Enchantingly Grimm

Four German fairy tales are the inspiration behind Van Cleef & Arpels’ latest high jewellery collection. Charlene Co discovers how the maison came to embrace the brothers Grimm

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At Van Cleef & Arpels, the narrative behind collections is given nearly as much importance as the jewels themselves. While jewellers typically create designs around the gemstones laid before them, the French maison’s creative process almost always begins with a story. In the words of CEO Nicolas Bos, “We give our jewels soul through these stories.”

It’s a formula that works beautifully, and one that has become expected by clients. Bos says that while the brand’s clientele is of diverse cultural backgrounds and tastes, the common ground is that they enjoy “embarking on a journey of storytelling.” And he’s not talking about a tale hastily cobbled together a month before a collection is unveiled—a practice more common than you might think—but carefully woven prose that ties the inspiration, designs and the universe of Van Cleef & Arpels together exquisitely.

We’ve seen this done brilliantly in previous collections, such as