New to VCA (and jewelry in general), really need some advice!

nightbefore

Member
Sep 13, 2019
275
814
Hello ladies!:wave: I have been a long time reader of this sub. I recently purchased a sweet alhambra pave studs to test the waters a bit with VCA and I loved it! Although I am very into casual look and small studs I must say that I found them a bit underwhelming. I would like to purchase more pieces however I am someone that loves to plan everything way ahead. So I am having trouble what to order next and if it fits in bigger picture (future purchases). I am not a fan of PG, it seems lost on me. I have fair skin with neutral undertone (I think it is leaning more towards cool) I am in mid 20s. My wardrobe is generally black, white, beige and some pastel colours. I wear a lot of turtleneck during the winter and white/pastel coloured tshirts, shirts or tank tops during the summer. I am torn in between YG or WG dilemma, I have brown hair and eyes so I feel like WG pops better on me but not very sure. My future plan includes following pieces:

1. 20 motif in WG or YG MOP. (I feel like it is a good to wear with turtlenecks but cannot decide the colour) This is my dream and will be the most expensive piece probably for some time:girlsigh:
2. Vintage pave pendant or WG pave small frivole pendant (Cannot decide in between the styles)
3. Vintage WG or YG MOP earrings. (Depends on the other pieces I will purchase)

I know YG MOP feels very feminine and luxurious but I like the idea of mix matching my MOP pieces with the WG pave pieces. Should I consider this while making choices or should I just get different metals and give up on this idea and maybe purchase more pieces YG MOP in the future? What kinda combination would you ladies make with these options?Unfortunately I am not fan of coloured stones, guilloche and hammered gold pieces on myself so MOP and discontinued lapis are the only options I would consider for semi precious stones. I would really appreciate some advice because I am very new to brand and also jewelery, thank you very much!:love::love:
 
Last edited:
I have cool undertone and kind of pinkish skin, so I definitely look better in white metals. I have a couple of pieces of VCA yg, though. I tend to agree that the wg pave pieces are nice to mix with the wg MOP. I have the wg pave earrings and pendant, and if I get MOP, I also plan to get that in wg.

There are warm colored stones that clearly are complemented best by yg, such as carnelian, malachite, and tiger eye. But you can really go either way with MOP and onyx. I am getting onyx in wg, too, because I am getting the onyx pave bracelet which will go with my wg pave pendant and earrings. The yg pieces that I have now are the solid gold bracelet and the lapis pave bracelet, so I need to eventually add earrings and pendant(s).

Since you only favor MOP and lapis (which is hard to get), I'd go ahead and get the MOP and the pave pieces in wg since you think that is your best metal color. You may decide later to add onyx since you do wear black, white, and neutrals, and you could get that in yg if you wanted some variety. The onyx makes some of the most stunning Alhambra pieces, in my opinion, in both metals. Oh, and if you like lapis, there are some darker blue agate stones, as well. That should be more accessible than the lapis.
 
I have cool undertone and kind of pinkish skin, so I definitely look better in white metals. I have a couple of pieces of VCA yg, though. I tend to agree that the wg pave pieces are nice to mix with the wg MOP. I have the wg pave earrings and pendant, and if I get MOP, I also plan to get that in wg.

There are warm colored stones that clearly are complemented best by yg, such as carnelian, malachite, and tiger eye. But you can really go either way with MOP and onyx. I am getting onyx in wg, too, because I am getting the onyx pave bracelet which will go with my wg pave pendant and earrings. The yg pieces that I have now are the solid gold bracelet and the lapis pave bracelet, so I need to eventually add earrings and pendant(s).

Since you only favor MOP and lapis (which is hard to get), I'd go ahead and get the MOP and the pave pieces in wg since you think that is your best metal color. You may decide later to add onyx since you do wear black, white, and neutrals, and you could get that in yg if you wanted some variety. The onyx makes some of the most stunning Alhambra pieces, in my opinion, in both metals. Oh, and if you like lapis, there are some darker blue agate stones, as well. That should be more accessible than the lapis.

