For nearly 60 years, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra collection has been at the heart of the celebrated Paris-based maison.
The Alhambra’s shape, reminiscent of a four-leaf clover, is intended to bring luck to the wearer, and its name is inspired by the ethereal architecture of the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain. In 1968, the collection was introduced in the form of a long chain necklace crafted of yellow gold and interspersed with 20 of the new clover shapes, their edges trimmed with gold beads. Alhambra jewelry pieces have been worn by celebrities and royals, including Princess Grace of Monaco, Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales.
Distinctive Design
The wide-ranging collection has expanded into many forms since its introduction. There are three distinct lines in Alhambra: Vintage, Magic and Pure. The jewelry offerings include necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings and watches in multiple size options.
Crafted of either 18K white or yellow gold, Alhambra jewelry can also feature ornamental stones such as mother of pearl and agate, with or without diamonds. The Vintage Alhambra collection, as its name suggests, retains virtually the same design as when Van Cleef & Arpels introduced it almost 60 years ago. The iconic beaded gold framing surrounding the clover shape is an instantly recognizable signature style for the brand. Throughout Alhambra’s evolution, the Vintage line’s distinctive architecture remains essentially unchanged.
Handmade Harmony
While the Alhambra symbolizes luck, crafting the jewelry collection certainly doesn’t happen by chance. Since its founding in 1906, the product of a love match between Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels, the brand has put hand craftsmanship and human touch at the forefront of everything it makes. Estelle’s nephew Jacques Arpels instilled the theme of luck at Van Cleef & Arpels shortly after it was founded. “To be lucky, you must believe in luck,” he said at the time. He was known for picking four-leaf clovers in his backyard and giving them to the brand’s employees.
Adept Artistry
The craftsmanship required to build every piece of Alhambra jewelry includes the work of multiple artisans, and each piece is entirely made by hand. From stonecutting and -setting to carving and polishing the gold, each piece passes through the hands of several of Van Cleef’s expert jewelers before it is complete.
Van Cleef & Arpels recently introduced a reversible ring into the Vintage Alhambra collection. The ring features a red carnelian inset on one side and guilloché carved 18K rose gold set with a central single diamond on the reverse—a stunning example of the brand’s expert jewelers’ collaboration. This ring is made via a multistep creation process from the rough stone and unshaped gold to the finished product. “From lapidaries to jewelers, from stone-setters to polishers, each piece calls on a wide array of skills,” the brand said in a statement.
In the Red
Carnelian is a semiprecious stone, a red mineral that can be found in specific regions around the world, including Peru, India and Brazil. Before it is accepted, the carnelian used in the Alhambra collection is subject to detailed examination by expert gemologists to assess its quality. Only unblemished carnelian stones with consistent color are considered for Van Cleef’s jewels, and even then, only 1% of the raw material is selected.
Once the stone is chosen, it is carefully carved into the clover shape in Van Cleef’s atelier. It then undergoes a thorough polishing before it is ready to be set. In the meanwhile, master jewelers have prepared the ring for setting. The ring’s body, made up of three rows of gold, provides a strong and stable anchor for its pivoting action. According to the brand, “Perfecting this mechanism required many research and development trials to ensure the ideal motion, with a smooth and regular rotation.”
Capturing the Light
The guilloché engraving on the ring’s reverse side is the work of yet another team of artisans. The pattern has lines radiating from the center, which is decorated with a single glistening diamond. The engraving’s effect, according to Van Cleef, evokes “sunbeam-like streaks, sparking an intense whirlwind of light that captivates the gaze.”
Assembling the ring requires steady hands and a gentle touch. The carnelian is carefully placed into its setting by the jeweler, taking care to avoid scratching the stone. The jeweler carefully encloses the carnelian within its gold frame. After the diamond is set into the guilloche gold on the reverse side, it is also ready to be set into the ring. The finished Vintage Alhambra reversible ring, a true collaboration between Van Cleef & Arpels’ artisans, is born.