Pirates, sea creatures, and Mayan gods come alive in Van Cleef & Arpels’ Treasure Island

If a jeweller is a vehicle that transports you into a fantasy realm, then Van Cleef & Arpels is a mighty sailing vessel. For its new high jewellery collection, Treasure Island, it whisks modern collectors deep into the eponymous 1883 literary work by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Published at the tail end of sea exploration’s golden era, when swashbuckling pirates sought out distant riches and Charles Darwin discovered brave new worlds, this adventure story ignites the collective imagination today as much as it did over a century ago — thanks to the French maison’s revival of its most epic elements.

The creative compass that guides this collection is the maison’s illustrious heritage, which is reflected in the convergence of its various universes. 

Its penchant for maritime adventure dates back to 1906, after the maison’s founding, demonstrated by a bejewelled scale reproduction of the Varuna yacht. Through the following decades, the house developed its own “marine reserve” of flora and fauna pieces, both aquatic and tropical. Far-flung lands and cultures, from pre-Colombian to Eastern and Far Eastern, have also informed some of Van Cleef & Arpels’ most iconic designs. 

Breathing life into these new creations, together with stupendous artistry and craftsmanship, are, of course, the gemstones — only the finest in the world — so cherished by the house that its second-generation head, Claude Arpels, had dedicated his life to scouring the world for them.

As described by Nicolas Bos, Van Cleef & Arpels’ president and CEO, the collection is “playful and entertaining”, which he believes “awakens a feeling of joy”. Composed of nearly 300 flawlessly intricate, three-dimensional, and whimsical designs, it recreates a magic that Julie Clody Medina, president of Van Cleef & Arpels Asia-Pacific, identifies as “the reawakening of our child soul”.

During the recent global launch of the Treasure Island high jewellery collection in Phuket, Medina sheds more light into the selection of the Stevenson novel as the thematic inspiration: “We’re a story-teller, and the red thread that ties everything together is a sense of enchantment. Like the book, the collection goes beyond Western references, and speaks to everybody across generations.”

Interpreting the story in the right tone for high jewels was of utmost importance, as she elaborates. “We paid strong attention to it. We didn’t want to fall into a trap, expressing the creations too much like comics or cartoons. In this collection, there is the right level of detail, elegance, preciousness, and a little touch of humour. The way the maison pushed this exercise to another level — to convey a sense of wonder and poetry — is extraordinary.”

Seaward bound

While Treasure Island is sectioned as a three-part saga, one showpiece is the culmination of the collection’s spirit and the virtuosity of the maison’s artisans. Called the Palmier Mysterieux clip, it flaunts a palm tree with velvety Mystery Set fronds, a sculpted rose gold trunk and sparkling diamonds. Under it sits three interchangeable motifs — a diamond boat, a sun, and a chest of precious stones — all elaborately sculpted in yellow gold.

The first chapter charts the course using the language of navigation and aquatic inspirations. As in the book, the Hispaniola is at the heart of this bejewelled journey, a zippy and sturdy schooner designed as a clip. It is adorned with large diamond-set sails billowing in the wind and a striated rose gold hull reproducing the aesthetic of historic broad-plank boat construction.

In the tradition of the maison’s figurine-making expertise, the main characters of John, David, and Jim come to life as a trio of Pirate clips. Their composition features three colours of finely worked gold accentuated with rubies, blue and pink sapphires, and diamonds. Every element is shaped by hand before lost-wax casting, resulting in remarkable details such as headwear, bouffant sleeves, a telescope, a wooden leg, an engraved mast, and curls of parchment.

Honouring ancient sailor’s knots are several magnificent transformable masterpieces. Two ropes of blue sapphires and diamonds are looped around each other on the Cordage Infini necklace and held in place with a sapphire infinity knot tipped with mobile tassels. On the latter dangles, two pear-shaped sapphires totalling 35.37 carats can be removed to be worn on matching earrings.

The En Haute Mer necklace translates the maison’s braided gold craftsmanship, developed in the 1940s, into this complex rendition of white and gold ropes. Sheet bends, carrick bends, reef knots, and clove hitches are the featured knots, while an emerald-cut blue sapphire centre stone weighing 55.34 carats is detachable to be affixed to a matching ring.

