Ballerina clips by Van Cleef & Arpels from "The Spirit of Beauty" exhibition

Femininity, nature and grace have always provided constant inspiration for the exquisite creations of Van Cleef & Arpels, and some of the most enduring and charming examples of this inspiration are the Fairy and Ballerina clips, which were invented at the beginning of the 1940s in New York. A collaboration between Maurice Duvalet, a French-born designer based in New York, Van Cleef & Arpels and John Rubel, their manufacturer, resulted in the production of these extremely rare miniature gem-set figures, probably as a result of Louis Arpels' passion for the opera and ballet. Emerging from the Great Depression, they responded enthusiastically to these lovely creations as they saw them as a symbol of joy and hope for better days to come. Caught in graceful movement of various dance poses, their little faces were always represented by a rose-cut diamond, making the jewel come alive, while their costumes sparkled with mostly rose-cut diamonds accentuated by rubies and emeralds mounted in platinum. Inspired by these fabulous and fun jewels from New York, the ballerinas appeared in France in the mid 1940s and remained a key jewel until the end of the 1960s when their production ceased. Loved by the public, the French ballerinas had a distinct style: sculpted mainly in gold, the Parisian House used turquoise, ruby and sapphire and rarely ever diamonds.

Ballerina clip
Platinum, diamonds, emeralds, circa 1940
Van Cleef & Arpels' Collection