Founded in Paris in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels has long been celebrated for its poetic approach to design, technical innovation and devotion to exceptional craftsmanship. Among its most remarkable achievements, the ‘Mystery-set’, or ‘Serti Mystérieux,’ stands as the pinnacle of the Maison’s technical mastery and artistic ingenuity. Developed in the 1930s by Alfred Van Cleef and Julien Arpels, this groundbreaking technique transformed jewelry design by creating seamless expanses of gemstones with no visible metal.

The achievement is far more complex than its graceful appearance suggests. Each stone is meticulously chosen, calibrated and cut with an incised groove beneath its girdle, allowing it to move into a lattice of fine gold or platinum rails hidden beneath the surface. The tolerances are unforgiving; if a single stone deviates by even a fraction of a millimeter, the entire composition fails. This demanding process requires an extraordinary level of expertise that only a select few artisans have ever mastered its secrets. Throughout the Van Cleef & Arpels workshops, these craftsmen are known as grandes mains, or "great hands," a title reserved for those capable of executing the Mystery-set to the maison's exact specifications. The technique is so intricate that cutting a single stone may take up to eight hours and the creation of a single brooch demands hundreds of hours in the hands of both jeweler and lapidary. Each finished jewel represents a triumph of patience, precision and artistry. Production has always remained extremely limited, a rarity that has only deepened the allure and desirability of these exceptional creations.

The Mystery-set technique endures as one of the most celebrated achievements in the history of jewelry. It emphasizes Van Cleef & Arpels' pursuit of perfection where technical proficiency serves artistic vision and continues to inspire admiration among collectors and designers worldwide.