Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury jewelry company.[1] It was founded in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his brother-in-law Salomon Arpels in Paris, France.[2] The company's pieces often feature flowers, animals and fairies.
History
The business was established in 1896 by Dutch diamond-cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law, Salomon Arpels. In 1906, following the death of Arpels, Alfred and two of his brothers-in-law, Charles and Julien Arpels, acquired space at 22 Place Vendôme, across from the Hôtel Ritz, where Van Cleef & Arpels opened its first boutique.[3] The third Arpels brother, Louis, joined the company in 1913.[4]
Van Cleef & Arpels opened boutiques in holiday resorts such as