Best Of Luck

THERE IS AN UNMISTAKABLE staying power in an exceptional design, and this is clearly proven by Van Cleef & Arpels' bestseller - the Alhambra collection.

Launched in 1968, the Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra's geometric quatrefoil medallions may be reminiscent of the Moorish architecture found in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain - a Unesco world heritage site. But the motif also resembles a four-leaf clover, a symbol associated with good luck - an endearing theme of the maison since the 1920s. Back in the day, Jacques Arpels (nephew of Estelle Arpels, who founded the maison with her husband, Alfred Van Cleef) had a unique habit of giving out cards with poems and a small four-leaf clover gathered from his backyard to the staff.

Alhambra was inspired by Arpels and his obsession with lucky charms. He once said: "To be lucky, you have to believe in luck." Obviously, some of the world's most famous women - from Princess Grace of Monaco to Elizabeth Taylor - loved the idea. They were seen wearing them as everyday jewellery, especially Princess Grace - an avid fan of the jeweller - who used to layer three or four of her yellow gold Alhambra necklaces set with coral, lapis lazuli and malachite.