Influencers & VCA

[sunshineshiney]

Both parties handled the situation poorly. Monica was wrong to publicly "expose” VCA when she could have solved the issue in private. VCA makes fine jewelry that requires diligent care. Bleach and chlorine can tarnish gold. Even Tiffany & Co. states this on their website.

I agree - the VCA Manager should have handled it better.

Since you mentioned Tiffany & Co., I have to share a story:

Around 2006 or so, I purchased a simple ring from Tiffany for myself. Less than a week later, my finger turned blue/green where the ring sat (similar to buying fake jewelry from Claire’s.) The ring’s color slightly changed as well. I was only 19-20 at the time, and back then I spent a lot of time at my local Tiffany’s.

I took the ring back, and an SA there accused me of going into a pool with the ring. I told her that’s not possible as I’m severely allergic to chlorine water. She was sure that I did something to the ring - but all my older Tiffany jewelry were fine.

Someone else there allowed me to return the ring. I decided to not exchange it in case it happened again, and no one at Tiffany seemed to have a proper explanation as to why it happened.

The false accusation of me going into the pool did leave a bad taste in my mouth, but that was from *one* SA. I shopped there years prior and continued to shop there after.

I did not go on a smear campaign against them. I could have shared my experience on my MySpace and Facebook profiles - which would have spread quickly given my friends were at different colleges across the US.
But I didn’t.

Clients cannot expect jewelry to be indestructible. Everything is a learning experience. I was devastated when my Love bracelet got scratches on it, but learned to live with it. My screw comes loose regularly - but you don’t see me making videos every time it comes loose, blasting Cartier for it?!

 

[EpiFanatic]

Both parties handled the situation poorly. Monica was wrong to publicly "expose” VCA when she could have solved the issue in private. VCA makes fine jewelry that requires diligent care. Bleach and chlorine can tarnish gold. Even Tiffany & Co. states this on their website.

I have no issue with her “exposing” VCA. There is nothing to expose. Jewelry tarnishing is a fact of life that all jewelry owners have contended with in one way or other since the dawn of time. It is the general lack of reasonable understanding and refusal to accept consequences of responsible jewelry ownership and usage that I find baffling. I want to go to every jeweler that I have purchased from and demand that they put a stop to all chemical reactions related to the pieces of jewelry I have purchased from them. Otherwise I want my jewelry replaced for free. Please make this kind of thinking make sense.

 

[sunshineshiney]

I have no issue with her “exposing” VCA. There is nothing to expose. Jewelry tarnishing is a fact of life that all jewelry owners have contended with in one way or other since the dawn of time. It is the general lack of reasonable understanding and refusal to accept consequences of responsible jewelry ownership and usage that I find baffling. I want to go to every jeweler that I have purchased from and demand that they put a stop to all chemical reactions related to the pieces of jewelry I have purchased from them. Otherwise I want my jewelry replaced for free. Please make this kind of thinking make sense.

Exactly.
With this logic, any purchase made anywhere should be replaced for free once the product is no longer in “brand new condition”. 🙄.

 

[chareen]

Hello,
Thank you for the break down. But i kindly ask you not to judge Monica’s husband! I know of them as they are my friends mutual friends!

This Monica topic is getting out of hand! You all are dogging her when she showed proof of what happened to her jewlery from VCA, whether she caused it herself or not! I am 100% on Monica’s side and VCA did her her dirty!

Please put yourself in her shoes! 👠

I have read a lot of TPF forum members and you all are bad mouthing her to the point it is ridiculous!

You ladies do know how to throw someone under the bus!

Not judging Monica’s husband. Also he is not a child. He is a public Instagram figure with 90k followers from what I remember. He put himself out there. If he wants to be private, he should set his settings to private and not expose his $350k debt. Why advertise it?

Not bad mouthing her, but these are the facts she put out there. I haven’t called her non classy. Her latest post is complaining that VCA gave her a huge coffee book. I think that was coming from a good place. She claims to love VCA, and VCA wants her to explore other designs. Did she expect more than an apology and a refund? Seriously, she should let it go, as she is looking really petty. This is a VCA forum to share purchases and get advice from the VCA addicts.

