Out of curiosity: do you prefer branded/high end jewellery or unbranded - and why?

[Alienza]

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.

Since I am Asian, I actually collected 'asian' jewelry first before moving on to designer pieces. It is true, ours are more intricate. Some are comparable to the high jewelry of designer houses, but much cheaper. So I have both designers and unbranded from our local brands. I like the simplicity of the designer brands but when I want something more substantial, I will buy it from our local store. In my wish list right now I have a few unbranded pieces and only 1 designer piece. Usually what I will do is to get the unbranded pieces first because they might not be produced by that shop anymore. Whereas designer jewelry will always be there. Cartier will aaalways make trinity or love lines. VCA will aaalways produce Alhambra .

 

[JenJBS]

I have a few branded pieces (Tiffany / Ferragamo / Balenciaga), several pieces from Nordstrom and Macy's (Ippolita and that level). But find I prefer to get pieces from local/Etsy artisans or independent jewelers (Lace / Giles and Bro. / Vitaly / Vincero). I think it's important to support local/small businesses. And I love knowing a piece is hand made when I buy from a local artisan. I would love to get a pair of Mikimoto pearl earrings.

 

[Norm.Core]

My only “branded” piece is my dad’s Rolex. I don’t really consider my everyday jewelry branded since most people won’t know what they are anyway (Ole Lynggaard leather bracelets and handmade Serge Thoraval). Being a silver fiend, I buy my stuff off Etsy and support silversmiths with an edgier aesthetic.

 

[Onebagtoomany]

Personally I only buy designer if the design is unique to the (authentic) brand, e.g. Cartier Love and VCA Alhambra - or the piece is hard to find unbranded in the quality I want. A good example of the latter is my Tiffany Paloma’s Melody large gold hoops. They are grossly overpriced at retail but it is impossible, here in the UK at least where 9k gold is fairly standard, to find such thick and solid 18k gold unbranded hoops. I just love them and they scream quality. No hollow gold or flimsy design.

As to what I prefer, I think in all honesty I do lean towards branded pieces. I love the designs, the quality and the feeling that they give me when I wear them. That’s not to say, however, that I don’t love and derive a lot of enjoyment from my unbranded pieces and I’d say my jewellery collection is fairly evenly split between branded and unbranded.

 

[Cosmopolitan]

I only buy designer jewelry. After all I don’t buy unbranded handbags; that’s why I came to tPF more than 15 years ago. Likewise I wouldn’t consider unbranded jewelry. I’ve had some but wasn’t happy with it sitting in my jewelry box and I got rid of it. For me it’s case closed. To each her own.

 

[EpiFanatic]

Mostly branded, a few one off small pics designers, for jewelry. Mostly branded for bags, love a unique handmade bag if well done, though haven’t found one in years. Strangely bought 2 coach bags in 2021 and haven’t bought a coach bag in about 20 years.

 

[Parisluxury]

I only buy designer jewelry. After all I don’t buy unbranded handbags; that’s why I came to tPF more than 15 years ago. Likewise I wouldn’t consider unbranded jewelry. I’ve had some but wasn’t happy with it sitting in my jewelry box and I got rid of it. For me it’s case closed. To each her own.

Same for me. I like branded jewellery - eg engagement ring and wedding band from Tiffany, Cartier Love and JUC, VCA Alhambra, Bulgari Serpenti etc.

Some of my friends think it’s a waste of money but I don’t see a difference to buying other designer items like handbags, shoes or clothes which they love to buy. In particular, some of them could not understand why I wanted a Tiffany engagement ring when I could get a knock off with a better diamond. But I don’t need their understanding - I wanted it and got it and makes me happy to this day over 10 years later.
Definitely agree with each to her own and at the end of the day, I feel more happy with designer luxury branded jewellery and knowing that the store/ brand will continue to exist for decades to come and able to provide after sales service.

