VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!

[Meowwu]

Sounds like you have a wonderful collection of Alhambra earrings and you enjoy the design.
I would try to explore other items such as bracelets or necklaces , whatever fits your personal style .
If you absolutely “need” to have another pair, I would pick onyx as it is a complete different look due to the shade
Your mop collection is fairly complete in my opinion , but of course it’s your style after all

Thank you . I noticed I fail to specify the list was for alhambra earrings. I have have two rock crystal bracelets, and two white gold holiday pendants also in the alhambra family.

Onyx is so attractive! It always baffles me how a dark stone can be so expressive!

 

[maddiesmith46]

To anyone who owns and wears the RG Sweet Alhambra bracelet (6 motif), did you get your creation shortened?

I know this piece is 17cm as standard but am curious if anyone had some length removed.

And for those who do wear this stacked with a LOVE bracelet/JUC, do you find it comfortable, does it get tangled a lot and does it scratch your Cartier bracelet?

Thank you in advance!

Hi! I wear a size 18 love bracelet and 17 small juc with the rose gold sweet Alhambra and did not get it shortened. I also wear a frivole bracelet, which ends up getting tangled with the Alhambra, and then they both get mixed up in the juc. I think if you just did the three (Alhambra, love, juc), then you should be fine! And I haven’t noticed any scratches!

 

[Meowwu]

Well, it depends! I tend to collect things I like so I get multiples plus I like to match my earrings to my necklaces so I have a lot of Alhambra/magic earrings!

You have a beautiful collection. Have you considered the pave diamond yellow gold earrings or guilloche in either metal? I wear those three all the time.

I also love my MOP yellow gold Alhambra earrings. They are a great basic that match everything. Literally everything.

It’s all personal style. They are a great staple - you can’t go wrong with the Alhambra studs.

As for me, I’m not a fan of of the Perlee studs but that’s bc I do not look good in round earrings. My lobe needs more of a design.

MOP is totally my soft spot. My concern with another pair of vintage MOP is that it would look too similar to my magic MoP. But…. I’ve been seeing lots of IG posts of authors possessing both magic and vintage MOP, or both YG and WG vintage MOP.

I haven’t tried guilloche earrings actually. That sounds like a very good idea. I need to remember to do so next time I am in the boutique.

 

[Meowwu]

This is not a silly question here!!!

For me there is no number that is redundant. Vintage Alhambra earrings are part of my uniform. Some people only need one pair. I like deciding every morning what color looks best with my outfit! So I think it depends on how you feel abt it!

I have 3 colors of vintage and 1 sweet. I wouldn’t hesitate to get an additional color if they produce it.

In terms of carnelian I have yet to find a shade I like and I’ve tried them on many times.

Thank you for the enabling words! Lol I would love to know which colours you have for your vintage and sweet earrings! Choosing VCA earrings each morning sounds like a fun exercise to start the day with.

 

[Meowwu]

@Meowwu Not a silly question at all because all us jewelry lovers here go through our moments of contemplation to ensure we are getting what we love and avoiding mistakes. And we all have very different definitions of what we love.

If you love and wear Alhambra earrings then why not add more? I actually have three myself - pave VA in RG, magic Grey MOP in RG and magic malachite in YG and I wear them all though the pave ones get the most wear because they are low maintenance. But, it’s my malachite pair that makes me grin ear-to-ear every time I wear them.

I would say hold off on the carnelian if you are unsure of it and get the ones you are most confident about wearing. I do like the idea of you adding the WG VA earrings the most since you don’t have WG earrings in your collection yet. But, do you love WG? If yes, then that gets my vote.I acollection of alhambra earrings!

I am drooling over your collection!

Carnelian is a bit of a lottery, especially when most people need to get pieces transferred in. WG made the list because I have two holiday pendants in WG. Also, it provides a justification that it is different from WG magic lol

 

[Meowwu]

::Raises hand:: Hoarder here~! You can never have too many! I think onyx YG or a WG would be a nice addition. Onyx is something that pops really well, and the WG will give you the WG option if you decide to wear WG jewelry.

As I work my way down the comments, I wish I can grab both onyx and WG…
Agreed! Onyx is such a cool stone! Silent but deadly elegant. Lol

 

[jenaps]

Thank you for the enabling words! Lol I would love to know which colours you have for your vintage and sweet earrings! Choosing VCA earrings each morning sounds like a fun exercise to start the day with.

It really is fun! Here are the colors I have below:

 

[Meowwu]

It really is fun! Here are the colors I have below:

View attachment 5734400

Vibrant happy colours! the turquoise really pop!

 

[potatoagogo]

I'd been considering the WG guilloche vintage Alhambra and the WG pave sweet Alhambra pendants for my first VCA piece (!!!) since I wanted something for daily wear that could dress up occasionally but wouldn't too eye-catching or out of place when I'm dressed down. I ended up going with the pave sweet since I liked that it provided a bit of sparkle while still being subtle and that the pendant moves around on the chain instead of staying fixed. Now that the necklace has arrived, I love how shiny and lovely it is but I'm wondering if I made the wrong choice. I'm not super petite or dainty so I'm worried that the sweet is just too small on me and looks silly. The chain is a bit shorter than I prefer so I'm planning to get it lengthened if I keep the necklace, which I'm hoping will help how it sits on me.