The Mousaillon necklace, which references the twisted fabric necktie favoured by historic seafarers, is also produced using the same techniques. Here, gold takes on volume and silkiness, culminating in a single 23.47-carat oval spessartite garnet accented with mobile tassels of diamonds and blue sapphires.

Beyond the boat are dazzlers that evoke the wonders seen from the ship deck. The Poissons Mysterieux clip depicts a ballet of fish in Vitrail Mystery Set coloured sapphires and diamonds. In contrast, the Poesie de La Mer clip features a diamond mermaid embracing a large blue-green tourmaline. 

In a scene rendered in relief, a shoal of fish in sculpted gold swims in currents depicted by paillone enamel on the lid of the Onde Mysterieuse box. Telling the time is a secret watch dial, hidden by a choice of two swivelling detachable clips — one with Mystery Set diamonds and sapphires and the other, with diamonds, blue tourmalines, and sapphires.

Shore, ahoy!

Fascinating sights upon anchoring await in the second chapter, which Van Cleef & Arpels expresses with breathtaking flair. A crown of palm leaves is rendered as the transformable Palmeraie Merveilleuse necklace, flaunting articulated fronds of gold and diamonds.

At its centre is a 47.93-carat emerald cabochon, in the hue of tropical foliage, set on a removable pendant that can be attached to a clip.

One can only guess what treasure lies within the Coquillage Mysterieux clip, a seashell with a velvety surface afforded by buff-topped Traditional Mystery Set rubies with brilliant white and pink diamonds. Turning the piece over unveils a sculpted white gold fairy holding an emerald perched atop a white cultured pearl.

More stunning blue sapphires are shown on the adorable Tortue de Cocos clips, whose name combines that of a turtle with an island off the coast of Costa Rica. The gem, as buff-topped Mystery Set pieces on a string of scalloped seashells, also adorns the Coquilles Mysterieuses bracelet, also available in a ruby version.

The bi-coloured Ondulations Marines earrings also depict the spiral form of certain molluscs. On one side, a 5-carat mauve sapphire is suspended, and on the other, a 4.55-carat pink sapphire. Both sapphires are pear-shaped, contrasting with the above pink and violet sapphire curves.

Certainly, these natural treasures only pave the way to the pot of gold on the horizon. In the third chapter, the Carte au Tresor clip points the way. It depicts a golden rolled-up map wrapped with a twisted cord and mobile tassels, decorated with partially hidden engravings, and even a ruby indicating the hiding place of a chest.

And true to Van Cleef & Arpels’ love of exotic cultures, the colourful bounty is inspired by those dear to the maison’s design vocabulary. The Ornement d’Alexandrina ring pays homage to Victorian-style jewels; three Splendeur Indienne Rings are emblematic of the Mughal style; the Coffre Precieux ring boasts a composition evoking a Vincent van Gogh painting; and a glowing yellow sapphire signet ring is christened Dorestad in honour of a well-known port in the Middle Ages.

Transformable between long and short versions is the Lanternes Mysterieuses necklace. Comprising lavender jadeite beads, it is punctuated by oval Chinese lantern-shaped connecting clasps showcasing buff-topped rubies and sapphires decorated with the Mystery Set technique.

Ancient Central and South American inspirations also come to the fore in the Figuras bracelet, which resembles a strand of coins depicting pre-Colombian-style diamond-set faces, and the Libertad transformable diamond earrings with detachable pendants, which reference the style of the Chimu civilisation in Peru.

Rounding out Van Cleef & Arpels’ tour de force are a series of Mayan-inspired creations rendered in jaw-dropping detail. In the tradition of the maison’s beloved dancers and fairies, these mythical characters’ faces are represented by a single rose-cut diamond. 

Huracan, god of wind, storms, and fire, takes shape in a geometric cloak of precious coloured stones as the Dieu du Vent clip. Itzamna, god of the sky, night, and day, is fashioned with diamonds and holds an emerald and three sapphires in his palm. And portrayed seated proudly on a throne, cross-legged on the ground, or immortalised mid-dance, the Roi d’Uxmal, Gardien de Palenque and Danseur de Tikal clips are beyond splendid.

The gold workmanship here pays tribute to the Mayan goldsmiths’ techniques — through the engraving on the headdress of the Gardien de Palenque, beading on the Roi d’Uxmal clip, and hammering true to the civilisation’s sculptures on the Danseur de Tikal.