From JAR earrings to a Lacloche Frères bracelet: magnificent jewels offered in Geneva

A 12.68-carat diamond pendant necklace

Among the most legendary of all diamonds are those that come from the Golconda mines in modern-day Hyderabad. For two millennia, these mines were the world’s only source of fine diamonds, channelled to the West via caravans on the Silk Road. Many historic diamonds came from there, including the Koh-i-Noor, the Nassak Diamond, the blue Hope Diamond, the pink Daria-i-Noor and the Dresden Green Diamond. But by the middle of the 19th century, the mines had been exhausted.

Often large and with high clarity — thanks to a formula of pure carbon with no nitrogen — Golconda diamonds are generally graded Type IIa, a rare designation of quality that accounts for less than two per cent of all natural diamonds in existence.

Although it can’t be proven, the central diamond in this necklace possesses all the defining traits of a Golconda stone: it’s classified Type IIa, with extraordinary clarity and purity. The pear-shaped gem was mounted in this gold and platinum pendant around 1910.

‘Old-cut diamonds have a timeless appeal — and this one is truly captivating,’ says Althéa Hanshaw Haft, a Jewellery specialist at Christie’s in Geneva. ‘Its perfect balance of proportion, clarity and colour, together with an impressive weight of 12.68 carats, gives it a rare and irresistible charm. It’s the kind of stone that speaks to the heart of every lover of antique gems.’

A Lacloche Frères Art Deco ruby, emerald, onyx and diamond bracelet

During the 1920s, as the Art Deco movement reverberated out from Paris across continental Europe, artists began to incorporate fashionable exotic motifs into the era’s streamlined aesthetic, with chinoiserie and ‘Japonisme’ seeing a revival.

Made around 1925 — the year of the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, which gave us the term ‘Art Deco’ — this bracelet is decorated with scenes inspired by Japan. A sun sets between two mountains, its glowing colour reflected in rippling water; a red pagoda and bridge are surrounded by trees and flowering plants; and a sailing boat is greeted by a flock of birds.

The images are crafted from just three coloured gems: red rubies, green emeralds and black onyx. Set against a background of diamonds, the overall design resembles a tapestry draped around the wrist. This technique was pioneered by Lacloche Frères, one of the most acclaimed jewellers of the period.

‘Lacloche Frères were renowned for their exquisite vanity cases, and they also produced jewels of remarkable artistry, like this bracelet,’ says Hanshaw Haft. ‘It brings to life the quiet poetry of the Asian landscape — especially the sun shimmering on the water to the right.’

Jules and Léopold Lacloche established the family enterprise in Paris at the end of the 19th century, with their siblings opening further outlets soon after in Madrid and London. Grace Kelly and the Duke of Westminster were important patrons, and Lalique was a collaborator. By 1967, however, the final branch had ceased trading.

In 2019, the historian and journalist Laurence Mouillefarine helped revive interest in the maison, publishing Lacloche Joailliers. Mouillefarine also curated an accompanying exhibition, held at L’Ecole des Arts Joailliers in Paris, which presented more than 40 of the company’s finest pieces of jewellery to the public for the first time. One of the most prominent was this bracelet.

A pair of JAR multi-gem earrings

No other jeweller is as celebrated — yet simultaneously as elusive — as Joel Arthur Rosenthal, better known as JAR.

Born in New York in 1943, Rosenthal studied art history at Harvard before moving to Paris, where he opened a jewellery boutique in 1977. The store has no signage or fanfare, and clients are only allowed inside by invitation. There are no photographs or price lists, and every item is custom-made to reflect the client’s personality.

JAR produces fewer than 100 items each year, celebrated for their unusual materials, theatricality and technical virtuosity. In 2013, Rosenthal became the first living jeweller to be honoured with a retrospective at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The show offered the public a rare chance to see more than 400 of his pieces, loaned by his customers. In 2025, the Marie-Thérèse Pink, a 10.38-carat kite-shaped fancy purple-pink diamond with French royal provenance, mounted by JAR, sold for nearly $14 million and set a new world auction record for a JAR jewel.

These JAR earrings are adorned with round zircons, pink and green sapphires, aquamarines and diamonds. The pavé mounting of the gems gives an extraordinary effect of shimmering fabric, or even an Impressionist painting.

‘The craftsmanship of these earrings is as exquisite on the reverse as it is on the front,’ says the specialist. ‘They’re a true work of art.’

A Van Cleef & Arpels yellow sapphire, chrysoprase and diamond bracelet

Van Cleef & Arpels was born from the wedding of Estelle Arpels, the daughter of a French jeweller, and Alfred Van Cleef, a Dutch diamond-cutter, in 1895. A decade later, Alfred joined two of Estelle’s brothers, Charles and Julien Arpels, in opening a jewellery shop at 22 Place Vendôme, opposite the Ritz hotel in Paris. To this day, it remains the company’s flagship store.

By the middle of the 20th century, Van Cleef & Arpels had built a reputation for producing exquisite jewels favoured by film stars, socialites, rulers and royals. This bracelet was made during that propitious period, in the 1960s — the same decade in which the company introduced its famous ‘Alhambra’ design, inspired by the geometric Moorish architecture of the Alhambra palace in Granada.

‘This bracelet is a striking example of Van Cleef & Arpels’ creativity during the 1960s,’ says Hanshaw Haft. ‘The rare combination of yellow sapphire and chrysoprase, enhanced by the remarkable three-dimensional craftsmanship, makes it an exceptional piece.’

A pair of antique diamond and emerald earrings

These antique earrings, from around 1890, combine the highest-quality stones with the unrivalled skill of the European craftsmen of the period.

Both emeralds weigh just under four carats and come from Colombian mines. Since the 16th century, emeralds from this part of the world have been cherished throughout Europe and Asia, appearing in the crown jewels of Britain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Spain and Iran.

‘Though they date from the 19th century, these earrings have a striking modernity that allows them to be worn effortlessly today,’ says the specialist.

Magnificent Jewels is on view until 11 November at Christie’s in Geneva. Jewels Online is live for browsing until 18 November

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