In Praise of Hands The Art of Fine Jewelry at Van Cleef & Arpels

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This illustrated book’s coated paper pages takes us on a tour of dream and poetry to the very heart of luxury jewellery, to the secrets of the prestigious Van Cleef & Arpels house! A book that explains how each major Van Cleef & Arpels jewel is the result of the fantastic savoir faire of the Mains d’Or, the Golden Hands — Van Cleef’s craftspeople of sublime.

Author: Franco Cologni

Publishing House: Marsilio Editori

Publication Date: 2013

Founded in Paris in 1896, Van Cleef & Arpels is perhaps the most renown maison of fine jewellery in the world. The book reveals for the first time the secrets of the Mains d’Or that make every piece by Van Cleef & Arpels a unique jewel.

The human hand takes pride in its work, which provides its most authentic means of self-realization. With this book, Van Cleef & Arpels wish to pay homage to all those skilled and knowledgeable hands, whose humility and selflessness make it possible for jewellery to exist. It is a life force, transmitted by jewellers, setters, polishers and all those who are dailyconfronted by age-old and precious materials: shaping, transforming and exalting them, without ever betraying the reverence that a masterpiece should inspire. As the creators of objects that continue to demonstrate the evolution and consistency of the Van Cleef & Arpels style, the master craftmen from the workshops in the Place Vendôme are not just gifted artisans. They are not satisfied by melting, shaping, setting, assembling and polishing. They are not content with mere beauty: they are constantly searching for new challenges to slake their thirst for progress.