VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!

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Slight update. I wanted to order by today but was still playing dress up with my bracelets and it was too late to order so I get one more day to decide lol.

I'm pretty sure I don't like the look of the two different 5 motif bracelets put together as a necklace. I tried using a dainty gold chain bracelet as the back part of the necklace (I would want to get a chain that matches though so it won't look as obvious). I'm not sure how I feel about it. My husband said he doesn't see the point of having the motifs in the back so he likes this option the best. Any thoughts?
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I would get the 10 motif or even two fives linked is better than this. This looks weird and you will need to keep adjusting the chain as it will move.
 
I just read through the earrings modeling thread because I have decided 2023 is all about earrings!

When I look at the pieces I have collected so far, I think earrings are what is missing in my Alhambra collection. Here is my dilemma:

I have three types of Alhambras: WMOP, Blue Agate and Tiger Eye. For each stone, I have a matching necklace and a 5 motif (well, for TE it’s my rabbit clip but I can wear that as a necklace!). I think buying an earring will pull the whole look together, but I don’t know if I want three Alhambra earrings. BUT, I also don’t think I’ll be in love with the look if I wear mismatched earrings. So what do I do?

There is only one pair of earrings I know I definitely want: a small Frivole pave earrings probably in WG. When the WG guilloché collection comes out, I think I might want earrings to maybe match the 2022 HP, but that’s for later.

I really like vintage WMOP earrings, so I am pretty sure I will get it. Blue Agate earrings don’t exist and I think TE as earrings will blend into my skin. So for Blue Agate and TE, are there any earrings that can help pull together the whole look? Should I buy YG pave Alhambra earrings and call it a day?

Or is wearing earrings, necklace and bracelet in Alhambra too much? I would probably just do two pieces at a time. Luckily, I have much time to think about it, but I would appreciate any guidance! If left to my own devices, I will probably buy earrings in all the stones available!
 
I just read through the earrings modeling thread because I have decided 2023 is all about earrings!

When I look at the pieces I have collected so far, I think earrings are what is missing in my Alhambra collection. Here is my dilemma:

I have three types of Alhambras: WMOP, Blue Agate and Tiger Eye. For each stone, I have a matching necklace and a 5 motif (well, for TE it’s my rabbit clip but I can wear that as a necklace!). I think buying an earring will pull the whole look together, but I don’t know if I want three Alhambra earrings. BUT, I also don’t think I’ll be in love with the look if I wear mismatched earrings. So what do I do?

There is only one pair of earrings I know I definitely want: a small Frivole pave earrings probably in WG. When the WG guilloché collection comes out, I think I might want earrings to maybe match the 2022 HP, but that’s for later.

I really like vintage WMOP earrings, so I am pretty sure I will get it. Blue Agate earrings don’t exist and I think TE as earrings will blend into my skin. So for Blue Agate and TE, are there any earrings that can help pull together the whole look? Should I buy YG pave Alhambra earrings and call it a day?

Or is wearing earrings, necklace and bracelet in Alhambra too much? I would probably just do two pieces at a time. Luckily, I have much time to think about it, but I would appreciate any guidance! If left to my own devices, I will probably buy earrings in all the stones available!
2022 is the year of the earrings for me! I have purchased a lot of pairs this year, VCA and others. Nice for completing looks.
I vote for pave vintage or hammered to go with all 3. I had similar situation - 3 yg necklaces - and I got the pave sweets in yg to go with all 3. I was considering the pave vintage but it was too much for my purpose. I wear my necklaces very causally - hiking, to beach, with kids. So wanted earrings that went with casual easy vibe. I also can wear sweets to bed. But if you like vintage size I would get the pave vintage. They will go with all your yg options and are different from frivoles. I have yg pave frivoles and do not wear with Alhambra. Not the same look to me. I wear my frivoles for work or when out and about in city.
I am not a matching set person. I find complementary pieces more interesting. I also wear non branded hoops/Huggies a lot with my vintage necklaces. So you don’t need to buy motif earrings to complete your look.
 
I just read through the earrings modeling thread because I have decided 2023 is all about earrings!

