RING Tones

Van Cleef & Arpels dials up the Perlée collection with new renditions featuring its precious spheres.

- By TAN SIOK HOON

Within the poetic vision guiding the aesthetics and artistry of Van Cleef & Arpels, the Perlée collection's geometric lyricism is a pillar that stands alongside others revolving around nature, luck, couture, love and enchantment. Though it officially debuted in 2008, the collection's soul — the perlage or golden bead — has been embedded in the Maison's DNA since the 1920s, originally appearing as a shimmering outline for precious stones or as a textured accent in Art Deco masterworks.

By the late 1940s, these luminous spheres stepped further into the light, evolving from a decorative border into a bold, tactile language of their own. They formed the framework of the Couscous collection, juxtaposing polished yellow gold beads with a supple Tubogas-style chain, along with precious stones and diamonds, in abstract pieces, such as the Couscous Bagatelle necklace (1949) in yellow gold and platinum, set with rubies, sapphires and diamonds.