Van Cleef & Arpels Brand
Van Cleef & Arpels Introduces Four New Alhambra Creations
Luxferity, 02.06.2023
PLAYS OF LIGHT AND COLOR
Intense reflections of guilloché rose gold combine with dazzling nuances of carnelian to give rise to four new Alhambra creations, aglow with tender harmonies. These new pieces include a reversible ring that enchants the gaze with these materials, according to the wearer’s fancy. This new design, offered for the first time within the collection, reflects the tradition of versatility that is unique to the Maison and its distinctive emblem. An iconic aesthetic of Van Cleef & Arpels since 1968, the Alhambra motif draws inspiration from the four-leaf clover, celebrating luck through constantly reinvented jewelry and watchmaking creations.
AN ORIGINAL ALLIANCE OF ICONIC MATERIALS
Since its creation, the Alhambra collection has stood out as an emblem of Van Cleef & Arpels, lending itself to many elegant variations intended to highlight particular moments and materials. Today, the motifs alternate in perfect harmony on both a Vintage Alhambra bracelet and long necklace, and a Sweet Alhambra watch, associating the soft glow of rose gold with the warm hue of carnelian. A material dear to the Maison, this ornamental stone elevates the pieces with its red-orange nuances. Meanwhile, rose gold unveils tender, shifting reflections thanks to a guilloché effect, a signature of the collection since 2018. The sunbeam-like streaks adorning the motif impart a subtle relief to the surface of the precious metal, sparking an intense whirlwind of light that captivates the gaze.
Alhambra 20-motif long necklace
Rose gold, guilloché rose gold, carnelian
True to the initial aesthetic of the Alhambra collection, an elegant beaded contour surrounds the symbols, reflecting a savoir-faire characteristic of Van Cleef & Arpels. The guilloché-gold motifs are accentuated by the soft glow of a central golden bead.
Alhambra 5-motif bracelet
Rose gold, guilloché rose gold, carnelian
Sweet Alhambra watch
Rose gold, guilloché rose gold, carnelian, Swiss quartz movement
CREATIVITY AND EXPERTISE
Thanks to the freedom and diversity it embodies, the Alhambra collection has regularly renewed the art of wearing jewelry since its creation in the late 1960s. Perpetuating this tradition, the collection is today enriched with an unprecedented design: a ring fashioned with a reversible motif. This piece features two sides made from different materials: carnelian, and guilloché rose gold set with a diamond. The body of the ring, made up of three rows of cascading golden beads, was specially designed to ensure the stability and proper functioning of the pivoting motif. Perfecting this mechanism required many research and development trials to ensure the ideal motion, with a smooth and regular rotation. For each ring, the different components are assembled and adjusted by hand.
Alhambra reversible ring
Rose gold, guilloché rose gold, carnelian, diamond
Attention to detail, typical of Van Cleef & Arpels, is also apparent in the great care taken to ensure perfect comfort. The interior body of the ring is lined with a golden half-bangle that gently embraces the finger. On the guilloché motif, the height of the closed-set diamond was specifically devised to avoid pressing into the skin, and preserve the radiance of the stone. Finally, the translucent quality of the carnelian allows light to flow through the stone and reflect off the gold of the underlying motif. The stone thus appears to glow with an inner light. The successive manufacturing steps follow one another, creating rings that combine jewelry elegance and versatility, reflecting the Maison’s tradition of transformable pieces.
Alhambra reversible ring
Rose gold, guilloché rose gold, carnelian, diamond
THE EXCELLENCEOF A HIGH JEWELRY MAISON
In keeping with Van Cleef & Arpels’ tradition of excellence, the Alhambra collection illustrates the consummate expertise of a High Jewelry Maison. From lapidaries to jewelers, from stone-setters to polishers, each piece calls on a wide array of skills. In keeping with the Maison’s high standards, ornamental stone motifs are meticulously cut and polished before careful matching. Like the guilloché gold symbols, they glow within the precious setting of an elegant beaded mount.
The motif thus melds into its golden setting, prongs folded with the utmost precision. Finally, the piece is polished one last time, to accentuate the beauty of the composition.
THE SPLENDOR OF FINE MATERIALS
The Maison has always turned to nature, for inspiration and for its finest materials: carnelian, mother-of-pearl, turquoise, onyx, chalcedony, malachite, snakewood and more. These resources, like diamonds, are selected according to the highest standards of quality. Indeed, only 1% of materials are deemed worthy of being used for Alhambra creations.
- CARNELIAN
Carnelian is a variety of chalcedony associated with the microcrystalline quartz family. Van Cleef & Arpels carefully selects only a minuscule fraction of rough stones to offer the most exquisite materials and the most vivid colors, ranging from deep red to shiny orange. From these stones, lapidaries create harmonious compositions, perfectly matched according to hue and opacity. The Maison also strives to achieve the highest level of polishing, with a view to bringing out the full beauty of each stone.
- ROSE GOLD
Rose gold has been used for Van Cleef & Arpels’ creations since the 1920s, adorning powder compacts, and subsequently on Minaudières, bracelets and watches of modernist inspiration, in the 1930s. Over the years, rose gold has often appeared together with white and yellow gold, notably to compose abstract motifs popular from the 1970s to the 1990s. The Maison uses a gold, copper and silver alloy, specially designed to preserve the beauty, color and luster of its creations over time. Its guilloché aesthetic reflects light with stirring intensity, imbuing pieces with a warm radiance.
MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS OF CREATION
“To be lucky, you have to believe in luck,” as Jacques Arpels, nephew of Estelle Arpels, used to say. Indeed, this value has often inspired the Maison’s creations since its founding. Jacques Arpels believed a piece of jewelry should be a good-luck charm. He would pick four-leaf clovers in the backyard of his house in Germigny-l’Évêque in the north-east of Paris, offering them to members of his team along with an English poem, “Don’t Quit,” as an invitation to always keep hope.
In 1968, Van Cleef & Arpels gave birth to a true icon of luck with the first Alhambra long necklace, inspired by the contours of four-leaf clovers. A lucky charm with a harmonious aesthetic, the piece is composed of 20 motifs in creased yellow gold, fringed with gold beads. This symbol achieved immediate success, and soon came to be an emblem of the Maison. Eminently recognizable, it has continued to shine for half a century, reflecting Van Cleef & Arpels’ timeless style and exceptional savoir-faire. Over the ensuing decades, the Alhambra collection has never ceased to evolve, welcoming myriad variations in size and materials while maintaining its original characteristics. Always adapting to the era’s spirit, it remains ever contemporary, reinventing the art of wearing jewelry.
