Rare/Discontinued Alhambra pieces

[Ylesiya]

Hi all, I wanted to create a thread about rare Alhambra pieces which are either no longer available or very scarce in production.
Over the years VCA experimented with a lot of different stones applied to the Alhambra line, so I wanted to share some results of my research. Whatever is listed is what I found in my research and at very least I saw photos of these items.

Vintage Alhambra

1. Chrysoprase - in YG: VA earrings, 10 motif, 20 motif necklaces, 5 motif bracelet. Still occasionally produced, I saw some pieces from 2021.

2. Coral (pink and white) - in YG (not aware of pieces in WG): vintage earrings, 2 motif earrings, 20 motif necklaces. No longer in production.

3. Tortoise shell - 20 motif necklace in YG (the only item I am aware of). No longer in production.

4. Jade - in YG: 1 motif VA pendant, VA earrings, 10 motif necklace, 20 motif necklace. No longer produced.

5. Turquoise - in YG and WG: VA and MA earrings, 2 motif earrings in YG, VA ring, 10 motif, 20 motif necklaces, 5 motif bracelet. Currently only produced in very limited quantities in YG and WG alternating pave.

6. Lapis Lazuli - in YG: VA earrings, 2 motif earrings, VA ring, 10 motif, 20 motif necklaces, 5 motif bracelet.
Currently only produced in very limited quantities in YG alternating pave.

7. Sugilite - in WG: vintage earrings (the only piece I heard of).

8. Pink Opal - in WG: 1 motif pendant, 5 motif bracelet, 10 motif necklace. No longer in production.

9. Letterwood - in YG: MA pendant, VA earrings, 5 motif bracelet, 10 motif necklace, 20 motif necklace - standalone or with alternating hammered. No longer in production.

10. Rock crystal - in YG: 5 motif bracelet, 20 motif necklace. Limited production.

Odd items: dangling onyx earrings in YG, dangling hammered earrings in YG.

Pure Alhambra:

1. WG + GMOP: earrings, 1 motif, 9 motif, 14 motif necklaces, ring, 4 motif bracelet. No longer in production.

2. WG/YG + diamond: earrings, ring, 1, 9 and 14 motif necklace, 4 motif bracelet. No longer in production.

3. WG + onyx: 9 and 14 motif necklaces (I only saw these but probably other items would be available as well). No longer produced.

4. YG + MOP/onyx: ring, earrings (sweet size limited production, VA not produced), 1, 9 and 14 motif necklaces, 4 motif bracelets. Onyx not produced (except 1 motif), MOP limited production.

5. YG/WG no stone: 4 motif bracelet, 9 motif necklaces, VA size earrings (YG).

Lucky Alhambra:

1. Lapis lazuli, turquoise, MOP, GMOP in WG: ring (butterfly and BTF with MOP), long necklace, lucky butterfly necklace, 2 motif earrings with MOP and TQ, 4 motif bracelet.

This is my list so far. I will gradually add some pictures as illustrations for the items. Please feel free to chip in with additional information and pics of your rare darlings! I would love to grow this list and make it a nice reference for others.

 

[Ylesiya]

Chrysoprase
(photos taken from various sources in internet):

Newly produced set of 20 motif and a bracelet on Sotheby's:


This bracelet is also newly produced which means VCA still does it - maybe sometimes SOs are approved on those?




Beautiful long necklaces (vintage):


With earrings:




Alternating pave version (new production):

 

[kelsenia]

I have seen a WG sugalite pendant before! I don’t know if they did anything more than the pendant or earrings though.

Is letterwood not produced at all anymore? The MA pendant is still on the website.

 

[Ylesiya]

I have seen a WG sugalite pendant before! I don’t know if they did anything more than the pendant or earrings though.

Is letterwood not produced at all anymore? The MA pendant is still on the website.

