More or less, Van Cleef & Arpels discusses Egyptology through its exquisite haute joaillerie.
The new Fascinating Egypt collection includes the Narration Précieuse necklace with geometric lines drawn from one of the illustrations by Léon-Jean-Joseph Dubois in Le Panthéon Égyptien.
The geometric frieze depicting a ram, the living emblem of the deity Amun-Ra, has been reinterpreted on the yellow gold and platinum necklace with a detachable pendant.
Centred by a 5.66-carat Colombian emerald and structured like a mosaic, three rows of variously-sized gadroons are embellished with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.
Released in 1823, Le Panthéon Égyptien is a foundational publication by Jean-François Champollion -- the Father of Egyptology. In the previous year, the French scholar and philologist unravelled the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphics, particularly by deciphering inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone.
A century later, the science of Egyptology advanced with the excavation of the virtually intact tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. British archaeologist Howard Carter and his team unearthed well-preserved artefacts of the Golden Pharaoh.
The discovery in November 1922 sparked a fascination with the ancient civilisation, which was translated into jewellery by the Paris-based Van Cleef & Arpels.
In 2026, its new high-jewellery creations include the Paysage trio, which echoes the maison's Egyptian-style cuff bracelets from the 1920s.
The sculpted-gold motifs are engraved, hammered, polished or gadrooned for a juxtaposition of different textures while faceted and buff-topped gemstones surround the metallic elements, like micro-mosaics.
In yellow gold, the Paysage Merveilleux and Paysage Royal bracelets respectively depict a pyramid landscape and a pharaoh mask in pop-art colour.
The white gold Paysage Secret carries a hidden message, "Horizon of Eternity", through hieroglyphic symbols spread out between the successions of pillars, recalling colonnades of ancient temples.
The monumental architecture and huge ornate ceilings of these temples inspire the Nuit Étoilée table clock and its celestial decoration with yellow gold stars, some with a central diamond, twinkling on a lapis lazuli sky.
Enhanced by rubies and diamonds, lapis lazuli lends its dense blue shade to the transformable Ornement de Saphir, designed to evoke chest jewellery found in ancient tombs and 1920s long necklaces, while the rounded motifs and association of colours recall work of the Memphis Group in the 1980s.
The necklace can be converted into short and long versions, two bracelets, and the detachable medallion, centred by a blue oval sapphire from Sri Lanka, serves as a clip.
Other clips include Fleur de Lotus Mystérieuse portraying the emblematic flower in Egyptian iconography and showcasing Traditional Mystery Set rubies.
Marquetry of turquoise in three shades is dotted by golden studs representing the Sun on the Vénus Égyptienne clip. A half circle contrasts with the deep blue and pyrite flecks of lapis lazuli and the radiance of diamonds on yellow gold.
White gold falcons flank a round diamond, weighing 1.51 carats, on this tribute to Hathor, the goddess of love, beauty and music.
Van Cleef & Arpels also pays homage to Bastet -- the cat-headed goddess and protector of the home. Coral, lapis lazuri, turquoise and precious stones, including buff-topped Traditional Mystery Set emeralds, adorn the Bastet Mystérieuse clip in yellow, white and rose gold, with articulated pendeloques.
The same combination of gold is used in crafting the Pharaon Sacré clip set with diamonds and rubies. A pear-shaped ruby graces the pschent, the double crown, on the head of the pharaoh, whose supreme power is symbolised by the heqa and nekhekh in each hand.
Cleopatra appears in the collection as the Muse Éternelle clip in white and yellow gold, with a rose-cut diamond as her face, a sceptre in her left hand and the ankh cross, symbolising life, in the palm of her right hand.
Worn by Egyptian royalty, breastplates have been reimagined as the graphic Beauté Légendaire necklace, centred by a fancy vivid yellow diamond.
A six-pronged bezel holds this 10.02-carat cushion-cut gemstone on the necklace, crisscrossed by lines of polished yellow gold representing garlands and with a clasp hidden beneath a lotus flower motif.
Reminiscent of palmettes on ancient frescos, 17 relief motifs unfurl across the Rivage Égyptien necklace boasting 37 pear-shaped Zambian emeralds weighing a total of 41.58 carats.
Overall, vestiges of the ancient Egyptian civilisation are celebrated through 180 abstract and figurative pieces, alongside more recent interpretations, in Van Cleef & Arpels high-jewellery epic.
