There's a piece of jewelry you've been seeing everywhere lately. On the wrists of royals, layered around the necks of musicians, stacked by athletes court-side, and glinting under the flash of every red carpet camera. It's the four-leaf clover. It's Van Cleef - and right now, it's the most coveted name in jewelry.
But this isn't a passing trend. The obsession with Van Cleef & Arpels runs deeper than a single season, and once you understand why, you'll understand exactly why everyone from Princess Kate to Drake can't stop wearing it.
What Is Van Cleef & Arpels?
Van Cleef & Arpels is a French fine jewellery Maison founded in Paris in 1906. For over a century, it has been synonymous with exceptional craftsmanship, poetic design, and a distinctly Parisian sense of elegance. It sits at the very top of the luxury jewelry world alongside names like Cartier and Bulgari - but with a charm and whimsy that is entirely its own.
Its most iconic creation? The Alhambra. A four-leaf clover motif first introduced in 1968, inspired by the quatrefoil arches of Granada's Alhambra Palace and the good luck symbolism of the clover itself. It's the piece that started it all — and the piece that's driving the current obsession.
The Celebrities Who Can’t Stop Wearing Van Cleef
The list of famous Van Cleef wearers reads like a who's who of the most stylish people on earth - and it spans generations, genres, and continents.
Royalty has long had a love affair with Van Cleef. Queen Camilla is widely considered one of the brand's most devoted clients, with an extensive collection of VCA brooches and Alhambra pieces. Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been photographed wearing her Van Cleef Alhambra suite on multiple occasions.
Anna Wintour made headlines at the 2026 Met Gala wearing a rare Van Cleef & Arpels transformable sautoir necklace - the "Simone", a stunning Art Deco-inspired piece in white and rose gold featuring aquamarine, pink sapphires, and pearls. For a Maison that rarely loans pieces for the Met, it was a significant moment.
Adele, Blake Lively, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba, Charlize Theron, and Cameron Diaz have all been photographed in the Alhambra collection. Simone Biles has been spotted in the Sweet Alhambra bracelet. Cardi B has her entire family in VCA. And in a move that cemented the Alhambra's status as a true cultural crossover, Drake, LeBron James, and Lewis Hamilton have all been seen wearing it too.
Van Cleef isn't just jewellery for one type of celebrity. It's jewellery for everyone who has excellent taste.
Why Van Cleef? The Reasons Behind the Obsession
1. They Don’t Pay Celebrities to Wear It
This might be the most important reason of all. Van Cleef & Arpels famously does not work with celebrities and influencers in the traditional sense - meaning the high-profile people you see wearing it have genuinely gone out and bought it themselves. That kind of authentic endorsement is priceless, and it shows. When you see a celebrity wearing Van Cleef, you know they actually love it.
2. The Alhambra Is Genuinely Iconic
The four-leaf clover motif has an instantly recognizable quality that is rare in jewelry design. It's detailed enough to be interesting up close, but simple enough to be identifiable from across a room. It photographs beautifully, it layers effortlessly, and it carries a symbolic weight - luck, nature, timelessness - that resonates on a deeper level than pure aesthetics.
The Alhambra collection was first embraced by Princess Grace of Monaco in the 1970s, and Van Cleef has quietly kept it relevant ever since - introducing new stones, new silhouettes, new look, and most recently, a stunning new convertible collection that can be worn as a necklace, a sautoir, or wrapped around the wrist as a bracelet.
3. It’s Unisex Before Unisex Was Cool
The Alhambra has always been worn by everyone. From Grace Kelly to Drake, from Princess Catherine to LeBron James - the clover doesn't belong to one gender, one generation, or one aesthetic. That universality is a huge part of its appeal in a fashion world that is increasingly rejecting rigid dress codes.
4. It Holds Its Value
Van Cleef has raised prices on its Alhambra collection three years in a row, with some pieces increasing in retail price by over 20% since 2023. Rather than dampening demand, the price increases have made the pieces feel even more desirable - and the pre-owned Vinted market has responded accordingly, with some vintage pieces now selling for more than their original retail price. Wearing Van Cleef isn't just a fashion statement. It's an investment.
5. It’s the Right Kind of Status Symbol
There's a particular kind of jewelry that signals taste rather than just wealth. Van Cleef sits squarely in that category. The Alhambra is expensive enough to be aspirational, but understated enough that it never looks showy. It's the jewelry equivalent of wearing something that only people in the know will recognize - an IYKYK piece, as a generation of new fans have put it. And that quality of quiet prestige is exactly what today's most stylish celebrities are reaching for.
The New Generation of Van Cleef Fans
What's particularly interesting about the current Van Cleef moment is who is driving it. Gen Z and younger millennials have taken the Alhambra and made it entirely their own - stacking it, layering it, mixing metals, and styling it in ways the Maison's founders could never have imagined.
TikTok has played a significant role, with Alhambra content racking up millions of views and introducing the brand to an entirely new audience. Waiting lists have lengthened. The secondhand market has exploded. And the brand's global jewellery sales have grown consistently, even as other luxury categories have softened.
Van Cleef has managed something remarkably difficult: staying genuinely covetable to a generation that sees through marketing, while remaining beloved by the royals and cultural icons who have worn it for decades.
The Pieces Everyone Is Wearing Right Now
If you're ready to understand the obsession from the inside, these are the Van Cleef pieces at the centre of the current conversation:
The Vintage Alhambra Bracelet - The entry point into the collection and consistently the most searched Van Cleef piece. Available in yellow, white, and rose gold with a range of stone options including mother-of-pearl, onyx, malachite, and turquoise.
The Alhambra Long Necklace - The original piece, and still one of the most impactful. Layer two or three for the full Grace Kelly effect.
The Sweet Alhambra - A smaller, more delicate version of the motif, beloved for everyday wear and perfect for stacking.
The Magic Alhambra Convertible Necklace - The newest chapter in the Alhambra story: a transformable necklace that can be worn three ways, introduced in late 2025 and already one of the most talked-about pieces in fine jewelry.
The Bottom Line
Van Cleef is everywhere right now because it deserves to be. It's the rare jewellery brand that has managed to be simultaneously timeless and of-the-moment, beloved by royalty and rappers alike, aspirational without being alienating, and crafted to a standard that justifies every penny of its price tag.
When a piece of jewelry can sit on the wrist of a princess and around the neck of a Grammy winner and look equally perfect in both contexts, it's not a trend. It's an icon. Just like Jean Paul Gaultier and his signature scent.
And Van Cleef has been that icon for over fifty years. It's just that right now, the whole world is paying attention.
Grace leads the editorial vision behind 405Threads’ coverage of celebrity style, fashion trends, and wardrobe essentials. With a lifelong passion for fashion, a diverse cultural background, and expertise in trend forecasting, celebrity fashion analysis, and style curation, she brings readers a global perspective that remains accessible and relevant to everyday life. Grace believes fashion is about more than following trends – it’s about self-expression, confidence, and individuality.
