For Newbies and Seasoned Collectors: Share Your Tips and Experiences in Curating Your VCA Collection

[eternallove4bag]

Building your bling fam around an anchor piece:

Reviving this thread as I share my appreciation for anchor pieces in building a seamless collection.

When I first began buying jewelry, I never considered the importance of an anchor piece. I just bought what I loved and thought would wear. Not much thought was given to building a cohesive collection (and I use the term ‘collection’ loosely here because I don’t believe in ‘collecting’ per say but more in creating a family of bling pieces that I can get maximum wear out of!). The end result? I sold off or gifted most of what I bought to my family members. Individually each piece looked great but my inability (or maybe lack of imagination) to combine them made me lose interest in them.

Years down the line, I am such a firm believer in the power of anchor pieces. I like to think of an anchor piece as the foundational or statement piece that reflects your style and around which you can build your entire collection or a piece that ties in everything you already have. The key thing is that this focal piece not only ties in past pieces but also influences the selection and addition of future pieces! The result is a cohesive set of pieces that can worn alone or together using a gazillion permutations and combinations.

I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on anchor pieces - do you believe in having one? If yes, which pieces in your collection do you identify as the anchor piece?
Or, is the concept of an anchor piece overrated?

Either way, would love to hear your perspectives. I am a life-long learner and I love to learn from like-minded people as much I love to learn from people with differing viewpoints♥️

Just for fun, here are some pics of my RG and WG families with my anchor pieces - Perlee Clover bracelets in RG and WG🤗

 

[Swellgal]

Building your bling fam around an anchor piece:

Reviving this thread as I share my appreciation for anchor pieces in building a seamless collection.

When I first began buying jewelry, I never considered the importance of an anchor piece. I just bought what I loved and thought would wear. Not much thought was given to building a cohesive collection (and I use the term ‘collection’ loosely here because I don’t believe in ‘collecting’ per say but more in creating a family of bling pieces that I can get maximum wear out of!). The end result? I sold off or gifted most of what I bought to my family members. Individually each piece looked great but my inability (or maybe lack of imagination) to combine them made me lose interest in them.

Years down the line, I am such a firm believer in the power of anchor pieces. I like to think of an anchor piece as the foundational or statement piece that reflects your style and around which you can build your entire collection or a piece that ties in everything you already have. The key thing is that this focal piece not only ties in past pieces but also influences the selection and addition of future pieces! The result is a cohesive set of pieces that can worn alone or together using a gazillion permutations and combinations.

I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on anchor pieces - do you believe in having one? If yes, which pieces in your collection do you identify as the anchor piece?
Or, is the concept of an anchor piece overrated?

Either way, would love to hear your perspectives. I am a life-long learner and I love to learn from like-minded people as much I love to learn from people with differing viewpoints♥️

Just for fun, here are some pics of my RG and WG families with my anchor pieces - Perlee Clover bracelets in RG and WG🤗
View attachment 6216512View attachment 6216513View attachment 6216514View attachment 6216515

Yes! I inadvertently built my YG and WG collections on anchor pieces. For the YG, it was my very first VCA, the Zodiaque. I absolutely love this pendant. I followed it up with the three flower mini frivole to layer the two necklaces, although in practice, I rarely do. Instead I just wear one and then two or three of my Alhambra bracelets. I am waiting to buy the matching earrings to the three flower mini frivole pendant, so that will extend its wear too. Then that collection will be “complete” to me.
For my WG collection, it all started with non-VCA sapphire earrings and a pendant that my DH gave me. I added in the WG 6 motif sweet pave Alhambra bracelet and single frivole pave ring. Now that makes a great wearable set unless the navy of the sapphire doesn’t go with my outfit, which is why my long term WL is a 20 motif WG WMOP Alhambra necklace and WG pave frivole earrings. I’ve given way too much thought about this, but I am constantly analyzing how to make my collection the most wearable. Anything else from VCA would be for funsies! Two motif earrings, for example, or a magic pendant.
But in response to your question, yes absolutely, for me having a core set that is slightly mix and match is the goal for my jewelry shopping.