I have seen the guilloche when it was first released, and I have never seen rust like that on a piece over the years. It is so baffling to the point where no one seems to know the cost of replacing one guilloche motif. Usually people complain that the guilloche YG or RG loses its luster from scratches or being beaten up. It is not a love bracelet. Heck, even that gets dull over time.

It is humid in Hawaii. Gold and humidity don’t mix - hello, oxidation! That and mixed in with whatever chemical got in it was a bad mix. Once again, of all the years I have visited this thread and enjoyed seeing people’s pictures and reading their experiences, have I not come across a rusted guilloche like this one.

Seems like Monica’s post was purely for clickbaits - sorry, my opinion. Did you expect this thread to have members who had good experience (and bad) ones cower down? Comments about regretting buying from VCA or cancelling future purchases from her followers are also silly - a lot of them don’t have VCA jewelry. But either way, I can imagine there is a panic seeing comments like that not understanding the intention of each individual. Aka, some are doing a clickbait - look at me! - from their comments. Jewelers have also chimed in. lol. Like I said, the VCA Instagram account is in chaos - they used to post daily.

I always said it was a shame that the VCA manager treated her that way. She voiced her disappointment. we read the headlines, and I could see some people did reason with her to which her fans shut down those comments. Fire stain? She received this item in perfect condition - a fire stain would have been there the day it was purchased.

Anyway, I digress. Like I said, I applaud her for the 10m TikTok views. Good payday for her. She had her cake, and ate it too. Not a lot of us can do that.

 

[glitzgal97]

Not judging Monica’s husband. Also he is not a child. He is a public Instagram figure with 90k followers from what I remember. He put himself out there. If he wants to be private, he should set his settings to private and not expose his $350k debt. Why advertise it?

Not bad mouthing her, but these are the facts she put out there. I haven’t called her non classy. Her latest post is complaining that VCA gave her a huge coffee book. I think that was coming from a good place. She claims to love VCA, and VCA wants her to explore other designs. Did she expect more than an apology and a refund? Seriously, she should let it go, as she is looking really petty. This is a VCA forum to share purchases and get advice from the VCA addicts.

I have seen the guilloche when it was first released, and I have never seen rust like that on a piece over the years. It is so baffling to the point where no one seems to know the cost of replacing one guilloche motif. Usually people complain that the guilloche YG or RG loses its luster from scratches or being beaten up. It is not a love bracelet. Heck, even that gets dull over time.

It is humid in Hawaii. Gold and humidity don’t mix - hello, oxidation! That and mixed in with whatever chemical got in it was a bad mix. Once again, of all the years I have visited this thread and enjoyed seeing people’s pictures and reading their experiences, have I not come across a rusted guilloche like this one.

Seems like Monica’s was purely for clickbaits - sorry, my opinion. Did you expect this thread to have members who had good experience (and bad) ones cower down? Comments about regretting buying from VCA or cancelling future purchases from her followers are also silly - a lot of them don’t have VCA jewelry. But either way, I can imagine there is a panic seeing comments like that not understanding the intention of each individual. Aka, some are doing a clickbait - look at me! - from their comments. Jewelers have also seems to chime in. Like I said, the VCA Instagram account is in chaos - they used to post daily.

I always said it was a shame that the VCA manager treated her that way. She voiced her disappointment. we read the headlines, and I could see some people did reason with her to which her fans shut down those comments. Fire stain? She received this item in perfect condition - a fire stain would have been there the day it was purchased.

Anyway, I digress. Like I said, I applaud her for the 10m TikTok views. Good payday for her. She had her cake, and ate it too. Not a lot of us can do that.

👏👏

 

[sunshineshiney]

Not judging Monica’s husband. Also he is not a child. He is a public Instagram figure with 90k followers from what I remember. He put himself out there. If he wants to be private, he should set his settings to private and not expose his $350k debt. Why advertise it?

Not bad mouthing her, but these are the facts she put out there. I haven’t called her non classy. Her latest post is complaining that VCA gave her a huge coffee book. I think that was coming from a good place. She claims to love VCA, and VCA wants her to explore other designs. Did she expect more than an apology and a refund? Seriously, she should let it go, as she is looking really petty. This is a VCA forum to share purchases and get advice from the VCA addicts.

