Africa or Perlée
Marco Bicego · Van Cleef & Arpels
Africa
Slightly lopsided beads of 18k yellow gold, each scored by hand with a burin into thousands of fine lines, strung in graduated rows so the satin surface glows rather than shines.
Gold beads are the whole idea of both, finished in opposite ways. Van Cleef & Arpels gave its beads, an edging since the 1920s, a line of their own in 2008: Perlée rows of tiny spheres polished to a shine on the back as well as the front. Marco Bicego's Africa beads are deliberately uneven, and instead of polishing them he scores them with a burin into a satin that softens the light.
| Fact | Africa | Perlée |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | — | 2008 |
| Designer | Marco Bicego | — |
| School | Milan & Valenza | Place Vendôme |
| Materials | yellow gold, pearl, diamond | yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, diamond, carnelian, malachite |
| Moves | No | stacks |
| From | €950 | €880 |
| Top of line | €58,200 | €515,000 |
Prices in euros as published by each house, October 2026.
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