 

[eternallove4bag]

Yes! I inadvertently built my YG and WG collections on anchor pieces. For the YG, it was my very first VCA, the Zodiaque. I absolutely love this pendant. I followed it up with the three flower mini frivole to layer the two necklaces, although in practice, I rarely do. Instead I just wear one and then two or three of my Alhambra bracelets. I am waiting to buy the matching earrings to the three flower mini frivole pendant, so that will extend its wear too. Then that collection will be “complete” to me.
For my WG collection, it all started with non-VCA sapphire earrings and a pendant that my DH gave me. I added in the WG 6 motif sweet pave Alhambra bracelet and single frivole pave ring. Now that makes a great wearable set unless the navy of the sapphire doesn’t go with my outfit, which is why my long term WL is a 20 motif WG WMOP Alhambra necklace and WG pave frivole earrings. I’ve given way too much thought about this, but I am constantly analyzing how to make my collection the most wearable. Anything else from VCA would be for funsies! Two motif earrings, for example, or a magic pendant.
But in response to your question, yes absolutely, for me having a core set that is slightly mix and match is the goal for my jewelry shopping.

You are already off to an amazing start ♥️ @Swellgal I had to learn through error the importance of anchor pieces. I love the three flower Frivole earrings and have often thought of adding those along with the 9-flower Frivole ring in YG. I hope you get the earrings soon so I can live vicariously through you.

I think planning is half the fun and strategizing helps in avoiding mistakes. I sit on pieces for months and sometimes years and it really does help in curating the WL. Many a times pieces just fall off the list because I no longer find them ‘necessary’ to add.

The pave Frivole earrings would be the BOMB and will go so beautifully with your ring! And oh yeah, a huge yes to WMOP 20-motif in WG. That’s another piece that I go back to time and again! I have been conflicted in choosing between 20 WG WMOP, RG WMOP butterfly pendant or 10/20 YG WMOP.

Thank you for sharing your thought process.

 

[WingNut]

Building your bling fam around an anchor piece:

Reviving this thread as I share my appreciation for anchor pieces in building a seamless collection.

When I first began buying jewelry, I never considered the importance of an anchor piece. I just bought what I loved and thought would wear. Not much thought was given to building a cohesive collection (and I use the term ‘collection’ loosely here because I don’t believe in ‘collecting’ per say but more in creating a family of bling pieces that I can get maximum wear out of!). The end result? I sold off or gifted most of what I bought to my family members. Individually each piece looked great but my inability (or maybe lack of imagination) to combine them made me lose interest in them.

Years down the line, I am such a firm believer in the power of anchor pieces. I like to think of an anchor piece as the foundational or statement piece that reflects your style and around which you can build your entire collection or a piece that ties in everything you already have. The key thing is that this focal piece not only ties in past pieces but also influences the selection and addition of future pieces! The result is a cohesive set of pieces that can worn alone or together using a gazillion permutations and combinations.

I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on anchor pieces - do you believe in having one? If yes, which pieces in your collection do you identify as the anchor piece?
Or, is the concept of an anchor piece overrated?

Either way, would love to hear your perspectives. I am a life-long learner and I love to learn from like-minded people as much I love to learn from people with differing viewpoints♥️

Just for fun, here are some pics of my RG and WG families with my anchor pieces - Perlee Clover bracelets in RG and WG🤗
View attachment 6216512View attachment 6216513View attachment 6216514View attachment 6216515

Ahhh @eternallove4bag you always inspire not only with your beautiful collections but with thought-provoking discussions! As I just recently returned from a Mediterranean cruise (yes I brought along my bling as there were a lot of fancy dinners), I had to select what to bring "mindfully". I guess I unintentionally picked an anchor piece or 2 and then picked the pieces that would work with it. For example, my Anchor would be either the Large Frivole Pave pendant or the Pave BTF ring (or both), then the "supporting" pieces could be either an Alhambra bracelet (if the necklace) or pave VA earrings or pave Frivole earrings (depending on mood and how matchy I wanted to be). Those are probably my 2 biggest anchor pieces right now (hoping still for the single row diamond Perlee and the diamond Clover!)....

