In the early 20th century, Van Cleef & Arpels stunned the world with their perfected gem-setting method: The Mystery Setting

The Mystery Setting is a laborious and mystifying jewelry technique that gives the allusion that colorful and brilliant gems (like rubies and sapphires) are suspended in an ornate shape, free of any prongs or visible settings. While other brands like Cartier have patented similar settings, Van Cleef & Arpels firmly remains the leading master, employing it more extensively than any other brand.

Read on as we delve into how this stunning (and perhaps confounding) setting works…

The Origins of the Mystery Setting
In December 1933, Van Cleef & Arpels were granted the French patent for their Serti Mysterieux or Mystery Setting. This revolutionary and mind-bending setting was originally used to decorate miniaudieres, or small evening clutches.

The Mystery Set was however limited to only flat surfaces until May 1938 when Van Cleef & Arpels patented a new technique which allowed for the invisible setting to curve and twist into three-dimensional pieces of art.

How the Mystery Setting Works
The elaborate faceting technique does not rely upon traditional prongs to hold the stone. Each faceted stone is meticulously set on nearly imperceptible gold rails that are less than two-tenths of a millimeter (0.2mm) thick. (To compare, that is about the same thickness as two pieces of printer paper.) The result is a breath-taking, uninterrupted cascade of gems that appear to be entirely free-standing. These seemingly floating gems beautifully mask the elaborate framework of rails beneath them.

Any Van Cleef & Arpels piece that employs the Mystery Set takes no less than 300 hours to produce. Because of this painstaking labor, only a handful of these exquisite pieces are produced each year.

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Mystery Setting at Auction
In November 2013, a Van Cleef & Arpels ruby and diamond “Magnolia Brooch” went onto the Christie’s auction block. The sweet flower blossom brooch features a detachable diamond stem and leaves. The winning bid for the piece was a staggering $371,280 USD.

Van Cleef & Arpels is an iconic and beloved luxury jewelry brand. But its popularity means the Maison’s designs are frequently (and usually poorly) copied and peddled as the real thing. Stay sharp with our top five red flags that may mean those Van Cleef & Arpels jewels are fake.

 

1. Signature
Genuine Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry always includes a signature stamp. The stamp’s placement differs from piece to piece: rings’ stamps are pressed on the inside shank; earrings are marked on one or both of the ear clips; and for pieces from the Alhambra’s collection, the stamp appears on the gold edge of the quatrefoil (or clover station) closest to the clasp.

The stamp should read “Van Cleef & Arpels” or “VCA.” If your piece reads merely “Van Cleef,” it’s most likely a fake.

2. Hallmark
Van Cleef & Arpels uses only 18K gold. Therefore, like the signature, each piece is marked with the number “750” to indicate the metal is 75% pure.

3. Serial number
Like the signature stamp, each Van Cleef & Arpels piece has a unique serial number. The serial number should appear near the signature and hallmark stamp. If your piece has a serial number, you can call the manufacturer to cross-reference the stamped serial number and their records to ensure they match.

4. Quality
Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry is painstakingly produced by hand by expert craftsman, using only the best and highest-quality materials. That said, if your piece looks faded or lackluster, you should immediately be suspicious that it is a fake. Also any seemingly loose stones set in the quatrefoil Alhambra motif are another big red flag.

And if you’re curious, check out our post “The History of the Alhambra Collection” to see just how much time and effort is invested into each piece to ensure its perfect production.

5. Price
If you’re eyeing a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra necklace and the price just seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. Van Cleef & Arpels pride themselves on the incredible amount of manpower dedicated to the flawless production of every single piece and this perfection comes with a steep price tag. So if a piece is ticketed at a comparatively inexpensive figure or is an outlier when you price compare, do not be fooled: there’s a good chance that’s a fake.

If you have further questions regarding TrueFacet’s authentication process, contact our concierge representative here.

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