Quotation and value of Alhambra long necklaces, bracelets, earrings - Van Cleef & Arpels

If you own a piece of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry from the Alhambra collection, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services.

Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its value on the current market.

Then, if you wish to sell your work, we will direct you to the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Their value can vary depending on the material : gold jewelry is always highly prized, but original creations set with precious stones or diamonds are all the more prized.

Rating and value of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry  

Van Cleef & Arpels creations are highly prized items at auction. They are collected by bidders of all nationalities. Now, prices for these objects can rise considerably under the auctioneer's hammer.

The Alhambra collections are particularly prized, by buyers from all over the world. The price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €1,000 to €2.4 million, at the moment, a consequent range but one that says a lot about the value that can be attributed to these objects.

The auction record for a piece of jewelry from the Alhambra collection is to date held by a vintage sautoir composed of 20 diamond and 18k white gold motifs, which has €93,000 at auction. It should be noted that it reached this amount thanks to its rarity and the quality of the gemstones.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of the Alhambra collection 

The collection is built around the central motif of the stylized four-leaf clover. This is a figure of good luck and a recurring symbol of the collection. The outline of the leaf is beaded, and each motif is edged with small beads in gold or precious metal, which emphasize the shape and create a characteristic play of light.

Van Cleef & Arpels uses contrasting metals in this collection, with 18k yellow gold (or white/pink gold depending on the variation), hard stones (malachite, onyx, lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl) or diamonds, allowing for a varied chromatic and textural vocabulary.

The proportions are modular, with repeated motifs, often in series (long necklaces, 20-pattern necklaces, 5-pattern bracelets), favoring both visual regularity and personalization.

The style is timeless and iconic, the aesthetic aims for understated elegance, without excessive ostentation, and is in keeping with a logic of " bijou-signature ", immediately recognizable.

The motifs are made of solid gold (usually 18k) formed and edged with gold beads. Alhambra jewelry motifs are set with cut stones or dues (mother-of-pearl, malachite, onyx), or with diamonds in certain high-end versions. The choice of stones requires strict calibration: thickness, flatness, hue) to create a radiant light effect.

For necklaces with several motifs, the chain linking the motifs is designed to maintain regular repetition and enable them to be worn as a sautoir or in long/short versions. Assembly requires great precision to ensure alignment, flatness and mechanical strength.

Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry and watches at auction

Jewelry and watches Van Cleef & Arpels are sought-after at many auctions. Contemporary "Alhambra" sets are particularly popular, but do not discredit older rings or watches, and accessories such as cufflinks or lady's brooches.

Demands are numerous, indeed the Maison has succeeded in carving out a place for itself among the great institutions. Van Cleef & Arpels owes its reputation to the exploitation of unchanging precious materials. The creations are composed of gold, mother-of-pearl, precious and semi-precious stones and diamonds. The House is renowned for the creativity it infuses into its work, as much as for its elegant finesse and sobriety.

It stands out for its colorful accessories, notably its gold brooches adorned with turquoise, sapphire and ruby. Goldsmith's work also adorns watchmaking Van Cleef & Arpels, watches become collector's items and are sometimes concealed behind precious floral compositions inspired by the seasons. The pieces are sought-after at auction and can fetch up to four times their original price.

The history of the Alhambra collection

The first piece in the collection was designed in 1968, in the form of a long sautoir composed of 20 four-leaf clover motifs in yellow gold, contoured with gold beads. The four-leaf clover motif, a symbol of good luck, was amalgamated at Van Cleef & Arpels with a " quatre-foil " shape inspired by the Moorish architecture of the Alhambra fortress in Granada, Spain.

At the time, in the late 1960s, the house's aim was to offer a more " portable " (day jewerly), and accessible jewelry while retaining its high-end image. The Alhambra collection met this need, embodying a recognizable and modular signature jewel.

After the initial success of the first collection, it was declined in numerous versions, with different hard stones (malachite, onyx, lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl), different gold colors and varied settings (bracelets, short necklaces, sautoirs, earrings).

Thanks to its iconography, the collection quickly became a style symbol worn by famous personalities such as Grace Kelly, the Princess of Monaco, who was photographed on several occasions wearing Alhambra sautoirs.

In 2018, the house celebrates the 50th anniversary of the collection with several events, notably in Marrakech, and limited reissues or special materials in tribute to history.

The Alhambra collection has become a benchmark line for the house of Van Cleef & Arpels, embodying the combination of refinement, relative affordability (in the high jewelry segment) and visual iconicity.

Recognizing a Van Cleef & Arpels jewel

The counterfeit market is increasingly strong in manufacturing all kinds of dupes, including luxury jewelry pieces. On online platforms, the resale of these items is steadily increasing, and many customers are being tricked.

Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry is necessarily signed and hallmarked, even if it's a collaboration with other independent designers such as Suzanne Belperron.

That's why, even if techniques exist to recognize a genuine piece of VCA jewelry, including looking at the signature (which can incidentally be counterfeit), it's vital if you think you own Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry to have it appraised in order to date it and be sure of its authenticity.

Each Alhambra piece is stamped with the VCA mark (or geolocated depending on the model) and bears a serial number as well as a precious metal hallmark. The fine adjustment of the motifs, the alignment of the stones and the regularity of the gold beads are subject to the most rigorous control.

Know the certain value of your jewelry  

If you happen to own a Van Cleef & Arpels piece of jewelry, or think you might, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using our form on our website.

A member of our team of experts and licensed auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your scarf, as well as any relevant information about it.

If you wish to sell your work, our specialists will also be on hand to offer you alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account market inclinations.

Why sell your Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry and watches at auction?

The support of an auctioneer in the appraisaland auction of jewelry from the house of Van Cleef & Arpels is necessary. The quality of the pieces requires in-depth expertise and sometimes the intervention of a gemological expert. The work of the auctioneer and the expert guarantees the seller the seriousness, competitive bidding and publicity of his object, enabling him to sell it at the best price. The buyer, for his part, is secured by the auctioneer's research work on the object, which verifies the veracity of the jewel and the precious materials composing it.