Share your VCA journey

[EpiFanatic]

Hi lovely fellow VCA fans, I just wanted to ask everyone where they are in their VCA journey and how did you get here. I started musing on my circuitous route. My first piece was a pre-loved sweet turquoise butterfly bracelet. And then after one more sweet piece I moved to the vintage size because everyone said the sweet was too small. I love all my vintage bracelets that I accumulated I’ve the following six years, and the bangles I got. But after having tried the larger size I have come to realize the sweet size is most ideal for my daily wear, and daily wear is the most important factor to me. I want to see it and appreciate it all day. It’s funny how I had to try everything to be certain about what I really like and what works best for my life. I am quite minimalist and like less statement pieces, and I think I’m finally fine with that.

I would love to hear what others have learned on their VCA journey.

 

[eternallove4bag]

I began my VCA journey around six and a half years or so. I was initially drawn to their Alhambra line, particularly their white mop and malachite pieces. During my visits to the store, I was enamored by their pave pieces, in particular the perlee designs. But, their price point kept me far far away. At that time I wasn’t even sure I liked jewelry or would wear it so I balked at buying pave pieces that cost an arm and a leg! Anyway, I was in the throes of a love affair with Hermès at the time and was too busy buying shawls, shoes and bags from them to contemplate buying anything expensive from VCA (I know many can relate ). My love and appreciation for VCA was a slow and enduring one. It took me sometime to get convinced to even purchase my first piece from them. But, once I did I appreciated their quality and excellent customer service. It helped that my VCA SA was super patient and helpful and honestly acted as my therapist through the years! Not kidding! I would go with jumbled up thoughts on what I should add next and he would help me sort out my messy, entangled thoughts so we could build a cohesive collection (down the line) with zero pressures. I think it took me almost a year of trying pieces before I actually bought anything!

Some of the things I have learnt over the years when it comes to building my collection:

1. Have a working WL of items that you think you want to add down the line. Give it sometime to see which items stick and which fall off over the next few months or years.
2. Don’t try to buy small items to scratch that itch of just adding something when your focus is on ultimately adding a bigger, more expensive piece. No matter how many small knick-knacks you add, your heart will always crave for that one big piece and never truly be satisfied so save your money, time and energy. Save, save and save for the item you actually want!
3. Be ready for your tastes to change over the years and that’s okay. If you added classic pieces, they will stand the test of time even if momentarily you might not reach out for them. So for me, classic pieces win. I don’t do trendy - bags, clothes, shoes or jewelry. Period.
4. Listen to everyone’s advice but ultimately you do YOU. No one knows you like you do so don’t get swayed away by what others are saying. I am not saying disregard all feedback but take it with a pinch of salt because each person’s advice is driven by their personal tastes and likings so their advice may work for them. But, not necessarily for you. Decisions that are 90% yours and 10% driven by feedback from others work. Honestly, the bigger the percentage that comes from your own experience the better!
5. Buy pieces that suit your lifestyle and feel comfortable to you. It’s great to draw inspiration from others but ultimately you will be wearing those pieces yourself and what’s the point of buying a 30k piece that looked amazing on someone else but you don’t have occasions to wear it.

Even after all the strategic planning, you find you made mistakes and have pieces you rarely reach for, re-home them. It’s okay to make mistakes. We are human. Learn from the mistake and move on. In the past I have been hard on myself for getting things I ultimately didn’t like as much. I berated myself so much and then I had to remind myself, it’s just a bag or jewelry for God’s sake. Inanimate things are nice to have but they can’t and shouldn’t bring you down.

I am at a point where I am only willing to add pieces that wow me leaps and bounds. I have bought a couple of pieces from VCA in the last 1-2 years and that’s it.

I have made my peace that I will never be a minimalist but I also don’t want to end up with anything and everything. I am super strategic about the pieces I want and I just need to stick by it. I am not kidding that these days I have become really good at talking myself out of buying pieces. I get tempted and start thinking maybe I should get this or that and then I calm myself down till better sense prevails! Lol!

I am also truly trying to shop from my own closet before I add more pieces. This year, I have just one piece of jewelry I want to add, which is a SO that got approved. That will be it for me.

I wrote a darn story, didn’t I? Consider this the perils of my profession!
Sorry, but maybe this will be helpful to any newbie like I was once. I am still learning myself and I am looking forward to hearing others experiences!

Thanks @EpiFanatic for starting this thread! Penning everything down is therapeutic

 

[EpiFanatic]

I began my VCA journey around six and a half years or so. I was initially drawn to their Alhambra line, particularly their white mop and malachite pieces. During my visits to the store, I was enamored by their pave pieces, in particular the perlee designs. But, their price point kept me far far away. At that time I wasn’t even sure I liked jewelry or would wear it so I balked at buying pave pieces that cost an arm and a leg! Anyway, I was in the throes of a love affair with Hermès at the time and was too busy buying shawls, shoes and bags from them to contemplate buying anything expensive from VCA (I know many can relate ). My love and appreciation for VCA was a slow and enduring one. It took me sometime to get convinced to even purchase my first piece from them. But, once I did I appreciated their quality and excellent customer service. It helped that my VCA SA was super patient and helpful and honestly acted as my therapist through the years! Not kidding! I would go with jumbled up thoughts on what I should add next and he would help me sort out my messy, entangled thoughts so we could build a cohesive collection (down the line) with zero pressures. I think it took me almost a year of trying pieces before I actually bought anything!