 

[etoupebirkin]

Anchor pieces really help you from spending money needlessly. Of late, my mantra has been cost per wear.
Anchor pieces are versatile, for everyday use and mesh seamlessly with your current and future collection.

 

[eternallove4bag]

Ahhh @eternallove4bag you always inspire not only with your beautiful collections but with thought-provoking discussions! As I just recently returned from a Mediterranean cruise (yes I brought along my bling as there were a lot of fancy dinners), I had to select what to bring "mindfully". I guess I unintentionally picked an anchor piece or 2 and then picked the pieces that would work with it. For example, my Anchor would be either the Large Frivole Pave pendant or the Pave BTF ring (or both), then the "supporting" pieces could be either an Alhambra bracelet (if the necklace) or pave VA earrings or pave Frivole earrings (depending on mood and how matchy I wanted to be). Those are probably my 2 biggest anchor pieces right now (hoping still for the single row diamond Perlee and the diamond Clover!)....

I LOVE your choice of anchor pieces 😍 @WingNut In my mind, anchor pieces also tend to be our most reached out pieces because they are just so easy to wear and Frivole pieces really fit the bill well!
I am rooting for you to add the single row perlee and the clover bracelets. You know how much I love those since I went and bought the clover in two different metals 🙈and am hoping to add the single row diamond perlee bracelet in WG whenever it’s available 🤗

I hope you had an amazing time on the cruise. Sounds so much fun!

 

[eternallove4bag]

Anchor pieces really help you from spending money needlessly. Of late, my mantra has been cost per wear.
Anchor pieces are versatile, for everyday use and mesh seamlessly with your current and future collection.

You summarized it so well 😍 @etoupebirkin I love your collection and the thoughts behind adding your pieces that you so generously shared earlier in this thread! So, I am here listening and learning from you ♥️♥️

Oh and I am such a die-hard believer in cost per wear myself! My biggest irk is buying and not using. I am not getting any younger and just celebrated a milestone birthday a month ago so now more than ever, I am all about using the heck out of my pieces and if I can’t then they have no place in my collection. Period.

 

[WingNut]

You summarized it so well 😍 @etoupebirkin I love your collection and the thoughts behind adding your pieces that you so generously shared earlier in this thread! So, I am here listening and learning from you ♥️♥️

Oh and I am such a die-hard believer in cost per wear myself! My biggest irk is buying and not using. I am not getting any younger and just celebrated a milestone birthday a month ago so now more than ever, I am all about using the heck out of my pieces and if I can’t then they have no place in my collection. Period.

Cannot emphasize or agree with the bolded part enough!!! Life is short! Too short to save all the good stuff for that "special day", too short to drink cheap wine/scotch, save the fine china for the once-a-year meal, never wear your expensive items. CPW for the win!!!

 

[tensgrl]

Thank you for reviving this thread, eternallove4bag. I agree with you, wholeheartedly. My DH gave me my first VCA piece 11 years ago. (5 motif vintage WMOP). For our 40th, he gave me the WG Perlee Clover. That is my biggest "anchor" piece. Last month, I added a YG small Perlee Clover as my current "anchor" piece for YG. Your thought process is exactly how I build my collection. I'm now 63 and live a very casual lifestyle. For me, I want to make sure my pieces are versatile and interchangeable for wearability. In between, I've added other 5 motifs in YG and WG. By writing out a wishlist, it makes it easier for me to see what I am interested in and how to prioritize my pieces around what I already have. My style isn't exactly matchy matchy, but definitely "coordinated". I do think starting with an anchor piece makes it easier to have a cohesive and interchangeable collection.

 

[eternallove4bag]

Cannot emphasize or agree with the bolded part enough!!! Life is short! Too short to save all the good stuff for that "special day", too short to drink cheap wine/scotch, save the fine china for the once-a-year meal, never wear your expensive items. CPW for the win!!!