When I look at the pieces I have collected so far, I think earrings are what is missing in my Alhambra collection. Here is my dilemma:

I have three types of Alhambras: WMOP, Blue Agate and Tiger Eye. For each stone, I have a matching necklace and a 5 motif (well, for TE it’s my rabbit clip but I can wear that as a necklace!). I think buying an earring will pull the whole look together, but I don’t know if I want three Alhambra earrings. BUT, I also don’t think I’ll be in love with the look if I wear mismatched earrings. So what do I do?

There is only one pair of earrings I know I definitely want: a small Frivole pave earrings probably in WG. When the WG guilloché collection comes out, I think I might want earrings to maybe match the 2022 HP, but that’s for later.

I really like vintage WMOP earrings, so I am pretty sure I will get it. Blue Agate earrings don’t exist and I think TE as earrings will blend into my skin. So for Blue Agate and TE, are there any earrings that can help pull together the whole look? Should I buy YG pave Alhambra earrings and call it a day?

Or is wearing earrings, necklace and bracelet in Alhambra too much? I would probably just do two pieces at a time. Luckily, I have much time to think about it, but I would appreciate any guidance! If left to my own devices, I will probably buy earrings in all the stones available!
What a great dilemma to have. I personally prefer two matching pieces at most. The necklace earrings and bracelet feels overwhelming to me. I would get the pave vintage for all three necklaces and give some bling. It also would give some variation must keey the look pulled together
 
I just read through the earrings modeling thread because I have decided 2023 is all about earrings!

When I look at the pieces I have collected so far, I think earrings are what is missing in my Alhambra collection. Here is my dilemma:

I have three types of Alhambras: WMOP, Blue Agate and Tiger Eye. For each stone, I have a matching necklace and a 5 motif (well, for TE it’s my rabbit clip but I can wear that as a necklace!). I think buying an earring will pull the whole look together, but I don’t know if I want three Alhambra earrings. BUT, I also don’t think I’ll be in love with the look if I wear mismatched earrings. So what do I do?

There is only one pair of earrings I know I definitely want: a small Frivole pave earrings probably in WG. When the WG guilloché collection comes out, I think I might want earrings to maybe match the 2022 HP, but that’s for later.

I really like vintage WMOP earrings, so I am pretty sure I will get it. Blue Agate earrings don’t exist and I think TE as earrings will blend into my skin. So for Blue Agate and TE, are there any earrings that can help pull together the whole look? Should I buy YG pave Alhambra earrings and call it a day?

Or is wearing earrings, necklace and bracelet in Alhambra too much? I would probably just do two pieces at a time. Luckily, I have much time to think about it, but I would appreciate any guidance! If left to my own devices, I will probably buy earrings in all the stones available!
For your blue agate and tiger’s eye, what about something YG from the Perlee collection like the diamond pave earrings or the small hoops? It won’t be as matching as another Alhambra, but the milgrain design pulls everything together nicely. I wear my Magic Alhambra pendant and Perlee signature bangle together all the time.
 
I just read through the earrings modeling thread because I have decided 2023 is all about earrings!

When I look at the pieces I have collected so far, I think earrings are what is missing in my Alhambra collection. Here is my dilemma:

I have three types of Alhambras: WMOP, Blue Agate and Tiger Eye. For each stone, I have a matching necklace and a 5 motif (well, for TE it’s my rabbit clip but I can wear that as a necklace!). I think buying an earring will pull the whole look together, but I don’t know if I want three Alhambra earrings. BUT, I also don’t think I’ll be in love with the look if I wear mismatched earrings. So what do I do?

There is only one pair of earrings I know I definitely want: a small Frivole pave earrings probably in WG. When the WG guilloché collection comes out, I think I might want earrings to maybe match the 2022 HP, but that’s for later.

I really like vintage WMOP earrings, so I am pretty sure I will get it. Blue Agate earrings don’t exist and I think TE as earrings will blend into my skin. So for Blue Agate and TE, are there any earrings that can help pull together the whole look? Should I buy YG pave Alhambra earrings and call it a day?