Some of the things I have learnt over the years when it comes to building my collection:

1. Have a working WL of items that you think you want to add down the line. Give it sometime to see which items stick and which fall off over the next few months or years.
2. Don’t try to buy small items to scratch that itch of just adding something when your focus is on ultimately adding a bigger, more expensive piece. No matter how many small knick-knacks you add, your heart will always crave for that one big piece and never truly be satisfied so save your money, time and energy. Save, save and save for the item you actually want!
3. Be ready for your tastes to change over the years and that’s okay. If you added classic pieces, they will stand the test of time even if momentarily you might not reach out for them. So for me, classic pieces win. I don’t do trendy - bags, clothes, shoes or jewelry. Period.
4. Listen to everyone’s advice but ultimately you do YOU. No one knows you like you do so don’t get swayed away by what others are saying. I am not saying disregard all feedback but take it with a pinch of salt because each person’s advice is driven by their personal tastes and likings so their advice may work for them. But, not necessarily for you. Decisions that are 90% yours and 10% driven by feedback from others work. Honestly, the bigger the percentage that comes from your own experience the better!
5. Buy pieces that suit your lifestyle and feel comfortable to you. It’s great to draw inspiration from others but ultimately you will be wearing those pieces yourself and what’s the point of buying a 30k piece that looked amazing on someone else but you don’t have occasions to wear it.

Even after all the strategic planning, you find you made mistakes and have pieces you rarely reach for, re-home them. It’s okay to make mistakes. We are human. Learn from the mistake and move on. In the past I have been hard on myself for getting things I ultimately didn’t like as much. I berated myself so much and then I had to remind myself, it’s just a bag or jewelry for God’s sake. Inanimate things are nice to have but they can’t and shouldn’t bring you down.

I am at a point where I am only willing to add pieces that wow me leaps and bounds. I have bought a couple of pieces from VCA in the last 1-2 years and that’s it.

I have made my peace that I will never be a minimalist but I also don’t want to end up with anything and everything. I am super strategic about the pieces I want and I just need to stick by it. I am not kidding that these days I have become really good at talking myself out of buying pieces. I get tempted and start thinking maybe I should get this or that and then I calm myself down till better sense prevails! Lol!

I am also truly trying to shop from my own closet before I add more pieces. This year, I have just one piece of jewelry I want to add, which is a SO that got approved. That will be it for me.

I wrote a darn story, didn’t I? Consider this the perils of my profession!
Sorry, but maybe this will be helpful to any newbie like I was once. I am still learning myself and I am looking forward to hearing others experiences!

Thanks @EpiFanatic for starting this thread! Penning everything down is therapeutic

Thank you for sharing your story. Your kindness and graciousness shines through. Your tightly curated collection is the stuff of dreams, so beautifully harmonious, and works with everything you have, wardrobe, bags, your style, all of it. Your pics inspire me to make the best of my haphazard collection.

 

[eternallove4bag]

Thank you for sharing your story. Your kindness and graciousness shines through. Your tightly curated collection is the stuff of dreams, so beautifully harmonious, and works with everything you have, wardrobe, bags, your style, all of it. Your pics inspire me to make the best of my haphazard collection.

Aww your kind words made my day @EpiFanatic So often people use words to hurt or withhold it to make a needless point so your kind words are much appreciated

And girl, you tempt me with ur fabulous WG pieces every time you post!

 

[snnysmm]

I saw a friend from high school wearing a clover necklace (vintage Alhambra) and decided I wanted it lol. I remember being shocked at the price. $2400 for a necklace?! Surely, this can’t be the necklace she was wearing. Surely it had to be the “cheaper” one (the sweet size)!

I told my then boyfriend I really wanted it and he took me to VCA and bought it for me. Four years later, now I am paying the kind $$$$ for jewelry I never thought I would.

1. I’ve learned that don’t like to resell or rehome items, so I try to picture my older self wearing it. If I still see myself wearing it, then it goes on my wishlist.

2. I try to stay on the wagon and wait for the item I really love and wait for that meaningful occasion (hello, Mothers Day!), so that they all have some meaning associated.

3. My wishlist is constantly evolving because as I go through life’s changes, I’m still trying to figure out my style.

 

[wisconsin]

I began my VCA journey around six and a half years or so. I was initially drawn to their Alhambra line, particularly their white mop and malachite pieces. During my visits to the store, I was enamored by their pave pieces, in particular the perlee designs. But, their price point kept me far far away. At that time I wasn’t even sure I liked jewelry or would wear it so I balked at buying pave pieces that cost an arm and a leg! Anyway, I was in the throes of a love affair with Hermès at the time and was too busy buying shawls, shoes and bags from them to contemplate buying anything expensive from VCA (I know many can relate ). My love and appreciation for VCA was a slow and enduring one. It took me sometime to get convinced to even purchase my first piece from them. But, once I did I appreciated their quality and excellent customer service. It helped that my VCA SA was super patient and helpful and honestly acted as my therapist through the years! Not kidding! I would go with jumbled up thoughts on what I should add next and he would help me sort out my messy, entangled thoughts so we could build a cohesive collection (down the line) with zero pressures. I think it took me almost a year of trying pieces before I actually bought anything!

