Van Cleef & Arpels love story

A love story expressed in exquisite jewels (and now, fine fragrance) the Van Cleef & Arpels tale truly began when a Dutch craftsman, Alfred Van Cleef – an expert in cutting precious stones – fell in love Estelle Arpels, the daughter of a dealer in those stones. He was 24. She was just 19, and it turned out they were a match made in heaven in more ways than one…

Sharing much more than youthful enthusiasm, a passion for jewellery and a taste for taking on a challenge: they enjoyed constant family support, and in 1906, opened their doors to Paris’s elite in the Place Vendôme.


Times change – but the so-creative Van Cleef & Arpels spirit remains, expressing itself through five themes which have become synonymous with the brand: nature, couture, Art Deco, ‘Transformation’ – and, adding a touch of feminine whimsy, the world of fairies and ballerinas. Over the past century, roses, palm leaves, butterflies and lyre birds have been incorporated into Van Cleef & Arpels’ jewellery – often through the technologically innovative, invisible ‘Mystery setting’.

Though Van Cleef & Arpels never shares the identities of its private clientele, many legendary beauties have been photographed in the jewels:  from Audrey Hepburn to Scarlett Johanssen, Grace Kelly to Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Taylor to Sharon Stone

When Jean-Claude Ellena was commissioned to create First for the perfume house (see featured image) – back in 1976 – it was literally the first ‘jewellery fragrance’ in the world. As Pierre Arpels (part of the VC&A dynasty) commented, ‘I dreamed of a perfume in the image of our jewels: discreet but precious, fleeting but very present.’ Arpels also mused on the relationship between a jewel and a perfume, at the time VC&A unveiled the ground-breaking First. ‘They are the two adornments of women,’ he commented. ‘A dress is a part of a woman’s wardrobe… Her shoes and handbag are accessories. But you could never call a jewel an accessory. Nor a perfume. To me, perfume is the final adornment…’

VC&F’s extravagant floral aldehydic masterpiece First was indeed a real fragrance landmark. With its perfect balance of flowery, warm, aldehydic and spicy notes, First became timeless and sublime. As perfume critic Barbara Herman describes it, ‘First just smells expensive. It’s the perfume equivalent of those floral arrangements seen in the lobbies of expensive hotels.’

Since then, Van Cleef & Arpels continues to work with many of the world’s greatest noses, including Nathalie Lorson (for the gourmand So First), and Antoine Maisondeau, who worked on Féerie, with its unique ‘fairy-topped’ faceted bottle. But what’s also excited the perfume world is the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Extraordinaire – inspired by the beauty of nature, capturing specific flowers in perfumes like Gardénia Pétale, Muguet Blanc (a sophisticated play on lily of the valley), spiced Lys Carmin and Precious Oud, expressing the delicate side of this so-popular exotic wood.

More recently, the Collection Extraordinaire has featured Rêve de Cashmere (2017) – a fluffy cloud of vanilla, cashmere, jasmine, leather and musk – and Néroli Amara (2018) – a succulent floral green scent encompassing bergamot, Italian lemon, orange and pink pepper, with a deliciously more-ish drydown of black pepper, orange blossom, neroli and musk. We’ve sniffed the soon-to-be-launched future iterations, too, and you’ll definitely want to get your nose around these. Proof positive that sheer class and exquisite attention to detail will always stand the test of time – First, last and always…

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Yardley The Collection: jewel-inspired, contemporary scents

Yardley London are an iconic fragrance house, their heritage supposedly reaching all the way back to the reign of King Charles I, but The Great Fire of London in 1666 wiped out the records so we put the founding date at 1770. You can read far more whispers of this house’s fascinating history in The Scented Letter Magazine’s Best of British issue, but whatever the true date – we can all agree the name of Yardley has been around, like, forever. And instead of merely resting on that good name, it seems they’re ready to shake things up a little…

Showcasing a brand new collection of vibrantly contemporary, utterly wearable fragrances inspired by precious jewels, we were seriously impressed at their quality – learning at the launch that each fragrance has been composed by a prestigious perfumer – and with a with a seductive campaign fronted by ‘rock royalty’: one-to-watch, Tigerlily Taylor, daughter of Queen‘s drummer Roger Taylor.

The new style icon stars in an attitude-fuelled ultra-glam (and totally modern) film shot by world-famous photographer RANKIN (scroll down to watch it, below…) revealing Yardley London’s The Collection – perfumes aimed at bright young things of today who want to wear something unusual, but don’t want to pay the earth for the privilege! Priced within the reach of most people’s pockets, at £25 for 50ml eau de toilette, it means you can try the whole range without winning the lottery first.

