Bead Earrings - Tiffany vs Blue Nile

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#16
I have two pair of ball silver earrings, one from Tiffany and one from a local jewelry. Maybe it is just me but I can clearly tell the difference in the two. And they are both sterling silver. My Tiffany balls have a certain glow to them.

However, I love ball earrings and Tiffany so I may be a little biased. Good luck with deciding!
 
#17
I saw the Tiff ones today. I like how they have different sizes and they are so shiny. I have ones from elsewhere but eventually may get the Tiff ones...
 
#18
jimmyshoogirl said:
I have two pair of ball silver earrings, one from Tiffany and one from a local jewelry. Maybe it is just me but I can clearly tell the difference in the two. And they are both sterling silver. My Tiffany balls have a certain glow to them.

However, I love ball earrings and Tiffany so I may be a little biased. Good luck with deciding!
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here are my fake ones, but they are white gold.bow.jpg
 
#20
I am debating this. I got wg balls from amazon and the backs popped off and I lost a ball. When I found it, it was dented.

I wonder if the backs are better on the more expensive ones. I have a pair of more expensive (but teensy) diamond earrings that I wear to sleep and i haven't lost them.

I'm assuming neither Tiffany's or Blue Niles are solid, right? That would be too expensive and heavy.
 
#21
I have the large Tiffany ones but if I had known there was a cheaper option I would have looked elsewhere. Like others have said, silver is silver. Once they're on your ears no one is going to know the difference. However, if Tiffany has the size you want that's an argument to go with theirs. But I'm sure there are other non-branded options elsewhere.
 
#22
I have both sizes from Blue Nile, they are perfectly round, smooth, and shiny. I'd guess that the Tiffany version would have more substantial backs but I like the suggestion to get the Blue Nile ones and save the difference for something from Tiffany with a more unique design unless these will be your every day earrings.
 
#24
Blossy said:
So the Blue Nile sterling bead earrings are $50, vs $170 for Tiffany. And the yellow gold version (though admittedly 14k rather than 18k) are $110.

What do you think? Would you buy Blue Nile or Tiffany?
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I love bead earrings and have a lot of them, from 6mm to 12mm, in both sterling silver and yellow and rose gold. I love the ones I got from Tiffany, though. I wear them a lot and they do not oxidize as easily as the other sterling silver ones I have. All of my sterling silver ones are supposed to be .925 sterling silver, but the ones from Blue Nile and other brands oxidize easier than my Tiffany ones. For example, I wore my Tiffany bead earrings swimming in the pool and in the ocean for 4 days in a row and had no problem with them (I know you are not supposed to do that, but I did it anyway!). The ones from Blue Nile (the 7mm ones) I wore just one time while swimming and in the evening they already started to show signs of oxidation.
That being said, a Tiffany piece is a Tiffany piece, regardless of the design, and the brand name is definitely included in the price tag. If you love the look of sterling silver, see if Blue Nile offers them in 14K white gold and go for it. If you can buy only one pair, I would definitely get the 14k gold ones in yellow gold from Blue Nile at this time and save to buy a Tiffany piece at a later time.
Good luck deciding! It is hard...
 
#25
I actually bought the ball earrings from Blue Nile. The backings are terrible, they don't stay on and fall right off. I would wear them inside the house and find the backings in a hair less than 5 minutes later. I spoke to BN customer service (very nice) and they sent me another pair for free. Unfortunately, the quality was just as terrible in terms of backing. They were very cheap in terms of price, but I had to use/order different backings.
 
#26
I think it's a matter of : Which would make YOU happy?

Personally, if I'm even considering a designer item, I would prefer the designer. If I'm looking at a particular piece, it's most likely because I'm searching for a certain value/quality in that piece.

Some things I shop for don't need labels (like tee shirts, casual shoes and everyday items) and then others (like handbags, jeans/bras and pieces of jewelry that will be worn everyday and with me for a long time) I choose quality pieces, even if they're more expensive. It may be the prestige of the label, or even the personal preference for that designer, but I always FEEL better when I know that I have something of quality.

So ask yourself: Will you be happiest with the designer label? Or would you be OK with Blue Nile and not end up purchasing the Tiffany pair of earrings later? Because if you'll be purchasing a second pair, you may as well skip the BN and go right for Tiffany quality. But if you don't care and would prefer to save the money for something else, then Blue Nile will suit your purpose and very few people will know the difference.
 
#27
I ordered these today in the SS 8 mm size from Blue Nile. I think the 10 mm (like Tiffany has) would be too big for my ears. My ears are not in the best shape - holes are torn from heavy earring use/wear in my youth. I hope these work out. I liked that I was able to pay for them via PayPal.
 
#28
My 8 mm SS ball earrings arrived today from Blue Nile. I'm impressed. For the price, you can't beat them. They came with a nice box and pouch. They are shiny and have a nice weight to them (don't feel cheap at all). Highly recommend.
 
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