Hermes jewelry perception

charchar888

Member
May 7, 2019
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Hi all,

I’ve been on the search for a nice bracelet that makes a statement, isn’t too in-your-face, but also would have some sort of resell value in the future. I’m trying to understand the difference and the perception and value of different brands. How is Hermes fine jewelry compare to more well known brands like Cartier and VCA? I have a budget of around $10,000. I was eyeing this one but worried that if I ever wanted to resale it, there would be no demand for it. I was having trouble understanding the price for some gems. They are not even diamonds.
https://www.hermes.com/us/en/product/kelly-bracelet-small-model-H218406Bv00LG/
I know you’re supposed to buy jewelry because it looks good but I also want to make sure there is some resale and demand for it. If luxury brands isn’t “worth” the high price tag, should I buy something no name brand that look good, has more/better quality diamonds that costs less? That’s why you can’t go wrong With the Cartier Love bracelet. Even though everyone has it, there is reseller demand.

Anyone know how brands like a Graff and Bucellati compare?

I saw these. About the same price as the Hermes but Graff gives you 1.5ct of diamonds compared to some black gems. Is it because the name of inferior so they have to justify it with diamonds?

https://www.graff.com/collections/spiral-jewellery/pave-diamond-spiral-bracelet-rose-gold/

http://us.buccellati.com/en/jewelry/icona/macri-classica/macri-classica-bangle-bracelet-1
 
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Hi all,

I’ve been on the search for a nice bracelet that makes a statement, isn’t too in-your-face, but also would have some sort of resell value in the future. I’m trying to understand the difference and the perception and value of different brands. How is Hermes fine jewelry compare to more well known brands like Cartier and VCA? I have a budget of around $10,000. I was eyeing this one but worried that if I ever wanted to resale it, there would be no demand for it. I was having trouble understanding the price for some gems. They are not even diamonds.
https://www.hermes.com/us/en/product/kelly-bracelet-small-model-H218406Bv00LG/
I know you’re supposed to buy jewelry because it looks good but I also want to make sure there is some resale and demand for it. If luxury brands isn’t “worth” the high price tag, should I buy something no name brand that look good, has more/better quality diamonds that costs less? That’s why you can’t go wrong With the Cartier Love bracelet. Even though everyone has it, there is reseller demand.

Anyone know how brands like a Graff and Bucellati compare?

I saw these. About the same price as the Hermes but Graff gives you 1.5ct of diamonds compared to some black gems. Is it because the name of inferior so they have to justify it with diamonds?

https://www.graff.com/collections/spiral-jewellery/pave-diamond-spiral-bracelet-rose-gold/

http://us.buccellati.com/en/jewelry/icona/macri-classica/macri-classica-bangle-bracelet-1

All three are pretty bracelets - get the one you like best. As for the differences in perception between Hermès and Cartier or VCA, Hermès is a known for leather, whereas the latter two companies are jewellers. Therefore, Hermès is not as well known for jewellery as the others.
Rule of thumb: jewellery depreciates faster than cars or computers. If you ever want to get more out of resale than just the melt value of the gold or the gems, go with a well-known brand in the most classic or iconic style they make. In your examples Bucellati meets these criteria the best. Coloured stones are not as classic or popular as white stones, so Hermès would have lower resale value, and Graff is too niche a brand for wide appeal on the resale market.
Have you considered buying pre-loved yourself? At least you should look to get an idea of prices, and remember that what you pay for a pre-loved item is not what the seller received - the mark-up will have been at least double.
Good luck in making your decision!
 
I have pieces from all of these 3 houses.

Graff is British and one of the the leading name for gems. Graff has one of the finest names in jewellery but it's niche is more high-jewellery, a lot of pieces are only offered to VIPs to buy. This bracelet is one of its more commercial pieces, but very wearable and classic. Nothing in Graff is inferior.

Buccallatti is Italian (although now owned by a Chinese parent company) and is known for Florentine style and craft. If it matches your style then it's a good buy. I have a ring and I'd buy more if I could, I happen to love lots of Italian styles, especially significant to that region but I'm worried about the buyout and hope they retain their independent style and spirit.

