This set of brooches is part of Van Cleef & Arpels’ high jewelry collection Romeo & Juliet, inspired by Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy. Through motifs of pomegranates and the figures of the star-crossed lovers, the Maison recreates the romance of their secret balcony encounter, evoking the vitality and elegance of the Italian Renaissance.
The Grenata brooch centers on the motif of the pomegranate, drawn from the play’s imagery of the tree where the nightingale sings — a symbol of love and fertility. In the story, Romeo and Juliet declare their love beneath a pomegranate tree, listening to the nightingale’s song. During the Renaissance, the fruit was a common motif in bridal gifts and women’s adornments, representing abundance and new life.
Van Cleef & Arpels reimagines this symbolic fruit in a contemporary yet poetic way. Crafted in rose gold, the pomegranate’s rounded shell is polished to a mirror shine and delicately openworked with intricate veins. The surface is adorned with diamonds, rubies, spessartite garnets, and yellow sapphires — a warm, luminous palette that embodies vitality and passion. A lifelike stem extends downward, ending with a pear-shaped diamond that completes the design.
The Romeo & Juliet brooch revisits the Maison’s signature “ballerina” brooch design, capturing the tender moment when Romeo presents a flower to Juliet. Juliet’s face, formed by a pear-shaped rose-cut diamond, radiates softness and modesty. Her rose gold gown features natural folds, lavishly set with orange sapphires, garnets, rubies, and diamonds that form a richly ornate skirt pattern.
Romeo, meanwhile, is depicted in a rose gold cloak accented with a bright yellow diamond on his shoulder. His blue tunic is set with sapphires and lapis lazuli, while his trousers are painted in black lacquer. A finely engraved golden sword hangs at his waist, symbolizing his bravery and resolve. The bouquet in Romeo’s hand is set with purple sapphires — blending the red of the Capulet family and the blue of the Montague family, symbolizing the union of two fated hearts.
