Invisible bind

The now popular "invisible" setting, which makes it possible to create miniatures from cut gemstones, was first developed and applied by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1933. Historically, the names of Alfred van Cleef and Julien Arpels are associated with the idea of ​​creating a setting using a thin gold wire ("thread") between specially cut girdles. This method of attaching jewelry stones to a product is called "Serti invisible" ("mysterious setting"). In the future, various manufacturers picked up the idea and began to develop and apply somewhat different techniques for fastening stones - on specially prepared claws, on guides, in a groove, but all methods of fastening are based on careful preparation of cut stones for fastening in the girdle area. What about Van Cleef & Arpels? Developers, cutters and jewelers of this brand do not sit idly by. The world admires new and original types of invisible setting, for example, in the form of honeycombs for hexagonal cut stones. But a special impression is made by products with such types of invisible setting as “Navette” (“shuttle”, since the setting was designed to fasten marquise-cut stones) and invisible setting “Vitrail” (“stained glass”, as it allows you to create the impression of a stained glass composition)