Van Cleef & Arpels’ CEO Nicolas Bos: ‘Nobody needs jewellery to live, but life without jewellery would be sad’
Nicolas Bos – CEO, president and creative director of Van Cleef & Arpels – speaks to CNA Luxury on jewellery buying trends, preparing for an economic downturn and Singapore’s “rightfully demanding” collectors.

Van Cleef & Arpels CEO, Nicolas Bos. (Art: Jasper Loh)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
When one thinks about Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery, three words usually come to mind – elegant, feminine and poetic.
Since its founding in 1906, the maison has pushed the parameters of jewellery making. In 1933, it patented the Mystery Set technique – precious stones are set in a way where prongs are almost invisible. Then in 1950, it elevated an everyday object into high jewellery by creating the iconic zip necklace. Today, its nature-inspired signature collections – from Alhambra to Perlee and Frivole – are highly covetable.
Leading the maison is Nicolas Bos. The 42-year-old is president and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as creative director. The advantage of balancing these portfolios is that “you don’t have to fight, which takes up a lot of time and energy,” he joked. But it’s not quite an unusual role, he added. “Historically, the longevity and success of jewellery or luxury companies are always associated with balancing creativity and business. If you are super creative, but with no business sense, you usually don’t last for a long time. And if you have good business sense but no creativity, you don’t have something exciting to offer to your customers.”

The last few months have been a busy period for the maison. Its latest high jewellery collection, Le Grand Tour, has been travelling the world. It is also currently holding a patrimonial exhibition showcasing archival jewellery and objects in Seoul. On the corporate front, the L’Ecole School of Jewellery Arts, which is supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, opened a new campus in Shanghai and Dubai, with a second campus slated to open in Paris.
In Singapore, the maison opened a new boutique in February, located in the iconic Raffles Hotel. Apart from a retail space, the new boutique features a “secret” entrance that leads to an exhibition area, where the brand will host themed jewellery exhibitions as well as events by L’Ecole.
Within the storied walls of Raffles Hotel, CNA Luxury catches up with Bos during his recent trip to Singapore.
How would you describe the Van Cleef & Arpels design DNA?
It’s a combination of many components. There are some sources of inspiration that are quite present, such as certain aspects of nature like flowers and butterflies. We always focus more on the positive or benevolent aspect of nature. We don’t take inspiration from nature that’s dangerous or threatening. Other brands do that very well, such as with snakes, and those are beautiful pieces but they’re not what we do. We also take inspiration from the world of ballet, fairytales, poetry. From these sources of inspiration, we have specific codes and traditions. We design jewellery that's figurative and not too naturalistic. We don't go too abstract, yet not too realistic either.

We also have a specific approach to geometry and symmetry. We like designs that are not symmetrical, but are balanced, which is something you find very often in nature. Our choice of colours is driven by the types of stones we like to work with. We have techniques like the Mystery Set technique or multifunctional techniques that allow us to create jewellery that can transform from a necklace to a bracelet. By combining these different approaches to design, we maintain our signature. Regardless of the original inspiration, the colour of the piece or its size, whether it’s a necklace or bracelet, it is still recognisable as Van Cleef & Arpels.
What does jewellery personally mean to you?
The jewellery industry is about art, creation, craftsmanship and fabrication. It’s one of those categories where you think you've seen everything, yet you always discover something new.
How does the house balance its centuries-old jewellery crafting techniques with innovation?
First of all, these centuries-old techniques, in many ways, were innovations at some point. We always keep that in mind. Although we are a traditional company, innovation has always been central. That does not necessarily mean going high-tech, using new materials or having disruptive ideas. Innovation can also mean finding something small to improve on. Handmade jewellery remains the core of what we do but it’s the duty of the craftsman to use the best possible tools that are available at the time. For example, laser soldering is a fantastic innovation. It resulted in jewellery that is much more precise and delicate. You can introduce high-tech methods derived from different industries, but they have to always be at the service of the hands and the brand.

