VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

Hi everyone, I’m new to VCA and looking to buy my first piece. The alahambra bracelet was and seems to be a recommendation overall.
I’m only wanting yellow gold as I have a lot of plain bangles for stacking. I’m struggling to decide on color…malachite feels iconic but also it’s fragile.
Black seems good but I wanted something bright too. Carnelian was totally an orange shade in boutique.

Which would be the best color with many gold items stacked?
I like the all gold but perhaps it’s best to get a stone.
The Tigers Eye looks gorgeous on you. That would be colored stones, yet neutral and not delicate like malachite. Another option is blue agate if you want a brighter color.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sonijj
Thank you so much. I wasn’t sure if it blends in too much with additional all good bangles once stacked. It’s so hard to choose and then they are out of stock often. I wasn’t sure if onyx or malachite are the original colors (classic)
 
  • Like
Reactions: nicole0612
Thanks to my frivole earrings my mom got very interested in VCA too... She wants to purchase the matching pendant but she was bummed since the small necklace only comes in pave and she loves the mirror finish. Maybe VCA will come with small frivole necklace this spring, who knows..:biggrin: Although she generally likes more traditional pieces, she was not very into alhambra line and she generally loves the daintier pieces from VCA like mini and small sizes. I was trying to convince her to get onyx 5 motif but she found it too young/fresh for her age:eek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sonijj and hhw
Thank you so much. I wasn’t sure if it blends in too much with additional all good bangles once stacked. It’s so hard to choose and then they are out of stock often. I wasn’t sure if onyx or malachite are the original colors (classic)
I would say for stones, mother of pearl is the most classic, followed by onyx. If you feel the Tigers Eye blends in too much, I would try the blue agate when you have the chance, that’s the most durable colorful stone since you don’t care for carnelian.
 
Thanks to my frivole earrings my mom got very interested in VCA too... She wants to purchase the matching pendant but she was bummed since the small necklace only comes in pave and she loves the mirror finish. Maybe VCA will come with small frivole necklace this spring, who knows..:biggrin: Although she generally likes more traditional pieces, she was not very into alhambra line and she generally loves the daintier pieces from VCA like mini and small sizes. I was trying to convince her to get onyx 5 motif but she found it too young/fresh for her age:eek:

I'm exactly the same. The frivole is my favourite collection, but I would want the small pendant, and they only do that in mirror finish. Would she consider the mini 3 frivole pendant? I thought that was a similar look.
 
  • Like
Reactions: nightbefore
Hi everyone, I’m new to VCA and looking to buy my first piece. The alahambra bracelet was and seems to be a recommendation overall.
I’m only wanting yellow gold as I have a lot of plain bangles for stacking. I’m struggling to decide on color…malachite feels iconic but also it’s fragile.
Black seems good but I wanted something bright too. Carnelian was totally an orange shade in boutique.

Which would be the best color with many gold items stacked?
I like the all gold but perhaps it’s best to get a stone.
If you want classic, the YG MOP is a classic, but it is also very subtle.
If you want something bright, I would go for blue agate since you seem to imply you did not like carnelian.

Me... I love the carnelian. That would be my first pick on your wrist. The orange at the boutique will turn into a sunset red when you take it home and wear it in normal lighting. I think the carnelian pops on your wrist... you cannot miss it. It is the first thing my eyes goes to... love it. Try it... close your eyes, then open them. The eye goes right to the carnelian.
Sunset red goes with everything, it pops. Blue agate is tougher to match as it's more a summery fun look (e.g. I cannot see me wearing blue agate with dark winter clothes). Carnelian to me is year round... summer or winter...timeless. I would skip the all gold; I think you have enough gold metal on your wrist. I would also skip tiger's eye... it's a bit mellow to me on your wrist. You need a stone that pops.

Just my two cents. Good luck!
 
