Complete Collecting Guide: Van Cleef & Arpels Earrings
Learn more about advantages of the secondary market for growing your Van Cleef & Arpels earring collection.
Brief History of Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury jewelry company that opened its first boutique in 1906 at 22 Place Vendome in Paris, across the street from the Ritz Hotel. This location was and still is the center of luxury goods in Paris. Van Cleef & Arpels has always been known for its exclusive clientele including Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Hutton, and Princess Fawzia of Egypt. The Van Cleef and Arpels signature style developed through the 20th century was shaped by diverse influences including nature, orientalism, couture, ballet and an imaginary world of fairytale and fantasy. Van Cleef & Arpels is also known for technical innovation and the quest for the highest quality diamonds and gemstones.
In 1999, Richemont acquired 60% of Van Cleef and increased its ownership to 80% in 2001. Richemont also owns 19 other luxury brands including Cartier and Buccellati. In 2023, Sotheby's sold over $20 million in Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry with prices ranging from $5,000 to over $1 million. Van Cleef & Arpels is one of the most popular luxury jewelry designer brands with nearly 1.5 million google searches per month. The growth of Van Cleef & Arpel's retail business is also an important driver for the secondary market. More sales of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry in the primary market increases the total addressable secondar drives up volume on the secondary market.
Read on to learn more about about the advantages of buying Van Cleef & Arpels earrings at Sotheby's, one of the largest global luxury secondary markets.
Advantages to Collecting Van Cleef & Arpels Earrings on the Secondary Market
There are many advantages to buying Van Cleef & Arpels earrings at Sotheby's. As one of the largest and most established global luxury secondary markets, Sotheby's offers clients many unique advantages when growing a Van Cleef & Arpels earring collection.
1. Access
Sotheby's is able to provide access to some of the most exceptional Van Cleef & Arpels earrings through its long established global network of sellers. Sotheby's is one of the few global luxury marketplaces that sells rare and impressive High Jewelry Van Cleef & Arpels earrings exceeding $100,000 in addition to collectible Alhambra, iconic Mystery Set and timeless Snowflake designs. Our Jewelry specialists are always sourcing the best luxury jewelry from top brands including Van Cleef & Arpels. Sotheby's global presence also means we are sourcing a wide range of Van Cleef earring designs including timeless classics, special vintage finds and one of a kind custom creations. Sotheby's also regularly sells incredible private collections that can include custom designed Van Cleef earrings that feature the most desirable diamonds and colored gem stones. If you are looking to build a collection of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings, Sotheby's provides access to contemporary, vintage and one of a kind rare Van Cleef & Arpels earrings.
2. Flexibility
Since Sotheby's sells other top brands and high quality unbranded luxury jewelry, we can also provide greater flexibility when looking for a pair of diamond or gem stone earrings. Sotheby's jewelry experts can help you compare a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings with another brand and similar style of unbranded earrings depending on your priorities. Flexibility at Sotheby's also includes multiple ways to purchase Van Cleef & Aprels earrings. While Sotheby's is most known for its global auctions, Sotheby's also sells Van Cleef & Arpels online and also in salons in New York and Hong Kong. Sotheby's also offers a concierge service if you need assistance sourcing a specific pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings that isn't available at auction or marketplace. Another advantage to Sotheby's is access to desirable Van Cleef & Arpels earrings that are normally special order only. Sotheby's often has many desirable styles of Van Cleef earrings available for immediate purchase. If you have a pending gifting occasion, waiting for special order Van Cleef earrings may be inconvenient.
3. Value
As a leading global secondary market, Sotheby's often provides great value for Van Cleef & Arpels and other top luxury jewelry brands. While Sotheby's regularly sells high jewelry Van Cleef & Arpels earrings over $100,000, many of these Van Cleef earrings sell for below the original retail price. While the condition of the Van Cleef earrings are often pristine, the price in the secondary market can be 10-20% below the original retail price for desirable earrings like Alhambra styles. For vintage and estate Van Cleef & Arpels earrings no longer in production, the secondary market prices can be 30-40% off of retail replacement values. The discount varies depending on the earring design and quality and size of the diamond and gem stones and overall market conditions. Some Van Cleef & Arpels earrings can also sell at a premium to the original retail, especially for unique vintage earrings, Van Cleef earrings with provenance linked to celebrities and/or royalty and earrings featuring exceptionally rare diamonds and colored gem stones. Sotheby's is a great place to start collecting Van Cleef & Arpels earrings since we also offer good value for iconic Alhambra. Sotheby's also provides seasoned collectors value for vintage and estate Van Cleef & Arpels earrings at often prices that can be materially lower than retail replacement values.
4. Discovery
One of the best parts of a global luxury secondary market is discovering unique pieces from decades earlier and custom designed one of a kind items. Sotheby's curated selection is always changing since Van Cleef is one of the top brands at Sotheby's. Each auction has a unique selection of Van Cleef earrings that may be familiar but a slight variation, never before seen design or a vintage treasure that has been on your wishlist for some time. Browsing our latest auction or curated selection to get inspiration when building a collection of both contemporary and vintage Van Cleef & Arpels earrings. You are likely to discover something new to you from Van Cleef & Arpels.
Buying and Selling Van Cleef & Arpels Earrings at Sotheby's
Sotheby's often has rare and collectible Van Cleef & Arpels earrings available at auction. Sotheby's also has a curated selection of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings available for immediate purchase. Expect to find iconic Alhamabra, mystery set diamond and colored gem stones, vintage semi precious styles and classic diamond and gemstone drop earrings. If you would like to view a pair of Van Cleef earrings, a salon specialist would be happy to assist. Sotheby's is also able to source Van Cleef & Arpels earrings from its global supplier network. Prices for Van Cleef & Arpels earrings at Sotheby's generally start around $10,000 and can exceed $100,000 for dramatic Van Cleef High Jewelry earrings.
- Explore upcoming jewelry auctions in New York, London, Switzerland, Paris, and Hong Kong.
- Contact a Salon Associate in New York, Zurich or Hong Kong to schedule an appointment.
- Speak to a Jewelry Specialist about selling Van Cleef & Arpels earrings.
Trust our worldwide network of leading jewelry specialists from a globally renowned auction house established in 1744.
