Celebrating 50 Years Of Alhambra

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the Alhambra motif, the Maison has decided to pay homage to the beauty of the stones it has adorned throughout its history. This is how the blue agate, which appeared for the first time in the collection in 1989, is brought back into fashion, becoming the protagonist of a necklace and a Vintage Alhambra bracelet.On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the Alhambra motif, the Maison has decided to pay homage to the beauty of the stones it has adorned throughout its history. This is how the blue agate, which appeared for the first time in the collection in 1989, is brought back into fashion, becoming the protagonist of a necklace and a Vintage Alhambra bracelet. Selected according to the criteria of excellence of the Maison, this variety of translucent chalcedony has been adopted in a uniform and deep tones. Associated with the yellow gold, it evokes that harmonious encounter of sweetness and splendor evoked by the amure bleue, a particular moment of twilight marked by a magical light. Furthermore Van Cleef & Arpels introduces for the first time in the Alhambra collection an aesthetic technique traditionally reserved for watches and precious objects: the guillochage. Since the 1910s this engraving technique has allowed the decoration of the watch dials and, during the 30s, also cases  and MinaudièresTM, which testify the link between gems and precious metal. Today the Maison is inspired by that play of sparkling lines to radiate with light, according to the technique of guillochage, the mirror-polished yellow gold. Thanks to the skill of Van Cleef & Arpels, the depth of the striations and their sunburst-like arrangement provide a subtle relief to the surface and allow the distribution of the light beams with particular intensity. Enriched by this decoration, the motif catches the eye through iridescent shades with warm tones. To the original aesthetics of the Alhambra collection, the motifs are also adorned with adelicately pearled, the fruit of the distinctive know-how of Van Cleef & Arpels, and of a central gold pearl characterized by sphericity and brilliance.

Vast imagery reminiscent of faraway places and bewitching colors. Yellow gold, malachite, lapis lazuli, onyx, coral, tiger’s eye, turquoise, white and grey mother-of-pearl, cornelian, diamonds, blue agate, rock crystal are the materials that over the years have embellished the Alhambra sautoir. A splendid creation that perfectly match with the elegance of the women who have worn this jewelry through the years, among them: Françoise Hardy, a French singer from the Seventies, Romy Schneider, the exceptional actress and Princess Grace of Monaco.
While the Company name is synonymous of quality and elegance, the Alhambra collection stands out for its incredible ability to call to mind pleasant images, colors and the fragrances of nature. Like the memory of a pleasant stroll in the garden at the Arpels home where Jaques, Estelle Arprels’ grandson, picked and offered fresh clover to some of his collaborators together with the English poem “Don’t Quit”. An encouraging invitation to never ever lose hope.