Van Cleef & Arpels "Angel Hair" Gold and Diamond Earrings
$33,500
These bursting, imaginative gold earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels Paris belong to the “Angel Hair," or "Cheveaux D’Ange," collection, which included dynamic and original designs for jewels formed of gold filaments tipped with brilliant diamonds. Sometimes interpreted as stylized comets with a platinum and diamond-cluster core, these radiant earrings shed bright light and warmth on the face.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Item #: ER-19438
Artist: Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris
Country: France
Circa: 1955
Size: 1” diameter
Materials: 76 Round brilliant-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 2.20 carats); 18K Gold; Platinum
Signed: “Van Cleef & Arpels,” with French control mark
Literature: The "Angel Hair," or “Cheveaux D’Ange,” collection and its intersection with the meteor motif is discussed in Van Cleef & Arpels, by Sylvie Raulet, Paris: Editions du Regard, 1986, pp. 126-129
In the 1950s, designers reflected the optimism and creativity inspired by post-War space exploration through jewels that referenced comets and sputniks. After the Futurism of the 1920s, fascination with space re-entered the popular consciousness as 1950s rocket scientists raced to launch satellites, science fiction writers like Ray Bradbury invented a new genre of inspiring literature, and artists such as Robert Rauschenberg explored space imagery on their influential canvasses.