After Covid's Country-wide Collective Closet Clean-out of early 2020, I kept only the pieces I really love to wear (or those which have real sentimental value), and most of it is unbranded. I held onto only a few of my Mikimoto pieces, my 22k wedding jewelry (saved for the Teen), and one or two pieces of Tiffany gold and VCA. The rest of my collection is lightweight, easy-to-style, and nameless. The unbranded pieces I have are every bit as beautiful as the high-end ones I let go, and I feel much less anxious while wearing them: it's far less expensive to replace an 18k bracelet with no name than it is a Love Cuff from Cartier.
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Yes! I tend to assign meaning to my pieces, too. Especially my bracelets: they represent family members. No idea why I do this, especially since I keep all the symbolism to myself. I'm a rather silly person.
You and I should have a playdate in that jewelry center.
OMGosh! I know, right?! You will lose your mind! So much gold, diamonds and other precious stones to choose from, truly mind blowing!You and I should have a playdate in that jewelry center.
Like at Los Angeles Jewelry Mart!It really depends what I am looking for. If it is a unique design that I enjoy from a certain brand (Love bracelet, JUC, etc. from Cartier) then I have no problem buying that piece. If we are talking general gold/diamond pieces that don't have much to them, then I have no problem at all, and actually prefer going the unbranded route due to the savings you can make. I think Tiffany diamond rings are beautiful, but the markup is crazy and the same can be found elsewhere for 1/3 of the price
I’m going to LA in February! Come along !You and I should have a playdate in that jewelry center.
I'll get unbranded jewelry while traveling but otherwise it is branded only. I trust the quality and I guess I identify with the brands and/or the fantasy they're selling. As silly as it might sound, I think that is why I knowingly pay the mark up on Cartier and Tiffany pieces.
Definitely only unbranded jewelery for me. I don't see the point of paying the markup for a brand name, when the materials and craftsmanship can be found elsewhere for half or less of the cost.
I am Indian so also tend to favor South Asian jewelers for "everyday" gold earrings or necklaces. Otherwise, just got a beautiful pair of diamond studs from Blue Nile.
I am Indian so also tend to favor South Asian jewelers for "everyday" gold earrings or necklaces. Otherwise, just got a beautiful pair of diamond studs from Blue Nile.
I am now all about unbranded jewelry. Once I learned how most mass-market designer jewelries are made, I got rid of most of my designer jewelries and only keep some that I love. My max limit for a piece of jewelry is 100% markup of gold spot price ( I use Goldcalc to calculate the gold price). Anything beyond that, you are over pay.
I prefer unbranded although I own both. I don't resell anything and don't plan to so I don't care how much resale value my collection has. I buy rarely and with a lot of thought, so I have no interest in letting go of any pieces in my collection, many of which I've been wearing since I was a teenager (I'm 29 now). Quite a few large, heavy gold pieces I have inherited, so they have a lot of sentimental value.
I often browse brand name pieces on Fashionphile (I prefer to buy secondhand if brand name to avoid markups a little), and Etsy. I really don't like how so many designer jewelry pieces have large logos. There's no creativity or originality to this kind of design. I'm curious as to what other posters in this thread are buying, in particular the ones that have said unbranded jewelry looks generic, whereas brand name looks original. I also find a lot of the popular pieces that are easy to find on secondhand sites are not for me, such as the love bracelet, the JUC, the RTT stuff, etc. The only brand name item currently on my wishlist is the YG Tiffany hardwear necklace.
This brand doesn't get mentioned often on this site, but I love BVLA pieces. They're high quality, and the designs are absolutely stunning. I find the pricing reasonable, and there are so many pieces I love that I find it difficult to pick just one.
I often browse brand name pieces on Fashionphile (I prefer to buy secondhand if brand name to avoid markups a little), and Etsy. I really don't like how so many designer jewelry pieces have large logos. There's no creativity or originality to this kind of design. I'm curious as to what other posters in this thread are buying, in particular the ones that have said unbranded jewelry looks generic, whereas brand name looks original. I also find a lot of the popular pieces that are easy to find on secondhand sites are not for me, such as the love bracelet, the JUC, the RTT stuff, etc. The only brand name item currently on my wishlist is the YG Tiffany hardwear necklace.
This brand doesn't get mentioned often on this site, but I love BVLA pieces. They're high quality, and the designs are absolutely stunning. I find the pricing reasonable, and there are so many pieces I love that I find it difficult to pick just one.
I have some doubt that people have never seen any south or south east asian jewelries with their intricate designs. Also a mom and pop jewelry store will carry classic pieces that easy to sell. All you need to do is ask and they will work to create unique pieces. Your imaginary is the limit. Try to do that with designer and ready for " no" or sticker shock.
I moved away from Cartier and Vancleef after seeing 5 of our nieces at a family wedding with the same Love and Alhambra.
I have both. It doesn't matter to me as long as I like the piece. I end up mixing and matching my jewelry.
I'm with you on this. I once found a pair of Thai sterling silver basket hoop earrings at a thrift store for 15 CAD and that was truly a lucky find. They are covered in intricate vines, leaves and flowers and the craftsmanship and quality floored me. Whoever made these was clearly very skilled; 15 CAD for these was practically free. I've browsed sterling silver earrings on many designer websites since then, but couldn't find anything I liked as much.
I too feel that popular pieces have become too ubiquitous. This is what I like about mom and pop shops, or Etsy for vintage pieces. I doubt anyone has what I'm wearing. I also have become a bit suspicious about the quality of designer jewelry. I'm part of a Tiffany fan group on facebook, and people often complain on there about quality issues. Enamel wearing off, cracking or discolouring, RTT charms breaking off, to name a few. I also saw a reddit post once (don't know how believable it is) written by someone who used to make jewelry for David Yurman; he didn't have positive things to say about the quality of the pieces he was working on (basically that DY puts cheap, low quality diamonds in their sterling silver jewelry to inflate the price). I think for the prices these designers are charging, there shouldn't be so many issues.
That said, I still own some brand name jewelry; I like it and wear it. I personally do prefer unbranded stuff for the reasons above.
I am not meaning to dish anyone who love your designer piece. I have some designer piece that I love and they meant a lot. But buying more? I will not.
I was lucky to know someone who used to work for Catier and is very knowledgable of the designer jewelry world. He swear he will never buy mass market make jewelry. Only High Jewelry is hand made, majority of them are not or have very little "hand made" involve. The most hand touch a non pave or diamond love/JUC have is installing some screws and polish. Diamonds will still need to be set by hand.
Yurman pave diamond are mostly SI, leaning lower SI quality ,while Cartier and Tiff still use at least VS for their pave diamonds.