For Setin Style, we are most grateful to trustee Esme Usdan for her leadership of the Museum's Exhibitions Committee and for originating the idea of organizing an exhibition on Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as to Sarah Coffin, Head of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, who selected nearly 350 masterpieces by Van Cleef & Arpels, many of which were created exclusively for the American market. In the four essays she has written for this publication, she examines VC&A's numerous achievements in jewelry design and reveals many fascinating stories behind the firm's iconic designs.

Since it opened on the Place Vendome in Paris in 1906,renowned jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels has played a leading rote in setting style and design trends in luxury jewelry.Its timeless pieces have been worn by such style icons as the Duchess of Windsor, Princess Grace of Monaco,Elizabeth Taylor, Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy, and the company's prestige has spread thanks to an unending list of prominent commissions issued by royal and imperial courts and the world's rich and famous.

Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels explores the historical significance of the firm's innovations and many contributions to jewelry design in the twentieth century. It features more than 350 of Van Cleef & Arpels'most celebrated works from museum and private collections worldwide, including jewels, timepieces,fashion accessories and objets d'art. Six accessible essays accompanied by 400 photographs, including previously unpublished design drawings from the Van Cleef & Arpets Archives, examine the precious pieces through the lenses of innovation, transformation, nature as inspiration,exoticism, fashion and personalities.

FOREWORD

Bill Moggridge, Director,

Caroline Baumann, Associate Director,

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum,

Smithsonian Institution

INNOVATION

Sarah D. Coffin

TRANSFORMATIONS

Sarah D. Coffin

NATURE AS INSPIRATION

Sarah D. Coffin

EXOTICISM

Sarah D. Coffin

FASHION AND VAN CLEEF&ARPELS

Suzy Menkes

BEJEWELED LIVES

Ruth Peltason

NOTES

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

SELECTED INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS