Van Cleef & Arpels:Prince Albert’s gift to bride

Charlene Wittstock, as of a few hours, Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene, was given Van Cleef & Arpels jewels as a pledge of love from her husband, HSH Prince Albert II. A press release from the Parisian jeweller states that Princess Charlene and Prince Albert chose Van Cleef & Arpels to create a set of jewellery named Océan. The diamond and sapphire necklace, whose name was chosen by Prince Albert, can be transformed into a tiara sparkling with 1,200 precious stones. The Océan jewellery piece will be on show during the L'Histoire du Mariage Princier exhibition, at the Musée Océanographique de Monaco, from the 9th of July until the end of November 2011. The links between Van Cleef & Arpels and Monaco, date back to 1956, the year that Prince Rainier III married Grace Kelly and Van Cleef & Arpels held the honour of being "Official Supplier to the Principality". Watch the video of how this jewel came to be. [youtube width="620" height="344"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhWF9l8Cl6w[/youtube]

The Van Cleef & Arpels Ocean necklace can sit wide across the neck showing off the swirling waves of diamonds and sapphires in this royal commission.
The Van Cleef & Arpels Ocean necklace can be worn like this or transformed into a more regal tiara.
Van Cleef & Arpels Ocean necklace/tiara in the workshop showing work on positioning the stones
Van Cleef & Arpels Ocean necklace/tiara in the workshop showing the mock up compared to the original sketch.
Van Cleef & Arpels Ocean tiara 883 round-cut diamonds, weighing a total of over 44 carats with 10 pear-cut diamonds, weighing a total of over 4 carats. A 4.01 carat pear-cut diamond and 359 round-cut sapphires for over a total of 18 carats, in a colour gradation of 3 hues.