“Alhambra” collection by VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Founded at the very beginning of the 20th century, the high jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels is particularly renowned for having illuminated women such as Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Empress Farah and the Duchess of Windsor. If the French company is distinguished by jewelry adorned with animals, flowers and fairies, Van Cleef & Arpels is also at the origin of now iconic collections, all characterized by a subtle blend of refinement and poetry.
Today, we have chosen to rediscover a collection that is a symbol of luck. Iconic from the 1960s, Alhambra jewelry is inspired by the four-leaf clover, a timeless motif that can be found on bracelets, necklaces and rings.
Van Cleef & Arpels: a destiny of love and jewelry
Van Cleef & Arpels is a jewelry house born from the love of Estelle Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef. He is the son of a lapidary craftsman. She is the daughter of a precious stone dealer. Together, they created their first Van Cleef & Arpels boutique at 22 of the famous Place Vendôme. It was then the beginning of a great jewelry destiny.
In 1925, Van Cleef & Arpels won a first Grand Prize for the piece Bracelet aux Roses specially created for the International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts. After this great success, the house opened its talent to the international stage by setting up in New York on the 31st floor of the Rockefeller Center. The Van Cleef & Arpels label then became known for its unique blend of American and French style.
During the 1960s, the second generation of the family took over, notably by creating the crown of Empress Farah of Iran. The piece is adorned with exactly 1,469 diamonds. It was also during this decade that the artistic direction of the house gave birth to a new jewelry icon: the Alhambra necklace.
Throughout the following decades, Van Cleef & Arpels developed new iconic pieces such as the Christmas Roses, the Cosmos model, the Snowflake collection, the Midsummer Night's Dream collection, the Frivole and the Lacquered Butterflies.
Since the early 2000s, the jewelry house has belonged to the Swiss group Richemont, now headed by Nicolas Nos, director of Van Cleef & Arpels since 2013.
Certainly, the creations of the house of Van Cleef & Arpels are definitively engraved in the history of fine jewelry. This is evidenced by the participation of the house in an exhibition organized by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, entitled Van Cleef & Arpels: the Art of Fine Jewelry.
The Alhambra collection: iconic pieces from the house of Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels, throughout its jewelry destiny, has been inspired by many motifs. Among these are travel, birds, love, dance, flowers, haute couture, but also luck. With its characteristic four-leaf clover shape, the Alhambra collection thus refers to luck, it shows precious lucky charms.
While the Alhambra collection was created in the 1960s, the clover motif is older at Van Cleef & Arpel. It can be found as early as the 1920s, in the form of charms, fairies and talisman jewellery made of wood. This notion of luck has a particular history: the nephew of the founding couple used to pick four-leaf clovers to offer them to the company's employees, as a good luck charm.
The very first clover designs remained in the archives, but the idea of luck gave birth, in 1968, to the famous Alhambra necklace, composed of 20 motifs in crumpled yellow gold, edged with gold beads. After this first creation, the collection was gradually enriched with new colors with a beautiful palette of natural materials such as mother-of-pearl, ornamental stones and diamonds of course. The symbols were also enriched: in particular, the clover was stylized in such a way as to echo a Byzantine-inspired quatrefoil.
In the late 1990s, the Alhambra watches were launched and in 2008, the collection returned to its original aesthetic with a pearled outline then named “Vintage Alhambra”. Chalcedony was introduced in 2006 with the “Lucky Alhambra” and “Magic Alhambra” creations. Finally, in 2018, the Alhambra collection was enriched with grey mother-of-pearl and onyx.
Certainly, the Alhambra collection has become a true symbol of the high jewelry house. François Hardy, photographed during the 1960s with the famous necklace, will also have become an icon of Van Cleef & Arpels creations.
Our selection of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry from the Alhambra collection
A digital platform for the sale and purchase of second-hand jewelry, Castafiore carefully selects second-hand, vintage and antique jewelry. Here, we have chosen to introduce you to jewelry bearing an iconic signature: the Alhambra collection.
Our fine selection includes the iconic models of this collection that has been evolving since the 1960s. Also, you will certainly find the “Vintage Alhambra” pieces launched in 2001 and characterized by a delicate pearly outline. Certainly, diamonds are in the spotlight on many pieces, they are notably associated with white gold for a perfect shine. You will find them in the form of bracelets, earrings, rings or even necklaces. During the year 2006, Van Cleef & Arpels introduced stones such as chalcedony into its iconic collection: you will therefore find in our selection pieces adorned with this delicately blue mineral. In recent years, the Alhambra collection has been enriched with mother-of-pearl and onyx: Castafiore has naturally chosen to introduce you to these new models, notably from the “Magic Alhambra” and “Pure Alhambra” collections. Colors are of course in the spotlight, at Van Cleef & Arpels these can include Malachite, coral, carnelian, tiger's eye or even turquoise.
Quickly browse this beautiful collection and choose to wear luck around your neck, fingers or wrist. The jewel of your choice will of course be sent to you with a digital certificate of authenticity registered in the Blockchain, guaranteeing the authenticity of your piece throughout its existence.