In the heart of Van Cleef & Arpels’ new Alhambra collection is a sparkly white gold four-leaf clover. It’s not crafted from the usual ornamental stones that the Alhambra range is known and loved for, but it is nonetheless extremely charming. From far, it looks like it has just emerged from melting ice, because of the way it sparkles, with subtle interplays of light that dance to the rhythm of the wearer. A captivating sight, its beauty comes from its radiating motif, a motif that is achieved without the use of any precious stones, but through an engraving technique called guilloché.
A traditional technique dating back in the late Middle Ages, guilloché is a way of doing decorative engraving, using a hand-operated lathe to produce very precise and intricate repetitive patterns. Delicate striations are engraved on precious metal surfaces, some are arranged in sunburst patterns— like the one on this Vintage Alhambra — while others appear in undulating lines or as a series of criss-crosses. The result is often a hypnotising minute pattern, intricate yet pure and clean — an eyegasm for those who pay keen attention to detail.
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