In the mid-1950s, a winking cat with the other eye in emerald, a ruby nose and a body blackened by onyx was one of the animal clips in La Boutique, featuring a range of accessible daywear jewellery created by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Inspired by American cartoons, Ruffled Lion, Mischievous Cat, Rebellious Duck and other cute animals featured in the playful collection. Now the Paris-based maison continues to capture various creatures and their natural movement along with their onyx gaze as jewellery by adding more members to the Lucky Animals collection, launched in 2017.
Bordered by golden beads, the new clips Teddy Bear, Fox, Dachshund, Bichon Frisé and Frog feature different combinations of stone and mother-of-pearl.
The ornamental stones are chosen for their bright, uniform colour. Orange-red carnelian, for instance, lends a shiny coat to the adventurous and joyful Dachshund while malachite evokes the green skin of the ready-to-hop Frog.
The Fox's silky coat is highlighted by translucent carnelian and its tail by white mother-of-pearl, which also adorns the Teddy Bear with a tender expression.
The cloudless white mother-of-pearl renders a regular reflection while the grey variety shimmers with subtle nuances. The pairing of the two types gives a subtle softness to the adorable Bichon Frisé clip.
Van Cleef & Arpels highlights the craftsmanship in making each poetic clip. Cutting the stones and mother-of-pearl and polishing the pieces are delicate operations due to the components' small size.
Outlining the animals' silhouettes, the fine gold beads are hand-polished bringing out a precious touch of light. Highly polished gold is used on the legs, ears and muzzles to bring the critters to life.
Other clips in the Lucky Animals collection include a rabbit with a combination of mahogany obsidian and white mother-of-pearl; a hummingbird with malachite and lapis lazuli; and a lion ironically embellished with tiger's eye.
