Van Cleef & Arpels is the famed luxury jewelry company whose clientele have included people like the Duchess of Windsor, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor. Their craftspeople are always up for a challenge such as the incredible bejewelled zipper necklace which actually works like one.
Another challenge they completed a few years ago is an exquisite bejewelled fairy automaton. It was a years long collaboration with the automaton maker, François Junod.
Watch the video on the amazing creative process which involved many highly skilled people in different fields. You can well imagine the technical difficulties in bringing this concept design to fruition.
The fairy moves, the main lotus flower opens to reveal a fluttering butterfly and the whole lotus leaf pad undulates. A stunning beautiful object d'art!
H/T to Aims of BigBlueBarnDesigns for this find
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Wow, just wow.
ReplyDeletePearl, I have been following your blog for years, and I absolutely love all the wonderful things you share! This is such an incredible collaboration, and end result!!
ReplyDelete'If perfection exists' This! This is perfection!
ReplyDeleteI'm so in awe of this piece and all the work that went into it. Years?! I'm speechless. I can imagine being one of the jewelers and to hear him say - you don't notice the time passing - yes - I can imagine.
And I can imagine everyone's eyes when they saw it finished and working for the first time. How proud must they be of their accomplishment!
And to whomever owns this - total jealousy on my part.
It's obvious I absolutely adore/love this piece.
OMGgggggg!!! What a great find! Thank you, Pearl. What a delightful start to my work day. :)
ReplyDeleteStunning!! What an achievement. My journey through these pieces started with watching a cloisonne vase being made, then inspecting Faberge eggs and now artistry in motion. I do have some cloisonne pieces, but anything else would be far beyond my budget.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. Thanks Pearl.
ReplyDeletemy mouth is hanging open! that almost brought me to tears, it's so beautiful! and then, the questions! "years"?! that's a long time to work on one project! how much did it cost? is it for sale? does it require regular "maintenance" such as oiling or polishing? how does one store such a gem? I can't imagine having such a job.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible achievement as well as an extraordinary commitment of time and skill. Thank you for sharing this, Pearl.
ReplyDelete