I have seen the guilloche when it was first released, and I have never seen rust like that on a piece over the years. It is so baffling to the point where no one seems to know the cost of replacing one guilloche motif. Usually people complain that the guilloche YG or RG loses its luster from scratches or being beaten up. It is not a love bracelet. Heck, even that gets dull over time.

It is humid in Hawaii. Gold and humidity don’t mix - hello, oxidation! That and mixed in with whatever chemical got in it was a bad mix. Once again, of all the years I have visited this thread and enjoyed seeing people’s pictures and reading their experiences, have I not come across a rusted guilloche like this one.

Seems like Monica’s was purely for clickbaits - sorry, my opinion. Did you expect this thread to have members who had good experience (and bad) ones cower down? Comments about regretting buying from VCA or cancelling future purchases from her followers are also silly - a lot of them don’t have VCA jewelry. But either way, I can imagine there is a panic seeing comments like that not understanding the intention of each individual. Aka, some are doing a clickbait - look at me! - from their comments. Jewelers have also seems to chime in. Like I said, the VCA Instagram account is in chaos - they used to post daily.

I always said it was a shame that the VCA manager treated her that way. She voiced her disappointment. we read the headlines, and I could see some people did reason with her to which her fans shut down those comments. Fire stain? She received this item in perfect condition - a fire stain would have been there the day it was purchased.

Anyway, I digress. Like I said, I applaud her for the 10m TikTok views. Good payday for her. She had her cake, and ate it too. Not a lot of us can do that.

My Guilloché bracelet is from when it was initially released in 2018. It was my first purchase with VCA. I have not had any issues with mine, other than the normal trapped little dirt particles in between the lines - which is very easy to clean at home.

When I went to Hawaii last January, I immediately regretted taking certain luxury goods with me. I mostly stuck to wearing my pave pieces, and only used bags that I felt like could withstand the humidity.

I have a LV Visor that I've worn regularly, summer after summer, in the Pacific Northwest. I took the visor to Hawaii, wore it outdoors, then noticed the canvas backstrap of the visor was coming "undone", basically splitting in half.
It's like the humidity caused it to melt?!
Anyway, I was really bummed out over this (while also dealing with major home repairs due to a severe winter storm), and knew this visor was no longer in production, so replacing it was out of the question.

I contacted LV, and although it took some time for them to figure it out, they said the visor could be repaired for a fee. I did not argue this, I paid the fee, waited for my visor to return, and was able to wear it again. I did not blame LV for a production or quality issue.

What I did learn was my lesson - the next time I go to Hawaii, I will be mindful of what I take with me.

 

[chareen]

You hit the nail on the head here. I don’t doubt the less than ideal service. Even so, good influencers will use any occasion (and will often make up occasions) to drive views. In an attention economy, even painful experiences can be leveraged for monetization.

That’s what Monica did and it worked out big time. In one week, she gained:
1. New followers
2. A reputation for being an “avenger of the common people against big bad luxury brand”
3. An active ride or die audience she can leverage for future beauty brand deals (she’s a beauty influencer)
4. And of course her $6k refund

Strategically, it’s brilliant. However, it cost a relationship with VCA and likely any Richemont brand. Guaranteed she’s now on a watchout list.

One potential risk is that brands avoid influencers with controversy like the plague. If advertisers see her as an influencer that could incite riot against their brand, they either won’t approach or will lowball their offers to her.

💯

 

[lisang80]

I thought her case was an isolated issue. But then I saw this.

 

[nicole0612]

I thought her case was an isolated issue. But then I saw this.

Without any context, I don’t see this as an “issue”. 18k gold is not impervious to oxidation or corrosion. I once dropped a (non-VCA) 18k gold necklace into a bucket of cleaning product and when I pulled it out it looked ok, but over the next day it evolved to look similar to this. Many products on the second hand market were exposed to all sorts of things. My sister used to live in Asia, and even just from the humidity and different climate, her 18k branded jewelry tarnished much more than mine ever has. Something as common as swimming in seawater or chlorinated water can also cause some corrosion and oxidation. Just because it is expensive does not mean that it cannot be damaged. We can buy a handbag that costs more than a car, but it can get scratches and wear just as easily as a cheap one can; the difference is that the details are more finely done and the item is more beautiful and well-crafted; the materials are the same. 18k no-name brand will react the same as $$$ brand name metal when exposed to the same elements.

