Designer marks
Van Cleef and Arpels markings
Van Cleef and Arpels markings include engraved “VAN CLEEF & ARPELS / © NY” on gold in New York. Van Cleef & Arpels was active from 1906.
- Active years
- From 1906
- Country
- France
- Products
- Fine and high jewelry, Transformable jewels, Minaudière cases, Alhambra and Zip jewelry
- Marks
- 8
Paris house established 1906; American branch established 1939. House continues.
What to look for
- Distinguish the trade signature from the workshop punch. The VC and A flanking the Vendôme Column in a lozenge identify the house's registered maker device; the name or initials may be engraved elsewhere.
- Read all wording, including N.Y., fineness and numbers. VCA Au750 is an initials-and-metal inscription. A French assay punch or 750 alone does not name Van Cleef & Arpels.
- Compare the marks with the jewel’s construction, mechanism and design. Serial numbers and familiar motifs can be copied and are not sufficient by themselves.
Marks & lettering
8 marks
Undated
VC A
The Maison records filing its initials-and-Vendôme-Column hallmark on 29 August 1933; this does not date the photographed object exactly.
Paris / New York
Undated
VCA Au750
Straight-line initials and Au750 on a narrow connecting tag, rather than the column device.
engraved tag · gold tone · gold
Undated
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS / © NY
Full house name over copyright and NY on the brooch fitting.
engraved · gold tone · gold · New York
Secondary image reproduction; no individual object date supplied.
Undated
V.C.A. / 750
Widely spaced initials and separate diagonally placed metal-standard numerals on an openwork clasp.
incised · gold tone · gold
Different inscription layout and execution from the narrow Au750 tag; no individual date supplied.
Undated
VCA / 750
Compact recessed VCA cartouche on a clip with separate 750 numerals; differs from the column lozenge and the hand-cut clasp initials.
stamped · gold tone · gold
These earrings date to the 1970s.
Undated
VC A
The Maison records filing its initials-and-Vendôme-Column hallmark on 29 August 1933; this does not date the photographed object exactly.
Listed signature variants: .
About Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels opened at 22 Place Vendôme in Paris in 1906. Alfred Van Cleef joined his brother-in-law Salomon, known as Charles Arpels, in the business; Julien and Louis Arpels joined later. Alfred's marriage to Estelle Arpels had connected two families already involved in the jewelry trade. The house expanded through shops serving fashionable resorts and an international clientele.
Renée Puissant, Alfred and Estelle's daughter, directed design from 1926, working closely with René-Sim Lacaze. During the following decade, the firm developed pieces that could be transformed or worn in different ways. The Minaudière compact case, the Mystery Set technique and Passe-Partout jewelry became characteristic parts of its output. Specialized workshops collaborated with the house in making these technically demanding objects.
The American branch opened in New York in 1939 and developed alongside the Paris operation. Jewelry made for different markets can consequently carry different signatures and assay marks. Later designs included the functional Zip necklace and Alhambra's four-lobed motifs. Natural subjects, colored stones, articulated construction and transformable ornaments remained recurring features of the firm's work.
Also known as: VCA · VC&A · A. Van Cleef et S. Arpels
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Unbranded Alhambra-style quatrefoil jewelry
Four-lobed motifs and beaded borders are widely imitated.
Check the full signature, accompanying marks, stone setting and construction; outline alone is insufficient.
Other French workshop lozenge marks
The lozenge is a shared maker-punch shape.
Match both the VC/A initials and the central column. An eagle assay head beside an unrelated lozenge does not identify the house.