I don’t know what ever happened with this but if anyone ever comes across this post do NOT make ANY changes to your VCA jewelry (including earring posts) ever. I have owned and resold a great deal of very nice VcA jewelry over the years…. The one thing I could not offload because they were deemed no longer authentic???? A pair of VCA earrings due to a post /back change. No one would touch it and they could immediately tell. And it was done by one of the best authorized VCA jewelers in Boca. I learned my lesson the hard way on a pair of $26k earrings!!!
Pics please - thinner VCA earring posts
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If the earring posts were changed by a jeweler that VCA authorizes to work on their items, could you send your earrings in to VCA to have the posts changed back to the original? Or are they soldered in? Since they are such high value, perhaps you could pay the $1800 to have VCA recertify the earrings if the posts have been soldered. I assume that would be possible with work done by an authorized jeweler. I am not familiar with external jewelers authorized to perform work by VCA, but I know that Tiffany does this and still accepts these items back to their own workshop.
I agree with @nicole0612 . It is worth spending $1.8K to get the earrings recertified, especially if visually, you said they look so different. I have not heard of authorized VCA jewelers, and I thought all service was sent to VCA workshops (excluding minor earrings adjustments, etc). It's interesting VCA now allows local jewelers to do repairs. Did your local jeweler have the work order on VCA letterhead? Perhaps that would also count as evidence this was done officially by VCA, and you could show that when selling your piece.
Personally, if you really want to sell the earrings, I would send it back to VCA and have them swap it out for the original post. I would not go back to that authorized dealer as it sounds like it was adjusted beyond recognition for buyers to say it is a fake.
Tons of people have their earrings adjusted, and VCA adjusts earrings for free, anytime. I adjust all my earrings. The same is true for bracelets; my SA said most people adjust their bracelets as well. Jewelry is not one size fits all, and adjustments are very common and actually expected.
I hope you can get this fixed. Good luck!
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By the way, I live in the US (grew up in Miami), and your comment on authorized VCA jeweler got me curious where others authorized jewelers were located. I was thinking if an authorized VCA jeweler were near me, I could pop in and check them out. However, I could not find anything on authorized VCA jewelers, and I would have thought if a store is an authorized VCA jeweler, they would certainly brag about it. I know there are boutiques that carry VCA, but I thought they still had to send it out to VCA for repair.
Did you mean reseller instead of authorized jeweler? As in, you purchase your pieces from resellers?
If you purchased it from a reseller, that would explain why the posts do not have the official VCA look as a reseller would not have original VCA parts. In this case, I would definitely send them back to VCA to get it back to look the original way, and I would work with VCA directly since you are already a client of theirs.
I hope everything works out for you.
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Yes, this is very interesting, especially as VCA makes more than one style of back. I’ve posted elsewhere about the backs on my SO Magic earrings which are not the typical VCA back (they can be added for, I think my SA said VCA charges $1500 to do it). But it was produced by VCA that way and the backs are hallmarked.
I picked up my first pair of VCA earrings today (guilloche), and had a really hard time getting them in my ears 
I don’t have an issue with any of my other earrings, but I found that with these, the posts go in the earlobe just fine but I had a really hard time getting the posts to come out all the way through the back of the lobe, if that makes sense. Maybe my lobes are too fat/thick for these short posts? I don’t think it’s an issue with the post thickness but I’m wondering if lengthening the post would help. Did anyone else have this issue?
I don’t have an issue with any of my other earrings, but I found that with these, the posts go in the earlobe just fine but I had a really hard time getting the posts to come out all the way through the back of the lobe, if that makes sense. Maybe my lobes are too fat/thick for these short posts? I don’t think it’s an issue with the post thickness but I’m wondering if lengthening the post would help. Did anyone else have this issue?Hi! It sounds like the posts are too short for you. You can swap them out for longer posts.I picked up my first pair of VCA earrings today (guilloche), and had a really hard time getting them in my ears
Since these are your first VCA earrings, you may want to know VCA earrings can be adjusted 4-ways.
