Van Cleef & Arpels

Packs with black backgrounds often look stunning, this one more so than most. Add heavily gilded edges and you have a luxury item for a luxury jewellery company. The red suits look fine against their black backgrounds but the black suits have necessarily had to be changed to white. The effect is completed by the addition of yellow on all the court cards and Jokers (perhaps meant to look like gold). The pips have been faceted to resemble precious gemstones. The Jokers hold octagonal plaques depicting the Place Vendome in Paris where the VCA flagship store has been located since 1906. The signature of the designer, Henri Simoni, appears at the foot of the red Joker. According to the extra card, the pack was offered to customers of VCA’s boutique in Geneva, Switzerland.

Above: Promotional pack created for Van Cleef & Arpels’ boutique in Geneva, Switzerland printed by Maitres Cartiers Boéchat Frères, and published by Editions J.C. Dusserre, Paris, France, c1980. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 extra card. No box. Size: 57 x 86 mm.