Van Cleef & Arpels introduces transformable Alhambra long necklaces and reversible rings, extending the collection’s commercial reach and reinforcing full‑price sell‑through potential for retailers and collectors alike.
- Price: Available on request at launch
- Carat weight: Varies by model (diamond accents on select rings)
- Origin: Van Cleef & Arpels, Place Vendôme, Paris
- Launch date: December 2025
What changed in the Alhambra
The Alhambra’s four‑leaf silhouette — a beaded contour with guilloché surfaces and a vitreous luster on mother‑of‑pearl and chalcedony — has been engineered for motion. For 2025 Van Cleef & Arpels has added two asymmetrical long necklaces that convert into layered chokers and bracelets via concealed English blade clasps, plus two reversible rings with a rotatable central motif that flips to reveal a second face. The mechanism reads as precise and tactile: a smooth, almost silent rotation and a discreet clasp that preserves the collection’s substantial heft and compositional symmetry.
Context: How this fits 2025 luxury trends
Modularity and multifunctionality have become purchase drivers in 2025. Consumers prize pieces that offer multiple wears — fewer objects, greater utility — a direction that intersects with broader interest in circularity and reduced consumption. At the same time, sculptural, architectured jewellery remains in demand: elongated chains, mixed guilloché metals and contrasting inlays answer the market’s appetite for tactile surfaces and layered silhouettes. Van Cleef’s move is not a novelty so much as a recalibration of the Alhambra’s codes to these currents.
Why US retailers and investors should pay attention
For US retailers the opportunity is threefold. First, transformable pieces reduce friction at point of sale: clients who seek versatility are more likely to convert at full price, raising average transaction value without multiplying SKU counts. Second, the engineering behind concealed clasps and rotatable motifs elevates after‑sales service requirements — authorised dealers that offer white‑glove adjustments and demonstrations will protect margins and brand equity. Third, limited initial allocations create scarcity that can sustain secondary‑market resilience; pieces that demonstrate functional innovation often retain higher resale multiples.
From an inventory standpoint, these pieces favour trunk shows and appointment selling over mass display. Sales teams should be trained to demonstrate conversion modes — showing the piece’s heft, the smoothness of motion and how proportions change when worn as a choker, bracelet or long chain. Marketing should emphasise tactile cues (guilloché grain, beaded contour, vitreous inlays) rather than generic adjectives, meeting the collector’s demand for material literacy.
What it signals for valuation and the aftermarket
Transformability can boost perceived utility and thus price resilience. Unlike purely decorative refreshes, engineering‑led updates create a functional premium: collectors pay for both material and mechanism. That said, value accrual depends on provenance and scarcity — Van Cleef’s Place Vendôme origin and controlled distribution are positive indicators, while broader secondary‑market performance will hinge on initial production limits and documented service history.
Maison perspective
As Catherine Rénier, CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, put it: “With the introduction of transformable pieces, the Alhambra collection offers new aesthetic variations that play on dimension and material, with greater options for wear.” The statement underscores the maison’s dual investment in craft and adaptability — qualities that matter to both the experienced client and the institutional observer.
For US buyers and businesses, the Alhambra’s transformation is a reminder that durable design now means flexibility as much as lineage. Retailers who integrate demonstration, service and scarcity into their commercial plan stand to gain the most from this next chapter of a storied emblem.
Note: Information accurate as of publication date, December 2025.
Image Referance: https://www.prestigeonline.com/id/style/jewellery/heres-how-van-cleef-arpels-is-transforming-the-iconic-alhambra-2025/