8 things you didn’t know about Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra collection

1. Inspired by Morocco, Spain, Italy and Ireland

Alhambra was designed in 1968 by Jacques Arpels, who drew inspiration from the rich patterns he encountered during his travels. Jacques Arbemarle combined the traditional Moorish four-leaf clover, the pattern of the Doge’s Palace, the fan arches of the Spanish Alhambra Palace, and the Irish four-leaf clover to create the charming design of the Alhambra.

Jacques’ first Alhambra piece was a 20-layer cover pattern necklace on an opera-length gold chain.

2. Lots of luck

Jacques Arpels believed in luck and said: To be lucky, you must believe in luck. He was known to look for four-leaf clovers and send them to his employees along with a poem. Because of Jacques’ love for lucky charms, he infused the Alhambra collection with luck, health, wealth, and love.

3. Enduring popularity

With its unique and elegant design, the Alhambra series has become the signature of Van Cleef & Arpels. The brand’s most enduring style, the Alhambra collection has expanded to include rings, earrings, bracelets, and watches. Because the Alhambras are so popular, it is also the most counterfeited Van Cleef & Arpels design, with countless fakes flooding the market, like vca rhodonite vintage alhambra necklace replica.

4. Celebrity Favorites

After the Alhambra series came out, it was quickly favored by celebrities such as Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, and Francoise Hardy. Today, Alhambra jewelry is regularly worn by celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, and Reese Witherspoon.

5. Revolutionizing luxury jewelry

Jacques Arpels created the Alhambra collection during a transformative period in history. Nicolas Bos, president and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, said Alhambra is an expression of change through continuity. Van Cleef 5 Motifs dupe bracelet is very popular. Van Cleef & Arpels focuses on designing sophisticated collections rather than flashy jewelry to appeal to busy modern women as well as younger customers ready to buy more affordable high-end jewelry.

To highlight the functionality of Alhambra ready-to-wear, the Maison encourages wearers to combine Alhambra jewelry with casual clothing, emphasizing that fine jewelry can be worn at any time of the day, not just for formal evening events.

6. Rich materials

The Alhambra collection features a variety of precious and semi-precious stones, including diamonds, lapis lazuli, malachite and turquoise. All stones are selected according to Van Cleef & Arpels’ high-quality standards and carefully color-matched. Of all gemstones, the Alhambra’s mother-of-pearl pieces are the most coveted.

7. Subcollections

Alhambra has several distinctive sub-collections:

Vintage Alhambra stays true to the original design of the late 1960s collection

Magical Alhambra features shamrock patterns in various sizes

Sweet Alhambra decorated with miniature four-leaf clovers

Pure Alhambra embraces flowing lines and moves away from the distinctive scalloped shape of the classic Alhambra

Lucky Alhambra incorporates other beloved Van Cleef & Arpels patterns such as hearts, leaves, and vca replica two butterfly earrings MOP diamond

Byzantine Alhambra streamlined trefoil pattern with fluid solids and open stations

8. 50th anniversary celebration

In 2018, Van Cleef & Arpels celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Alhambra in Marrakech, Morocco. The brand showcases Alhambra pieces from its archives and demonstrates the jewelry creation process from selecting gemstones to final polishing using jewelers and tools. Van Cleef & Arpels also released an exclusive Alhambra creation, which lucky attendees were able to see first.