Dear ladies and gents of the forum,
thought I'd start a discussion around this topic as it seems to be luring browsing around existing threads (mods, sorry if I missed one!).
I own a vintage Alhambra white MOP (20 + 5 motifs + earrings) and the two-butterfly pendant also in white MOP. I got everything apart from the 5 motif a few years ago, pre-COVID i.e. before VCA went "viral", so I was quite shocked at how the shopping experience for the 5 motif had changed. As I hadn't purchased anything for 3-4 years I didn't really have a SA when I started looking into the 5 motif this year, and they didn't seem impressed by my purchasing history (in fact they didn't even check it) so I had to start from a clean slate sort to say... with mixed experiences over a few visits trying to track it down, SAs treating me from disinterested to dismissively (No, we don't have it in stock and pfff we don't know when it will come / come back again in a few days or weeks and you might get lucky, etc). I never pushed it to make a reservation because I really don't like the approach (even if I was quite "locked-in" or committed to get the piece to complete the set!) until one day they finally had it as a walk-in. Wonderful.
Fast forward a few months and now I'm looking for a special gift for a "round" birthday so went to the boutique to check out a few pieces. A lovely new SA who used to work at Hermes was assigned to me. I wanted to see the new agate earrings (launched on a Mon, went to the boutique on the Thu) = sold out. Pave earrings? not in stock. Frivole small earrings, pave or gold? nope. She did her best to show me some pieces but it was really hard as none of the pieces I was interested into were in stock. Then came the shocking part (to me at least) where she went to ask her manager as I pushed to be allowed to try on the agate earrings on the window and she came back with the news that 1) no, I could not try the earrings and 2) any piece they ordered in for me to try on would require a full deposit.
Whaaaat. This is, to me, a total no-go. It creates this lock-in effect whereas, even if you can reject the piece and walk away with your hard earned money or choose something else, you're likely going to keep the piece just because it was so hard to get. It really doesn't resonate well with my values. In addition, the fact that I now see VCA Alhambra (or dupes) everywhere all the time where I live has made me question what do I appreciate or treasure about the brand. Is it the craftsmanship? the materials? the exclusivity? the design? the shopping experience?
For me it's about the feminine designs, premium materials and yes, the shopping experience. From these criteria alone I'd say VCA is not differentiated enough. I found nice floral designs elsewhere, with better materials (semi-precious stones and/or diamonds) at a better price point with the same premium experience.
These are my findings. Haven't committed to anything and I'm still open to going back to VCA if I find something I really cannot live without (but hard to get that heart-stopping moment from browsing their website alone)
How do you feel about shopping around other brands as VCA alternatives?
From left to right:
1) Pasquale Bruni Figlia dei Fiori earrings with London blue topaz (7.3 ct) & diamonds (0.15 ct)
2) Pasquale Bruni Ton Joli earrings with Turquoise (6.25ct) and moonstone
3) Gübelin Lily earrings in RG with pink sapphire cabochon (0.7ct), diamonds (0.4 ct) and their signature tiny ruby. They have this model in three sizes, this is the medium one.
4) detailed pics for comparison with vintage alhambra.
I like that the cabochons give all three earrings a 3D feeling lacking in the Alhambra line. I'm also waiting to try on the Ton Joli earrings in Lapis Lazuli, they will be brought in from another branch at no cost
thought I'd start a discussion around this topic as it seems to be luring browsing around existing threads (mods, sorry if I missed one!).
I own a vintage Alhambra white MOP (20 + 5 motifs + earrings) and the two-butterfly pendant also in white MOP. I got everything apart from the 5 motif a few years ago, pre-COVID i.e. before VCA went "viral", so I was quite shocked at how the shopping experience for the 5 motif had changed. As I hadn't purchased anything for 3-4 years I didn't really have a SA when I started looking into the 5 motif this year, and they didn't seem impressed by my purchasing history (in fact they didn't even check it) so I had to start from a clean slate sort to say... with mixed experiences over a few visits trying to track it down, SAs treating me from disinterested to dismissively (No, we don't have it in stock and pfff we don't know when it will come / come back again in a few days or weeks and you might get lucky, etc). I never pushed it to make a reservation because I really don't like the approach (even if I was quite "locked-in" or committed to get the piece to complete the set!) until one day they finally had it as a walk-in. Wonderful.
Fast forward a few months and now I'm looking for a special gift for a "round" birthday so went to the boutique to check out a few pieces. A lovely new SA who used to work at Hermes was assigned to me. I wanted to see the new agate earrings (launched on a Mon, went to the boutique on the Thu) = sold out. Pave earrings? not in stock. Frivole small earrings, pave or gold? nope. She did her best to show me some pieces but it was really hard as none of the pieces I was interested into were in stock. Then came the shocking part (to me at least) where she went to ask her manager as I pushed to be allowed to try on the agate earrings on the window and she came back with the news that 1) no, I could not try the earrings and 2) any piece they ordered in for me to try on would require a full deposit.
Whaaaat. This is, to me, a total no-go. It creates this lock-in effect whereas, even if you can reject the piece and walk away with your hard earned money or choose something else, you're likely going to keep the piece just because it was so hard to get. It really doesn't resonate well with my values. In addition, the fact that I now see VCA Alhambra (or dupes) everywhere all the time where I live has made me question what do I appreciate or treasure about the brand. Is it the craftsmanship? the materials? the exclusivity? the design? the shopping experience?
For me it's about the feminine designs, premium materials and yes, the shopping experience. From these criteria alone I'd say VCA is not differentiated enough. I found nice floral designs elsewhere, with better materials (semi-precious stones and/or diamonds) at a better price point with the same premium experience.
These are my findings. Haven't committed to anything and I'm still open to going back to VCA if I find something I really cannot live without (but hard to get that heart-stopping moment from browsing their website alone)
How do you feel about shopping around other brands as VCA alternatives?
From left to right:
1) Pasquale Bruni Figlia dei Fiori earrings with London blue topaz (7.3 ct) & diamonds (0.15 ct)
2) Pasquale Bruni Ton Joli earrings with Turquoise (6.25ct) and moonstone
3) Gübelin Lily earrings in RG with pink sapphire cabochon (0.7ct), diamonds (0.4 ct) and their signature tiny ruby. They have this model in three sizes, this is the medium one.
4) detailed pics for comparison with vintage alhambra.
I like that the cabochons give all three earrings a 3D feeling lacking in the Alhambra line. I'm also waiting to try on the Ton Joli earrings in Lapis Lazuli, they will be brought in from another branch at no cost
. All the pieces look great on you. The Turquoise + Moonstone certainly pop, while the Gübelin Lily appears to have so much sparkle.