So, let’s have a sniff…

Daisy Sapphire
Developed for Yardley by renowned perfumer Juliette Karagueuzoglu (who’s the nose behind fragrances for L’Artisan Parfumeur, Coach, Jimmy Choo and Yves Saint Laurent among many more) this simply sparkles with a dewy fresh, green floral bouquet ‘inspired by the striking vibrancy of the yellow sapphire, with a burst of cheerful, energetic top notes of dewy green leaves and apple unravels into hyacinth and white rose at its heart, drying down to warm base notes of sandalwood and musk.’

Juliette says: ‘I created this fragrance from memories of how a field of daisies smell, an abundant nature through elegant green leafy notes, the freshness of the air and the dewy mornings through its petal notes of roses and hyacinth. I worked on balancing the freshness, vibrancy of the notes and their sensuality to create a fragrance as varied as life itself.’

Rosie Ruby
Domitille Bertier‘s the perfumer, here (she created Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb, with Olivier Polge and Carlos Benaïm, and fragrances for Thierry Mugler and Hugo Boss to name just a few!) ‘An edgy, head turning fragrance that exudes the beguiling beauty of the pink ruby stone with ripe fruity top notes of mandarin, pear, peach and cassis, folding into an assertive heart of pink pepper, peony, rose and orange flower water, balanced by a soft, warm base note of cedar wood, sandalwood and vanilla.’

Domitille says: ‘I wanted to create a unique and unforgettable scent that gives confidence to every woman from the first spritz. I am proud of the combination of peony and pink pepper – a beautiful blend of raw materials! The floral bouquet is textured with fruity and spicy facets, which bring a modern touch contrasted with a creamy woodiness of sandalwood. The fragrance becomes addictive and creates such a sensual trail.’

Poppy Diamond
Juliette’s the nose for this one again, composing a ‘sophisticated, sparkling and uplifting sheer floral fragrance representing the brilliance and magnetism of the diamond with refreshing top notes of pear and bergamot, enveloped in a sweet, subtle note of honey with an elegant heart of rose, peony and lily of the valley, enhanced with a sensual base of cedar wood, sandalwood and vanilla.’

Juliette says: ‘I created this fragrance to express all the facets of a rose in a contemporary way. Rose is a very stimulating flower, always reinvented, always inspiring. Poppy Diamond has the brightness and brilliance of Damascenian roses in the Turkish fields, the light woody and subtle honey undertones for enhancement to give more power, femininity and sheer sensuality of one of the most captivating flowers.’

Lilac Amethyst
‘An addictive, intense and feminine floral woody fragrance, inspired by the irresistible beauty of the amethyst, blending pear, lemon and bergamot with basil in the top notes with a sensual heart of fig, peach, black pepper and heliotrope complemented by a warm, woody and spicy amber base.’ multifaceted floral woody fragrance inspired by the enchanting allure of the amethyst crystal. Exploring the trend for gender-free (anyone can wear them) floral woody scents, Nelly Hachem-Ruiz is the up-and-coming perfumer (best known so far for creating David Beckham Beyond), and here developed an intriguing blend of ‘fresh pear, lemon and bergamot with basil in the top note, leading into a sensual heart of fig, peach flower, spicy black pepper and powdery heliotrope, complemented by a skin soft, warm, woody amber base.’

Nelly says: ‘My goal for this fragrance was to create a memorable scent that fuses fresh and deeper sensual notes together in perfect harmony. This is a highly textured fragrance combining spices, herbs, florals and cologne notes around a heart of indulgent, creamy fig.’

Flora Jade
Anne-Sophie Chapuis is the perfumer behind two of the Comme des Garçon ultra-trendy fragrances, and was chosen here to compose ‘a sophisticated chypre bouquet that celebrates a popular olfactory trend in fine fragrance. The name Jade also pays homage to Sea Jade, Yardley’s ground-breaking fragrance of the 60’s. Crisply green, this floral chypre ‘captures the bold, exuberant spirit of the jade gemstone. Fruity, aromatic green top notes of peach, bergamot and galbanum blend with an airy floral bouquet heart of rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang and orris, delicately wrapped up in base notes of patchouli, sandalwood and moss.’

Anne-Sophie says: ‘I love chypres, which I consider to be the most sensual and sexy olfactive family and the most sophisticated. I have created a modern crisp green fresh-floral chypre that captures the bold, exuberant spirit of the jade gemstone. I wanted to create something airy, delicate, with a natural, earthy bouquet.’

Yardley London The Collection, £25 for 50ml eau de toilette
Buy them at boots.com

So now, with noses suitably primed, sit back and watch the brand new, so-stylish campaign, below. We think your only question should be which one you get first…

Written by Suzy Nightingale