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

[sparklehop]

This thread is so fun and a great idea. I started collecting 7-8 years ago and was initially attracted to the onyx VA ring. For a few years I was blissful with only the ring. I added the 5 and 10 motif right after, and never loved how the earrings looked on me (too harsh).

I purchased a turquoise WG sweet pendant for my daughter to give her in the future (not pictured) and waited patiently to get the turquoise two butterfly to have a mom/daughter duo set as it’s her birth stone.

I love malachite but I’m not very careful so I only have the magic pendant which I would pair with my other pieces as yes it all blends well.

I also for years loved the frivole collection and I’m not sure why I only honed in on yellow gold when my jewelry from my teens-20s was mainly white gold. But you’ll see most of my collection is yellow gold and I feel mostly at peace with this collection. I love my frivole collection (matching earrings not pictured) but as I mentioned in other threads I have trouble with the earrings (recently back from being serviced a 4th time!). I often pair all of my pieces with the perlee bangle which has felt universal.

Lesson learned: I’ve decided I need to sell my RG hammered VA earrings as I don’t think RG suits my skin (it blends too much) and I think the weight of them doesn’t help my sensitive ears. They were a bit of an impulse buy and probably a mistake. I spent months trying to find pieces to “match them” since it was my only RG piece minus a trinity necklace I was gifted. I love them, don’t get me wrong! I wish I had thought it out in depth, but we learn through our mistakes in curating a more specific collection I suppose. That said my obsidian HP is RG as well, but it’s not as obvious to me or as pink as the hammered to me.

Fast forward to this summer, since I decided I will let go of my RG hammered, I wanted one VA earring to match everything I had from over the years. I was planning to get pave as it comes recommended so much, but then I surprised myself with how much I loved the MOP on (actually my husband was the one who encouraged me to give it another look and didn’t like how pave looked). I also realized they are so much more light than the solid gold earrings which helps me immensely with comfort. The pave don’t feel pave enough for me if that even makes sense.

Just 2 months ago was the first time I tried on MOP and white gold VCA (I can’t believe it!). So now I feel I’ve come full circle in ways and I have a bit from all collections. I also canceled an order I made for YG perlee hoops last spring (I was yearning for a universal neutral earrings since I knew deep down the RG wasn’t doing it for me), I think the MOP does the trick and I feel satiated!

So now I’m onto WG!

Would love ideas/pics/inspiration!

I was considering a frivole pave set (earrings / ring / pendant) but I’m worried the earrings will bother me since I’m already sensitive. I don’t have studs (I’ve always wanted earrings that are a little different!) but I suppose that would work with frivole. I realize now I can’t tolerate heavy earrings so earrings won’t ever be my centerpiece.

I’m considering a WG MOP or chalcedony VA set since I love the earrings unexpectedly so much. If I were to get WG MOP earrings what would you pair that with for a “set” - open to ideas in light of my current collection! I know I don’t have a 20 motif. I’m also considering chalcedony if I could ever get a chance to try it on (they never have it!)

But maybe the frivole pendant will be my first WG purchase

 

[lisawhit]

You touched the strings of my soul. I needed a reason to convince my bank account that I need 5 motif pave. I would love to have one. Thank you for the wonderful advice ❤️ I agree that frivole pendant is enough on its own.

I have the 5 motif pave and I love it....I wear it alot....I spent several years should I or shouldn't I get it....and I wished I would've gotten it sooner.

 

[chiaoapple]

Great thread! Love everyone’s thoughtful responses. I will try my best to add constructively to the conversation.

I think it’s important to truly understand your “shopping style” and what is likely to impact your long term feelings about a piece (or if you even care about how you would feel in 5 years), and act consistently. So the value in any advice I can give would mainly be for those who feel similarly

My own shopping style is probably somewhere between @eternallove4bag and @nicole0612 in that I usually visit the boutique with pieces in mind after doing some thinking ahead and online research (a process I really enjoy), but the actual purchase will be instinctive once I try on. This results in a collection that may not be the most balanced (hence the large number of Alhambra which some might find repetitive), but in pieces I love and enjoy playing around with. So I have learned to trust my gut feeling first and then “making it work” later.