I hadn't considered the vintage pave since I worried it would be a bit too much shine for me and I preferred something that I could move around/fiddle with. Should I return the sweet pave for the guilloche vintage? Exchange for the vintage pave? Keep the sweet pave? Wait for the day WG hammered isn't just an SO? Am I overthinking this?
(The answer to that last one is definitely yes lol ). Any input would be much appreciated.

Edit to fix formatting

 

[BigAkoya]

My Ludo will deliver to me Tuesday. I’m so excited.

It's Tuesday! I'm here! I'm so excited for you! Modshots please...
The bracelet and with your Verdura pieces, all in their full glory!

 

[WingNut]

I'd been considering the WG guilloche vintage Alhambra and the WG pave sweet Alhambra pendants for my first VCA piece (!!!) since I wanted something for daily wear that could dress up occasionally but wouldn't too eye-catching or out of place when I'm dressed down. I ended up going with the pave sweet since I liked that it provided a bit of sparkle while still being subtle and that the pendant moves around on the chain instead of staying fixed. Now that the necklace has arrived, I love how shiny and lovely it is but I'm wondering if I made the wrong choice. I'm not super petite or dainty so I'm worried that the sweet is just too small on me and looks silly. The chain is a bit shorter than I prefer so I'm planning to get it lengthened if I keep the necklace, which I'm hoping will help how it sits on me.

I hadn't considered the vintage pave since I worried it would be a bit too much shine for me and I preferred something that I could move around/fiddle with. Should I return the sweet pave for the guilloche vintage? Exchange for the vintage pave? Keep the sweet pave? Wait for the day WG hammered isn't just an SO? Am I overthinking this?
(The answer to that last one is definitely yes lol ). Any input would be much appreciated.

Edit to fix formatting

Well, I don't have the sweet but I do have the VA Pave (YG) necklace and I wear that either casually or dressed up. I say go for something with more presence if you think the sweet will be too dainty.

 

[etoupebirkin]

It’s here!!!
And so very stunning!!!
@LenaDuree You will love it!!!

 

[eternallove4bag]

It’s here!!!
And so very stunning!!!
@LenaDuree You will love it!!!

View attachment 5734564

View attachment 5734565

View attachment 5734566

View attachment 5734567

View attachment 5734568

View attachment 5734569

View attachment 5734570

INCREDIBLE…the intricate handiwork of this gorgeous piece is just

I can feel your joy and excitement through the pics and your words @etoupebirkin Enjoy this beauty in great health and happiness..and know we are all rejoicing in your joy right now!

 

[BigAkoya]

I have a silly question. At how many pairs of alhambra earrings would you consider a further pair to be redundant.

I have in the alhambra family: YG hammer vintage, MOP magic, and MOP two-motifs.

I was contemplating perlee carnelian but now having second thought as I am not sure carnelian suits my skin tone. So… I have added into my potential list of candidates:
• YG MOP vintage alhambra
• onyx vintage alhambra
• WG vintage alhambra

And of course, there’s the option of holding off until I have a firm preference.

I'm a big fan of buying repeat items in different variations/colors if you love the design. This is especially true for me when it comes to bags and shoes; I literally buy the same style over and over again, just in different colors. It works for me, and it's my look.

Gorgeous Alhambra earrings can be your look too. You can be the Queen of Alhambra Earrings, so if you like the Alhambra theme, stay with it. If you want to be Queen of Earrings (not just Alhambra), I would also consider other collections such as Frivole. Frivole pave is the bomb to me, it's super blingy, super gorgeous.

However, for me, when it comes to a jewelry collection, I am a firm believer in having sets in different categories (e.g. earrings, bracelet, necklace, ring). The Alhambra collection is made to be worn with pieces as a matching set. It's so beautiful to me when worn that way.

If you are interested in other categories of jewelry, I would personally stock up on other pieces in MOP. I love love love MOP, and to me, YG MOP is so beautiful. It glows against the skin like no other stone.

I am a WG lover, so my VA MOP collection is in WG MOP.
For you, how about a necklace in YG MOP? I love 20s, but you may prefer a 10 or a long Magic pendant.

I personally think Alhambra looks best when worn with two matching pieces. It's a very casual yet coordinated look. I can dress super casual, yet I feel pulled together because of my matching jewelry set.

That said... I will assume you only want to stay with Alhambra. Since you have a Magic earrings and the two-motif earrings, it seems you are not afraid of big or dangling earrings. Because of this, I worry the VA onyx or carnelian might feel small on you especially since both stones are dark. Onyx black is a recessive color, so it might fade in the background, especially if you have longer hair. Carnelia is a translucent stone, so it will darken against skin (turning more brown), so a VA carnelian will for sure look darker than when you are holding it up against light.

What earring to get then?
Since you are not afraid of bold earrings, how about the tiger's eye and carnelian two-motif?
The carnelian is larger, and it is also hanging. This means light will pass through the carnelian stone keeping it bright. The larger motif size will also give it more presence. This earring would be my vote. I posted a photo below so you can see what I mean. The carnelian will be beautiful and really pop on you. I also think the color will add diversity to your earring collection. These earrings will look great dressed up ofcourse, but they will really look super chic with casual jeans.

Just my two cents, and hope this helps in you decision.

 

[Zixi1000]

Hello Friends:

I am debating to get either one 5 motif lucky spring bracelet or 2 single motif ones (the plum blossom + open wing lady bug). Would love to hear your recommendation/suggestion regarding this!