Beschreibung:

A DIAMOND AND 18K GOLD "LUDO HEXAGONE" BRACELET, BY VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Designed as a flexible mosaic of beehive links, each star-set with a single-cut diamond, to the pavé-set diamond buckle clasp, circa 1940, 6½ ins., with French assay marks Signed Van Cleef & Arpels, No. 7070 By the 1930's the flat, rectilinear style of the art deco period had evolved into a three-dimensional style dominated by scrolls, domes and raised rectangles. Van Cleef & Arpels, a leader of innovative designs during this period, adapted these motifs into a fresh look, often inspired by commonplace patterns. In 1934 they introduced the "Ludo" bracelet, the design taken from the arrangement of a brick on a wall. When first created, the bracelet featured rows of rectangular segments placed adjacent to one another with an ornamental motif decorated with diamonds and/or rubies. On other versions such as the illustrated gold bracelet, the band is composed of a small mosaic of small articulated hexagons in polished gold, called the a ruche (beehive) pattern . Each section is set with a precious gemstone in a star setting, also known as serti étoilé . The "Ludo" bracelet has become one of Van Cleef & Arpels most famous models. Cf. Sylvie Raulet, "Van Cleef & Arpels", Rizzoli, New York, p. 180, 187 and 189; "Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris-Musées, 1992, figure 53 on page 140, figure 120 on p. 145; and Melissa Gabardi, "Art Deco Jewellery 1920-1949", Antique Collector's Club, Woodbridge, 1989, page 211