Shine On

Celebrating the centennial of Art Deco, Van Cleef & Arpels retraces the path of two stylish royals from Paris to Tokyo

- SAM COCHRAN

It was a century ago that the Art Deco style captured the world's imagination at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes—an ambitious event, organized by the French government, to introduce contemporary European architecture, craft, and design to global audiences. Spanning the Seine, from Les Invalides on the Left Bank to the Grand Palais on the Right, a series of purpose-built pavilions showcased the work of leading lights such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Pierre Chareau, and Van Cleef & Arpels, which took home a Grand Prize for its extraordinary feats of