In the 1930s, just after the end of the war, everything came back to life, full of scenes of liberation, celebration and peace, and the sequin fashion elements were born at that time. The Bouton d’Or collection of Van Cleef & Arpels combines the sleek lines of the Paillette elements with traditional and modern touches, using three-dimensional textures and colourful finish to create a new design style that sparkle with curves.
The Paillette pattern first appeared in the classy collection of Van Cleef & Arpels in 1939. In the 1940s, Van Cleef & Arpels interprets the precious yellow gold jewellery crafts with colourful creativity, forming a round ring or a gorgeous double-chain necklace, and also assembling a jewel bouquet. Or inlaid with a variety of coloured gemstones, embellished on the ballet skirt, showing a sly and eye-catching stereo effect.
The Van Cleef & Arpels Bouton d’Or series reinterprets the classic jewellery styles that the brand designed in the late 1930s, with a combination of K gold and gems to create a gorgeous warmth. The design of the three-layered sequins constitutes a high and low undulating visual level, and the wearing effect is more flexible and natural. The sequin pattern on this Van Cleef & Arpels necklace of Bouton d’Or is made up of three materials: yellow gold, Armenian stone and green pine. The gradient finish is created by a different arrangement.
The Bouton d’Or collection uses curves to create a striking and feminine design. This pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings of Bouton d’Or has a slightly asymmetrical design, as they dance with every movement of the body, and the fascinating shades of several materials shine under the light, like a magnificent dance of light and shadow.
Sequins usually have two shapes, either convex or concave, and a closed inlaid diamond is decorated in the middle of each sequin. The concave and convex curved surface of each piece of beads is finely polished to make the diamond more shining.
Making the Bouton d’Or collection requires jewellery technicians to have extremely precise, meticulous craftsmanship and high technology. After the gold jewellery is hand-shaped, It has to go through a series of polishing. The embossed trims require special polishing techniques to bring out the radiance of precious metals while maintaining the overall shape. These patterns are then joined in a delicate way to make the materials more dazzling.
In order to ensure the softness and elasticity of each piece of Bouton d’Or Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery, each figure is carefully assembled by the jewellery technician with extremely precise workmanship. Each piece of jewellery is often composed of hundreds of parts, and the number of parts of the necklace can be up to one thousand. After the assembly work is completed, it is also necessary to undergo a rigorous inspection to ensure that each finished product meets the strict standards of Van Cleef & Arpels for quality and retouching.