Or is wearing earrings, necklace and bracelet in Alhambra too much? I would probably just do two pieces at a time. Luckily, I have much time to think about it, but I would appreciate any guidance! If left to my own devices, I will probably buy earrings in all the stones available!
Hi! I'll also share my thoughts as well and add to the other fabulous ideas from the others...
This is what I love about TPF... everyone comes up with great ideas on how to wear their pieces.

My two cents...
First, I do not think wearing a full Alhambra set is too much. On the contrary, I think it looks fabulous chic!
I have a WG MOP set (VA earrings, VA 20 motif, two VA bracelets), and yes... when I wear that set, I pile them all on. I also add a colorful gemstone ring to wear with that set. This is to wear with a casual chunky sweater and jeans.

I love sets, and for me, I need matching earrings for any necklace I wear. It's a must have as I think that pulls together the look. A matching necklace and earrings frames the face beautifully.

One final thought to frame the discussion...
I am a believer of a necklace and matching earring sets, even if it means you end up with one set of earrings for each necklace. I do this for my jewelry pieces, and I think it looks fabulous.

I am not a believer of say, wearing diamond studs with everything. That's like wearing black shoes or a black handbag with everything. Sure, you can make it work; "black goes with everything" is how people justify it (black really does not go with everything, but that's a different topic and I need to stay on topic! Smacking myself now... stay on topic! :biggrin::heart:).

This is fine jewelry, and I believe a fine jewelry look needs to be deliberate. That's just me, and of course, style is 100% preference

That said... for you...
A necklace, earrings and bracelet would be gorgeous! I love love love this look. The Alhambra line was created as a casual line; you will look so casual chic!

What to get? Here are my thoughts...

For your YG MOP...
As you said, for sure, get the YG MOP. Perfect match! Plus, as you already know, YG MOP just glows, and who doesn't want to light up their face as often as they can! I vote YG MOP earrings for sure!

For your blue agate...
I would get the YG guilloche to pair blue agate. Why? Because blue agate pops, and you want something that can compete with this power. Sure, you could wear MOP, but I don't think it works as an earring and pendant combo. You now have one white four leaf clover on each ear, and one bright blue four leaf clover on the neck. The eye is now confused and going bonkers where to pause to stare. It's not a smooth look to me. Blue agate is bright solid color. YG guilloche is shiny, and that bright shine will be a nice complement to the bright happy blue agate! This is for days when you want to look super happy!

For days when you want to look more serene and elegant, that's where TE comes in.

For your TE...
I would get the YG hammered to pair with your TE. This may sound repetitive to YG guilloche, but not to me. TE is mellow, it's subtle, and it is a more refined look. YG hammered is old world glamour to me and matches TE.

Yes, you could get pave earrings, but it's not my favorite. Why? I'm not a super fan of VA pave earrings as it's just a few sprinkles of tiny diamonds, so you can't really call it sparkly. Plus, the metal dot in the center makes it really not a pave piece. It's more a metal piece with a few diamonds sprinkled. With pave, the beauty of the hammered gold is lost. You may want to try on both to see which you like better.

Personally, I like YG hammered as it stays with the refined elegant theme of TE. You could also wear this YG hammered with your blue agate, and that would look good to. It would tone down the blue agate a bit, so if you don't want to look to shiny and happy, you could just get YG hammered.

Speaking of sparkly and shiny...
These terms do not mean the same thing to me. Diamonds are sparkly, but guilloche is shiny, as in shiny metal. The looks are very different, and shiny diamonds are not always better. When trying the earrings on, don't assume the pave is better because it has a few diamonds. Look at how the piece works together. To me, VA hammered has a soft elegance, similar to TE. Hammered gold compliments, not competes.

If you really like VA pave earrings, I think the perfect match is the VA pave pendant and the Clover bangle.

For your 2022 HP, if I had that piece, I would get WG guilloche. I think that combo is super chic together! The WG guilloche is so shiny and would look fabulous against the cool blue of the porcelain. The shiny WG on guilloche will also play off the shiny beaded edges of the blue porcelain pendant.

