A new shade of luck

Luck comes in many guises. The horseshoe that wraps us in its curves; the ladybug whose spots bring as many months of good fortune; the number 7 and its mystical inspirations, and probably the most universal of all: the four-leaf clover, its discovery an unexpected stroke of luck. For almost 60 years, Van Cleef & Arpels has celebrated this wonderfully optimistic motif in the Alhambra. In guilloché gold, set with an array of ornamental stones — agate, chalcedony, mother-of-pearl, malachite, carnelian, tiger’s eye or onyx — , instantly recognizable for its quatrefoil shape and beaded gold contours, this emblematic collection has been endlessly reinvented. Now, Van Cleef & Arpels is shedding new light on its iconic motif, with enamel. A choice that owes nothing to chance… nor to luck. WHERE LUCK BEGINS These new iterations take root in the house’s 120-year history, not least the very nature of a symbol that captures a poetic vision of life: that of Van Cleef & Arpels ever since its creation, in 1906, by husband and wife Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. Straight away, the house was creating “lucky charms” that included a horseshoe medallion in 1906, and the horseshoe brooch recorded in its archives for 1910. One of its first successes, introduced in 1916 and continued until 1920, the Touch Wood collection of wood jewelry offered a literal and elegant way to keep misfortune at bay by touching wood. As for the four-leaf clover, having made its first appearance in the archives in 1906, from the 1950s onward it became the house’s most enduring symbol of good luck. As early as 1954, a series of clover-shaped clips appeared in the windows of the Place Vendôme boutique. Sculpted from yellow gold, each leaf contained an emerald as a glittering nod to the clover’s green foliage. Already present on Van Cleef & Arpels creations, including the skirts of the Dancer clips, in 1960 rays of yellow gold gave fuller form to the clover’s precious folioles, hemmed with emerald beads. Not forgetting Jacques Arpels, Estelle’s nephew, and his affection for this botanical rarity. A firm believer that “to be lucky, you have to believe in luck,” Jacques would search his garden for four-leaf clovers to give to his employees. /public-objects/98688a78-c448-4f48-9ab7-f17bb536a3ed-bf47e895-4389-46b3-bad4-aa824ea2c0ce-VCARPQZJ00%20-%20BO%202%20motifs_front%20_1.webp Image sélectionnée AN ABUNDANCE OF VARIATIONS A first long necklace featuring 20 stylized clover motifs saw daylight in 1968, at a time of more relaxed social conventions, when women were making clear that they would no longer adhere to rigid dress codes, and adopted jewelry designed not for occasions but for every day. Backed by a major advertising campaign, it was an instant hit. A success that has never diminished. A demonstration of the expertise and attention to detail shown by Van Cleef & Arpels’ enamellers, these five new variations begin a new chapter for the collection. Indeed, this is the first time the Alhambra is adding enamel to the vast palette of shades offered by ornamental stones, Sèvres porcelain or natural materials. “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,” said Van Cleef & Arpels President and CEO Catherine Rénier. “This traditional jewelry material delivers effects of color, light and transparency, patiently fine-tuned to enhance the pieces, which we are delighted to present to you today.” /public-objects/301ace4b-96e6-49a0-b19d-5a780ae7057b-db0c4377-33a9-4e8e-8d40-c876422b949f-VCARPQZG00%20-%20Sautoir%2020%20motifs_on%20stand.webp Image sélectionnée LET THERE BE LIGHT! Just as symbols of luck appear across numerous Van Cleef & Arpels creations, enamel has formed a part of the house’s history since 1906. Precious objects, delicate boxes, châtelaines, watches and jewelry, including many clips, are rendered in this expressive material, employing over 15 distinct techniques such as enamel miniature painting, grisaille, plique-à-jour, cloisonné and enamel decal. As well as safeguarding and transmitting these skills within its own enameling school, the house’s Métiers d’Art division works to perfect methods and develop new techniques. When creating these five new Alhambra pieces — a long necklace, a necklace, a pendant, earrings and a bracelet — , the enamel workshop drew on the seventeenth-century “gold ruby” process to obtain the exact shade of pink requested by Van Cleef & Arpels’ Creation Studio. Color is produced not, as one might expect, by pigments but by the addition of fine gold particles to the enamel composition. Compounding an already complex process, these particles must be exactly the right size, shape and concentration in order to achieve the desired tone. Unsurprisingly, the fabrication procedure for the Alhambra motifs took years of research and development to perfect. The result is jewelry instilled with light. Outlined in yellow gold, each has at its center a quatrefoil in translucent pink enamel, its surface gently curved to intensify its shine and strewn with tiny bubbles that fill each one with life, depth and singularity. The promise of luck that will never run out. /public-objects/e8e82612-ab4c-4feb-b994-84a4db00c94f-611889e0-4190-4827-b4d6-5ca7212b9563-Van%20Cleef%20%26%20Arpels%20SA_Brigitte-Niedermair_ArtDirector_Carine-Roitfeld%20(1).webp Image sélectionnée