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PHOTOGRAPHY ALAMY (TODAY ART MUSEUM), GETTY IMAGES (MINAUDIÈRE, MARGOT ROBBIE, DUCHESS OF WINDSOR)

GOURMET TRAVELLER 157

Florence Jay Gould tossing her

lipstick, powder case, cigarettes,

and lighter into a Lucky Strike

cigarette tin, Charles Arpels set

about creating what he would call

the Minaudière, or precious case.

It was a vanity box for the modern

woman, with compartments for

a dance card, lighter, perfume,

lipstick, a discreet watch and

a removable clasp that could

be used as a hair clip.

The collection of Van Cleef

& Arpels’ most interesting and

innovative works tells intriguing

stories about the customs, trends

and whims of high society since the

Clockwise:

Margot Robbie

wears the Zip

necklace at the

Academy Awards

in 2015; the

Barquerolles gold

choker set with

diamonds and

emeralds once

belonged to

Elizabeth Taylor;

the Duchess of

Windsor (centre),

wearing Van

Cleef pieces, with

the Duke (right)

at a New Year’s

Eve dance, 1949;

the Cadenas

timepiece and a

1939 sketch of it.

1920s. It’s also a dazzling journey

through 120 years of jewellery

design and gem-setting technique.

Much of the collection feels

timeless, perhaps best evinced by

frequent guest appearances of many

of the pieces on red carpets. While

the Zip necklace may not have been

worth the wait for the Duchess of

Windsor, it looked pitch-perfect on

Margot Robbie when she attended

the Oscars in 2015. These days

it’s worth a cool $1.5 million. ●

Van Cleef & Arpels, When Elegance

Meets Art, shows until 5 August at

the Today Art Museum, Beijing.

todayartmuseum.com

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