“…“To be lucky, you have to believe in luck.” The phrase Jacques Arpels, nephew of Estelle Arpels, lived by has long shaped the creative spirit of Van Cleef & Arpels. Within the world of the Maison, luck is never a mere abstraction. It is a quiet, enduring muse, seamlessly woven into the design language of Alhambra…”
In 1968, that belief found tangible expression in the first Alhambra long necklace, its four-leaf motif inspired by the clover and conceived as a charm of hope and fortune. Twenty crimped yellow gold motifs, delicately framed by golden beading, formed a silhouette at once simple and deeply symbolic. The response was immediate and enduring, and Alhambra swiftly established itself as one of the Maison’s most enduring emblems.
Decades on, Alhambra continues to evolve through new sizes, materials, and interpretations, while remaining unmistakably faithful to its origins. At its core lies an uncompromising approach to stone selection, with every material held to the same exacting standards as diamonds.
For this year’s creations, the Maison pairs the luminous depth of white mother of pearl with chalcedony, a microcrystalline quartz prized for its translucence and softly shifting hues, from grey and sky blue to lavender. Polished to a subtle sheen, these stones lend a refined radiance to every motif, while grey mother of pearl finds an elegant harmony with the warm glow of rose gold.
The new Magic Alhambra transformable long necklaces capture the icon of luck in motion, their asymmetrically scaled motifs lending the design a sense of fluid rhythm. One variation alternates rose gold guilloché motifs with rose gold set with white and grey mother of pearl.
Another pairs white gold guilloché with white gold set with white mother of pearl and chalcedony. Both are engineered for multiple ways of wear, as a long necklace, a shorter necklace, or a bracelet, enabled by an English blade clasp discreetly concealed within select motifs. Every detail is meticulously considered, from the length of the chains and the fall of the motifs to the seamless, almost invisible clasping.
Equally expressive of the Maison’s transformable savoir-faire are the Vintage Alhambra reversible rings. With a smooth, effortless rotation, each ring reveals two distinct faces: grey mother of pearl on one side, and on the other, a diamond centred on guilloché gold; or chalcedony paired with a diamond set against guilloché white gold. Designed to balance beauty with comfort, the ring’s structure gently embraces the finger, showcasing Van Cleef & Arpels’ technical mastery in its most elegant and understated form.
