Van Cleef & Arpels

Alfred Van Cleef, a diamond cutter's son, married Estelle Arpels, the daughter of a precious-stone dealer, in 1895. English Wikipedia says he founded the business in Paris in 1896 with his father-in-law, Salomon Arpels; French Wikipedia dates the house to 1906. That year Alfred and two of his brothers-in-law, Charles and Julien Arpels, opened the first boutique at 22 Place Vendôme, opposite the Ritz; the third brother, Louis, joined in 1913. The house followed its clients to resorts such as Deauville, Nice and Monte Carlo, and in 1925 a bracelet of ruby and diamond roses won the grand prize at the Paris Exposition of Decorative Arts.

Renée Puissant, Alfred's daughter, became artistic director in 1926 and worked with the draughtsman René Sim Lacaze for some twenty years. In 1933 the house patented its Mystery Set, which holds stones with no visible prongs; the Minaudière, a jewelled compartment case imagined by Charles Arpels, the Passe-Partout necklace of 1938 and the Zip necklace, conceived that year and made in 1950, followed. The house made a crown for Queen Nazli of Egypt in the 1930s.

Claude Arpels opened in New York in 1939, and the house moved to 744 Fifth Avenue, where it remains. After the war the second generation, Claude, Jacques and Pierre Arpels, ran the company. Louis Arpels's love of dance inspired ballerina and fairy clips, and Claude's friendship with George Balanchine led to the ballet Jewels in 1967; Jacques's belief in luck is cited behind the Alhambra collection.

In 1966 the house was commissioned to make the coronation crown of Empress Farah Pahlavi, set with 1,469 diamonds alongside emeralds, rubies and pearls. The work was done in Iran because none of the gems could leave the country.

Richemont acquired Van Cleef & Arpels in 1999 (2000 according to French Wikipedia). The house supported the founding of L'École des Arts Joailliers in 2012 and opened its first Australian boutique on Collins Street, Melbourne, in 2016, followed by Sydney's Castlereagh Street in 2017 and Chadstone in 2018.

Nicolas Bos, who led the house from 2013, became chief executive of Richemont in 2024, and on 1 September 2024 Catherine Rénier, previously head of Jaeger-LeCoultre, succeeded him.