Van Cleef & Arpels brings the myths of the Black Forest to life in its high jewellery
The Grand Tour inspires the new Van Cleef & Arpels high jewellery collection

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
For around 250 years, undertaking a Grand Tour was considered the pinnacle of good taste, intellectual curiosity and artistic learning. Embarked upon by young aristocratic types throughout the 16th to 19th centuries, this round-trip of Europe, sometimes taking years, saw a decline in popularity with the advent of accessible rail and sea travel. Yet we can always take our own version of the trip vicariously, through the Florence of Merchant Ivory’s A Room with a View, the Lake Geneva of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and the Versailles of whichever Marie-Antoinette biopic you happen to love most.
For its latest high jewellery collection, Le Grand Tour, French jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels is celebrating the romance of this cultural excursion. Naturally, the art-packed cities of Italy are a key reference – the turquoise-rich ‘Chant des Gondoliers’ necklace, from the Venice suite, needs no explanation, while central to the ‘Laurier Impérial’ clip, from the Rome suite, is a third-century intaglio sapphire portrait of emperor Caracalla. But it was the tinkling gold leaves of the ‘Feuillage Mystique’ and ‘Feuillage Enchanté’ pins, with their menacing air of Grimms’ fairy tales, that really drew us in. Part of the Baden-Baden suite, their yellow and rose gold leaves are meticulously formed like marquise-shape gemstones, radiating with pink and blue sapphire buds, while the substantial angel-skin and red coral trunks are carefully honed and polished from their original, organic forms.
The house’s decision to stop off at the lesser-known Grand Tour destination of Baden-Baden highlights the importance of the German spa town in bringing a different point of view to the collection, focusing not on the towering achievements of classical columns, awe-inspiring artworks and grand palaces, but something more esoteric – folkore. The ‘healing’ waters of the city’s natural thermal baths, the ‘magic’ flowers in traditional festival crowns, and the myths and legends of the Black Forest are celebrated in a mesmerising suite of jewels, some of which reference Baden-Baden’s ancient willow, birch, oak and linden trees, particularly those that form a serene presence around the city’s fabled Lichtenthal Abbey.
‘We still travel to widen our perspectives, in a quest for experiences and encounters,’ says Van Cleef & Arpels president and CEO Nicolas Bos. ‘With Le Grand Tour, we took inspiration from Roman, Etruscan, medieval and Renaissance antique jewellery, marrying it with our own heritage, style and craftsmanship to create enchanted souvenirs.’
This article appears in the October 2023 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Brooklyn furniture studio Stillmade unveils its first collaborative design series
Stillmade brings to life the designs of four New Yorkers – Pat Kim, Danny Kaplan, Michele Quan and Mignogna Studio
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Toyota and Jun Takahashi create a limited edition Aygo X
Toyota Aygo X Undercover edition is a city car spliced with a high-end streetwear brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Daniel Arsham debuts new work in Paris and New York
Daniel Arsham and Perrotin mark 20 years of collaboration with New York and Paris exhibitions
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Heritage meets modernity in Van Cleef & Arpels’ Seoul maison
Jouin Manku studio designs Van Cleef & Arpels’ Seoul project, running Korean and French design codes throughout
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Van Cleef & Arpels takes a Grand Tour of high jewellery
Van Cleef & Arpels presents a new high jewellery collection inspired by the traditional Grand Tour around Europe
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Van Cleef & Arpels’ flora- and fauna-inspired fine jewellery celebrates spring
New animal jewellery pieces in Van Cleef & Arpels’ ‘Lucky Animals’ and ‘Lucky Spring’ collections rethink familiar motifs
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Van Cleef & Arpels’ high jewellery ballerinas are an ode to dance
High jewellery becomes fluid with Van Cleef & Arpels’ ballerina clips, which capture the movement of dance in gold and precious stones
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Van Cleef & Arpels explore the history of gems
Van Cleef & Arpels connect mineralogy, gemmology and jewellery in a Paris exhibition
By Caragh McKay Last updated
-
Van Cleef & Arpels' 2021 high jewellery collection launches at Paris Couture Week
Sous les Etoiles looks to the heavens for inspiration
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
New gold dream: we’re drawn to yellow gold’s powerful primal light
The enticing appeal of yellow gold captivates us as strongly as it did our ancestors
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Once upon a time: Van Cleef & Arpels’ automaton tells a very human story
By Caragh McKay Last updated