Hermes is a French leather brand but the fine jewellery does quite well at resale anyway. Their fine jewellery is often designed under Pierre Hardy and priced along the same as notable fine jewellers. Sometimes the pieces are worth it because of the iconic or innovative designs, other times not. I'm not particularly impressed by basic stuff because I can get better elsewhere for less. I bought a pair of RG earrings because the design chimed with me and I've worn them even more than I thought I would. Black stones make the bangle more edgy and nice with rg, it's still a small model though and very wearable.

At these prices you're paying for name but also for the quality of piece. All of these houses have excellent crafts people. Which stones used are not quite as important because at pave size, even white diamonds are not short in supply. It depends on your style and what you like.

BTW, you can go wrong with a Cartier LOVE. Go with what YOU love. If it's investment you're after buy at auction not new.
 
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Thank you for the response. I do kinda like the black edgy look of the Kelly however, they do have a diamond version for a few thousand dollars more. It might be safer since it’s diamond instead of colored stones. But I just don’t see the black as often as I see the diamond one.

https://www.hermes.com/us/en/product/kelly-bracelet-small-model-H214465Bv00ST/

Graff I’ve heard is good quality but not as well known to some people.
 
I always have resale Value in the back of my mind. I personally feel you should go with new VCA or Cartier. If you want Hermes then I recommend FASHIONPHILE you can get H jewelry for a great savings. In the end buy what you will love and enjoy. I have bought luxury items that I know if I sold I will take a loss. Good luck [emoji256]
 
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Thank you for the response. I do kinda like the black edgy look of the Kelly however, they do have a diamond version for a few thousand dollars more. It might be safer since it’s diamond instead of colored stones. But I just don’t see the black as often as I see the diamond one.

https://www.hermes.com/us/en/product/kelly-bracelet-small-model-H214465Bv00ST/

Graff I’ve heard is good quality but not as well known to some people.

True, but like everything, it depends where you live.
 
Thank you. Since I have never purchased from fashionphile, How do I know the items sold on fashionphile are authentic and is safe to buy? How do you tell Hermes authentic from fake ones?

It says some of the jewelry is “new”. But I cannot seem to contact or pm the seller to ask why they are selling and if they might have the original receipt
 
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Also why do some Hermes Jewerly come with certificate and others do not?

Some says included are “box” and “case” but others say it only comes with “box”. Is there a difference? I’m guessing box is what holds the jewelry and the box is the orange box that the black case goes inside?
 
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Also why do some Hermes Jewerly come with certificate and others do not?

Some says included are “box” and “case” but others say it only comes with “box”. Is there a difference? I’m guessing box is what holds the jewelry and the box is the orange box that the black case goes inside?

As you've reasoned you usually get a jewellery box, an orange box for the jewellery box to go in.
 
Thank you. Since I have never purchased from fashionphile, How do I know the items sold on fashionphile are authentic and is safe to buy? How do you tell Hermes authentic from fake ones?

It says some of the jewelry is “new”. But I cannot seem to contact or pm the seller to ask why they are selling and if they might have the original receipt

No idea. It's one of those times you have to know the products, the hallmarks and generally be familiar.
 
I personally am not a fan of hermes fine jewelry. I more see it as ‘birkin/kelly’ tax! So if you are in the market for a kelly/birkin buying their fine jewelry is a great way to build your profile fast or buy a bag as walk in. Around here I see hermes jewelry sell for no more than 50% of retail, but typically less. So i would buy resale if I was not interested in a birkin/Kelly.

For the other houses I would likely buy new from the store since the drop in resale does not appear as significant. It will be easier to sell later if you have everything too. It also makes it much easier to have something serviced if you buy from the store. So it could cost you more in the long run to have a piece of jewellery fixed if you bought resale.

However, I do not buy jewelry with resale in mind. I would rather think about my purchase for a long time, trying on the items over and over until I am sure of my purchase.
 
If I were to spend that kind of money on a bracelet and if I were worried about resale value, I wouldn’t buy it from Hermès. I would certainly go to Cartier or VCA.

With a few exceptions, fine jewelry pieces from luxury designers don’t hold their value well.

Of course, this is just my opinion. As others have mentioned above, buy what you love rather than what you think is the best “investment.”
 
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I did some searching and noticed Hermes resell is 50-60% of its retail price. It does not seem to hold its value much like most have mentioned. This tells me that buyers don’t value Hermes jewelry as much. However, VCA even when used, sells close to retail price. Why wouldn’t people just buy new VCA since resale prices are so close to retail prices?