If I find myself weighing too rationally on whether to buy something, it’s probably a sign that I am not in love with it and should not get it. My two most recent purchases are bangles with diamonds, both of which I decided to get almost immediately upon trying on. I can’t say they would add to my collection in any meaningful way, but they are beautiful and I look forward to finding different ways to wear them.

As to getting a lot of wear out of a piece – I find this is much less of a deciding factor vs that feeling of “I love it”. There are pieces I only find occasion to wear less than 5 times a year but am still super glad to have. While the financial ROI is terrible, I see these as pieces I will have and appreciate for a very long time, so use frequency is not something I seriously consider. I also don’t like to wear the same pieces every day – even if they are my favourites.

All in all, my advice to those who operate more on “feeling” when shopping is to trust yourself on what you find beautiful and exciting when worn on your body, and it will turn out to give you joy whenever you do wear it (be it once a year or everyday). From a financial planning perspective, obviously separate out your disposable from the money that should go elsewhere whenever you have money coming in, so that your feelings don’t result in irresponsibility. 😜

 

[Swellgal]

Great thread! Love everyone’s thoughtful responses. I will try my best to add constructively to the conversation.

I think it’s important to truly understand your “shopping style” and what is likely to impact your long term feelings about a piece (or if you even care about how you would feel in 5 years), and act consistently. So the value in any advice I can give would mainly be for those who feel similarly

My own shopping style is probably somewhere between @eternallove4bag and @nicole0612 in that I usually visit the boutique with pieces in mind after doing some thinking ahead and online research (a process I really enjoy), but the actual purchase will be instinctive once I try on. This results in a collection that may not be the most balanced (hence the large number of Alhambra which some might find repetitive), but in pieces I love and enjoy playing around with. So I have learned to trust my gut feeling first and then “making it work” later.

If I find myself weighing too rationally on whether to buy something, it’s probably a sign that I am not in love with it and should not get it. My two most recent purchases are bangles with diamonds, both of which I decided to get almost immediately upon trying on. I can’t say they would add to my collection in any meaningful way, but they are beautiful and I look forward to finding different ways to wear them.

As to getting a lot of wear out of a piece – I find this is much less of a deciding factor vs that feeling of “I love it”. There are pieces I only find occasion to wear less than 5 times a year but am still super glad to have. While the financial ROI is terrible, I see these as pieces I will have and appreciate for a very long time, so use frequency is not something I seriously consider. I also don’t like to wear the same pieces every day – even if they are my favourites.

All in all, my advice to those who operate more on “feeling” when shopping is to trust yourself on what you find beautiful and exciting when worn on your body, and it will turn out to give you joy whenever you do wear it (be it once a year or everyday). From a financial planning perspective, obviously separate out your disposable from the money that should go elsewhere whenever you have money coming in, so that your feelings don’t result in irresponsibility. 😜

Very well said @chiaoapple

 

[Sophie0121]

Thanks for every person that wrote their thoughts and advise :

Post in thread 'VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!' https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/vca-van-cleef-arpels-discussion-thread.867277/post-36153983
I wrote my way to do with VCA here so let you read it if you'd like


I wanted to share extra thought about value. A lot of people shared the cost per wear value. I sometimes am really beating myself to try to keep focused on pieces in gold. I mean for vintage Alhambra which is a collection with a lot of stones : I privilege hammered gold or guilloché pieces because I think they retain more value, but also because they are easy to wear with everything and care free. As I work with chemical product everyday it is difficult to wear other pieces in VA like stones or MOP.
The thing is I also quite buy sometimes with my love and fall from time to time in love with stone pieces. So I bought as my first piece the 5 motif GMOP alternate with paved that I love so so much. And recently the blue agate earrings (just fell for the blue translucent in these earrings that I never saw before...)

I wonder how you feel about this "value" about stones versus gold or diamond pieces ? I sometimes feel guilty to buy a piece at this price that is with stones (maybe also being influenced by my friends and family who don't understand the interest in this type of jewellery).