Last edited:
I'm exactly the same. The frivole is my favourite collection, but I would want the small pendant, and they only do that in mirror finish. Would she consider the mini 3 frivole pendant? I thought that was a similar look.
I showed her mini 3 frivole pendant but she likes the “one” flower look. Maybe mini size could be an option till VCA comes with small size, I offered her to borrow my earrings for a while and see if she really likes the ''small'' size. :biggrin:
 
  • Like
Reactions: mikimoto007
Hi there, I’m looking to purchase my first VCA jewelry and would appreciate some advice. I’m thinking of getting these Sweet Alhambra earstuds and a 5 motifs Alhambra bracelet but couldn’t decide if I should get them in RG or YG. Most of my jewelry are in WG/platinum and I have a few pieces from Cartier and Bvlgari in RG. YG seems to be having a resurgent. What do you think? I don’t plan to stack my bracelets and I don’t mind mixing metals (for my rings). BTW, I’m not even sure if the SA earstuds even come in YG? I found the bracelets in both RG & YG but only saw the earstuds in RG online. I haven’t reached out to any SA yet but plan to visit a boutique when I’m in HI next week.

And, does VCA RG mellowed out over time and turned to look more like YG in color like Cartier?

46145B85-169A-43F5-B5FB-18BB2E4F50FB.jpeg
A9A7505E-811E-46F3-B76C-3BFDCC6AFC83.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • 7B18DCC2-DBC2-414F-A805-B002912E710D.jpeg
    7B18DCC2-DBC2-414F-A805-B002912E710D.jpeg
    64.8 KB · Views: 5
  • 014C9521-1153-4D3C-BC24-DFD6B67E32DF.jpeg
    014C9521-1153-4D3C-BC24-DFD6B67E32DF.jpeg
    397.9 KB · Views: 5
Hi there, I’m looking to purchase my first VCA jewelry and would appreciate some advice. I’m thinking of getting these Sweet Alhambra earstuds and a 5 motifs Alhambra bracelet but couldn’t decide if I should get them in RG or YG. Most of my jewelry are in WG/platinum and I have a few pieces from Cartier and Bvlgari in RG. YG seems to be having a resurgent. What do you think? I don’t plan to stack my bracelets and I don’t mind mixing metals (for my rings). BTW, I’m not even sure if the SA earstuds even come in YG? I found the bracelets in both RG & YG but only saw the earstuds in RG online. I haven’t reached out to any SA yet but plan to visit a boutique when I’m in HI next week.

And, does VCA RG mellowed out over time and turned to look more like YG in color like Cartier?

View attachment 5342373
View attachment 5342375

I find VCA rose gold and yellow gold to be distinctly different especially in the hammered pieces. And it isn't like Cartier where the rose gold almost looks yg or turns yg. The hammered rose gold has a lot of copper in it. I also have most of my main diamond jewelry in platinum, so I mostly have VCA in white gold, which is fairly limited. I wouldn't consider sweet size earrings unless you have very tiny earlobes as in the picture above. I would recommend going with vintage alhambra size otherwise. I'd say that if you plan to collect some Alhambra, yellow gold is a classic and more pieces are in yellow gold than any other. There is plenty of rose gold in other VCA lines, though, so you should consider which color metal looks best on you.
 
Hi there, I’m looking to purchase my first VCA jewelry and would appreciate some advice. I’m thinking of getting these Sweet Alhambra earstuds and a 5 motifs Alhambra bracelet but couldn’t decide if I should get them in RG or YG. Most of my jewelry are in WG/platinum and I have a few pieces from Cartier and Bvlgari in RG. YG seems to be having a resurgent. What do you think? I don’t plan to stack my bracelets and I don’t mind mixing metals (for my rings). BTW, I’m not even sure if the SA earstuds even come in YG? I found the bracelets in both RG & YG but only saw the earstuds in RG online. I haven’t reached out to any SA yet but plan to visit a boutique when I’m in HI next week.

And, does VCA RG mellowed out over time and turned to look more like YG in color like Cartier?

View attachment 5342373
View attachment 5342375
Hi! First, congratulations on your soon to be first VCA piece!
On your comment "YG having a resurgent"... it sure is. YG is a big 2022 trend, and YG will forever be a classic. You mentioned most your pieces are WG/platinum. I am a WG/platinum only gal, so regardless of what metal is trending, I stay with WG/platinum.

