of our maison, which are based on philosophical values: a positive vision of life, which is about finding something marvellous in daily life, always on the lookout for luck and love. These are coupled with myriad sources of inspiration such as nature, couture, and ballet, which breathe life into the pieces and collections.

When you work with nature, it is always a very welcoming and positive experience – nothing is ever dark or evil. In terms of couture and ballet, we translate the feelings of movement and fluidity into the pieces.

Whenever we recruit designers, they receive training from Van

Cleef & Arpels that enables them to achieve a better understanding of the style of this maison.

At the design stage, the Van Cleef & Arpels style is very identifiable. It is based on a tradition of quality gemstones and the art of jewellery making: a particular craftsmanship that makes the pieces recognisable.

Poetic Complications

Extraordinary Dials

Poetic Theaters

A Poetic Complications timepiece subtly

For Van Cleef & Arpels, the mechanism of a

The Poetic Theaters provide another

interprets time with poetic flair, guiding you

timepiece is its heart, and its dial is its soul,

way to transform a piece. Using an ingenious

through days, seasons, constellations of

hence their creation of exquisitely precious,

mechanism derived from the Poetic

stars, and other beautiful moments in life

dreamlike dials. Dials at Van Cleef & Arpels

Complications art of watchmaking, Van

using a complex yet discreet watch

are more than still images; they change with

Cleef & Arpels has used this technique to

movement that enhances the aesthetics and

time and tell a story in perpetual motion.

create playful pieces that transform when

Makis clip – Les Voyages Extraordinaires, a collection inspired by Jules Verne’s The Extraordinary Voyages.

“When you work with nature, it is always a very welcoming and positive experience.”

adds a touch of magic to each creation.

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EAB: The cultural character of Van Cleef & Arpels pieces also comes to mind, such as the Neo-Pharaonic Collection recently exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

NB: Absolutely. Usually, maisons are very self-referential. However, Van Cleef & Arpels looks for sources of inspiration from other cultural fields, such as architecture, music, theatre and dance, to name but a few.

We enjoy returning to these

the mechanism is engaged.

Izmir necklace – which features a 50.79-carat cushion-cut yellow sapphire – from the Bals de Légende collection, which pays homage to the Oriental Ball and the tale of One Thousand and One Nights.

artistic forms in our collections.

Within our collections, another element that remains constant is innovation. The Mystery Setting (Serti Mystérieux) is one of our technical innovations, which was created in 1933. It has remained a constant for the maison, and since 2005 we have been developing a new type of Mystery Setting.

Pieces which transform, such as the iconic Zip necklace, are another distinct hallmark of this maison. The Zip necklace was first developed in 1938, and over the past decade we have worked on new ways of developing zips.

EAB: Do you make specific pieces for particular territories, and are there pieces that are more successful in some markets than in others?

NB: The stance taken by the maison, and in which I’m a great

believer, is to avoid marketing and opportunism.

The maison sets the trends. We don’t create for particular markets, and we believe that the maison has universal appeal.

We never alter the DNA of Van Cleef & Arpels, as that would be arrogant; yet we respect the traditions and styles of the particular country. For instance, the Middle East appreciates jewellery sets connected to the tradition of marriage. So, whilst embracing these traditions, we remain faithful to our own creative approach.

Mystery Setting Van Cleef & Arpels patented this unique technique in 1933. It consists of setting stones in such a way that no prongs are visible. Each faceted stone is delicately inserted onto thin gold rails less than two-tenths of a millimetre thick so that the gems appear to be entirely free-standing.

Because of the complexity of the process, Mystery Set pieces are extremely rare.

Chrysanthemum clip (1937) The curved petals are set with Mystery-Set ruby (803 rubies, 115 carats) and diamond scrolling lines (107 diamonds, 10.42 carats), mounted on platinu,m and yellow gold.

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interview

Minaudière precious case

Zip necklace

The idea for the Minaudière precious case

One of Van Cleef & Arpels’ most iconic

was born when Charles Arpels saw his

pieces, the Zip necklace is both an artistic

socialite friend Florence Jay Gould putting

and technical feat in fine jewellery making.

her lipstick, powder case, cigarettes, and

Its closure slides up and down, enabling it to

lighter into a Lucky Strike cigarette tin.

be left partially open or even closed entirely

The Minaudière precious case provides

to form a bracelet.

compartments for an elegant lady’s various items, all enclosed within a luxurious case.

The idea can be credited to the Duchess of Windsor. Circa 1938, she suggested to Renée Puissant – the maison’s artistic director and daughter of Alfred Van Cleef –

Between the Finger rings

that she should create a piece based on the

A single band holds a motif that unfolds

zip fastener. Crafted in round and

across the hand: the Two Butterflies ring

baguette-cut diamonds mounted in

(below) decorates the hand with two

platinum, the necklace was not produced

butterflies between the fingers, the Lotus

until 1951.

ring features a folding mechanism which

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The Zip necklace was revisited in various

allows them to be worn on one or two

forms throughout the 1950s and is still a

fingers, and the Oiseaux de Paradis ring

distinctive element in Van Cleef & Arpels’

spreads its wings over three fingers.

collections today.

Oryx Premium February 2013

L’École Van Cleef & Arpels In one of the classic 18th-century townhouses – originally built for Parisian aristocracy – in the place Vendôme, L’École Van Cleef & Arpels now sheds light on a century of knowledge of haute joaillerie, which until now has been reserved for a discreet circle of insiders.

Under the auspices of its charismatic president, Marie Vallanet-Delhom, the school has five instructors, each an expert within their field, including Inezita Gay (art history), Dominique Dufermont (gemology), and Vincent Roi ( jewellery).

Open to all ages (classes are taught in English and

French), there are 11 modules to study, each around four hours long, which take participants through a path of discovery in three hands-on steps.

‘Unveiling’ is the first step, taking in topics such as historical aesthetics, Art Nouveau, and learning how to mix and match stones.

‘Shedding Light On’ is the second step, where participants refine their skills, and experience the process of sketch to mock-up.

The final step – ‘Revealing’ – focuses on the savoir-faire of Van Cleef & Arpels – and gives participants access to the maison’s workshop, craftsmen, and designers.

L’École Van Cleef & Arpels 19, place Vendôme, 75001 Paris Tel: + 33 1 70 70 34 00 Email: contact@ lecolevancleefarpels.com

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