By Renee Batchelor – published 17 Jul 2025
Scotland is a far distance to travel all the way from Singapore. But with its rolling hills and lush green landscapes—especially in the summer—it proved the perfect botanical spot to celebrate the beauty of flowers in all their natural glory. For the storied French jewellery and watch Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, was not just an inspired location to celebrate the launch of its new Fleurs d’Hawaï and Flowerlace collections, it is also the site of an enchanting rose garden that was adopted by the brand in 2023.
The plaque outside the Van Cleef & Arpels Rose Garden
Photo: Estelle Hanania for Van Cleef & Arpels
Dumfries House is a historical home that is owned by the King’s Foundation—a charity founded by King Charles III in 1990 when he was the Prince of Wales. In 2023, Van Cleef & Arpels was named the principal patron of the The King’s Foundation Gardens and in the same year, King Charles himself opened the rechristened Van Cleef & Arpels Rose Garden, which sits within the Queen Elizabeth Walled Garden in Dumfries House.
Related article: Van Cleef & Arpels’ Treasure Island Collection Is A Bibliophile’s Dream Come True
Step Into My Garden
On 2 July 2025, the brand held a mini exhibition for press and top clients held in Dumfries House. Our exploration of Dumfries House included visits to both the Walled Garden and the Van Cleef & Arpels Rose Garden, where the beautiful and fragrant roses in full summer bloom were a true sight to behold. In a refreshing twist, the jewellery and watches were presented alongside these real flowers, nestled within greenhouses and gardens, blending ephemeral and eternal blooms together.
The Van Cleef & Arpels Rose Garden
Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels
One of the most interesting parts of the presentation was how it served as a kind of retrospective of Van Cleef & Arpels floral heritage while presenting its new jewelled interpretations of the floral language and how they fit into the brand’s legacy.
Guests were first led to an exhibition space within the grounds of the Walled Garden, where they could see archival pieces from its collection including the Pansy, Camellia and Tobacco flower as well as vintage interpretations of the Rose de Noël in materials ranging from coral to wood. Sprinkled amidst these treasures from its patrimony were the new pieces from its Fleurs d’Hawaï and Flowerlace collections, showing and not telling the viewer about the invisible threads of inspiration that tie the past and present together.
High jewellery floral inspired pieces displayed in a greenhouse within the Walled Garden at Dumfries House
Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels
In a second part of the exhibition housed within a greenhouse, exquisite high jewellery creations were displayed at the entrance, giving them a new dimension in a raw and natural setting. In a separate room, all the different collections under the Flora universe were assembled in quirky and colourful scenography displays designed by the artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet, showing the staggering number of present-day pieces in the Flora universe, including those from the Frivole, Fleurette, Lotus and Cosmos collections.
Related article: Artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet On His 2025 Collaboration With Van Cleef & Arpels
Amidst Alexandre Benjamin Navet’s colourful illustrations are pieces from the Frivole collection
Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels
A third and final area in the greenhouse showcased all the Van Cleef & Arpels’ flowers in one unified display, highlighting the craftsmanship, techniques, artistry, gemstones and goldwork that have brought these blooms to life. A final wall of Rose de Noël pieces from the archives and beyond reminded us of the House’s enduring artistry and the beauty of its pieces, no matter the gemstone or material employed.
High watchmaking pieces on display highlight the versatility of the floral motif in Van Cleef & Arpels’ legacy
Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels
Also showcased in a separate pavilion in the Walled Garden were high jewellery watches from the brand that once again showed how the petaled beauties have enhanced these artistic creations in forms both life-like and stylised.
Fleurs d’Hawaï
Pieces from the new Fleurs d’Hawaï collection, which are crafted with gemstones like amethyst, rhodolite, aquamarine, citrine and peridot
Photo: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels
For Fleurs d’Hawaï, the natural gemstone takes centrestage, with five, rich and juicy gems featuring in the collection: amethyst, rhodolite, aquamarine, citrine and peridot. These flowers’ naturalistic representation are enhanced with tiny details—pistils that are dotted with diamonds and foliage represented in yellow, rose and white gold as well as a generously proportioned corolla that gives it that voluminous and realistic oomph. For this first drop, a curated collection of a pendant, earrings, ring and secret watch allow the bright and vivid colours of these five precious gemstones to shine through.
Flowerlace
For the second collection of Flowerlace pieces, which launch in September, the flower takes on a more abstract form. On display at the showcase was a Silhouette clip from the 1930s that served as a kind of inspiration for Flowerlace with its fluid but minimalist outlines. The new Flowerlace pieces, including a ring and transformable pendant, employ just gold that has been twisted into sinuous forms and diamonds to create layered, asymmetrical petals that look almost like the folds on a bow. Previously seen in high jewellery collections crafted in white gold and diamonds, these new interpretations have a verve and modernity that allows the precious flower—sometimes seen as over-delicate— to be worn and enjoyed in a new light.