THE Treasure HUNTERS

With the demand for timeless vintage pieces on the rise, high-end jewellery houses are shoring up the future by looking to their past, writes Mel Gaudron

- Mel Gaudron

In the hallowed halls of luxury brands, vintage is hot property. Whether it's searching for an original Alexander McQueen jacket or tracking down a Birkin bag, unearthing a rare heritage piece is akin to finding buried treasure.

This is certainly the case at luxury jewellery houses, where there is a real appetite for timeless vintage designs, preferably with a past. Who wouldn't love the fact their diamonds once dazzled at royal courts in Egypt, India or Great Britain? Or perhaps they have appeared on the arm of a famous Hollywood starlet.

At renowned French luxury house Van Cleef & Arpels, this connection between current collections and its deep history is intrinsic. "Our clients know that the pieces they are buying today are the Heritage pieces of tomorrow," says Nicolas Luchsinger, founder of the maison's Heritage collection and current president of Asia-Pacific. "They are timeless and have a story of their own."