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Why the Alhambra by Van Cleef & Arpels is Richemont’s lucky charm


When Van Cleef & Arpels first launched Alhambra, its understated but instantly recognizable jewelry line, in the 1960s, it attracted a new, younger customer base that wanted high-end products at affordable prices. It was jewelry’s answer to ready-to-wear, as democratic as Rive Gauche at Yves Saint Laurent, and it fed a seemingly insatiable consumer appetite for fine costume jewelry, especially for women, newly armed with their own incomes, who They wanted to buy them for themselves.

After nearly six decades of ups and downs in popularity, Alhambra has flourished once again, gaining a wide fan base. Everywhere you look, the four-leaf clover motif (prices start at £1,300) hangs from the necks, wraps around the wrists and dangles from the earlobes of young and old alike. Rappers like Central Cee and Offset wear tons of Alhambra bracelets, while Drake mentions the brand in his songs. TikTok influencers discuss at length which iteration (from malachite to mother-of-pearl) is their favorite. The Princess of Wales wears Alhambra on the red carpet, as does Queen Camilla; The wives and girlfriends of English footballers wear them in the stands.

Vintage Alhambra gold, diamond and tiger's eye ring, £3,700, and Sweet Alhambra gold and onyx earrings, £2,310
Vintage Alhambra gold, diamond and tiger’s eye ring, £3,700, and Sweet Alhambra gold and onyx earrings, £2,310 © Valentín Hennequin

The renewed success of Alhambra, and Van Cleef & Arpelshas helped boost the parent company Richemontwhose jeweler’s The category rose four percent (at constant exchange rates) in the latest quarter amid a broader luxury slowdown. The company does not disclose profits for individual houses within its group, however Erwan Rambourg, global head of retail and consumer equity research at HSBC, says his company estimates brand sales at around 4 billion. of dollars.

“Given the environment we find ourselves in, it is a pretty incredible feat to be able to grow in the luxury sector. And of that four percent, we calculate that [growth] “It’s probably somewhere between the low and mid-tier of Van Cleef,” he says, adding that the brand is “clearly gaining significant share internally within the group, but also relative to its peers.”

Much of the appeal of the Alhambra lies in its amulet-like design. The brand has long promoted themes of luck, and the four-leaf clover appeared in the archives as early as 1906. Jacques Arpels, nephew of the maison’s founders and eventual CEO, was said to collect four-leaf clovers from the grounds of his house. in France and press them into cards to give to employees as encouragement.

The first Alhambra, a long plain gold necklace with 20 quatrefoil motifs, was made in 1968 in Paris. There are many theories about the origin of the name, the most common being that it was in honor of the 13th century Alhambra fortress complex in Granada, which reeks of Arabic symbols. Another postulates that a relative of the Arpels family, on a visit to Venice, confused the Gothic quatrefoils of the Doge’s Palace with the Andalusian palace, and the style received his name.

Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra gold, diamond and tiger's eye ring, £3,700, Vintage Alhambra gold and onyx 5-motif bracelet, £4,200, and Vintage Alhambra gold and agate 5-motif bracelet, £4,800
Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra gold, diamond and tiger’s eye ring, £3,700, Vintage Alhambra gold and onyx 5-motif bracelet, £4,200, and Vintage Alhambra gold and agate 5-motif bracelet, £4,800 © Valentín Hennequin

The title and design played on a perceived exoticism and also exemplified the free-spirited cultural climate of the 1960s, which favored long chains and medallions that could be layered on top of each other. The different materials of the quatrefoil also, from coral to green agate, appealed to the era’s taste for bold colors. In 1974, Françoise Hardy, queen of yé-yéHe was photographed with small shamrock motifs, as was actress Romy Schneider. Princess Grace of Monaco, in 1979, wore plain gold, mother-of-pearl and onyx Alhambra threads over a bow blouse, while Elizabeth Taylor had an impressive collection that she continually replenished over the years.

Today, Alhambra is as important to Van Cleef & Arpels as the Love range is to Cartier or T is to Tiffany & Co.thanks to what Rambourg says was a concerted marketing effort to “put Van Cleef on the map.” And he adds: “Van Cleef is having a moment, but it took a while to happen… In China, four or five years ago, he was practically unknown. “They did a good job creating events, advertising and developing in-store experiences to grow it.”

This strategy was executed under the direction of Nicolas Bos, CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels between 2013 and 2024, promoted this year to CEO of the Richemont group. In the 2024 annual report, Bos attributed the brand’s success to a strong retail network spanning the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, which plans to continue growing, as well as accelerated production capacity, with the opening of new workshops planned.

Van Cleef & Arpels gold and mother-of-pearl Vintage Alhambra 10 motifs necklace, £8,150, and Sweet Alhambra gold and onyx earrings, £2,310
Van Cleef & Arpels gold and mother-of-pearl Vintage Alhambra 10 motifs necklace, £8,150, and Sweet Alhambra gold and onyx earrings, £2,310 © Valentín Hennequin

Brand strategy aside, analytics platform UsArisma attributes the increase in popularity of the Alhambra to “word of mouth.” “Paid influencer activities, despite growing more than 60 percent year over year, are not a major focus for the brand,” says WeArisma founder Jenny Tsai. “They represent only four percent of the 2024 population. [Van Cleef & Arpels] content and generate four percent of interactions. Instead, [the brand] It depends more on organic content.” TikTok influencer Chloe L, for example, mentioned Van Cleef & Arpels of her own free will in 52 posts over 11 months, including how to maximize Alhambra purchases through “girly math,” as well as style tips. (It’s a mix of “aspirational storytelling and subtle luxury branding,” Tsai says.)

Alhambra’s appeal is reflected in the secondary market, where sales are up 56 percent year-over-year at luxury reseller The RealReal, and sales of the Vintage Alhambra pendant necklace are up 64 percent year-over-year. “The average price of Alhambra pieces has increased significantly, with styles such as the 10 motif necklace now selling for over $1,000 more than before,” adds Hayley Powell, The realrealFine Jewelry Merchandise Manager. Similarly, on high-end online marketplace 1stDibs, searches grew 20 percent last year, with a spike in recent months. “In October, search volume increased almost 140 percent compared to the average for the last 12 months,” says Anthony Barzilay Freund, 1stDibs editorial director and fine arts director. and resale platform Vestiaire Collective reports a steady increase in Alhambra sales between 2020 and 2024, up 186 percent.

“Alhambra belongs to that group: if I am in a bar or a restaurant, even from a distance, I immediately understand that Van Cleef is wearing it,” adds Rambourg. “And it’s increasingly ‘him,’ because Van Cleef has been incredibly successful at making himself relevant to demographics you couldn’t imagine.” Starting next year, the house will continue adding new creations to the Alhambra collection. The message paid off and turned the line into a true and lasting icon.

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