Referring to Van Cleef & Arpels, I believe abundant of the first thoughts would be the Alhambra Four Leaf Lucky Series. As the star products of family have rapidly become a classic symbol since its inception in 1968. So, why can the Alhambra series capture so many female hearts without relying on expensive gems or fancy designs? Now let’s dig deeper into the secrets.
About Alhambra, you should know a few points
Alhambra ≠ Clover
Many people equate Alhambra with clover. This is actually wrong. The word Alhambra does not mean the four-leaf clover, and it named of a palace garden with a four-lobed line from Alhambra Palace, a historic Arabian palace in Granada, Spain.
The symbolism of the four-leafed leaves
Each leaf of the four-leaf Alhambra leaf has a unique meaning: good luck, health, wealth and love.
Alhambra family members
Since its introduction in 1968, the Alhambra family has grown and now has six sub-series including the Pure Alhambra classic series (2001), the Vintage Alhambra series, the Magic Alhambra series (2006), the Lucky Alhambra series, the Byzantine Alhambra series and the Sweet Alhambra series (2007). Rich styles meet the different needs of consumer.
The harsh material selection is the root cause of Alhambra’s fortune
Star Performs Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Jewelry
Initially, there was only a pure gold long necklace in the Alhambra series, and various styles and colors of gems were added only after several years. Today, Van Cleef & Arpels has applied a variety of precious materials: mother-pearl, malachite, carnelian, turquoise, ceramic, tiger-eye, onyx, and serpentine in the Alhambra series.
Of all the materials, only 1% of the original material will eventually be retained as the final product. Each piece of Alhambra jewelry needs to go through no less than 15 consecutive steps to produce the finished product.
Carnelian and malachite are two important materials that Van Cleef & Arpels used to create the series. It is said that Malachite is the guardian stone for travelers and can bring them shelter and security. The Malachite used by Van Cleef & Arpels is from Australia or Zaire. For the most special shades, the color of Malachite won’t be too deep and the green stripe on the top will alternate deep and shallow regularly.
Carnelian is one of the earliest materials used for jewelry production. And the main origin is Uruguay or India. Van Cleef & Arpels selected carnelian from Idar-Oberstein, Germany, while the red chalcedony stone is from Brazil for the reason that carnelian in these areas has more magnificent and unique colors.
Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra series artwork
Sum up:
Every seemingly simple jewellery actually has an unparalleled ingenuity behind it.
Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra four-leaf lucky series can swept the world not only because it brings good luck, but also because of stringent material selection and superb craftsmanship.
