Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra Angel Skin Coral Diamond Ring
View Similar Items
Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra Angel Skin Coral Diamond Ring
About the Item
- Creator:
- Design:
- Metal:
- Stone:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:20th century
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Lambertville, NJ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2884573891
Vintage Alhambra Ring
It’s not common that a motif as simple as a quatrefoil embellished with a beaded border can capture the hearts of fashionable clients around the world, but that’s precisely what happened with Van Cleef & Arpels’s signature Alhambra collection, which includes the Vintage Alhambra ring.
In 1968, Jacques Arpels (1914–2008), nephew of the venerable French jewelry house’s cofounder Estelle Arpels, wanted to design bold ready-to-wear pieces for the modern working woman. Inspired by the notion of luck and the Moorish architecture of the Spanish palace from which the collection draws its name, he decorated the original Alhambra necklace with 20 solid-gold quatrefoils on an opera-length chain, using the four-leaf clover as a talisman. A proverbial star is born, as they say.
Within a year of its debut, the Alhambra necklace made the cover of Vogue, worn by Swedish actress Britt Ekland. Van Cleef & Arpels then expanded the collection, populating its clover-shaped charms with panels of colorful stones like lapis lazuli and turquoise. Working women everywhere sought out the many varieties of the Alhambra necklace, especially after Princess Grace of Monaco was seen sporting several variations throughout the 1970s. In fact, the collection is still popular with royals today — Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has been seen wearing her own Alhambra jewelry, sparking renewed interest in the line.
Continually in production since its debut in 1968, the Alhambra collection has gone on to include bracelets, earrings, a watch and rings, with the quatrefoil motif varying in scale, material and hue. There are now a number of subcategories in the collection, including Sweet Alhambra and Lucky Alhambra, the latter of which includes a number of other motifs related to luck, like the butterfly.
The Vintage Alhambra designation indicates that a piece of jewelry has a faithful representation of the original quatrefoil motif, outlined with a beaded border. In the case of the Vintage Alhambra ring, this is a single quatrefoil motif in yellow, white or rose gold. At the center of the ring is a diamond, which, like the Vintage Alhambra bracelet, is either surrounded by a colorful stone, more diamonds or the textured metal of the ring, all set within the beaded border of the quatrefoil. Having sustained its popularity for more than half a century, it’s likely that the Alhambra collection — and the beloved Vintage Alhambra ring — is here to stay at Van Cleef & Arpels.
Van Cleef & Arpels
One of the world’s foremost jewelry houses, Van Cleef & Arpels is particularly noted for a focus on technical virtuosity, craftsmanship and artistry, evident since its beginning. Rather than create earrings, bracelets, necklaces and other adornments primarily for the aim of displaying of wealth and opulence, Van Cleef & Arpels sought to produce jewelry that projected the wearer’s taste and style.
The company was formed a year after the 1895 marriage of Alfred Van Cleef, the son of a gem cutter, to Estelle Arpels, daughter of precious-stones dealer Salomon Arpel. Ten years later, Van Cleef & Arpels opened its first boutique on the Place Vendôme in Paris, setting the march on a square now crowded with dealers in bijouterie. (The company still occupies the New York flagship store opened in 1939 at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street.)
Born from a union of expertise in both jewelry making and gem selection, Van Cleef & Arpels distinguished itself with both the consistency of the color and clarity of its stones and the creativity of its designs. In doing so, the house would win a roster of dedicated, fashion-conscious clients that included the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Hutton, Jacqueline Onassis and Elizabeth Taylor. In 1933, Van Cleef & Arpels patented its trademark Mystery Setting — a technique by which gems are fitted into an intricate matrix of slots and “drawers” that keep the setting hidden. Another signal innovation was the Zip necklace, introduced in 1951, which can be worn either around the neck or, with the zipper closed, as a bracelet.
But as much as to the firm’s craftsmanship, clients have been drawn by the insouciance and playfulness of Van Cleef & Arpels designers, as well as their attunement to the cultural climate. After the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the company produced several lavish pieces featuring hieroglyphics and other Egyptian motifs to go along with the geometric Art Deco jewelry of that decade and the next. Following World War II, as symbols of freedom and rebirth, the firm focused on naturalistic forms such as birds, flowers, fruit and flying insects. High society’s 1960s fascination with the Near East and India prompted such pieces as the best-selling Alhambra necklace, popularized by Princess Grace.
Lately, attention among collectors and connoisseurs has centered on Van Cleef & Arpels’s quality of workmanship as much as its glamour. The firm was the subject of a 2012 show at the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, as well as exhibitions at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California, in 2013 and at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2014.
Find an exquisite collection of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry on 1stDibs.
- Van Cleef and Arpels "Angel's Skin" Coral and Diamond RingBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in New York, NYVan Cleef and Arpels Angel Skin Coral and Diamond Cocktail Ring. 1 Cabochon angel skin coral with round cut side diamonds set in 18k yellow gold. Ring Size: 6.5 Signed, Van Cleef...Category
Vintage 1960s French Cocktail Rings
MaterialsCoral, Diamond, 18k Gold
- Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Coral Diamond RingBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in New York, NYVan Cleef & Arpels "Alhambra" coral diamond ring Coral in a clover design, round-cut diamond of approximately 0.60 carat, 18 karat yellow gold; marked VCA, 18k, 5K790355E Size: 7 ...Category
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Cocktail Rings
MaterialsCoral, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
- Van Cleef & Arpels Angel Skin Coral Bombe Yellow Gold RingBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in Feasterville, PAA magnificent Van Cleef & Arpels ring showcasing Angel Skin Coral and a very deep colored Smokey Quartz set in 18k yellow gold. Size 5 (Resizeable)Category
Vintage 1980s Band Rings
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Van Cleef & Arpels Angel Skin Coral Bombe Yellow Gold RingBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in Feasterville, PAA magnificent Van Cleef & Arpels ring showcasing Angel Skin Coral and a very deep colored Smokey Quartz set in 18k yellow gold. Size 5 (Resizeable)Category
Vintage 1980s Band Rings
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra Diamond Turquoise Yellow Gold RingBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in New York, NYThis fabulous Van Cleef & Arpels ring from the iconic Vintage Alhambra collection features the lucky clover design crafted in 18k yellow gold and beautifully accented with blue turqu...Category
Early 2000s French More Rings
MaterialsTurquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Coral Diamond Yellow Gold RingBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in Holland, PAVan Cleef & Arpels Alhambra 18k Yellow Gold Diamond Coral Ring With 1 Round brilliant cut diamond .06ct F/VS1 Alhambra cut coral This ring comes with certificate of authenticity. De...Category
20th Century French Cocktail Rings
MaterialsCoral, Diamond, 18k Gold
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Gems by David Webb, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels Anchor The Back Vault’s Treasure Trove
Boasting one of the largest collections of David Webb in the world, the firm offers exceptional jewels — always in demand yet never in short supply.
This Turquoise Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Necklace Is a Rare and Alluring Find
You know the French maison’s famous motif well. But why is this particular piece so in demand?