Van Cleef & Arpels exhibit spans more than 100 years of jewelry design

Just as New York Fashion Week was wrapping up at Lincoln Center, posters featuring larger-than-life images of jewelry adorned the walls of nearby subway stations.  Those images provided just a small glimpse into the largest exhibition ever staged for Parisian jewelry company Van Cleef & Arpels.

“Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels” spans the company’s history since its 1896 founding.  The space at the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum divides more than 350 pieces, images and related memorabilia into six sections.  Of note is the “Personalities” section, which features jewelry worn by celebrities and royalty, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, and H.S.H. Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly).

The exhibition runs at the Cooper-Hewitt until June 5, but in the case that you cannot make it to New York before then, our photographer Kwai Chan took some photos at the press preview.

all photos by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine