Pre-loved VCA question

princessmeow

Member
Jun 7, 2015
20
18
Hello all,

I’m new to the VCA community and I want to buy my first VCA jewelry. It’s a pair of pre-loved vintage Alhambra blank onyx earrings but only the pouch is included. The consignment store says they authenticate it with 2 experts. If I buy a pair of earrings with no receipt, could I still have it serviced when needed? Anything I should be aware of before the purchase?

Many thanks for your help!



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Beautiful earrings. I used to have a similar design ring with MOP and have a vintage alhambra gold bracelet. I had the ring sized by VCA, their service is outstanding. The ring was purchased from a fashphile website with no box or pouch, but it had all proper stamps and maker marks on it. Make sure the earrings have maker marks, then you should be able to have them serviced.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
Beautiful earrings. I used to have a similar design ring with MOP and have a vintage alhambra gold bracelet. I had the ring sized by VCA, their service is outstanding. The ring was purchased from a fashphile website with no box or pouch, but it had all proper stamps and maker marks on it. Make sure the earrings have maker marks, then you should be able to have them serviced.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Thanks! As the store offers 24 hour authenticity guarantee, I’ll sure take it to the store to authenticate it.
 
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VCA will not authenticate it for you at a store. Meaning they will not issue you a letter of authentication, one that you would receive if you use their authentication services, which would cost $1,800. They would take the piece and it would take 6-8 months, due to Covid. I was recently told this by the NYC service department.

If you submit it for service, and they cannot find it in their system, they will not service it. Servicing is done at a particular store, depending on the country you are in. I send my pieces to the NYC flagship store. I am not sure if there are other stores that do it. It takes their department a while to work on it. I doubt you can get them to service it immediately when you get to the store. Also, the store you go to may not do the work there.

I have had a piece that I bought pre-loved and it was serviced without issues. They found it in their system. I had a piece that I bought pre-loved that they would not service because they did not find it in their system. It could have been an older piece which would have required that they submit it to Paris for them to research. That would have cost me $1800. I declined.

Hope this helps. For what it's worth, 24 hours is not a long enough time window, for me anyway. Good luck!
 
Hello all,

I’m new to the VCA community and I want to buy my first VCA jewelry. It’s a pair of pre-loved vintage Alhambra blank onyx earrings but only the pouch is included. The consignment store says they authenticate it with 2 experts. If I buy a pair of earrings with no receipt, could I still have it serviced when needed? Anything I should be aware of before the purchase?

Many thanks for your help!



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If the piece is authentic, they have to provide service for you, shall you need it. This is their problem how to authenticate the item (if you require servicing). Not everyone keeps paperwork for their jewellery, some old items do not have it at all. Just bring it in and that is all. This is what I do anyway with my pre-loved items and so far no issues. If we are talking about authentication by the store, this is totally different story, of course as mentioned above.
 
I wouldn't buy without a certificate of authenticity (and even then, you have to be sure it's not fake). Most people understand the importance of saving the paperwork. I'm suspicious when there isn't any.
I’ve been buying luxury goods: bags, watches, RTW, jewelry, etc for 30 plus years. Ive never saved authenticity cards for bags bc those, along with boxes, dust bags etc., become coumbersome when you amass a lot of stuff. I also never thought to keep watch boxes and paperwork (it’s a booklet) for decades. Some people honestly don’t think to keep all that stuff, esp. when you come of age in a time pre resellers and internet. But, the bulk of stuff I purchased was from the various boutiques and I never had an issue with servicing anything. DH just bought a Lange zeitwork watch And I bought a pair of earrings from Lange and Verdura Belperron salons, and we‘LL keep this paperwork, but it wasn’t our normal procedure. I do keep receipts if I think I will insure, but not for other things. People differ, and I wouldn’t think it’s suspicious per se. (I also don’t sell myself; I might consign and I let professionals worry about ascertaining value. JMO
 