In the meantime I feel right when I wear them and love them maybe even more than certain of my gold pieces

 

[eternallove4bag]

This thread is so fun and a great idea. I started collecting 7-8 years ago and was initially attracted to the onyx VA ring. For a few years I was blissful with only the ring. I added the 5 and 10 motif right after, and never loved how the earrings looked on me (too harsh).

I purchased a turquoise WG sweet pendant for my daughter to give her in the future (not pictured) and waited patiently to get the turquoise two butterfly to have a mom/daughter duo set as it’s her birth stone.

I love malachite but I’m not very careful so I only have the magic pendant which I would pair with my other pieces as yes it all blends well.

I also for years loved the frivole collection and I’m not sure why I only honed in on yellow gold when my jewelry from my teens-20s was mainly white gold. But you’ll see most of my collection is yellow gold and I feel mostly at peace with this collection. I love my frivole collection (matching earrings not pictured) but as I mentioned in other threads I have trouble with the earrings (recently back from being serviced a 4th time!). I often pair all of my pieces with the perlee bangle which has felt universal.

Lesson learned: I’ve decided I need to sell my RG hammered VA earrings as I don’t think RG suits my skin (it blends too much) and I think the weight of them doesn’t help my sensitive ears. They were a bit of an impulse buy and probably a mistake. I spent months trying to find pieces to “match them” since it was my only RG piece minus a trinity necklace I was gifted. I love them, don’t get me wrong! I wish I had thought it out in depth, but we learn through our mistakes in curating a more specific collection I suppose. That said my obsidian HP is RG as well, but it’s not as obvious to me or as pink as the hammered to me.

Fast forward to this summer, since I decided I will let go of my RG hammered, I wanted one VA earring to match everything I had from over the years. I was planning to get pave as it comes recommended so much, but then I surprised myself with how much I loved the MOP on (actually my husband was the one who encouraged me to give it another look and didn’t like how pave looked). I also realized they are so much more light than the solid gold earrings which helps me immensely with comfort. The pave don’t feel pave enough for me if that even makes sense.

Just 2 months ago was the first time I tried on MOP and white gold VCA (I can’t believe it!). So now I feel I’ve come full circle in ways and I have a bit from all collections. I also canceled an order I made for YG perlee hoops last spring (I was yearning for a universal neutral earrings since I knew deep down the RG wasn’t doing it for me), I think the MOP does the trick and I feel satiated!

So now I’m onto WG!

Would love ideas/pics/inspiration!

I was considering a frivole pave set (earrings / ring / pendant) but I’m worried the earrings will bother me since I’m already sensitive. I don’t have studs (I’ve always wanted earrings that are a little different!) but I suppose that would work with frivole. I realize now I can’t tolerate heavy earrings so earrings won’t ever be my centerpiece.

I’m considering a WG MOP or chalcedony VA set since I love the earrings unexpectedly so much. If I were to get WG MOP earrings what would you pair that with for a “set” - open to ideas in light of my current collection! I know I don’t have a 20 motif. I’m also considering chalcedony if I could ever get a chance to try it on (they never have it!)

But maybe the frivole pendant will be my first WG purchase

Thank you for sharing your journey with us @sparklehop Its tricky knowing what we truly love unless we have had experience with it, right? No matter how much I would like to avoid ‘mistakes’ and make the right decision 100% of the time, I know that won’t happen! But, every mistake brings us closer to knowing our tastes better as they evolve and honestly I wouldn’t even call them mistakes! They are our ‘learning turning points’.
I love that so many of us are into mixing metals! I am on a journey to add a few key WG pieces myself so can relate!
I don’t think you can go wrong with either WG Frivole or WMOP in WG. If you love both equally and don’t know which one to add first, I would say let the available inventory guide your choice for now.

As for what to pair with WMOP earrings in WG, were you thinking necklace or could it be a bracelet or ring too? My first choice would be the matching 5-motif bracelet. If you are looking for a necklace to go with the earrings, then definitely the matching WMOP 10 or 20 motif.

 

[eternallove4bag]

Great thread! Love everyone’s thoughtful responses. I will try my best to add constructively to the conversation.