I wrote a post about this as my ear piercing is the worst... small hole, low piercing, wimpy ears.. you name it! Hence, I always have to adjust my earrings.
The four ways to adjust your VA earrings are:
- Longer or shorter posts (I like mine the standard length)
- Thicker or thinner posts (I need the thinnest posts as my piercing is very small and can make my ear piercing bleed)
- Higher or lower post position (I put mine on the lower hole so it sits higher) Check the back of your earring to see which hole it is in. The standard seems to be the lower hole which makes the earring sit higher.
- Tighter or looser tension (I always have to loosen mine as the standard tension is too tight for me and makes my ears hurt). Given you need longer posts due to the thickness of your earlobe, you may need looser tension too so it does not squish your ears.
Think about these four adjustments and send them in to do it all at once. And... don't worry if you need a follow up adjustment. I am beyond picky about a perfect fit, and I had to send in my Lotus earrings three times. They are perfect now, so it was worth it.
Earrings can be adjusted for free.
Congrats on your new earrings and good luck!
I changed my posts to the longer and thinner ones, and they loosened the clasp which made my earrings way more comfortable. I honestly hardly notice them on.
I nearly didn’t buy these because they were so uncomfortable with the thick, original posts. I could hardly get them on my ear, but I wanted the set to match my pink sapphire frivole pendant. My SA assured me that VCA can alter the earrings in many ways which increase comfort.
I nearly didn’t buy these because they were so uncomfortable with the thick, original posts. I could hardly get them on my ear, but I wanted the set to match my pink sapphire frivole pendant. My SA assured me that VCA can alter the earrings in many ways which increase comfort.
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Thank you so much @BigAkoya for taking the time to explain all this to me, super helpful. This is why I love TPF, kind people like you! I’m definitely going to get longer posts and loosen the tension, hopefully that will make them easier to put on and more comfortable to wear. Thanks again for helping me out
I'm thinking to get my first VCA but I don't have store in my current city. I have issue with my small ear as well. I asked some SA in CA said its free service to do and some other SA in other state says it is no longer free. Confusing, Is it depending on the each stores? I appreciate your help, thanks so much
Free for earrings…
Here is the link that states earclip adjustments are free.
Jewelry services - Van Cleef & Arpels
The Maison offers multiple services to ensure your jewelry creations are optimally maintained.
www.vancleefarpels.com
Wow you're amazing so fast to give me advice! oh thanks so much for your help!!!Free for earrings…
Here is the link that states earclip adjustments are free.
Jewelry services - Van Cleef & Arpels
The Maison offers multiple services to ensure your jewelry creations are optimally maintained.
A few months ago, I adjusted 2 pairs for free. My last pair, sent in a month ago, cost about $150. Same store, same VCA process. Maybe it just depends? The last pair is an older piece that I decided to finally adjust. Perhaps newer pieces are free. Anyhow, small price to pay for beautiful and comfortable earrings.
I’ve got a few pairs in for adjustment right now. My store is the 5th Ave Flagship, NYC.
For clip clearance adjustments - free for the lifetime of the piece. I assume there’s a “for the original purchaser” caveat in there, but I don’t know for sure since I am that person for these pairs.
I also needed the posts on one pair unsoldered and moved to a different hole, and I was quoted $180 for that particular repair. Because of the unsoldering requirement. My SA and the service rep both explained that corporate has really cracked down on SAs to charge repair fees… I admit I was fully expecting any costs to be waived, like always, so that was an unpleasant surprise. I guess that “waived like always” bit is exactly their problem though
For clip clearance adjustments - free for the lifetime of the piece. I assume there’s a “for the original purchaser” caveat in there, but I don’t know for sure since I am that person for these pairs.
I also needed the posts on one pair unsoldered and moved to a different hole, and I was quoted $180 for that particular repair. Because of the unsoldering requirement. My SA and the service rep both explained that corporate has really cracked down on SAs to charge repair fees… I admit I was fully expecting any costs to be waived, like always, so that was an unpleasant surprise. I guess that “waived like always” bit is exactly their problem though
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