I definitely have been collecting for more than 30 years also, and I also rarely sell anything. I don't have receipts for things from 30 years ago, either. However, I was not buying high end branded jewelry then, either, just staple pieces like studs and random pendants, earrings, and bracelets. I have some Tiffany pieces that may not have original paperwork, but for every VCA piece I have, I have a folder for sales receipts and COAs in case I ever decide to sell or in case there was a fire and I had to prove what I owned (with digital photos). I am just saying with the super fakes out there today...as in perfect copies of VCA pieces, I wouldn't buy second hand without knowing the seller or having the original COA or receipt. The price of second hand VCA is high, and I wouldn't pay that price for a fake piece. I have a friend who bought from a reputable consignment dealer and the piece actually came with a COA that didn't match the numbers on the piece (thank goodness she checked)! That got past the authenticators at the company! (They took the item back, of course, and didn't offer it for sale again, thankfully.) We've heard other examples, as well, of VCA refusing to work on pieces (sold by these vendors who supposedly authenticate) that they can't find in their records. So to me, if the piece does not have solid authentification, then it is only worth what a reproduction would cost. On very expensive pieces or heritage pieces, obviously one can pay the $1800 to have VCA authenticate the piece.

So I do agree with your point that people who have collected a lot of branded pieces for a long time may not have had the foresight to save COAs or receipts because they never intended to sell or insure. But it doesn't change my view that it's not safe to buy without them. I only buy new from a boutique other than a couple of pieces I bought from a friend, but she also provided me the original COA and purchase receipts.
 
I was trying to make point that even though a piece of jewellery does not have CoA or invoice it does not mean it is not authentic or super suspicious. In fact, replicas often come with so called "full set" with the CoA included.
I have been dealing with pre-loved VCA for quite some time now and there are many of them which do not have any documentation because in fact a lot of people do not keep it. Many get them as gifts, many just don't bother because they are not into that kind of thing, many people just do not know this jewellery "authentication" world so deeply. You would be surprised.
Typically with replicas you can see their tiny flaws upon close examination or even in the photos.
Going back to the original point of the author: have a very close look at the earrings, engraving etc. Everything has to be perfect, find photos of similar authentic items and compare very closely. If you have pics to share - post them here, I will have a look.
What I like here is authentic used pouch haha, and the "balls" on the earrings - high chance it's authentic but of course I won't tell 100% from 1 photo.
 
I definitely have been collecting for more than 30 years also, and I also rarely sell anything. I don't have receipts for things from 30 years ago, either. However, I was not buying high end branded jewelry then, either, just staple pieces like studs and random pendants, earrings, and bracelets. I have some Tiffany pieces that may not have original paperwork, but for every VCA piece I have, I have a folder for sales receipts and COAs in case I ever decide to sell or in case there was a fire and I had to prove what I owned (with digital photos). I am just saying with the super fakes out there today...as in perfect copies of VCA pieces, I wouldn't buy second hand without knowing the seller or having the original COA or receipt. The price of second hand VCA is high, and I wouldn't pay that price for a fake piece. I have a friend who bought from a reputable consignment dealer and the piece actually came with a COA that didn't match the numbers on the piece (thank goodness she checked)! That got past the authenticators at the company! (They took the item back, of course, and didn't offer it for sale again, thankfully.) We've heard other examples, as well, of VCA refusing to work on pieces (sold by these vendors who supposedly authenticate) that they can't find in their records. So to me, if the piece does not have solid authentification, then it is only worth what a reproduction would cost. On very expensive pieces or heritage pieces, obviously one can pay the $1800 to have VCA authenticate the piece.

So I do agree with your point that people who have collected a lot of branded pieces for a long time may not have had the foresight to save COAs or receipts because they never intended to sell or insure. But it doesn't change my view that it's not safe to buy without them. I only buy new from a boutique other than a couple of pieces I bought from a friend, but she also provided me the original COA and purchase receipts.
 
My father worked for Van Cleef in NYC for over 30 years and I have many pieces and originals that he made for me. I also have an original heart Alahambra necklace. I keep all of my pieces in the bank, except for the pieces I wear daily. You can always bring them to the store but make an appointment.
It would be lovely to see some of your unique items if you have photos of any.
 
My father worked for Van Cleef in NYC for over 30 years and I have many pieces and originals that he made for me. I also have an original heart Alahambra necklace. I keep all of my pieces in the bank, except for the pieces I wear daily. You can always bring them to the store but make an appointment.

Wow, that would be a dream for most of us here! I second the request for photos, if you wouldn't mind!