Collerette (1939)

We would now like to invite you to discover the exceptional collaret in the center of the room. Despite a great number of precious stones, the necklace conveys an impression of lightness and delicacy. This is achieved through the openwork structure of the platinum mounting, which highlights the diamonds’ brilliance.

An eloquent expression of Art Deco style, the collaret combines rows of 318 baguette-cut diamonds with rows of 355 round diamonds of perfect symmetry, weighing a total of 204.03 carats. These rivers of precious stones, framed by two ribbon motifs, converge towards a large central diamond which weighs some 6 carats.

This masterpiece was created for Her Majesty Queen Nazli of Egypt in 1939. She commissioned it from Van Cleef & Arpels for the wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia of Egypt, to Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran. When she received the final necklace, she asked her chamberlain to write a letter to Van Cleef & Arpels, expressing ‘‘her great satisfaction.’’