Oh my. I tried to search and find but nothing else came up... Obviously VCA would not produce just one pair of earrings but apparently this is one of the rarest stones ever used.
I only found a pair of earrings available on eBay at some hefty price

Sugilite





With regards to the letterwood: there are quite a bit of items still hanging around on the website but it's not possible to buy them. Carnelian guilloche is still there as well as rhodonite HP, so the website is not a good indicator of what's available and what's not IMHO... I am not sure how easy it is to get the letterwood but I assumed it's partially discontinued.

 

[nicole0612]

Thank you for compiling this treasure of information!

Here are a few more off the top of my head:

Chrysoprase alternating with yellow gold hammered - 10 motif, perhaps others.

Letterwood LE alternating with pink gold hammered also came in 5 motif bracelet.

Severes raspberry pink porcelain magic pendant, 5 motif, 20 motif, (earrings?)

Turquoise magic clip pendant in WG and YG.

Alternating hammered YG and malachite + alternating hammered YG and lapis LE series (some members have these from the original release).

Selfridges LE hammered YG alternating with carnelian - 20 motif, 5 motif, (earrings?)

Dubai LE alternating lavender porcelain and pave 5 motif and 20 motif. (earrings?)

YG 10 motif necklace and VA earrings with a single diamond in the center (not holiday).

Sorry that I don’t know about whether the sets noted came with LE earrings, some seem likely to have, but they are not on my radar, so I am not certain.

I can add photos of a few of these that I have at some point.

 

[nicole0612]

I have seen a WG sugalite pendant before! I don’t know if they did anything more than the pendant or earrings though.

Is letterwood not produced at all anymore? The MA pendant is still on the website.

I was wondering the same. A member posted a photo from a Japanese site last year or the year before of a sugalite pendant (on the holiday pendant thread), but it was the first time I had seen it so I could not confirm the history/accuracy.

 

[Ylesiya]

Thanks a lot everyone!
I realised classification is not an easy task but I am working on that.
Here is the updated and partially corrected list (I realised letterwood was produced in RG while I wrote YG):

Vintage Alhambra

1. Chrysoprase - in YG: VA ring, VA earrings, 10 motif, 20 motif necklaces, alternating hammered/pave, 5 motif bracelet. Still occasionally produced, I saw some pieces from 2021.

2. Coral (pink and white) - in YG (not aware of pieces in WG): vintage earrings, 2 motif earrings, 20 motif necklaces. No longer in production.

3. Tortoise shell - 20 motif necklace in YG (the only item I am aware of). No longer in production.

4. Jade - in YG: 1 motif VA pendant, VA earrings, 10 motif necklace, 20 motif necklace. No longer produced.

5. Turquoise - in YG and WG: VA and MA earrings, 2 motif earrings in YG, VA ring, 10 motif, 20 motif necklaces, 5 motif bracelet. Currently only produced in very limited quantities in YG and WG alternating pave.

6. Lapis Lazuli - in YG: VA earrings, 2 motif earrings, VA ring, 10 motif, 20 motif necklaces, 5 motif bracelet.
Currently only produced in very limited quantities in YG alternating pave.

7. Sugilite - in WG: vintage earrings, vintage pendant (the only piece I heard of).

8. Pink Opal - in WG: ring, 1 motif pendant, 5 motif bracelet, 10 motif necklace. No longer in production.

9. Letterwood - in RG: MA pendant, VA earrings, 5 motif bracelet: standalone or with alternating hammered, 10 motif necklace, 20 motif necklace - standalone or with alternating hammered. No longer in production.

10. Rock crystal - in YG: 5 motif bracelet, 20 motif necklace. Limited production.

Odd items:
- dangling onyx earrings in YG
- dangling hammered earrings in YG
- RG VA onyx diamond earrings
- Alternating hammered YG and malachite + alternating hammered YG and lapis LE series.
- triple strand 27 motif onyx in YG
- double alhambra earrings in onyx and MOP

Magic Pendants/charms: YG Turquoise, MOP, Onyx, Coral, Lapis Lazuli, WG: Turquoise, MOP

Pure Alhambra:

1. WG + GMOP: earrings, 1 motif, 9 motif, 14 motif necklaces, ring, 4 motif bracelet. No longer in production.

2. WG/YG + diamond: earrings, ring, 1, 9 and 14 motif necklace, 4 motif bracelet. No longer in production.

3. WG + onyx: 9 and 14 motif necklaces (I only saw these but probably other items would be available as well). No longer produced.