Thank you very much for your advice! After you mentioned I checked the modshots of solid gold styles (hammered gold) and I actually found it nicer than I thought so maybe indeed it could be an option if I would like to add more yg styles. Blue agate can look very similar to lapis as far as I saw from the posts here so it is also on my list after completing my staples first. :angel:

I’ve already read so many posts from you so I really appreciate the advice from someone with a lot more insight with it. I also think that I should choose the best metal colour for me(so the WG) and move further with that colour and sprinkle some YG in between I love the look of onyx with pave, it looks so beautiful and definitely goes with everything. I only wear watches on my arms but I would love to get onyx and pave 10 or 20 motif, if it would ever comes out ☺ Which other styles would you prefer to combine your alhambra or build a set? I still feel not confident about approaching the other styles although I find some two butterfly and frivole pieces beautiful on their own, I am doubting how would be the dailywear and ageing of these collections.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: DS2006
They already make a white gold onyx pave 20 necklace, and it is stunning!!! But it is quite expensive compared to the all stone or solid gold 20's! I certainly think you can add pendants and earrings in yellow gold with or without stones or pave after you complete your white gold set. I love the Magic long pendants since they can be worn long or short, but the white gold MOP only comes in the short version (that one is on my list maybe for next year). Once I finish my onyx and MOP, then I'll try to get a couple of pieces to wear with my yg bracelets!

I think Frivole is very beautiful! Many people combine Frivole earrings with Alhambra pieces. I find that the pave wg Frivole earrings are a little more dressy than the pave Alhambra, so I chose the pave Alhambra because I thought I could wear them more. Some people choose the yellow or white gold Frivole earrings without pave to wear with Alhambra or other Frivole pieces because they are a little more casual. I recently tried some on and am undecided about whether I will get some or not. The two butterfly collection is really beautiful, too! One or two people here have the rose gold pave Frivole earrings with the pink sapphire in the middle and wear them with the pink sapphire butterfly pendant. That is very beautiful for those who have the opportunity to wear pink often. I have a friend who is collecting the wg Magic pave long pendant and earrings and the Perlee Clover bracelet, and she plans to get the pave Frivole between the finger ring to sometimes wear with those. So there are many potential good combinations, but I think you are wise to start with your basic Alhambra pieces and expand from there. You'll get many great ideas following the threads here, too!

I do agree that Alhambra is the most iconic and likely to be popular in the future. While some people may be less familiar with Frivole and Two Butterflies, they are very beautiful and I think many of the pieces are timeless and will always be in style. It is nice to have a little variety!
 
  • Love
  • Like
Reactions: 880 and EpiFanatic
They already make a white gold onyx pave 20 necklace, and it is stunning!!! But it is quite expensive compared to the all stone or solid gold 20's! I certainly think you can add pendants and earrings in yellow gold with or without stones or pave after you complete your white gold set. I love the Magic long pendants since they can be worn long or short, but the white gold MOP only comes in the short version (that one is on my list maybe for next year). Once I finish my onyx and MOP, then I'll try to get a couple of pieces to wear with my yg bracelets!

I think Frivole is very beautiful! Many people combine Frivole earrings with Alhambra pieces. I find that the pave wg Frivole earrings are a little more dressy than the pave Alhambra, so I chose the pave Alhambra because I thought I could wear them more. Some people choose the yellow or white gold Frivole earrings without pave to wear with Alhambra or other Frivole pieces because they are a little more casual. I recently tried some on and am undecided about whether I will get some or not. The two butterfly collection is really beautiful, too! One or two people here have the rose gold pave Frivole earrings with the pink sapphire in the middle and wear them with the pink sapphire butterfly pendant. That is very beautiful for those who have the opportunity to wear pink often. I have a friend who is collecting the wg Magic pave long pendant and earrings and the Perlee Clover bracelet, and she plans to get the pave Frivole between the finger ring to sometimes wear with those. So there are many potential good combinations, but I think you are wise to start with your basic Alhambra pieces and expand from there. You'll get many great ideas following the threads here, too!

I do agree that Alhambra is the most iconic and likely to be popular in the future. While some people may be less familiar with Frivole and Two Butterflies, they are very beautiful and I think many of the pieces are timeless and will always be in style. It is nice to have a little variety!

Onyx and pave 20 motif is indeed a bit out of budget, maybe if there is 10 motif in future, I might try to save up for it :angel: I am quite patient, I would rather wait and save for a small collection my dream pieces. However VCAis addicting, I add more items to my wish list everyday!

I think magic necklaces are also very beautiful, I would definitely want to have one. Maybe they would come with long WG MOP in future, I also think that it is indeed quite nice that you can wear it two ways and IMO the thicker chain look with doubled up chain, fits better to wear it short.