💯 🙌🏼 Couldn’t have said it better @WingNut I always say no one is guaranteed a ‘tomorrow’ so wear the bling already 😅 I am so glad we are in the same page♥️

Thank you for reviving this thread, eternallove4bag. I agree with you, wholeheartedly. My DH gave me my first VCA piece 11 years ago. (5 motif vintage WMOP). For our 40th, he gave me the WG Perlee Clover. That is my biggest "anchor" piece. Last month, I added a YG small Perlee Clover as my current "anchor" piece for YG. Your thought process is exactly how I build my collection. I'm now 63 and live a very casual lifestyle. For me, I want to make sure my pieces are versatile and interchangeable for wearability. In between, I've added other 5 motifs in YG and WG. By writing out a wishlist, it makes it easier for me to see what I am interested in and how to prioritize my pieces around what I already have. My style isn't exactly matchy matchy, but definitely "coordinated". I do think starting with an anchor piece makes it easier to have a cohesive and interchangeable collection.

This is one of my fave threads on TPF, and no, not because I started it 😜😂 but because of the wealth of information shared by our members here! Sometimes when I am super confused about pieces, I just come back and re-read everyone’s posts to get clarity and gosh, it helps! So thank you for sharing ♥️ @tensgrl
Both you and I are of similar mindsets and we even gravitate towards same/similar pieces 😍 Love that!

 

[tensgrl]

💯 🙌🏼 Couldn’t have said it better @WingNut I always say no one is guaranteed a ‘tomorrow’ so wear the bling already 😅 I am so glad we are in the same page♥️

This is one of my fave threads on TPF, and no, not because I started it 😜😂 but because of the wealth of information shared by our members here! Sometimes when I am super confused about pieces, I just come back and re-read everyone’s posts to get clarity and gosh, it helps! So thank you for sharing ♥️ @tensgrl
Both you and I are of similar mindsets and we even gravitate towards same/similar pieces 😍 Love that!

Yes, I think we are! Is SO was open and I qualified, I would absolutely be ordering many of your pieces.

 

[eternallove4bag]

Yes, I think we are! Is SO was open and I qualified, I would absolutely be ordering many of your pieces.

Yay 😍 I really hope SO/MTO open up soon @tensgrl

 

[sleepydoc.]

Yes, I think we are! Is SO was open and I qualified, I would absolutely be ordering many of your pieces.

Me too! ♥️

 

[Umniza15]

Dear Friends, please allow me to ask my question here. I have a pretty broad VCA collection. Primarily Alhambra. And I love each piece of it. I need to admit, I had to sell some of the items in order to avoid duplicating in stone, e.g. I sold vintage earrings in Malachite and Carnelian as I was lucky to find Magic size.
Now as I got Magic one motif earrings and 3-motif WMOP, Onyx, GMOP, I am thinking about either 10motif or 20motif onyx.
Question: would you consider 10 motif onyx as too basic?
Is onyx in general a more “basic” stone for you.
Please, I don’t want to offend anyone, I am just very cautious with my purchases.
Appreciate all wisdom of this chat members thank you!

 

[missie1]

Dear Friends, please allow me to ask my question here. I have a pretty broad VCA collection. Primarily Alhambra. And I love each piece of it. I need to admit, I had to sell some of the items in order to avoid duplicating in stone, e.g. I sold vintage earrings in Malachite and Carnelian as I was lucky to find Magic size.
Now as I got Magic one motif earrings and 3-motif WMOP, Onyx, GMOP, I am thinking about either 10motif or 20motif onyx.
Question: would you consider 10 motif onyx as too basic?
Is onyx in general a more “basic” stone for you.
Please, I don’t want to offend anyone, I am just very cautious with my purchases.
Appreciate all wisdom of this chat members thank you!

I don't think of any VCA stones as basic. I think you need to determine how a particular stone and metal combination works with your skin-tone and wardrobe as that’s truly the deciding factor.