How Van Cleef & Arpels Turned a Ballet Story Into Its Iconic Alhambra Jewelry Collection

In the world of high jewelry, few collections carry the same blend of whimsy, elegance, and storytelling as Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra. With its distinctive cloverleaf motif—rounded, lush, and dotted with precious stones—it has adorned royalty, Hollywood stars, and style icons for over seven decades. But what many don’t know is that this iconic design wasn’t born from a random spark of creativity. It was inspired by a ballet: a 19th-century tale of magic, love, and a journey to a mythical land. How did a dance performance become the blueprint for one of the most beloved jewelry collections of all time? The story of Van Cleef & Arpels and the Alhambra is a masterclass in turning art into something wearable—something that carries the soul of its inspiration.

To understand the link between ballet and the Alhambra, we first need to step into Van Cleef & Arpels’ world in the early 20th century. The brand, founded in Paris in 1896 by Alfred Van Cleef and his brothers-in-law, the Arpels, had long been drawn to the performing arts. Ballet, with its blend of grace, drama, and dreamlike imagery, held a special place in their hearts. The Arpels family were avid ballet-goers; they attended performances at the Opéra Garnier regularly, and their friendships with dancers, choreographers, and composers deepened their love for the art form. By the 1940s, Van Cleef & Arpels had already created jewelry inspired by ballet—think delicate brooches shaped like ballerinas’ pointe shoes or swan feathers—but they wanted something more: a collection that captured the magic of ballet, not just its aesthetics.

The spark came from a ballet called La Source (The Spring), first performed in Paris in 1866. Choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon and set to music by Ludwig Minkus and Léo Delibes, La Source tells a fantastical story: a young prince, Djémyl, falls in love with Nouredda, a nymph who guards a magical spring in the forests of the Caucasus. When Nouredda is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer, Djémyl embarks on a quest to save her, venturing through enchanted gardens, across misty mountains, and into the sorcerer’s lair. Along the way, he encounters a world filled with lush foliage, glowing flowers, and mythical creatures—all rendered in the ballet’s vibrant sets and costumes. For the Van Cleef & Arpels team, one element stood out: the cloverleaf patterns that adorned the backdrops of the enchanted garden scenes. “They were soft, organic, and full of life,” wrote historian Françoise Cailles in her book Van Cleef & Arpels: Treasures and Legends. “It was as if the ballet had given them a symbol of luck and renewal—something that felt both timeless and alive.”

But the inspiration didn’t stop at the cloverleaf shape. The ballet’s themes—love, resilience, and the beauty of nature—resonated deeply with Van Cleef & Arpels’ ethos. The brand had always focused on creating jewelry that felt personal, that told a story, and La Source’s tale of a journey fueled by love aligned perfectly with that vision. In 1968, Van Cleef & Arpels launched the first Alhambra collection, named not just for the cloverleaf (a symbol of luck in many cultures) but also as a nod to the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain—a place renowned for its intricate Islamic tilework, which shares the same sense of symmetry and organic beauty as the ballet’s sets.

The original Alhambra pieces were revolutionary in their design. Unlike the sharp, geometric jewelry popular in the 1960s, the Alhambra’s cloverleaf motif was soft and rounded, with each leaf 边缘 (edge) slightly curved, as if plucked from a garden. The first collection featured a necklace: 20 cloverleaf pendants, each crafted from yellow gold and inlaid with carnelian—a deep, rich red stone that evoked the warmth of the ballet’s enchanted gardens. The clasps were hidden, making the necklace look like a continuous strand of luck, and the weight was light enough to wear every day. It was an instant hit. Women were drawn to its versatility: it could be worn with a cocktail dress for a night out or a white shirt for a day at the office. It wasn’t just jewelry—it was a statement of style that carried a secret story.

Over the years, Van Cleef & Arpels expanded the Alhambra collection, but it never strayed from its ballet roots. In the 1970s, they introduced pieces in white gold and mother-of-pearl, evoking the misty mountains from La Source. In the 1990s, they added sapphires and emeralds, mirroring the vibrant colors of the ballet’s costumes. Even the size of the cloverleafs was intentional: some were small (called “Sweet Alhambra”) for a delicate look, others large (“Lucky Alhambra”) for a bolder statement—just like the varying scales of the ballet’s sets, from intimate garden scenes to grand mountain landscapes.

What makes the Alhambra so enduring is its ability to bridge the gap between art and everyday life. When you wear an Alhambra necklace, you’re not just wearing a cloverleaf—you’re wearing a piece of La Source. You’re carrying the story of Djémyl and Nouredda, of love and adventure, of the magic that happens when art inspires art. It’s why the collection has remained a favorite of celebrities like Grace Kelly (who wore a Sweet Alhambra bracelet daily) and Kate Middleton (who owns a Lucky Alhambra necklace). They’re drawn not just to its beauty, but to its soul.

Van Cleef & Arpels has never forgotten the Alhambra’s origins. In 2016, to mark the 150th anniversary of La Source, the brand hosted a special event in Paris: a performance of the ballet followed by an exhibition of Alhambra pieces, where guests could see how the ballet’s sets and costumes had influenced the jewelry. “The Alhambra is more than a collection,” said Nicolas Bos, Van Cleef & Arpels’ CEO, at the event. “It’s a love letter to ballet—to the way it makes us dream, to the stories it tells, to the beauty it brings into the world.”

Today, the Alhambra collection continues to evolve. Van Cleef & Arpels regularly releases new designs, each one a fresh take on the cloverleaf motif, but always rooted in the magic of La Source. Whether it’s a pair of earrings set with pink opals (evoking the ballet’s rose gardens) or a bracelet with onyx (echoing the sorcerer’s dark lair), every piece carries the same spirit: a celebration of art, storytelling, and the timeless power of luck.

In the end, the Alhambra is more than just a jewelry collection. It’s proof that inspiration can come from anywhere—even a ballet performance from over a century ago. It’s a reminder that the best designs aren’t just beautiful—they’re meaningful. When Van Cleef & Arpels turned La Source into the Alhambra, they didn’t just create jewelry. They created a way for people to carry a little bit of magic with them, every day. And that’s the kind of legacy that never goes out of style.