Are you seeing a growing number of younger customers, such as millennials or Gen-Zs?
If we look at our customer profile today, I wouldn’t say that they are younger or older than they were 10, 20 years ago. But there is of course a renewal. Regardless of what we read about different generations like Gen Y or Gen Z, when it comes to jewellery, we noticed that their behaviours, tastes and expectations are not evolving so much with our brand. They are probably more agile in the digital world, which has resulted in some changes in other luxury categories. But in jewellery, what they like and what they consider when purchasing a piece, are not too different.
What has changed is the environment – there are new ways for us to tell our stories and new experiences that we can develop. But there is still quite a number of young people who are attracted to precious jewellery, which is quite reassuring.
Are more men buying jewellery?
Yes, and that’s a very interesting consequence of the whole global trend around gender norms that has many translations in different countries. We see a lot of men buying and wearing jewellery now; they would have been too shy to buy and wear before.
There are some brands that have ventured into men’s jewellery, but for a brand like Van Cleef & Arpels where the style of the house has always been more ornate and feminine, if we were to do something different, it wouldn’t feel like Van Cleef & Arpels. If it does feel like Van Cleef & Arpels, it wouldn’t be masculine enough. We have not developed specific ranges for men, but we see that more and more men are drawn to our Perlee bracelets, or Alhambra pendants. Even singers, basketball players and tennis players are wearing our collections.

We also see more men wearing brooches. It’s a piece of jewellery that they can easily pin on a jacket or just with a T-shirt. We have a collection called Lucky Animals with animal brooches that are quite whimsical. We have dogs, cats, rabbits and hedgehogs, and we see a lot of men buying them because it’s an animal that they like or relate to.


Related:
With talks of an economic downturn and luxury slowdown in 2024, what is the role of a jewellery house in this climate?
We have been through many crises and economic slowdowns throughout history but we try to do things for the long-term. Many historical brands have gone through worldwide crises and wars, and they are still here.
Yes, there are moments of acceleration such as revenge shopping after a pandemic, but there are also slowdowns when the economy is a bit scary. Nobody needs jewellery to live, but life without jewellery would be sad. During an economic downturn, people will postpone their purchases and we’re trying to get ready for that. But we always make sure that we don’t jeopardise ourselves in the long-term. Transformation in the workshop, training new craftsmen and developing new activities will remain key.
The great thing about Van Cleef & Arpels is that we are a brand that is a bit more comforting during difficult times. There is a sense of investment value with jewellery. We’ve seen throughout history that traditional brands based on craftsmanship and focused on the long-term remain strong and attractive even in economic slowdowns.
"[Luxury is] the extra, additional pleasure or happiness you get from experiences, objects and moments that are not compulsory, but are what make life enjoyable."
What insights can you share about Singapore's jewellery collectors?
They are quite demanding (laughs). The community of collectors in Singapore is not huge, which is great because we get to know people very well, across families and different generations. We are very spoilt in Singapore because there are a lot of other brands that have been here for a long time, so our clients’ exposure to jewellery and luxury is quite extensive. The clientele that can afford collectors’ pieces are rightfully demanding. They know exactly what they buy. Their strategy for collecting is very often associated with fashion as well. There are discussions on haute couture, what goes with what, how to match a dress with a necklace. They have a sophisticated lifestyle.
What's the strategy for the watch division?
We have a specific approach for watches. What we have been doing with watches is to express the same identity we have in jewellery. We focus mostly on feminine watches and precious jewellery watches because that’s our expertise. We are not a watchmaker or manufacturer; we are a jeweller that translates our stories and universe in watches.


I am very proud of the team for developing our Poetic Complications, where we went beyond creating bejewelled watches with precious stones to using mechanical movements to tell stories in motion. Butterflies fly, ballerinas tell the time and lovers kiss on a bridge – it’s very playful. The beauty of that world is that it’s very whimsical and romantic. We will probably never become a major watch brand, this is not what we do. But we are writing our own story.
The L'Ecole School of Jewellery Arts was established in 2012. Why is education important for Van Cleef & Arpels?
L’Ecole School of Jewellery Arts has established itself as an important dimension of the brand. The idea is to share jewellery expertise through classes, books, research programmes, lectures, podcasts and exhibitions. This is very important to us as the world of jewellery can be quite secretive. It is not so easy to educate yourself. There have always been schools for those who want to be a jeweller or a gemologist, but none for getting a general understanding of jewellery.
We are very proud of what we do in the world of precious jewellery and we are quite happy to open the doors to this world to as many people as possible. We don’t believe that it should be a secret. At the end of the day, we want to contribute to creating the next generation of jewellers, enthusiasts, collectors and experts.
Lastly, how would you personally define luxury?
Luxury is everything that goes beyond what you need and the essentials. It’s the extra, additional pleasure or happiness you get from experiences, objects and moments that are not compulsory, but are what make life enjoyable.