the 5 motif all pave would be more durable for sure but it's so $$$ lol. I guess if I get the bracelet, i'm just not going to wear it with my other ones to minimize the scratch issue. I wish I could pull up a bad case scenario to see how awful the scratches could get but I'm not finding any!
Help me decide- 5 motif vintage Alhambra bracelet or perlee clover diamonds
- Thread starter vagabag
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You could always split the difference and get a 1/2 pave one, which is about half the price of a full pave.
FWIW I wear most of my jewelry 24/7 and do things like bathe or swim in it, definitely cook or wash dishes. I often think many posters have higher standards for avoiding scratches etc than I do. For example, everyone swears you can’t wear MOP 24/7 and I often do with no issues. Any dullness I’ve noticed comes out when they clean it at the boutique. Same with Frivole, which I sometimes wear for months at a time, sleeping, to the beach, etc but it looks fine after cleaning. I do have tons of scratches on my Love. So, I don’t know if guilloche is similar to MOP in that the damages others worry about wouldn’t bother me, but I do know it’s pretty unanimous that it’s fragile and I definitely don’t baby my pieces so for that reason I’ve gone in other directions.
Here's an excellent jewelry care page from VCA! Click on each of the four topics below the main paragraph.
www.vancleefarpels.com
Jewelry Care - Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry pieces are made with precious materials and metals fulfilling the most stringent selection criteria. Depending on their properties, certain materials require specific care. To preserve the beauty of your jewelry piece over time, we recommend the following precautions.
www.vancleefarpels.com
The issue is that the guilloche, as others pointed out, is easily scratched. Because of the pattern, you cannot polish it out without polishing out part of the design... If it is not clunking against another bracelet, you should be fine! But wearing it on the same wrist as another watch or bracelet might not keep it in top shape.
I wear mine (and also MOP version) as the only bracelet on that wrist, and I avoid getting the MOP version wet. That seems to be sufficient.
Also, there might be some helpful info here, or at least a few more opinions. https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/guilloche-for-everyday-wear.1038301/ In case that helps!
I have a Cartier JUC that I stack with my 5-motif YG/MOP quite frequently. I do not baby the 5-motif at all, wear it all day (take off at night), and haven't had any issues. I happen to like the softness of the 5-motif shape vs. the hard shapes of the bangles in a stack. Photos for inspo...
Thank you so much for the input as that's super helpful and reassuring! I actually would be getting the half pave version, not the all gold. As for your comment about the higher standards, that's a good point. My love cuff I wear 24/7 too and it gets surface scratches but polishes right out.
Thank you ALL so much! I am leaning toward the alhambra bracelet and just being mindful of being a bit more careful with it. Still deciding though!
I think durability and resistance to showing scratches are two different things. I think VCA all gold, all pave or pave plus gold are all very durable. I mean that these pieces are well made and would not break easily. The links are strong and I've never had any issue with pave diamonds falling out. However, does that mean it won't get scratched? No. Guilloche will get scratched, and those scratches will be more obvious than the hammered gold version. But it also depends on the wearer. Does the wearer care? How closely do you examine your bracelet? How good is your eyesight? All those factors come into play. Also, with regard to pave, diamonds will get dirty. Body oils, lotion, soap scum, wherever you stick your arm, can result in dust and dirt combining with oil and making your pave not as shiny and bright. It's nothing a little Dawn, warm water, a soak and scrub won't fix, but it sure won't fix itself if you don't do it. That goes for even the non-diamond jewelry. Stuff gets into crevices. And when people say it looks the same as when they bought it without any maintenance, it may be only from a distance, a very far distance. Because if you take a loupe to it, I guarantee all kinds of yucky gross stuff is in there, along with dings, dents, scratches. But you have all kinds of jewelry wearers, and you don't have to care and you don't have to look closely. Everyone has a different standard. You know yourself the best, what will bother you, what won't, how much effort you are willing to put into caring for a piece based on the condition you can tolerate. Good luck!
To echo what Safa said....when I was shopping for my MOP 5-Motif I discussed concerns about delicate-ness, saying that I've heard it shouldn't get wet, you shouldn't bathe or swim in it, etc. I was shocked and said that he was surprised to hear that and that it most certainly could stand that kind of wear. I've never had an issue and it doesn't show any wear that I can see.
I think it is fine for people to do whatever they want if they don't mind the possibility of eventually having to replace motifs. I am glad yours doesn't show any wear! However, there definitely have been cases of shrinkage of motifs causing more gaps between stone and setting as well as surface scratches. It sounds like that SA wasn't well trained if he didn't know what VCA recommends for care of mop on their site:
"Derived from sea shells, the mother-of-pearl selected by Van Cleef & Arpels is remarkable for its lustrous shine and delicate, iridescent reflections. We recommend avoiding contact with water to prevent any damage to your creation. Mother-of-pearl can be delicately cleaned with a soft, dry cloth.
As mother-of-pearl is a naturally soft substance, it is susceptible to small scratches on its surface."
I agree completely. I think it’s also worth mentioning that everyone has their own own standard. I know someone who wears her VCA pendant 24/7 and claims it looks like the day she bought it years ago. I can pretty much guarantee if I were to see it, I’d notice all sorts of wear that doesn’t bother her but would bother me. I think ultimately you have to just know yourself. If you’re particular about your jewelry, I’d let that weigh heavily on your decision to wear any VCA stone 24/7.
Yes, I think the key point is that everyone has their own standard and it is really important to know what yours is when purchasing and wearing VCA or really anything. When buying *anything* I know that, while I am not careless, I am very unlikely to baby something and very likely to knock it over, stain it, wear it out, snag it, etc. unless it is a truly one of a kind collectors item. As an example, I check my LV duffel when it gets too heavy, whereas I know many of TPF do not put their bags on the ground. Both approaches are great, but you need to know which one you are so you don't end up devastated if your MOP or handbag gets scratched or lost and you need to replace or live with the damage. Also, of course, if it is something not easily replaced (in general or because of your particular situation), it pays to be a bit more careful. I have never sold jewelry and I rarely sell bags any more although I used to, and in those cases I was very careful knowing I was just a temporary steward. But if it's something I use for my own joy and can replace the stone or the item if I ever notice a problem, I am fine with that (see Goyard St Louis, they wear so terribly but I like how light they are and they seem like a must-have for where I live, so I just keep buying them and using them until they look too bad, but would never recommend one to someone who had high standards for bag maintenance as some of their issues can't be avoided just by being more careful).
Regardless of maintenance, I would choose the guilloche over the perlee. Love the guilloche style and the I prefer the full size perlee