I think it’s important to truly understand your “shopping style” and what is likely to impact your long term feelings about a piece (or if you even care about how you would feel in 5 years), and act consistently. So the value in any advice I can give would mainly be for those who feel similarly

My own shopping style is probably somewhere between @eternallove4bag and @nicole0612 in that I usually visit the boutique with pieces in mind after doing some thinking ahead and online research (a process I really enjoy), but the actual purchase will be instinctive once I try on. This results in a collection that may not be the most balanced (hence the large number of Alhambra which some might find repetitive), but in pieces I love and enjoy playing around with. So I have learned to trust my gut feeling first and then “making it work” later.

If I find myself weighing too rationally on whether to buy something, it’s probably a sign that I am not in love with it and should not get it. My two most recent purchases are bangles with diamonds, both of which I decided to get almost immediately upon trying on. I can’t say they would add to my collection in any meaningful way, but they are beautiful and I look forward to finding different ways to wear them.

As to getting a lot of wear out of a piece – I find this is much less of a deciding factor vs that feeling of “I love it”. There are pieces I only find occasion to wear less than 5 times a year but am still super glad to have. While the financial ROI is terrible, I see these as pieces I will have and appreciate for a very long time, so use frequency is not something I seriously consider. I also don’t like to wear the same pieces every day – even if they are my favourites.

All in all, my advice to those who operate more on “feeling” when shopping is to trust yourself on what you find beautiful and exciting when worn on your body, and it will turn out to give you joy whenever you do wear it (be it once a year or everyday). From a financial planning perspective, obviously separate out your disposable from the money that should go elsewhere whenever you have money coming in, so that your feelings don’t result in irresponsibility. 😜

@chiaoapple Your collection is one that is truly admirable and drool worthy so it’s great to read how you make your impeccable choices!


I agree with you that there are certain pieces that we might not wear often but it gives us so much joy to just look at them that they become an intrinsic part of our collection! I have some family heirloom pieces that I hardly wear but just looking at them makes me so happy! Particularly this stunning necklace and earrings set that every youngest daughter wears on her wedding day! Generations of women have worn it in my family and every time I hold those pieces in my hands I get shivers (in a good way) thinking about the history behind them! I may have worn those pieces only twice in the last 25 years but the joy they give me is for an entire lifetime!

 

[eternallove4bag]

Thanks for every person that wrote their thoughts and advise :

Post in thread 'VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!' https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/vca-van-cleef-arpels-discussion-thread.867277/post-36153983
I wrote my way to do with VCA here so let you read it if you'd like


I wanted to share extra thought about value. A lot of people shared the cost per wear value. I sometimes am really beating myself to try to keep focused on pieces in gold. I mean for vintage Alhambra which is a collection with a lot of stones : I privilege hammered gold or guilloché pieces because I think they retain more value, but also because they are easy to wear with everything and care free. As I work with chemical product everyday it is difficult to wear other pieces in VA like stones or MOP.
The thing is I also quite buy sometimes with my love and fall from time to time in love with stone pieces. So I bought as my first piece the 5 motif GMOP alternate with paved that I love so so much. And recently the blue agate earrings (just fell for the blue translucent in these earrings that I never saw before...)

I wonder how you feel about this "value" about stones versus gold or diamond pieces ? I sometimes feel guilty to buy a piece at this price that is with stones (maybe also being influenced by my friends and family who don't understand the interest in this type of jewellery).

In the meantime I feel right when I wear them and love them maybe even more than certain of my gold pieces

@spaul
I was reading what you wrote on the link and I love how you categorize your pieces! I do the same to identify gaps in my collection!

Even though I discovered I love and wear pave and gold pieces the most, I absolutely love the look of stone pieces and feel tempted to add a few all the time! If I loved a piece enough I don’t think it would stop me from buying it just because it’s not pave or solid gold!

‘Value’ equation is subjective! It’s nothing but benefits minus costs.
Benefits is not just the functional value of the product but also the perceptual value like joy or perceived quality etc. , which is where subjectivity comes in. And particularly in luxury buying, the perceptual value has much more weightage than functional value. Cost is again not just the price we pay but ‘other’ costs such as opportunity cost of time or in this case wearing a different piece more often etc.

