GLOSSARY OF TERMS
V
Van Cleef and Arpels
A French high end/luxury jewellery house founded in 1906 by Alfred Van Cleef and brothers Julien and Charles Arpels when they opened their first store at 22 Place Vendome. Sometimes just shortened to ‘Van Cleef’ the jewellery house is famous for inventing the intricate ‘mystery setting’, which they patented in 1933. The ‘mystery setting’ is a setting where the prongs are not visible to the eye; these pieces are extremely rare. The company designed the famous tiara worn by Grace Kelly on her coronation in 1956.
Vintage
A term used to describe an item that is approximately 50-100 years old but not an antique.
