King of gemstones: Van Cleef & Arpels Treasure of Rubies

A dazzling tribute to the precious red stone that has fascinated for centuries

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(Image credit: Van Cleef & Arpels / Bertrand Moulin)

Paris' most elegant campus is located at 22 Place Vendôme. Completed in 1720, the sandstone-clad Hôtel de Ségur is the work of Jacques Gabriel, principal architect to King Louis XV of France. The Hôtel de Ségur has in turn been home to the Marquise of Parabère, a paramour of Philippe II, the Duke of Orléans; 19th-century financier Isaac Péreire (co-creator of the bank Crédit Mobilier) and Nicolas-Alexandre, Marquis de Ségur, the owner of numerous Bordeaux vineyards including the Châteaux Latour and Laffite.

In 1906, ten years after Alfred Van Cleef and Salomon Arpels established their maison, the fledgling enterprise opened the first Van Cleef & Arpels boutique on the building’s ground floor. Today, the jeweller’s headquarters are located in a prime at the opposite end of the square, facing the Hotel Ritz.

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