Claude Arpels, 79; President of Paris-Based Jewelry Chain

Claude Arpels, 79, president of Van Cleef and Arpels who opened the Paris-based jewelry chain’s Beverly Hills salon. He and his two brothers inherited and operated the prestigious business founded by their parents and in-laws. He spent most of his career in the U.S. operation, opening the New York store on 5th Avenue in 1939, a shop in Palm Beach, Fla., in 1940, and the Beverly Hills store on Rodeo Drive in 1969. In Paris on Monday of unknown causes.