Taking inspiration from an author is no stretch for Van Cleef & Arpels; in 2010, the 115-year-old French jeweler saluted writer Jules Verne with its Les Voyages Extraordinaires line. Yet in this Proustian brooch, VCA was thinking of something bigger than books. The house’s new high jewelry line, Bals de Légende, fetes five famous masquerade balls of the 20th century: le Bal du Palais d’Hiver (St. Petersburg, 1903); le Bal du Siècle (Venice, 1951); le Bal Black & White (New York City, 1966); le Bal Oriental (Paris, 1969); and le Bal Proust (Ferrières, 1971). “The starting point was a photo from le Bal Proust of Liz Taylor…wearing a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace,” says company worldwide creative director Nicolas Bos. This Canta­crice is part of a still-evolving 160-piece collection. Says Bos, “It’s always kind of moving and alive.”Phantom of the OperaAt le Bal