The Way They Move

With a shared passion for beauty and excellence, these illustrious jewellers make a deep dive into the fantastical world of performing arts.

- NIKITA NAWAWI

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS

Something wonderful happened when Van Cleef & Arpels last sat down with Benjamin Millepied and learned about his upcoming dance revival of Romeo and Juliet. It prompted an all-new high jewellery collection dedicated to the star-crossed lovers. But what some of us might not know, that wasn’t the first time the brand had been in conversation with the French choreographer nor was it the first time it had linked itself to the world of dance.

The not-so-secret love affair between the two can be traced back to the 1940s when Louis Arpels created the brand’s very first ballerina clips. His fascination for ballet and opera was mutually shared by his nephew Claude, who in turn had courted co-founder of the New York City Ballet George Balanchine. Inspired by Van Cleef & Arpels’ emeralds, rubies and diamonds, Balanchine then put together a special ballet showing titled Jewels in 1967.

Fast forward to half a century later, the jeweller has forged a new partnership with Millepied’s L.A Dance Project, giving rise to the Gems dance trilogy. The founder of the artist collective brought his vision of precious stones to life with every chapter of the series: Reflections which was staged at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris; Hearts & Arrows at Gusman Center’s Olympia Theater in Miami; and On the Other Side at Sadler’s Wells in London.

CARTIER