 

[missie1]

Branded jewelry for the most part. Diamonds can be unbranded with appropriate certs. Premier Branded Handbags only.

 

[vinotastic]

Definitely branded. And I own it. However depending on what I’m looking for it does not need to be. I won’t buy branded diamonds studs or something of a common style. I also have no desire to own a cartier love because at the end of the day it’s a simple bangle (to me, no offense to anyone who loves their love or wants one dearly). People should just get what they love no matter what store it comes from.

 

[Mcandy]

I always say brand doesnt matter when it comea to jewelry. Its not like people check underneath your ring. But when I was watching a live sellinb and saw a hermes ring being sold I jumped into it immediately. I couldnt resist owning one from hermes in such a good price. Then i felt some regret because i know I could have bought something with diamonds or gemstones with the price of that hermes. Just because of the name. Hopefully when it arrives i will still love it. I bought a tiffany solitaire years ago. It was onlu 0.25carats diamond ring and im still knocking ny head why I purchased it. And here I go again. I dont know why i couldnt resist it

 

[Allshinythings]

I prefer high end/branded jewelry but really i would buy anything that is fine jewelry (minimum 14k). I don’t buy costume jewelry. I think they are completely waste of money. I used to buy them then I got sick of them so quickly. I rather pay good money for something with good quality and better resale value.

 

[jshih1337]

Super vague question, but I actually posted because of a conversation I had with a friend of mine regarding exactly this. I thought it would be interesting to get different perspectives

I love some designer jewellery pieces and motifs - Cartier Love, VCA Alhambra, Cartier Panthere, Tiffany T, Bvlgari Serpenti most notably, but I don't see myself as a collector of any of these! I would never buy more than 1-2 pieces from each range no matter what my financial position may be. To me it's just a way to accent my everyday wardrobe or make a statement on special occasions, maybe a little bit of signaling going on. I wouldn't want to pay the crazy markups on high end jewellery for a piece no one will recognise as belonging to a specific brand for example (I know it sounds bad, but... it matters to me x_x) Most of my jewellery is unbranded from a local jeweller who my family has known for years and who customises anything we want.

On the other hand, a close friend of mine is the opposite - she would much rather buy only high-end brands, even if she buys their lower-end ranges (with even more insane markup) or their lesser known / non recognisable ranges. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, its just her preference. She says its because she knows she's getting the highest quality, and even if other people don't know what it is, she does / people who care about luxury brands do.

So I'm opening it up to all you lovely people here on tPF! What do you feel?

You should have a mix of branded and unbranded pieces and make it your own

 

[Mcandy]

I prefer high end/branded jewelry but really i would buy anything that is fine jewelry (minimum 14k). I don’t buy costume jewelry. I think they are completely waste of money. I used to buy them then I got sick of them so quickly. I rather pay good money for something with good quality and better resale value.

I agree with costume jewelry. You cant even wear it everyday because it will wear off no matter how you take care of it. For the price of that you could have bought something of real gold

 

[Penelopepursula]

I rarely buy branded jewelry. I have a few items from Tiffany but for high end jewelry I prefer estate pieces. The craftsmanship is amazing and no one else has the exactly same ring, bracelet, pendant etc. There are some amazing bargains out there. And it frees up my budget for luxury handbags.

 

[joseybird]

I find it so odd when I hear folks here talk about pieces like Cartier Love bracelets and VCA Alhambra jewelry being “common,” as I’ve never seen folks wearing them “in the wild,” so to speak. (I guess I just don’t run in those circles?)

I have two Tiffany pieces that I saved up ages for and which are not distinctly “Tiffany” but which are very unique and not designs similar to anything I was able to find anywhere else.

Brand-wise, those are enough for me. I have a gold ring and gold necklace I bought on etsy that look unique and high-class and I don’t care that the designer is small-time.

I might one day buy a small silver Tiffany piece despite the insane markup, though, because Tiffany silver is so iconic…