EVER LOOKED UP AT the night sky, enthralled by the beauty of the heavens and wishing you could take a piece of it to keep close to you forever?

Now, through Van Cleef & Arpels’ artful Zodiaque collections, you can – and in precious materials too.

Paying homage to the medals that appeared in its collections in the 1950s, the French luxury jeweller honours the celestial bodies this time round with two collections that recreate the symbolism of the constellations.

There are new interpretations of the signs of the Western zodiac – cleverly combined with rare ornamental stones, or appearing simply in pure gold, and always reflecting the maison’s inspiration from both nature and astronomy.

Stargazing

In the 1970s, Van Cleef & Arpels designed coloured pendants. Today, a worthy tribute comes in the form of 12 long necklaces which reinterpret the signs of the zodiac.

Like a three-dimensional tableau, each pendant is adorned with motifs in rose gold on both sides.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 2 pm

Lifestyle

Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.

Sign Up

On one side, the scene focuses on figures and elements traditionally associated with each zodiac sign. What this translates into are animals and characters depicted in relief in the foreground. Meanwhile, the elements evoking fire, air, water or earth are represented in stylised, graphic form in the background – much like Art Deco compositions.

On the other side of the pendants are depictions of the symbols of the signs, their names and the dates to which they correspond in the calendar.

The rose gold tableau encloses ornamental stones which are carefully selected to give each sign its unique character. From the earth comes naturally beautiful stones, and the jeweller has made good use of them. In turn, a diverse range of coloured pieces, individually chosen for their specific aesthetic characteristics, help to enhance each tableau.

For instance, those chosen to depict water signs evoke the world’s seas. Cancer’s blue quartz embodies the depth of the oceans, Pisces’s sodalite its salty foam and Scorpio’s turquoise the clear waters of exotic shores.

For the earth signs, malachite with undulating motifs was picked for Virgo, randomly chromed aventurine for Taurus and vivid amazonite for Capricorn.

Meanwhile, the air signs are represented by the intensely flecked blue of lapis lazuli on the Gemini medal, blue aventurine for Aquarius and shimmering gold obsidian for Libra.

Finally, highly graphic materials were selected to adorn the fire signs, wonderfully evoking flames and lava. For Aries, it was iron eye, while red pietersite was picked for Sagittarius. Red jasper completed the picture for Leo.

Meaningful medallions

There is something very precious about gold medallions that makes you want to keep them forever. And that is probably what Van Cleef & Arpels had in mind with its second set of 12 zodiac medallions in yellow gold.

These were designed as contemporary versions of the originals that appeared in the maison’s collections from the 1950s onwards. Among the jeweller’s historic creations were also zodiac-inspired charms, bracelets, pendants, clips and cufflinks.

Celebrating its rich heritage, the new collection of zodiac medallions has brought its first-ever medals back to life in new dimensions – 21 mm in diameter – with an emphasis on their symbolism and intimate quality.

Crafted from intricately polished yellow gold, both sides of each piece are adorned with depictions and dates of the signs of the zodiac, in a subtle interplay of relief.

Full of wonder and imagination, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Zodiaque collections are personal jewellery, meant to carry special significance and meaning for the wearer.

And best of all, they are for keeps.