Thank you very advices! So atm I am set on getting wg pave vintage pendant. Would you rather get magic WG MOP earrings or vintage WG MOP? I can also wait longer and save up for vintage pave. Unfortunately I have to save up long way for WG MOP 20 motif.:girlsigh:
 
I think you'll love the wg vintage pave pendant! Unfortunately, the wg MOP is only made in vintage size earrings. I find that frustrating, but I hope they will add those and the long magic pendant in wg eventually. Of course, if you like the yg MOP, those are available in the Magic earrings and long pendant now. I think it's great to eventually have both the MOP and the vintage pave earrings. I don't always wear the pave earrings and pendant at the same time, but I am glad I have them both. Many of us have to save up and buy pieces gradually. Since I started collecting just a few years ago, I usually only get one or two pieces a year. I totally agree with having a smaller collection of dream pieces!
 
  • Like
Reactions: EpiFanatic
I think you'll love the wg vintage pave pendant! Unfortunately, the wg MOP is only made in vintage size earrings. I find that frustrating, but I hope they will add those and the long magic pendant in wg eventually. Of course, if you like the yg MOP, those are available in the Magic earrings and long pendant now. I think it's great to eventually have both the MOP and the vintage pave earrings. I don't always wear the pave earrings and pendant at the same time, but I am glad I have them both. Many of us have to save up and buy pieces gradually. Since I started collecting just a few years ago, I usually only get one or two pieces a year. I totally agree with having a smaller collection of dream pieces!
So much valuable insight! Just placed my order for WG pave VA! I cannot wait for it. I couldn’t really choose the earrings yet, I am doubting if I should get also frivole pave earrings or classics. I wear my hair mostly down so I am thinking if I would order it in classic style then I would be able to wear them more casually and save up for more 20 motif and pave pieces :angel:
 
So much valuable insight! Just placed my order for WG pave VA! I cannot wait for it. I couldn’t really choose the earrings yet, I am doubting if I should get also frivole pave earrings or classics. I wear my hair mostly down so I am thinking if I would order it in classic style then I would be able to wear them more casually and save up for more 20 motif and pave pieces :angel:

Wonderful! I know you'll love it! I think you have very good ideas!
 
Hello ladies!:wave: I have been a long time reader of this sub. I recently purchased a sweet alhambra pave studs to test the waters a bit with VCA and I loved it! Although I am very into casual look and small studs I must say that I found them a bit underwhelming. I would like to purchase more pieces however I am someone that loves to plan everything way ahead. So I am having trouble what to order next and if it fits in bigger picture (future purchases). I am not a fan of PG, it seems lost on me. I have fair skin with neutral undertone (I think it is leaning more towards cool) I am in mid 20s. My wardrobe is generally black, white, beige and some pastel colours. I wear a lot of turtleneck during the winter and white/pastel coloured tshirts, shirts or tank tops during the summer. I am torn in between YG or WG dilemma, I have brown hair and eyes so I feel like WG pops better on me but not very sure. My future plan includes following pieces:

1. 20 motif in WG or YG MOP. (I feel like it is a good to wear with turtlenecks but cannot decide the colour) This is my dream and will be the most expensive piece probably for some time:girlsigh:
2. Vintage pave pendant or WG pave small frivole pendant (Cannot decide in between the styles)
3. Vintage WG or YG MOP earrings. (Depends on the other pieces I will purchase)