I think the Frivole pave earrings are gorgeous, but like others, I do not think it matches the Alhambra four leaf clover motif. I've tried to pair it together, and to me, it doesn't work. For you, if you are going to get the Frivole pave earrings, I would suggest the matching pendant. That is the bomb pair to me! I have the Frivole pave earrings, but I don't wear short pendants so I do not have the matching pendant. This means sadly, I do not have the bomb pair! So sad... I have an ear-to-ear frown now just thinking about how gorgeous that looks, but I don't have it! :shocked: :heart: I might cave one day just to make a set of three, but I still have hope a long WG pave necklace might come out.

I am with you 100% on matching earrings! More so, when buying jewelry (VCA and other brands), I prefer matching sets of three, but always a set of two matching pieces. I think with your love of matchy matchy sets, you will be so glad you are getting earrings that compliment, even if it means buying different earrings to go with different stones.

Jewelry in the past was worn as sets (e.g. parures). VCA is definitely not too much worn as sets, and you can see that is how VCA advertises in their ads. Wearing sets is spot on and on trend!

The idea of "mix & match" in fashion and jewelry came about with the "wear what you want" attittude.
I agree with that attitude, and for me... it's "wear sets!" That's what I love, and that's what I do.

I am sure you know about VCA earrings, and for VA, you can adjust them four ways. If you need them adjusted, you may want to get one pair adjusted first to make sure they fit to your liking. Have your SA write down the exact adjustments in your profile. This will save you going back and forth if you are a picky earring fit person as I am (I had to send my Lotus earrings in three times as they adjusted one area but then messed up the other by making assumptions... so much drama).

Sorry for this long post, but I wanted to share my thoughts for another point of view. I hope some of this was helpful.
You can't go wrong with anything as "wear what you want" really reigns true. If you love the look, then it's your chic look!

Good luck to you!
 
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2022 is the year of the earrings for me! I have purchased a lot of pairs this year, VCA and others. Nice for completing looks.
I vote for pave vintage or hammered to go with all 3. I had similar situation - 3 yg necklaces - and I got the pave sweets in yg to go with all 3. I was considering the pave vintage but it was too much for my purpose. I wear my necklaces very causally - hiking, to beach, with kids. So wanted earrings that went with casual easy vibe. I also can wear sweets to bed. But if you like vintage size I would get the pave vintage. They will go with all your yg options and are different from frivoles. I have yg pave frivoles and do not wear with Alhambra. Not the same look to me. I wear my frivoles for work or when out and about in city.
I am not a matching set person. I find complementary pieces more interesting. I also wear non branded hoops/Huggies a lot with my vintage necklaces. So you don’t need to buy motif earrings to complete your look.
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions! Your picture of YG Alhambra collection was on the back of my mind when I was looking at my own collection to see what was missing. Your collection is so well-curated!

I do love the idea of a vintage pave because it is so carefree and can see myself wearing it to hiking, with kids etc.! I am open to other brands also. Are there any other brands you liked or do you go to a jeweler?

Luckily I have time to try on different styles. It’s a matter of boutiques having stock to try them on I guess!

Thanks again. I love the idea of pave or hammered gold.
 
What a great dilemma to have. I personally prefer two matching pieces at most. The necklace earrings and bracelet feels overwhelming to me. I would get the pave vintage for all three necklaces and give some bling. It also would give some variation must keey the look pulled together
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestion.

I love the idea of a pave vintage Alhambra. It seems so carefree while still being refined and elegant. I am so excited to try it out and can’t wait to report back with what I’ve decided!
 
For your blue agate and tiger’s eye, what about something YG from the Perlee collection like the diamond pave earrings or the small hoops? It won’t be as matching as another Alhambra, but the milgrain design pulls everything together nicely. I wear my Magic Alhambra pendant and Perlee signature bangle together all the time.
It’s interesting you mention it because I do have a Perlée couleurs pendant, so an earring from that collection could be in the mix.

I didn’t even think about the hoops, but that could totally work because of the milgrain and it’ll go with my other pendants that are not Alhambra/VCA. Thanks for your suggestion!
 
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