Founded in 1896, Van Cleef & Arpels is a French luxury jeweller and a popular luxury brand worldwide. Arguably their most popular design is the iconic Alhambra motif which draws inspiration from the contours of the four-leaf clover which can be found across a variety of pieces, necklaces, bracelets, rings and more. Van Cleef & Arpels pieces are often inspired by nature, featuring flowers, animals, and fairies, and have been worn by style icons and royalty such as Grace Kelly, Diana, Princess of Wales and now Queen Camilla.
Our senior appraiser, Alexandra Michell, shares her background in gemmology, diamond grading, and jewellery with her comments on celebrity and Royal jewellery.
“Van Cleef & Arpels have been crafting and designing jewellery for over one hundred years and are now a well-established luxury brand in the jewellery world. Many of their lines have been available for a long time, but in recent years there has been an uptick in influencers and celebrities wearing VCA, in particular the Alhambra range.
Queen Camilla has been enjoying VCA pieces for many years now, wearing jewels from a variety of their collections. She seems to have an array of pieces and often will wear matching items such as earrings and necklaces, or a pair of brooches.
Camilla’s jewellery choice often feels personal, showing a more discreet and down-to earth side, and will often mix a variety of pieces such as modern branded bracelets with more vintage bracelets.
Van Cleef are a well-renowned brand, which is reflected in their workmanship and materials of the finest quality. There is an element of prestige and a certain expectation that owning a piece of jewellery from VCA will last a lifetime. This makes Van Cleef appealing to Royals.
With the Queen wearing a blue motif Alhambra bracelet for example, she is providing a platform to showcase their pieces to the public, essentially advertising that Royals can wear jewellery from brands that don’t have the official royal warrant. Any branded jewellery worn by a Royal is a sure way to boost sales, especially when they are accessible to many people due to their ranging prices.
Whether intentional or not, by wearing fashionable jewellery, Queen Camilla will be appealing to a wider and younger audience, and also cementing the idea that the Royals are not part of an “old-fashioned” institution.”
Prestige are proud to hold such an ionic brand and offer preloved Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery at great prices. All of our preowned designer jewellery is certified authentic by our in-house experts and cleaned as necessary. Cases may be polished and cleaned as required.
Looking to sell your Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery? Prestige can offer some of the best preowned prices.
