Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra is instantly recognisable by its four-lobed motifs and beaded contours. The transformable designs presented in 2025 reward a closer look at what happens behind that familiar outline: concealed clasps, rotating settings and carefully balanced lengths of chain.
The Magic Alhambra long necklaces use a detachable element to offer three possibilities: a long necklace, a shorter necklace and a bracelet. Different-sized motifs are arranged asymmetrically, with the chain lengths studied to control the fall. The clasps remain discreetly behind the neck, allowing the composition to retain its fluidity.
Two material combinations give the construction distinct moods. Rose gold accompanies white and grey mother-of-pearl; white gold brings together chalcedony and white mother-of-pearl. On the gold motifs, radiating guilloché lines catch the light within the rounded beaded borders.
The Vintage Alhambra reversible rings make transformation more intimate. One turns from grey mother-of-pearl to guilloché rose gold centred on a diamond. The other pairs chalcedony with white gold, revealing a diamond against its engraved reverse. Three graduated rows of gold beads form the shank, while the rotating mechanism allows the motif to change face.
The same material language extends to the Sweet Alhambra watch. Chalcedony, guilloché white gold and diamond-set motifs alternate along its bracelet, surrounding a dial edged with delicate gold beads. A Swiss quartz movement keeps the timepiece within the Maison’s tradition of jewellery watches.
Behind the finished surfaces, the work is exacting. Stone and mother-of-pearl motifs are cut, polished and matched before being secured in their gold mounts. English blade clasps are inserted into selected motifs to enable the necklaces’ transformations. The Alhambra silhouette, first established in 1968, becomes a framework for this mechanical ingenuity: a familiar jewel with a quietly expanded repertoire.
