A French 18 ct. Gold and Lapis Lazuli ring.French marks. Signed by Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels (VCA) was founded in 1898 in Paris by Alfred van Cleef and Charles and Julian Arpels, his brothers-in-law. Eight years later they were already so succesful that they moved to the chique Place Vendôme. Within a few years shops were opened in resorts in France, frequented by the élite as well as in several cities abroad.VCA gained a well deserved reputation for fine quality jewellery as eell as innovation. They developed the technique of "invisble setting" enabling stones to be set without an indication of the setting. To appeal to the more casual lifestyle of the younger generation VCA developed in the 1950s the Boutique-concept; an example soon thereafter followed by many leading jewel houses. VCA is world-wide renowned as one of the finest jewellers in the world.
