Brief: Van Cleef & Arpels puts a new spin on a classic design

Each year, Van Cleef & Arpels releases a new limited edition of the Vintage Alhambra pendant. Photo courtesy Van Cleef & Arpels.

Each year, Van Cleef & Arpels releases a new limited edition of the Vintage Alhambra pendant. Photo courtesy Van Cleef & Arpels.

BY KAREN AANONSEN

The Alhambra collection has been setting hearts aflutter since 1968. For its latest, limited edition interpretation, Van Cleef & Arpels partnered with the famed Sèvres porcelain factory to outfit the Vintage Alhambra pendant in light pink porcelain — a first for the iconic accessory. The pastel hue was created by the factory (which is known for supplying porcelain tableware and art objects to the kings of France and the country’s leading institutions) in the eighteenth century. Its modern revival finds the feminine shade paired with a warm, pink gold base, while a round, center-set diamond provides further glow. Crafting the pretty piece requires some twenty separate operations, including shaping, firing, polishing, enameling, and applying the pink. But most would agree the elaborate process is worth it.

—November 2015