To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Alhambra jewelry collection, Van Cleef & Arpels will bring its interactive installation to South Coast Plaza from Oct. 4 to 14. First unveiled in London and Tokyo, the 1,000-square-foot structure will be located in the shopping center’s Jewel Court.
Inspired by the shape of the clover motif and based on the collection’s theme of luck, the installation comprises four connected rooms, each telling a different part of the Alhambra story. As they make their way through the installation, visitors are invited to experience four digitally augmented, dreamlike journeys that lead them further into the universe of Van Cleef & Arpels.
A view of the VCA 50th Anniversary installation.
In continued celebration of the collection, Van Cleef & Arpels will be prelaunching a limited-edition, Vintage Alhambra 10-motif necklace and 5-motif bracelet in yellow gold and blue agate, available exclusively at South Coast Plaza. Meant to symbolize the California ocean, blue agate returns to the collection for the first time since 1989. Combined with yellow gold, this translucent form of chalcedony also has a soft radiance that evokes the blue glow of twilight.
After introducing the first Alhambra long necklace in 1968, VCA continues to enhance the permanent collection with new pieces. A vintage Alhambra long necklace and bracelet, accompanied by Magic Alhambra earrings, are reimagined in gray mother-of-pearl set in paved pink gold. Featuring the same alternating motifs, a vintage Alhambra long necklace and bracelet are embellished with onyx, contrasting with the glitter of diamonds and white gold.
“We are so happy to be creating such an exciting moment around the Alhambra collection for our customers at South Coast Plaza,” says Helen King, president and chief executive officer of Van Cleef & Arpels Americas. “It is not every day that we have the opportunity to tell the wonderful story of Alhambra’s heritage and savoir-faire in such a visual, interactive way. We wanted it to be a treat for our top customers, and also we felt that South Coast Plaza was the natural place to mount this exhibit because California is very in line with the casual elegance that Alhambra brought forth when it was introduced.”