Van Cleef & Arpels Unveils a New South Coast Plaza Boutique

Costa Mesa, California, October 2023: Van Cleef & Arpels is pleased to announce the newly relocated South Coast Plaza boutique. The gleaming 4,200 square-foot boutique incarnates the Maison’s first renovation and reimagination of its longstanding original location. With the new, larger footprint, the boutique will transport clients into an enchanting world of delicate nature combining Van Cleef & Arpels’ history with the unmistakable influence of southern California.

 Credit: Olivier Blouin for Van Cleef & Arpels

“The Maison has been a fixture at South Coast Plaza since 2002,” says Helen King, President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, Americas. “Since the first renovation in 2014, we have grown with our clients here for over a decade. It is now time to open new doors to a new home that embodies and represents what this community means to us – in scale, in modernity, enchantment and in offering.”

A distinctive aspect of the boutique is its Art Deco-inspired façade, whose motifs were initially designed for a 1937 Van Cleef & Arpels Minaudière. This piece displays a geometric and pyramidal pattern reminiscent of claire voie in bright ivory and gold. This precious boutique expands the Maison’s footprint considerably with two large display rooms, five salons, five specially curated libraries, a bridal salon and private Poetic Salon. This space allows guests to discover Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations in a comfortable, intimate setting. The libraries throughout the space touch on the pillars of the Maison including dance, culture, love, nature, fairytales, and in an Art Deco atmosphere, an artistic movement the Maison followed throughout its history. Each room offers a special atmosphere and experience.

The heart of the boutique is the Winter Garden produced in collaboration with Marianne Guély, a French born Artist specializing in paper sculptures. Guély and her team of artisans created a 12-meter long bespoke installation taking their inspiration from the Californian scenery and Van Cleef & Arpels’ rich history. Various painted, hand sculpted plants and flowers are displayed around the garden, culminating in a lush and colorful landscape. Continuing this journey, Guély created a bespoke and timeless paper sculpture for the Poetic Salon echoing the Fromental wallpaper and the soft, delicate atmosphere of the space guiding clients on an enchanting journey throughout the boutique.

“We are thrilled to unveil this new location of our beloved boutique. South Coast Plaza is one of our most important jewels on the West Coast. Our hope is to captivate clients with this welcoming environment” says Helen King, President & CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, Americas.

Enchanting creations

The boutique will showcase iconic creations, such as Alhambra pieces and timepieces, alongside new ones, including Brume de Saphir. Seeking its muse in the changing colors of the waves as the hours go by, Van Cleef & Arpels created Brume de Saphir, two High Jewelry ensembles inspired by the Palmyre collection. A surge of blue, reflections on the water seem to come alive in a stream of light. Each gem is set in a bezel allowing light to pass through, while the white gold openwork structure evokes the caress of the sea breeze. Diamonds, bestrewed randomly throughout the necklace and bracelet, combine with the light and dark blue sapphires in a ballet of shimmering ripples. The earrings, long cascades drawn out in a gradation of blue, enhance the fluid lines of these creations, paying tribute to the captivating dance of waves.Brume de saphir necklace, white gold, sapphires, diamonds.
Brume de saphir bracelet, white gold, sapphires, diamonds.
Brume de saphir earrings, white gold, sapphires, diamonds.

An iconic aesthetic of Van Cleef & Arpels since 1968, the Alhambra motif draws inspiration from the four-leaf clover, celebrating luck through constantly reinvented jewelry and watchmaking creations. Guilloché rose gold combines with the dazzling nuances of carnelian to give rise to four new Alhambra creations. These pieces include a reversible ring that enchants the gaze with these materials, according to the wearer’s fancy. This new design reflects the tradition of versatility that is dear to the Maison and its distinctive emblem.

Alhambra reversible ring, rose gold, guilloché rose gold, carnelian, diamond.

Sweet Alhambra watch, rose gold, guilloché rose gold, carnelian, Swiss quartz movement.

Alhambra 5-motif bracelet, rose gold, guilloché rose gold, carnelian.

Contemplating the heavenly vault, Van Cleef & Arpels dreamed of living in step with the cosmos. This dream inspired some of the Maison’s creations, which capture the dance of the planets, draw the constellations and collect the stars to live with them day after day. The Midnight Planétarium watch, depicting the universe, captures the paths of planets. The performance is on full display while the shooting star indicates the time. A lucky star invites the wearer to record their lucky day on the starry dial. The face reproduces the Sun in miniature, together with the five planets visible to the naked eye from Earth: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Thanks to an exclusive module, each planet moves on its own disc according to its real-life rotation time.

Midnight Planétarium watch, 44 mm, rose gold, aventurine, serpentine, chloromelanite, turquoise, red jasper, blue agate, sugilite, self-winding mechanical movement with planetarium module.

The Lady Arpels Heures Florales watch presents a true bejeweled garden inside a 38mm case, in white and rose gold. With the Poetic Complications collection, the marvels of watchmaking join with precious materials and traditional savoir-faire, to bring a story to life on the dial. Retrograde movement, flower opening module and minute window enable time to be measured via a stroll in a flower garden or the movements of a ballerina. Ethereal blue butterflies – emblematic of Van Cleef & Arpels – flutter between the pink and red corollas, accentuating the dial’s relief effects. Beyond their technical prowess, these virtuoso mechanisms provide precious moments of emotion, reflecting the imagination of the Maison.

Lady Arpels Heures Florales watch 38mm, rose gold, white gold, yellow gold, round yellow and white diamonds, marquise-cut and pear-shaped diamonds, buff-topped sapphires, white mother-of-pearl, self-winding mechanical movement with flower-opening module and minutes display on the case side developed in Les Ateliers Horlogers de Genève.

About Van Cleef & Arpels

Founded at 22, Place Vendôme, Paris, in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels came into being following Estelle Arpels’ marriage to Alfred Van Cleef in 1895. With a blend of inventiveness and poetry, the Maison perpetuates a highly distinctive style. Its selection of exceptional gems that instill an emotion and the savoir-faire of its virtuoso craftsmen have given birth to enchanting High Jewelry, Jewelry and Watchmaking collections. Whether inspired by nature, couture, dance, or imaginary worlds, the Maison opens the gate to a timeless universe of beauty and harmony. Van Cleef & Arpels’ constant commitment to creation also finds expression in its various activities as a partner and patron in the cultural field. Reflecting the Maison’s attachment to values of transmission and sharing, these initiatives take place in sectors that it holds dear, including heritage protection, fine and decorative arts, design, dance, and poetry.

Van Cleef & Arpels South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa California 92626
Suite number #1501

Boutique Phone Number:
714.545.9500

Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Press Contacts
Paul Leggieri
paul.leggieri@vancleefarpels.com
Alyssa Stiepleman
alyssa.stiepleman@vancleefarpels.com