Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra Ring 18K Yellow Gold Onyx Diamond

The Vintage Alhambra ring in 18K yellow gold — a single onyx motif, hand-cut and polished flat, framed by the beaded gold border that has defined the collection since 1968. One round brilliant diamond sits bezel-set at the center, quality DEF, IF to VVS, lifted just proud of the stone so it reads as a point of light against solid black. Onyx is the hardest-working stone in the Alhambra range. No pattern, no iridescence, no color shift — just depth, and a surface that holds a mirror polish. Against warm yellow gold it does something the pastel stones can't: it turns a sweet motif into something graphic. The beading is the tell. Twenty gold beads worked around the perimeter, each one seated by hand, giving the border its texture and the whole face its lift off the finger. Slim polished shank, open gallery behind the motif. Reads as a day ring and wears as an evening one. That's the range onyx buys you. Stamped size 52 eu / (US 6).