 

[Egalegaler]

hello! I have no idea where else to post this, but we’ve been discussing influencers here as well.

Sibylla Mirage is a youtuber with a gorgeous Van Cleef collection and does many detailed videos. I just saw this video of her exposing a big youtuber for wearing fake VCA and not disclosing it. thoughts?

It's a bit off topic, but I'm not the biggest fan of Sybilla. I do like the detailed videos and that she is well educated in the vca spectrum. But she sells her own pieces that she no longer wants via YouTube and only allows payment via PayPal F&F. I was actually interested in her tiger eye pendant. Who guarantees authenticity in this way? I'm not making an accusation, but this is anything but reputable. Likewise their counselling appointments that you can book - $150 for 30-45 minutes. On what basis? As far as I know, she is not a stylist or anything like that. It's just her opinion. She overestimates her integrity by far. Apart from her buy - then she doesn't like something - exchange policy. That happens very often with her and I don't even want to think about how many used pieces are now being resold because she can't chew the fat and has rarely thought her purchases through well enough

 

[rolandogm]

I forgot to mention that my Cartier Love bracelet has been tarnished in the past. The tarnishing is not permanent damage. I always wipe it off with the cleaning fabric they provide. I imagine the VCA guilloché is harder to clean due to its small crevices/indents.

 

[JLO1]

agreed @Egalegaler 100 percent. Sybilla is not a jewelry appraiser nor does she have any formal education GIA/SGL. She is just a random person who consumes alot of jewelry - buy/return/sell. I don't know why anyone would take her advice let alone pay for it. The returns and sales seem like she made "mistakes" curating her collection - or sold her jewelry to buy more.

If she wants to boycott the brand let her and her fans do it. I was in VCA/5th boutique yesterday and I asked if an event was going on because it was PACKED.

 

[allanrvj]

agreed @Egalegaler 100 percent. Sybilla is not a jewelry appraiser nor does she have any formal education GIA/SGL. She is just a random person who consumes alot of jewelry - buy/return/sell. I don't know why anyone would take her advice let alone pay for it. The returns and sales seem like she made "mistakes" curating her collection - or sold her jewelry to buy more.

If she wants to boycott the brand let her and her fans do it. I was in VCA/5th boutique yesterday and I asked if an event was going on because it was PACKED.

clearly that "tarnished the brand" or "it's so over for VCA" that people have been saying about that Monica TikTok incident did not even make a significant impact lol

so why was it packed? just because it was a Friday?

 

[lisang80]

I thought her case was an isolated issue. But then I saw this.

I saw the piece on the Real Real. Yes, oxidation happens to every metal. Maybe the owner of this necklace really neglected her piece. I'm not sure if they try to get it polished before putting on sale.

 

[Egalegaler]

agreed @Egalegaler 100 percent. Sybilla is not a jewelry appraiser nor does she have any formal education GIA/SGL. She is just a random person who consumes alot of jewelry - buy/return/sell. I don't know why anyone would take her advice let alone pay for it. The returns and sales seem like she made "mistakes" curating her collection - or sold her jewelry to buy more.

If she wants to boycott the brand let her and her fans do it. I was in VCA/5th boutique yesterday and I asked if an event was going on because it was PACKED.

That's exactly how it is. She may make mistakes when putting together her collection, which is normal, and she can sell the pieces again - but please do so in a serious manner. I also liked it when she said "how many people have bought from Cartier because of her in boutique X". That made me laugh.
What upset me the most was her last video. Sure vca should have taken the piece back from Jaclyn through her terms and conditions, but where have we come to that you take back a piece of jewellery that already has fingerprints on it just because it doesn't fit into your lifestyle after all? But it was clear that Sybilla herself was upset about it, as she does exactly the same thing. It really bothers me when pieces of jewellery that have already been worn are sold to other customers .

And in Monica's case: it was one in a million. For me it looks a little burnt...so....but I agree on the fact the store manager was gaslighting her. But no real VCA customer will care because this never happened