When benefits outweigh costs, we get positive value and when costs outweigh benefits, we get negative value.

To me it sounds that the stone pieces you have give you enough joy to outweigh any associated costs like not wearing them enough. So, the value you get is still positive!

 

[chiaoapple]

@chiaoapple Your collection is one that is truly admirable and drool worthy so it’s great to read how you make your impeccable choices!


I agree with you that there are certain pieces that we might not wear often but it gives us so much joy to just look at them that they become an intrinsic part of our collection! I have some family heirloom pieces that I hardly wear but just looking at them makes me so happy! Particularly this stunning necklace and earrings set that every youngest daughter wears on her wedding day! Generations of women have worn it in my family and every time I hold those pieces in my hands I get shivers (in a good way) thinking about the history behind them! I may have worn those pieces only twice in the last 25 years but the joy they give me is for an entire lifetime!

What a beautiful tradition!

 

[eternallove4bag]

What a beautiful tradition!

Thank you @chiaoapple

 

[sparklehop]

But, every mistake brings us closer to knowing our tastes better as they evolve and honestly I wouldn’t even call them mistakes! They are our ‘learning turning points’.

That’s a great way to look it it!

I am on a journey to add a few key WG pieces myself so can relate!

I’d love to hear what you’re considering

I would say let the available inventory guide your choice for now.

Fair point. I would love to check out chalcedony too but it’s never available it seems. I did try on the WMOP WG 20 motif last week though the MOP is a very different sheen than than YG one so maybe they are different enough to need one of each!

As for what to pair with WMOP earrings in WG, were you thinking necklace or could it be a bracelet or ring too? My first choice would be the matching 5-motif bracelet

That could be nice! I love a little mix and match too which is why I was also considering Chalcedony (I’m not a fan of guilloche on myself - as much as I love and appreciate it)

 

[CoastalCouture]

I wear my Tiffany Schlumberger Lynn earrings with my Perlée pendant and Perlée signature bracelet. Will take pics tomorrow!

Well, it's been a few tomorrows but, here we are! Tiffany Schlumberger Lynn earrings with my VCA yellow gold collection.

 

[eternallove4bag]

Well, it's been a few tomorrows but, here we are! Tiffany Schlumberger Lynn earrings with my VCA yellow gold collection.

View attachment 6076963View attachment 6076962

Versatile earrings that go well with your beautiful VCA collection @CoastalCouture

 

[eternallove4bag]

That’s a great way to look it it!

I’d love to hear what you’re considering

Fair point. I would love to check out chalcedony too but it’s never available it seems. I did try on the WMOP WG 20 motif last week though the MOP is a very different sheen than than YG one so maybe they are different enough to need one of each!

That could be nice! I love a little mix and match too which is why I was also considering Chalcedony (I’m not a fan of guilloche on myself - as much as I love and appreciate it)

I agree with you! The MOP looks so different in WG as compared to YG! It appears more cool with WG and more warm and glowy with YG.
Chalcedony is beautiful! So you cannot go wrong with it either! That’s the bad part about VCA! It’s so easy to justify multiple pieces 😅

Most of my WG pieces are currently non-VCA. I currently only own the hammered 10-motif in WG from VCA and am waiting for the matching 5-motif and vintage earrings. I have a couple of pending SOs in WG, one of which got approved recently. It is the large Frivole earrings in WG mirror-finish. I am waiting to hear back from Paris on the second piece which is the BTF Frivole mirror-finish ring in WG. After that I need to take a break from WG to assess how often I wear all these pieces.

 

[Swellgal]

Well, it's been a few tomorrows but, here we are! Tiffany Schlumberger Lynn earrings with my VCA yellow gold collection.

View attachment 6076963View attachment 6076962

Thank you for the pictures! I have the same earrings and I have been considering the same guilloche/pave bracelet or (saving up for longer and getting the) full pave bracelet. Please tell me you opinions on your gorgeous Alhambra bracelet!