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The four-leaf clover is a long-celebrated talisman, nevertheless it was French jewelry maison Van Cleef & Arpels who cemented it as a world image for good luck and nice fortune after they introduced it to life in gold and valuable gem stones within the late Sixties.
The ‘Alhambra’ assortment is now internationally recognised; its signature sautoirs are sometimes noticed strewn across the necks of tastemakers and pattern setters, royalty and Hollywood’s best alike. These lengthy, low-swinging types are simply as simply paired with night robes as they’re with denims and a T-shirt, which is maybe the key to their enduring appeal – the ‘Alhambra’ has change into synonymous with valuable, laidback luxurious.
The historical past
Van Cleef & Arpels has traditionally celebrated luck, pleasure and optimism because it was based in 1906, lengthy famend for its animated interpretations of flowers and animals. It was in 1968, nonetheless, that the four-leaf clover grew to become a fortunate icon for the home.
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Jacques Arpels, a nephew of one of many founding households, was particularly enamoured with the idea of luck – he famously bestowed four-leaf clovers gathered in his backyard upon his employees. His private mantra, “To be fortunate, you need to imagine in luck,” impressed the maison to create a set that noticed four-leaf clovers edged with golden pearls, set upon stylish sautoirs. It was conceived to introduce a brand new period of extra accessible jewelry designs inside the maison’s repertoire and have become an prompt success.
The identify of the gathering is derived from the Alhambra palace, in Granada, Spain, the place Moorish quatrefoil motifs (4 overlapping circles, very similar to the clover silhouette) adorn magnificent structure with equally detailed, intricate artisanry.
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What makes it so iconic?
Van Cleef & Arpels is one in all historical past’s most celebrated jewellers, based within the excessive jewellery-making epicentre of the world, Place Vendome, Paris. The mixed expertise of lapidaries, jewellers, stone-setters and polishers come collectively to create every clover motif, requiring no fewer than fifteen successive steps of workmanship.
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What makes the ‘Alhambra’ assortment so iconic is that it distils the haute joaillerie experience of the maison into an on a regular basis, wearable design that may be paired with a easy sweater.
Its enduring status is maybe additionally bolstered by the evolution of sub-collections that play with color, kind and completely different dimensions; from the ‘Fortunate Alhambra’ designs, which incorporate coronary heart, butterfly, leaf and star motifs, to the ‘Byzantine Alhambra’ types, which have fun the clover silhouette in strong and openwork gold.
Who has worn them?
Since its creation, the ‘Alhambra’ assortment has been worn by tastemakers and elegance icons the world over – from Françoise Hardy and Princess Grace of Monaco within the Seventies (who owned a number of Alhambra items inside her private assortment), together with Elizabeth Taylor, who famously collected Van Cleef & Arpels jewels, to modern-day fashions and royals.
Catherine, the Princess of Wales has worn a parure of ‘Magic Alhambra’ jewels to a number of formal capabilities, showcasing a necklace and earrings within the traditional mother-of-pearl and yellow gold colourway – the right companion to pale-hued silks and satins. ‘
Alhambra’ designs are not any stranger to avenue fashion stars both – recurrently noticed inside scintillating necklace stacks at vogue week.
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The place to purchase
Over the many years the ‘Alhambra’ assortment has expanded to incorporate earrings, rings, bracelets and petite pendants, accessible in myriad valuable stones – from malachite and mom of pearl to carnelian, agate and onyx.
Shopping for instantly from Van Cleef & Arpels affords the biggest collection of designs, however items will also be discovered at luxurious retailers comparable to Selfridges.
In the meantime, Vestiaire Collective has a collection of pre-loved items, whereas public sale homes comparable to Sotheby’s, Bonhams and Phillips usually embrace Van Cleef & Arpels ‘Alhambra’ designs of their nice jewelry gross sales, celebrated for holding each their re-sale worth and their timeless enchantment.
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