Pure emotion.
When you cross the threshold of the new Van Cleef&Arpels boutique at 15 Via dei Condotti, Rome suddenly feels like Paris. In the store you are immersed in a sensational scenery of brilliant lights, a “stardust”, giving that joy that only a space of art and beauty can give.
Van Cleef&Arpels is a very enduring maison, founded in Paris in 1906 and born out the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. It was a bright union indeed, whose result was then carried on by the following generations. Worldly known for its high jewelry collections – such as the Alhambra motif and the Pierre de Caractère collection which includes its most important creations – Van Cleef&Arpels is now synonym with beauty and dream.
The opening of the new 200m² boutique in Rome, spread over two floors linked by an exquisite staircase, was celebrated with an exhibition of unique pieces from the Maison’s private collections. Among those pieces there are jewels realized using an invisible stone setting technique patented by Van Cleef&Arpels called Serti Mystérieux and vintage creations once owned by iconic women such as Princess Soraja of Iran.
In the salons for the guests, the fairies and ballerinas inspired clip collections, with golden figures completely covered with rare precious stones, stand out.
What is truly amazing about the themes Van Cleef&Arpels chooses for its jewels is the Maison’s imagination…Imagination is dreaming, it’s going beyond a precious object, a colour or a trend.
After the exhibition and the first champagne cocktail offered in the boutique in Via dei Condotti, the opening celebration went on at the historic residence of PalazzoTorlonia. It is in the roman Palace living rooms, surrounded by their stucco decorations and with a fabulous mise en table, that Van Cleef&Arpels wanted to pay tribute to Rome and its eternal beauty.
Roses and peonies arrangements wrapped crystal candelabra whose warm enchanting lights enhanced the magical atmosphere, while classical music notes echoed through that space covered with frescoes and wonderful paintings.
Now I understand: isn’t it light the real protagonist of this story? A beauty which through your eyes reaches your heart, to save this world and see its pure grace.
Edoardo
At Palazzo Torlonia
Photocredits: Gianluca Palma
Special thanks to: Carlo Pignatelli for my outfit
