Scripted in Sparkle

When a luxury Maison turns to literature, beauty is no longer bound by form—it wanders, expands, and transcends.

For over a century, Van Cleef & Arpels has looked to the written word as a wellspring of inspiration—from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet to classic fairy tales, and more recently, the swashbuckling spirit of Treasure Island, referenced in the Maison’s eponymous high jewellery collection.

Now, that artistic exchange between jewellery and literature takes on a new form.

In partnership with the Italian publisher Franco Maria Ricci, L’ÉCOLE, The School of Jewelry Arts—an institution founded by Van Cleef & Arpels to preserve and share the heritage of jewellery—unveils Dédale, a multilingual literary series that reimagines classic and obscure works.

Taking its name from Daedalus—the mythical Greek craftsman and architect whose genius gave rise to labyrinth and flight—Dédale is the brainchild of Nicolas Bos, former CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels and now CEO of the Richemont Group. A lifelong bibliophile, Bos first planted the seeds of the project a decade ago during a visit to the whimsical headquarters of Franco Maria Ricci. While wandering through Labirinto della Masone—a one-of-a-kind cultural haven combining museum, bookshop, and the world’s largest bamboo maze—he encountered a space where literature and artistry lived side by side.

The debut includes three titles: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, a tale of seabound adventure and hidden riches; The Invisible Collection by Stefan Zweig, a masterful portrayal exploring the quiet obsession of collecting beauty; and Laura: A Journey into the Crystal by George Sand, a rare rediscovery enriched by the visionary works of Wenzel Hablik.

Each volume is published in three languages—French, English, and Italian—featuring forewords by acclaimed authors, introductions by L’ÉCOLE experts, and illustrations as thoughtfully curated as the texts themselves.

Looking ahead, two new volumes will be published annually, one in spring and one in autumn, turning literature into a slowly unfolding trove of timeless charm.

And the story doesn’t end there. In collaboration with the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Van Cleef & Arpels is also launching Jewels and Literature, a digital dossier exploring the portrayal of jewellery in literature and the symbolic significance of jewels across different eras and cultures.

In every facet of this endeavor, the Maison proves one simple truth: whether sculpted in gold or inked on the page, beauty is always worth collecting.