The Italian rose transformable clip
A major piece part of the Romeo & Juliet High Jewelry collection, the Italian rose transformable clip pays homage to the destiny and eternal passion of the young lovers. The creation is brought to life by the Navette Mystery Set™ technique, which the Maison has interpreted in rubies for the third time ever.
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Italian rose transformable clip, white gold, rose gold, Navette Mystery Set™ buff-topped rubies, pink sapphires, rubies, diamonds. Romeo & Juliet High Jewelry collection.
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View of the Italian rose transformable clip worn as a necklace. Romeo & Juliet High Jewelry collection.
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View of the Navette Mystery Set™ buff-topped rubies rose worn as a clip. Italian rose transformable clip, Romeo & Juliet High Jewelry collection.
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View of the diamond rose worn as a clip. Italian rose transformable clip, Romeo & Juliet High Jewelry collection.
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, act II, scene 2
The rose, mentioned by Juliet in the famous balcony scene, has inspired the Maison to create a transformable clip adorned with two flowers. One of them – reflecting the youth and freshness of the heroine – is made up of diamonds of various shapes, coming together to form a corolla in full bloom. The other – a token of Romeo's love – is interpreted in full blossom and bursting with life, thanks to the technique of Navette Mystery Set™ rubies. Its heart is depicted by a round diamond surrounded by baguette-cut diamonds, with another row of square diamonds bordering the petals. A delicate harmony of pink sapphires, rubies and diamonds adorns the stalks and leaves of the clip, which are suffused with natural movement.
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Gouaché of the Italian rose transformable clip.
An emblematic example of Van Cleef & Arpels' savoir-faire, the Mystery Set™ technique consists in concealing the metal beneath precious stones, to highlight their color and brilliance. This complex setting method, patented by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1933, has been perfected and enriched by the Maison over the years. Beginning in the 2000s, two new techniques have been developed: they include the Navette Mystery Set™, which endows creations with a striking relief effect. The stones – rubies, sapphires, emeralds or diamonds – are cut into buff-topped navettes and fastened to a multi-layered structure, each one individually positioned on a golden honeycomb. The Navette Mystery Set™ – which requires a very high standard of stone selection, stone-cutting and jewelry craftsmanship – has only been used seven times since 2006: to recreate the body of a fish, the plumage of a bird, pine cones, and now the red flower of the Italian rose clip.
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Jewelry work, adjusting the gold structure, Italian rose transformable clip.
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Jewelry work, preparing the openwork, Italian rose transformable clip.
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Lapidary work on the Mystery Set™ rubies, Italian rose transformable clip.
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Positioning the rubies in the Mystery Set™ honeycombs, Italian rose transformable clip.
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Jewelry work on the Mystery set™ rubies, Italian rose transformable clip.
In keeping with the Maison's transformable creations, the rose motif can be detached and worn suspended at the end of a ribbon of diamonds, or alone as a clip. The various elements make up an impressively-sized ensemble, only a few of which have been created in Van Cleef & Arpels' history.