When a jeweller duets with dance

HOW MANY JEWELLERS IN THE world have a director of dance and culture programmes? We can think of only one – Van Cleef & Arpels.

To dedicate someone – in this case Serge Laurent, who previously held curatorial roles at Paris’ Pompidou Centre and Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art – to such a role says a lot. It is a reflection of just how seriously the French luxury brand takes the art form, and how much it values its close relationship with dance.

Of course, such a connection didn’t happen by chance. It’s a century-long affair, seeded by no less than ballet-loving Louis Arpels – one of the maison’s founders – who enjoyed taking his nephew Claude to the Opera Garnier near the jeweller’s Place Vendome boutique back in the 1920s.

A passion for ballet

What started as a deep appreciation for dance naturally found its way into inspiration for the maison.

By 1941, Van Cleef & Arpels had created its first Dancer clips. Under the skilful hands of master craftsmen, the delicate figurines seem to come alive flying through the air, or with their golden arms and legs poised in mid-dance, bejewelled skirts flowing with the joy of movement. Instantly recognisable and collectible, these meticulously handcrafted feminine figures soon became one of the maison’s signatures.

Likewise, the friendship between Claude Arpels and legendary ballet choreographer George Balanchine in the 1960s helped inspire Balanchine’s ballet Jewels in 1967. The maison went on to collaborate with many other artistes and companies, including the Royal Opera House in London, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and the Australian Ballet.

Though ballet was the starting point, Van Cleef & Arpels’ generous support eventually extended beyond this graceful, technical dance to contemporary forms full of freedom, emotional expression and innovation. In 2012, it started sponsoring choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project. Three years later, it introduced the Fedora – Van Cleef & Arpels Dance Prize to reward excellence and inventiveness in new choreographies.

Meanwhile, the maison’s love affair with dance continued to inspire its own artisans. In 2006, the Ballet Precieux High Jewellery collection was launched, paying homage to ballet via refined Dancer clips.

These expressive figures with distinctive rose-cut diamond faces are dressed in jewelled costumes that perfectly mimic stage costumes from famous ballets such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Firebird. Enchanting new Dancers including those from diverse cultures are periodically added.

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A commitment to dance

This duet between jeweller and dance represents a symbiotic relationship that not only endured but also flourished over the years. In 2020, Van Cleef & Arpels proceeded to throw even more of its considerable weight behind choreographic arts, pouring finances to sponsor artistes and institutions with their creations and helping present the works.

This new initiative, called Dance Reflections, supports residencies, workshops, new productions and tours through extensive partnerships with theatres, festivals and dance companies across the world. Two years after its founding, the first edition of the annual Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival was launched in London.

Singapore has also benefited from the maison’s lavish funding, with Van Cleef & Arpels partnering Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay for Dance Reflections performances since 2024.

Given that the arts tend to be among the first to suffer when economic and political uncertainties take hold, it is reassuring – and remarkable – that one of the biggest names in jewellery is unwavering in its ever strengthening support.

May this be the duet that lasts forever.