1970s Van Cleef & Arpels Gold and Wood Bracelet

Polished yellow gold moves through warm, carved wood.

This 1970s Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet is formed as a bold gourmette chain, alternating 18k yellow gold links with deep brown wood links of matching curved form. The contrast is finely judged: the gold is smooth and reflective, while the wood brings a darker, organic surface, its grain visible beneath the polish. At 13.5 mm wide and 20.5 cm long, the bracelet has the scale and ease of the period, substantial without losing its fluidity around the wrist. Signed VCA and numbered, with a French export maker’s mark, it is a refined example of Van Cleef & Arpels’ 1970s taste for noble materials beyond gemstones.

A bracelet of rhythm and contrast, where gold takes warmth from wood.