This brooch is part of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Peau d’Âne high jewelry collection, inspired by the fairy character from the tale “Donkeyskin”.
The design uses a gradient of blue gemstones to give the gown a three-dimensional effect.
To achieve a lifelike depiction of the figure, the designers employed various gemstone cuts for different parts of the fairy: the head is set with a pear-shaped diamond, while the waist and skirt hem feature long step-cut diamonds. Surrounding the fairy, five-pointed stars are scattered in pavé-set round diamonds, evoking a whimsical, fairy-tale atmosphere.
The voluminous skirt is created with blue-hued gemstones: the central underskirt holds an 11.25 ct cabochon-cut tanzanite, surrounded by colorless diamonds transitioning into light blue sapphires, tanzanites, and blue spinels, while the darker areas of the skirt are set with deeper-toned gemstones, adding depth and contrast.