4. YG + MOP/onyx: ring, earrings (sweet size limited production, VA not produced), 1, 9 and 14 motif necklaces, 4 motif bracelets. Onyx not produced (except 1 motif), MOP limited production.

5. YG/WG no stone: 4 motif bracelet, 9 motif necklaces, VA size earrings (YG).

Lucky Alhambra:

1. Lapis lazuli, turquoise, MOP, GMOP in WG: ring (butterfly and BTF with MOP), long necklace, lucky butterfly necklace, 2 motif earrings with MOP and TQ, 4 motif bracelet.

Regional/limited editions:

1. 2012 Musée des Arts Decoratifs: RG with Raspberry pink Sèvres porcelain - Magic pendant, 5 motif bracelet, 20 motif necklace

2. Selfridges LE: Hammered YG alternating carnelian - 5 motif bracelet, 20 motif necklace.

3. Dubai Mall LE: YG pave alternating Lavender Sèvres porcelain - 5 motif bracelet, 20 motif necklace.

4. HongHong LE: RG Carnelian - magic pendant.

5. Japan Ginza LE: RG MOP - magic pendant.

6. Paris Place Vendome LE: YG pave Dark blue Sèvres porcelain - alternating pave 5 motif, 20 motif, 3 motif earrings. Magic pendant in YG and WG.

7. Seoul LE: RG guilloche alternating MOP - 5 motif bracelet, 20 motif necklace.

8. New York LE: WG Onyx - Magic necklace (pendant)

9. France LE 2022: YG alternating pave Yellow MOP - VA pendant, 5 motif bracelet, 20 motif necklace.

10. LE 2021: RG guilloche alternating carnelian - 20 motif, 5 motif bracelet, 2 motif earrings.

--------------------------

Please feel free to chip it and post your own items! I feel I also need to add holiday pendants into this list which I'll do later.
I am totally VCA Alhambra history junkie, so I will continue my research and I'll post some more interesting items shortly.

 

[Ylesiya]

Some illustrative photos of what I found:

Double Alhambra earrings
To me they look quite odd, no wonder they were discontinued...

MOP YG





YG Onyx





Dangling 2 motif onyx earrings.
I think they can be SO nowadays but previously they were a part of a regular collection.





3 Strand 27 motif onyx necklace

Just look at the clasp! This is so gorgeous!

 

[cayman718]

What a fun and informative thread. Thank you for starting it!

 

[cayman718]

Another one for you: the Princess Charlene Alhambra set, only 15 were made.

Princess Charlene's very own Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra jewels

Princess Charlene has her very own version of the famous Alhambra necklace that she wore to the opening of the newly refurbished Van Cleef & Arpels boutique in Monaco.

www.thejewelleryeditor.com

 

[Ylesiya]

I think these are all magic pendants/clips that I found.
Super rare ones are chrysoprase, lapis and coral. So stunning.

MOP YG


MOP/YG clip


Stunning YG Lapis


WG Turquoise




Unicorn chrysoprase


Beautiful coral


YG Turquoise, YG Onyx and WG MOP

 

[Snowshoe42]

Really loving this thread Ylesiya, what a great idea and so fascinating to see all the discontinued items. I had no idea there were so many. Loving the pictures too. One to add - didn't the turquoise come in one motif pendant? Really hope to add that to my collection one day, sigh

 

[A bottle of Red]

I have a Rg guilloche and carnelian bracelet; had no idea it was limited edition when I bought it.

 

[Notorious Pink]

I LOOOOVE this thread! That three strand necklace is amaaaaazing.

 

[missie1]

This thread is everything. I love love seeing all the rested pieces in one place.