I would suggest buying the metal you love, regardless of trends.
YG was hot in the 1980s, then the trend flipped to platinum and took it by storm, people were even changing out their YG wedding rings for platinum. Then, for the past decade RG took front seat. Now, YG is hot againn (think YG gold chains everywhere now), and YG wedding rings are trending again. You can see what I'm getting at. Buy the metal you love.

On earrings, I would get the Vintage size earrings and not Sweets. Sweets is super tiny, it was originally created for little girls, so you may grow tired of it. I would for sure try on both Sweets and VA to be sure.

By the way, since this is your first bracelet purchase, be sure to ask the SA to try on the sample bracelet sizers. The VCA standard bracelet length is 7.5" which is longer than the US standard bracelet length of 7". VCA has sample bracelets of various lengths you can try on. You pick the size you like and then have the appropriate links taken out. Keep in mind if you decide to shorten to less than the standard 7" length, the tradeoff to doing that is it may be a bit difficult to put on/off yourself. Be sure to ask about these sample bracelets as not every SA mentions it.

Congratulations to you! Please post photos!
 
Hi there, I’m looking to purchase my first VCA jewelry and would appreciate some advice. I’m thinking of getting these Sweet Alhambra earstuds and a 5 motifs Alhambra bracelet but couldn’t decide if I should get them in RG or YG. Most of my jewelry are in WG/platinum and I have a few pieces from Cartier and Bvlgari in RG. YG seems to be having a resurgent. What do you think? I don’t plan to stack my bracelets and I don’t mind mixing metals (for my rings). BTW, I’m not even sure if the SA earstuds even come in YG? I found the bracelets in both RG & YG but only saw the earstuds in RG online. I haven’t reached out to any SA yet but plan to visit a boutique when I’m in HI next week.

And, does VCA RG mellowed out over time and turned to look more like YG in color like Cartier?

View attachment 5342373
View attachment 5342375

Good to see you here on the VCA forum. I remember how much we’d interact years ago on the H forum. Like @DS2006 said the RG VCA has is quite pink, like Rolex’s RG, not subtle like Cartier’s, and especially not subtle in the hammered gold. Get the YG-Vintage size. I have small-earlobes (which seem to be getting bigger as I’m getting older, lol) and the sweets look too small. The Vintage is a good-standard size for everyday wear. Good luck and boy-oh-boy welcome to another slippery slope:shocked:
 
I find VCA rose gold and yellow gold to be distinctly different especially in the hammered pieces. And it isn't like Cartier where the rose gold almost looks yg or turns yg. The hammered rose gold has a lot of copper in it. I also have most of my main diamond jewelry in platinum, so I mostly have VCA in white gold, which is fairly limited. I wouldn't consider sweet size earrings unless you have very tiny earlobes as in the picture above. I would recommend going with vintage alhambra size otherwise. I'd say that if you plan to collect some Alhambra, yellow gold is a classic and more pieces are in yellow gold than any other. There is plenty of rose gold in other VCA lines, though, so you should consider which color metal looks best on you.
Thanks for your feedback, @DS2006. :smile: I do have tiny ears but plan to try on both earring sizes. I have long hair as well so while I like small earrings, they can get obscured by my hair. Glad to hear that the VCA RG is more distinct unlike Cartier. I don’t mind RG but don’t have too many pieces. I used to only wear WG/platinum but added a few RG pieces in the last 6-7 years. I find my RG jewelry appear more casual (or less standout when compared to WG/Pt IYKWIM) as they seem to blend into my skin tone. I’m hoping the boutique will have different gold colors for me to try. I called the boutique in Honolulu today as I’ll be there next week for March break and they said they have very low stock.

BTW, I discovered the Frivole collection while browsing online earlier and there seems to be more WG choices. I’ll be checking that collection out too. :smile:

PS I don’t feel like I’m cheating on Cartier. I just read that both VCA and Cartier are own by the same holding company. Who knew? So it’s like shopping at a cousin’s. Lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DS2006
Hi! First, congratulations on your soon to be first VCA piece!
On your comment "YG having a resurgent"... it sure is. YG is a big 2022 trend, and YG will forever be a classic. You mentioned most your pieces are WG/platinum. I am a WG/platinum only gal, so regardless of what metal is trending, I stay with WG/platinum.

