Grand Ambitions

In the spirit of travel and education, Van Cleef & Arpels takes a centuries-old tradition of European sojourns to new heights with their stunning multi-city destination of high jewellery.

- Kenneth Goh

I’m seated in the beautiful gardens and maze of the Villa Medici in Rome, sipping a glass of bubbly in the shade of the evening sun. The sky is sparkling blue, the sandy walkway golden and warm to the touch—heated during the day by brilliant sunshine that only seems to get hotter by the minute in this Eternal City. I imagine myself as one of the gentlemen described vividly by Nicolas Bos, CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels. Invited by him to experience the wonders of their high jewellery collection, named Le Grand Tour, Bos describes a rite of passage for many young men in the old world as “a very important journey in Europe in the 18th and 19th century.”

These young artists and creators would often start the Grand Tour from London or Paris or Germany, and would traipse across Europe, visit Switzerland and the Alps, to discover the marvels of nature, art and culture. Italy was the main destination of the tour, which included beloved cities like Venice, Naples and Florence.

Here, in the gardens of the Villa Medici, I'm treated to a little hint of these places. Amazing set-ups with hot-air balloons to scenes of lovers seranading to each other in operatic Latin. In Bos’ words, it is this journey that inspired “our designers, craftsmen and store experts to create a collection that would pay tribute to the beautiful idea of travelling for arts and education.” Bos adds, “I love the idea that even sometimes, when we don’t know what the grand tour is about, when we talk about tourism, it is actually coming from the grand tour, and this is just a way to talk about it.”