Van Cleef & Arpels launches new additions to its iconic Alhambra Collection, celebrating the Maison’s expertise in the artful fusion of precious metals, stones and enamel.
Continuing over 50 years of creativity, Van Cleef & Arpels has revealed five new Vintage Alhambra and Magic Alhambra creations in translucent enamel. Within their gold-beaded contours, the legendary Alhambra motif captures the eye with a brand new original pink hue, selected as a continuation of the collection’s polychrome identity.
The Maison opened the first chapter of its Alhambra Collection in 1968, beginning a journey that has established a symbol of luck – inspired by the four-leaf clover – that embodies the spirit of Van Cleef & Arpels perfectly, transcending eras through continuous reinvention, new materials and functionalities. Today, the Maison unites this iconic motif with another of its treasured expertises – enamel – to adorn a new jewellery set, featuring a long necklace, necklace, pendant, bracelet and earrings. “The Alhambra Collection palette is now enriched with a vibrant, intense and translucent pink enamel enlivened with tiny bubbles that imbue it with life and depth,” Catherine Renier, President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, tells Canvas. “The result of years of research and development in the Maison’s workshops, this material also illustrates its commitment to rare métiers d’art.”
Enamel is an integral part of the Maison’s creative fabric, synonymous with European nobility. Since its inception in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels has embraced the qualities of this multifarious material in a wide array of creations. Throughout the 1930s, geometric Art Deco-inspired enamel designs sat side-by-side with sublime landscapes, expanding later to charming enamel-detailed animal and floral pieces in the 1950s. In 2006, for its first Poetic Complications watch, Van Cleef & Arpels turned to enamel to imbue the dials with poetry.
Specifically developed to bring to life the designs of the Maison’s Creation Studio, the intense pink of the enamel used in these new creations was achieved through a technique inspired by the ‘gold-ruby’ process, a seventeenth-century method that generates colour not with pigments but instead through the presence of fine gold particles in the material itself. This ideal shade demands particles that are just the right size, shape and concentration. Years of research and development in the Van Cleef & Arpels enamel workshops were needed to define and perfect the procedure for the Alhambra motifs.
“With these Alhambra creations in enamel, Van Cleef & Arpels opens a new chapter in the history of its iconic collection, a symbol of luck,” says Renier. “Thanks to our workshops’ expertise and capacity for innovation, enamel brings an original aesthetic and shade to the Alhambra universe, which has continuously reinvented itself over the decades. This traditional jewellery material delivers effects of colour, light and transparency, patiently fine-tuned to enhance the pieces, which we are delighted to present to you today.”
Similarly, four-leaf clovers appeared as early as 1906 in Van Cleef & Arpels creations. In 1968, the Maison created the first Alhambra long necklace, inspired by the shape of the four-leaf clover. With its stylised esthetic, fluidity and everyday wearability, this piece complemented silhouettes and embraced the aspirations of the era, making it an immediate and stunning success and marking the beginning of a distinctive collection that would continue to renew itself over time. Unsurprisingly, this motif quickly established itself as an icon of luck for Van Cleef & Arpels. Decade after decade, it has welcomed a wide variety of materials and shades, all of which have enriched its timeless elegance. Yellow, rose and white gold have joined with ornamental stones, organic materials, diamonds and even Sèvres porcelain, giving rise to a rich panoply of colours and textures that harmonised within each creation, endlessly reinventing Alhambra as an icon of the Maison’s jewellery-making expertise and fine eye for detail.
From the production of enamel motifs to the steps carried out in the Van Cleef & Arpels workshops, an array of skills come together to give form to the creations. Particular precision is called for when it comes to adjusting the curved enamel motif in its setting. This precious contour is distinguished by its double row of golden beads, a distinctive Van Cleef & Arpels style signature. Its smooth, even curves are the realisation of painstaking jewellery-making and polishing work, and these golden spheres enhance wonderfully the reflections of the enamel itself. The setting process is likewise a careful, exacting affair. The retaining claws are delicately folded down to hold each enamel symbol while still remaining discreet to the eye. At the same time, on the back, they are rounded to a ball shape, ensuring a soft touch against the skin or clothes of the wearer. Once complete, each creation is carefully inspected to guarantee a result that meets the Maison’s high standards of quality.
By infusing centuries of enamelling heritage with the vibrant brilliance of gold-ruby pink, Van Cleef & Arpels elevates its beloved four-leaf clover motif into a beautiful modern masterpiece. These luminous new additions prove that true elegance never stands still, injecting poetic, radiant life into an enduring symbol of good fortune.