I would suggest buying the metal you love, regardless of trends.
YG was hot in the 1980s, then the trend flipped to platinum and took it by storm, people were even changing out their YG wedding rings for platinum. Then, for the past decade RG took front seat. Now, YG is hot againn (think YG gold chains everywhere now), and YG wedding rings are trending again. You can see what I'm getting at. Buy the metal you love.

On earrings, I would get the Vintage size earrings and not Sweets. Sweets is super tiny, it was originally created for little girls, so you may grow tired of it. I would for sure try on both Sweets and VA to be sure.

By the way, since this is your first bracelet purchase, be sure to ask the SA to try on the sample bracelet sizers. The VCA standard bracelet length is 7.5" which is longer than the US standard bracelet length of 7". VCA has sample bracelets of various lengths you can try on. You pick the size you like and then have the appropriate links taken out. Keep in mind if you decide to shorten to less than the standard 7" length, the tradeoff to doing that is it may be a bit difficult to put on/off yourself. Be sure to ask about these sample bracelets as not every SA mentions it.

Congratulations to you! Please post photos!
I’m hoping I’ll be a lucky owner of a VCA jewelry soon. :smile: The boutique in Hawaii seems to have low stock though. The SA I spoke to on the phone said it’s been like that since 2020. I’m hoping lady luck with shine upon me when I pop by the boutique later next week.

I was that girl with a YG e-ring and wedding band. :biggrin: Mine have a bit more pink in the metal but still on that YG trend. Those rings no longer fit so they’ve been sitting in the safe for many years. Because of the sentimental value, I never reset them in another metal and have been wearing a platinum ring that DH got me for our 10th anniversary ever since. I was actually checking out my baguette diamond wedding band now that YG is ‘in’ but alas it definitely doesn’t fit.

I do think that YG looks better on me than RG. RG seems to blend in more but then it makes it looks more discreet. I’ll be trying out all metal colors if the boutique have them in stock. I do notice that on Alhambra, some gold tone seems to work better with the design and the stone; ie. the YG and onyx combination is gorgeous!

Thanks for the tip on the bracelet length. :flowers: I have no idea what length I’ll need. I haven’t purchased/worn a chain type bracelet in a long time. I know that I like them to hang a bit down my wrist. I’m curious about the Frivole bracelet with one flower, does that not flip around to the bottom of the wrist when worn?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BigAkoya
I’m hoping I’ll be a lucky owner of a VCA jewelry soon. :smile: The boutique in Hawaii seems to have low stock though. The SA I spoke to on the phone said it’s been like that since 2020. I’m hoping lady luck with shine upon me when I pop by the boutique later next week.

I was that girl with a YG e-ring and wedding band. :biggrin: Mine have a bit more pink in the metal but still on that YG trend. Those rings no longer fit so they’ve been sitting in the safe for many years. Because of the sentimental value, I never reset them in another metal and have been wearing a platinum ring that DH got me for our 10th anniversary ever since. I was actually checking out my baguette diamond wedding band now that YG is ‘in’ but alas it definitely doesn’t fit.

I do think that YG looks better on me than RG. RG seems to blend in more but then it makes it looks more discreet. I’ll be trying out all metal colors if the boutique have them in stock. I do notice that on Alhambra, some gold tone seems to work better with the design and the stone; ie. the YG and onyx combination is gorgeous!

Thanks for the tip on the bracelet length. :flowers: I have no idea what length I’ll need. I haven’t purchased/worn a chain type bracelet in a long time. I know that I like them to hang a bit down my wrist. I’m curious about the Frivole bracelet with one flower, does that not flip around to the bottom of the wrist when worn?
Yes, the one flower will flip unless you wear it tight. The five flower will also… I tried that one on, and you really can’t see all the beautiful flowers. Plus, the big bunch of flowers rotates to the bottom due to the weight.

Inventory is low, so it’s best to ask the SA to bring in pieces for you to try on.

As for Frivole, it is my favorite collection, and I love the WG pieces. I would definitely suggest asking the SA to bring in some pieces so you can try them on.

I am sure you will have a lot of fun!
 
  • Like
Reactions: hhw
Top