I know YG MOP feels very feminine and luxurious but I like the idea of mix matching my MOP pieces with the WG pave pieces. Should I consider this while making choices or should I just get different metals and give up on this idea and maybe purchase more pieces YG MOP in the future? What kinda combination would you ladies make with these options?Unfortunately I am not fan of coloured stones, guilloche and hammered gold pieces on myself so MOP and discontinued lapis are the only options I would consider for semi precious stones. I would really appreciate some advice because I am very new to brand and also jewelery, thank you very much!:love::love:
omg. too funny. our wishlists, metal considerations and wardrobe choices are almost the same. :smile: if you like WG, I personally would add VCA pieces that are in the WG family. I don't like mixing metals much. The VCA YG while very beautiful can sometimes age people and because it's a very rich yellow, it's not flattering on everyone. I started out with the vintage YG MOP 20 motif necklace when I didn't know anything about what metals looked good on me, etc. and very recently bought the WG MOP 20 motif necklace to replace it, along with the WG MOP vintage earrings (i think the vintage size is a better investment in the long run and look better as you get a little older). If you like WG, I think VCA's chalcedony pieces are also very nice and can be worn very easily with their WG MOP pieces. Like you, I'm thinking of adding the WG vintage pave pendant and maybe even the matching pave earrings but haven't pulled the trigger yet. lol.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 880 and BigAkoya
omg. too funny. our wishlists, metal considerations and wardrobe choices are almost the same. :smile: if you like WG, I personally would add VCA pieces that are in the WG family. I don't like mixing metals much. The VCA YG while very beautiful can sometimes age people and because it's a very rich yellow, it's not flattering on everyone. I started out with the vintage YG MOP 20 motif necklace when I didn't know anything about what metals looked good on me, etc. and very recently bought the WG MOP 20 motif necklace to replace it, along with the WG MOP vintage earrings (i think the vintage size is a better investment in the long run and look better as you get a little older). If you like WG, I think VCA's chalcedony pieces are also very nice and can be worn very easily with their WG MOP pieces. Like you, I'm thinking of adding the WG vintage pave pendant and maybe even the matching pave earrings but haven't pulled the trigger yet. lol.

That's great to hear! I would love to discuss more about our purchases and wishlist. This forum is so good for my soul, I can finally talk with the people about an earring or pendant for hours and see how many people shares the same interests as me. Unfortunately I am surrounded by the people that are like ''it is just an earring, dont make a big deal out of it choose one''. It is so frustrating to explain all the time, no it is not just an earring! :oh:

You should def get that vintage pave pendant it looks so beautiful and I think it will be a good everyday necklace. I just placed my order for it and I cannot wait, now checking for a staple earrings. I am in between small frivole (no pave) and pave VA, I know there is a huge price difference in between but I just wanna get the one I like most. The only think that makes me doubt about is that I have the sweet pave alhambra. Vintage would be just a tad bigger so I am thinking maybe I should wait and go in the long time future for magic size. Also I feel like 3D design shows the most of it on ears. I am not fan of a 3D necklace, so my necklace choice in future will be def alhambra in different stones or sizes so I feel like choosing another style for the earrings would spice the things up a bit, not be very matchy matchy. Chalcedony is a beautiful stone indeed but I am a bit suffering from OCD so the lines in the stone disturbs me a bit :biggrin: I have the same problem for holiday pendants, the diamond in the middle of the smooth one colour stone just bothers me a bit. I feel like I am a bit weird haha :confused1:
 
Last edited:
That's great to hear! I would love to discuss more about our purchases and wishlist. This forum is so good for my soul, I can finally talk with the people about an earring or pendant for hours and see how many people shares the same interests as me. Unfortunately I am surrounded by the people that are like ''it is just an earring, dont make a big deal out of it choose one''. It is so frustrating to explain all the time, no it is not just an earring! :oh:

You should def get that vintage pave pendant it looks so beautiful and I think it will be a good everyday necklace. I just placed my order for it and I cannot wait, now checking for a staple earrings. I am in between small frivole (no pave) and pave VA, I know there is a huge price difference in between but I just wanna get the one I like most. The only think that makes me doubt about is that I have the sweet pave alhambra. Vintage would be just a tad bigger so I am thinking maybe I should wait and go in the long time future for magic size. Also I feel like 3D design shows the most of it on ears. I am not fan of a 3D necklace, so my necklace choice in future will be def alhambra in different stones or sizes so I feel like choosing another style for the earrings would spice the things up a bit, not be very matchy matchy. Chalcedony is a beautiful stone indeed but I am a bit suffering from OCD so the lines in the stone disturbs me a bit :biggrin: I have the same problem for holiday pendants, the diamond in the middle of the smooth one colour stone just bothers me a bit. I feel like I am a bit weird haha :confused1:
Is it possible to exchange your sweet pave earrings for the vintage pave size? I know it's a considerable price difference but if that is an option for you, I would do that. I don't know if you bought your earrings online or in the boutique, but usually if you have a good SA with some purchasing history, they will work will you even if you are outside the 30 day exchange window assuming your piece is pristine and you say you want to exchange for a higher priced item. ;) I first started out with the sweets thinking the vintage looked too big but now I think vintage is the bare minimum and want Magic pieces too now. Your eyes always seem to adjust upwards. lol. ;) While I like certain Magic pieces, I think the pave pieces at least for me are too much for everyday. I may branch out to frivole some day but it's a bit on the girly, overly feminine side and feel like it doesn't look good with my cartier pieces. I noticed you didn't list any bracelet. Do you not like wearing them?
 
