Van Cleef & Arpels Perlee Diamond Pendant Necklace 18K White Gold

The golden bead is the quiet thread that runs through Van Cleef & Arpels' century. It first appeared in the Maison's Couscous designs of the late 1940s — small polished spheres arranged along flexible chains, a detail Estelle Arpels and her brothers borrowed from North African craft traditions and made entirely their own. In 2008 the Maison drew that vocabulary into a single collection and named it Perlée. The bead became the signature.

This pendant is one of the line's earliest expressions and one of its most distilled. A small round disc set with pavé brilliant-cut diamonds, framed by a halo of polished golden beads — eighteen tiny spheres ringing the diamonds like a coronet. The disc suspends from a fine cable chain in 18K white gold, picking up the motif from the pendant itself. The clasp is signed Van Cleef & Arpels.

This particular Perlée pendant model has been retired from current Van Cleef & Arpels boutiques. The Perlée line continues in clover, signature, and pearls of gold variations, but this exact round pavé-with-bead-border configuration is no longer in production — making the piece increasingly sought on the secondary market.

Worn alone against a high collarbone for daily wear. Layered over a longer Alhambra or Frivole chain for depth. Slipped under a silk blouse so only a flash of diamonds shows when she leans forward. Perlée was always meant to be lived in, not saved for occasions.