Since its opening on the place Vendôme in Paris in 1906, renowned jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels has played a leading role in setting style and design trends in luxury jewelry and in the development of the art of jewelry design. Van Cleef & Arpels pieces have been worn by such style icons as the Duchess of Windsor, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, and the company's prestige has spread throughout the globe, thanks to an unending list of prominent commissions issued by royal and imperial courts and the world's rich and famous. Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels explores the historical significance of the firm's contributions to jewelry design in the twentieth century, including the establishment of Van Cleef & Arpels in New York in 1939. The book features more than 350 of Van Cleef & Arpels' most celebrated works from museum and private collections worldwide, including jewels, timepieces, fashion accessories and objets d'art, focusing on those created exclusively for the American market. Six accessible essays accompanied by nearly 400 photographs, including previously unpublished design drawings from the Van Cleef & Arpels archives, examine the precious pieces through the lenses and themes of innovation, transformation, nature, exoticism, fashion and personalities.

Showcases the stunning watches of Van Cleef & Arpels.

Since opening its first boutique on the Place Vendôme in Paris in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels has played a pioneering role in the development of the art of jewelry design. Now, on the occasion of a major exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, The Art of Beauty explores the history and the accomplishments of the firm through more than 400 of its most celebrated works. Loaned from the Van Cleef & Arpels museum and private collections worldwide, these works include classic timepieces, jewels, fashion accessories and objets d'art; the volume places particular emphasis on Van Cleef & Arpels' Chinese inspirations. Among the many milestones of jewelry they have produced are the first watch with a leather strap (1923); the famous "Mystery Setting" technique, a paving procedure that uses no visible claws to contain the stone; the Zip necklace, which opens and closes like a zip (1950); and more recently, the Lotus "Between-the-Finger" ring (2001). Van Cleef & Arpels' highly demanding gemmologists select only the most exceptional stones for the firm's magnificent creations. With 280 full-color reproductions, The Art of Beauty celebrates Van Cleef & Arpels' unrivalled excellence and its quest for perfect beauty.

This sumptuous clothbound volume reviews the history of the legendary French perfume, watch and jewelry designers Van Cleef & Arpels. The Paris-based company's prestige stems from a long list of prominent commissionsissued by royal and imperial courts, financiers and industrial magnates, and its work resides in prominent treasuries worldwide. The full range of Van Cleef & Arpels' extraordinary jewelry has now been reassembled from numerous private collections and public museums, and is presented here together for the first time. The designs are grouped under four different headings: "Spirit of Beauty," "Spirit of Elegance," "Spirit of Adventure" and "Incarnation." The photographer for this book is Patrick Gries of La Fondation Cartier; an introduction by the great movie actress Catherine Deneuve sums up the elegance of the Van Cleef & Arpels style.