Onyx and pave 20 motif is indeed a bit out of budget, maybe if there is 10 motif in future, I might try to save up for it :angel: I am quite patient, I would rather wait and save for a small collection my dream pieces. However VCAis addicting, I add more items to my wish list everyday!

I think magic necklaces are also very beautiful, I would definitely want to have one. Maybe they would come with long WG MOP in future, I also think that it is indeed quite nice that you can wear it two ways and IMO the thicker chain look with doubled up chain, fits better to wear it short.

Thank you very advices! So atm I am set on getting wg pave vintage pendant. Would you rather get magic WG MOP earrings or vintage WG MOP? I can also wait longer and save up for vintage pave. Unfortunately I have to save up long way for WG MOP 20 motif.:girlsigh:

I would go for the WG vintage pave pendant! I have the YG version and love it. Another piece waiting to save up for is the MOP 20 motif. Just a suggestion about that...... My first vintage alhambra (besides a single motif turquoise) was a 10 motif YG MOP. I then added another 10 motif MOP a year later. I am SO happy to have 2 tens as I love having the option to wear only a 10 motif. Just something for you to think about.
 
Is it possible to exchange your sweet pave earrings for the vintage pave size? I know it's a considerable price difference but if that is an option for you, I would do that. I don't know if you bought your earrings online or in the boutique, but usually if you have a good SA with some purchasing history, they will work will you even if you are outside the 30 day exchange window assuming your piece is pristine and you say you want to exchange for a higher priced item. ;) I first started out with the sweets thinking the vintage looked too big but now I think vintage is the bare minimum and want Magic pieces too now. Your eyes always seem to adjust upwards. lol. ;) While I like certain Magic pieces, I think the pave pieces at least for me are too much for everyday. I may branch out to frivole some day but it's a bit on the girly, overly feminine side and feel like it doesn't look good with my cartier pieces. I noticed you didn't list any bracelet. Do you not like wearing them?

I actually really wanted my sweets before I purchased them, I always wear tiny studs combined with basic small but clean edged hoops because I have 4 piercing holes so in that sense it is a good size to wear. I think I just got biased by the ladies here and I feel like they did not fulfil my growing love for VCA since they are very small, like only one bite from a nice chocolate cake. :biggrin: So maybe I will slow down after the necklace a bit.

I had a sm love bracelet with 6 diamonds in PG. I purchased it during the PG-era without thinking about it. I didnt really like the colour with my skin tone and I eventually sold it with some loss. I also have love wedding band in WG because I like understated pieces but I almost never wear it because I get the questions from people about if I got married or engaged because of that ring :facepalm: I am planning to get it streched a bit and wear it on index finger. That is actually why I am very neat picky this time before ordering I dont want to end up again with the pieces I will not wear.

I have a ss bb and mop dial longines that I wear everyday and I feel like it is enough for keeping my wrist busy but not overload it. I am not fan of alhambra bracelets aswell, perlee clover/signature/diamond all are also a bit too much for me, perlee pearls bangle is the only one I would consider from VCA. I like the sm love but I am more into watches so I keep my wrist free generally for a watch :smile:

I also thought the same for frivole in the beginning, but actually I found WG frivole quite casual. It it interesting because I found guilloche too dressy and even the WG didnt change my idea. So I am also surprised that I find frivole more and more casual. Do you own a JUC aswell?
 
  • Love
  • Like
Reactions: 880 and chromemilou
I would go for the WG vintage pave pendant! I have the YG version and love it. Another piece waiting to save up for is the MOP 20 motif. Just a suggestion about that...... My first vintage alhambra (besides a single motif turquoise) was a 10 motif YG MOP. I then added another 10 motif MOP a year later. I am SO happy to have 2 tens as I love having the option to wear only a 10 motif. Just something for you to think about.

Thank you very much! I also read from other ladies that it is nicer to wear two 10s if you want to wear 20 doubled up. So I am definitely considering it. Do you get annoyed by the clip being visible when you wear it as 20 motif or is it very subtle?