VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Year 2010
Unique piece
"Les voyages extraordinaires" Collection
Exceptionnal "Hephaïstos" necklace composed of
two rows of 136 Birman rubies balls
Pink and white 18k gold (750‰) clasp, accented
with round and yellow diamonds and spinels
Signed, numbered JH000531, engraved VCA G750
Length: 47 cm
Gross weight: 211,3 g
Accompanied by a Certificate from the Laboratoire
SSEF n° 56425 dated 10/05/2010 stating:
Origin: Burma
Without traces of thermal treatment
Diameters:
- rang A: 13,50 à 7,80 mm
- rang B: 11,65 à 8,50 cm
Presentation case
Provenance: Private Collection, France
The "Les voyages extraordinaires" collection created
by Van Cleef & Arpels is placed under the sign of
Jules Verne, genius of invention and precursor of
science-fiction.
This Haute Joaillerie Collection invites one to travel
through four works - "Five weeks in a balloon",
"Journey to the Center of the Earth", "From the Earth
to the Moon" and the famous "Twenty Thousand
Leagues under the Seas".
Exceptionnal Van Cleef & Arpels Necklace
”Journey to the Center of the Earth”, the third book
of Jules Verne “Extraordinary Voyages”, inspired
Van Cleef & Arpels to create this necklace, a unique
piece, named “Hephaïstos”: god of Fire, forge and
volcanoes.
Queen of the gems, that the Indians named in
Sanskrit “rananayaka”, the first of the stones,
contained in their eyes an inextinguishable internal
fire. As soon as in the 16 th Century, the value of the
ruby was estimated to be twice that of the emerald,
and eight times that of the diamond.
There are no creations in High Jewellery without the
discovery of exceptional stones.
“Van Cleef & Arpels has a vast organization across
all continents.
All over the world, correspondents point out the
stones that will allow to compose a remarkable piece
for its unity, its perfection, its harmony (...)
More recently, in 1977, an impressive lot of Burmese
ruby balls was sold in Geneva, and, the following
year, another lot ideally matched to the first was
discovered in India. This set allowed the creation of
several sets of jewelry which, even today, have no
equivalent.”
An arrangement of 136 unheated Burmese rubies in
magnificent crimson shades remains a unique event
in High Jewellery.