Some of the things I have learnt over the years when it comes to building my collection:

1. Have a working WL of items that you think you want to add down the line. Give it sometime to see which items stick and which fall off over the next few months or years.
2. Don’t try to buy small items to scratch that itch of just adding something when your focus is on ultimately adding a bigger, more expensive piece. No matter how many small knick-knacks you add, your heart will always crave for that one big piece and never truly be satisfied so save your money, time and energy. Save, save and save for the item you actually want!
3. Be ready for your tastes to change over the years and that’s okay. If you added classic pieces, they will stand the test of time even if momentarily you might not reach out for them. So for me, classic pieces win. I don’t do trendy - bags, clothes, shoes or jewelry. Period.
4. Listen to everyone’s advice but ultimately you do YOU. No one knows you like you do so don’t get swayed away by what others are saying. I am not saying disregard all feedback but take it with a pinch of salt because each person’s advice is driven by their personal tastes and likings so their advice may work for them. But, not necessarily for you. Decisions that are 90% yours and 10% driven by feedback from others work. Honestly, the bigger the percentage that comes from your own experience the better!
5. Buy pieces that suit your lifestyle and feel comfortable to you. It’s great to draw inspiration from others but ultimately you will be wearing those pieces yourself and what’s the point of buying a 30k piece that looked amazing on someone else but you don’t have occasions to wear it.

Even after all the strategic planning, you find you made mistakes and have pieces you rarely reach for, re-home them. It’s okay to make mistakes. We are human. Learn from the mistake and move on. In the past I have been hard on myself for getting things I ultimately didn’t like as much. I berated myself so much and then I had to remind myself, it’s just a bag or jewelry for God’s sake. Inanimate things are nice to have but they can’t and shouldn’t bring you down.

I am at a point where I am only willing to add pieces that wow me leaps and bounds. I have bought a couple of pieces from VCA in the last 1-2 years and that’s it.

I have made my peace that I will never be a minimalist but I also don’t want to end up with anything and everything. I am super strategic about the pieces I want and I just need to stick by it. I am not kidding that these days I have become really good at talking myself out of buying pieces. I get tempted and start thinking maybe I should get this or that and then I calm myself down till better sense prevails! Lol!

I am also truly trying to shop from my own closet before I add more pieces. This year, I have just one piece of jewelry I want to add, which is a SO that got approved. That will be it for me.

I wrote a darn story, didn’t I? Consider this the perils of my profession!
Sorry, but maybe this will be helpful to any newbie like I was once. I am still learning myself and I am looking forward to hearing others experiences!

Thanks @EpiFanatic for starting this thread! Penning everything down is therapeutic

I love your story and now I am curious about your proffesion. But what is trendy in Vca? A few years ago,an SA told me rose gold was trendy so I did not buy any rose gold vca pieces.

 

[eternallove4bag]

I love your story and now I am curious about your proffesion. But what is trendy in Vca? A few years ago,an SA told me rose gold was trendy so I did not buy any rose gold vca pieces.

Thank you @wisconsin

Haha let’s just say it involves a lot of reading, researching, working with numbers and writing!

Honestly, nothing from VCA comes to mind that’s trendy. The Alhambra, perlee, Frivole are as classic as they come! That’s why 99% of my luxury-brand jewelry is from VCA. I was at London Jewelers one day and saw so many trendy gorgeous pieces that looked amazing but I could see myself outgrowing them pretty fast! Ditto with bags. There are so many ‘it’ bags but as tempted as I am I still stick to the classics.

I know many think RG is trendy but seriously, what’s trendy about 18k gold for God’s sake? Each type of gold Even though majority of my jewelry is yellow gold, I love rose gold for how it looks on my skin tone without any harshness. It just accentuates the beauty of each design even more imo. It’s like small bags versus big bags. I couldn’t care less what’s trending. I prefer small bags because I carry next to nothing so I don’t ever seeing myself outgrowing the smaller sizes. To me the silhouette and style is what makes the bags classic.

My definition of classic may be a bit warped but anything I see myself wearing for years to come that’s a classic in my mind that will stand the test of time. And it’s definitely such a personal choice. For example, my mom thinks any jewelry which is not 22-24K gold is not real gold. I mean!!!!!
I have given up convincing her that 18K gold not equal to costume jewelry

 

[wisconsin]

Thank you @wisconsin

Haha let’s just say it involves a lot of reading, researching, working with numbers and writing!

Honestly, nothing from VCA comes to mind that’s trendy. The Alhambra, perlee, Frivole are as classic as they come! That’s why 99% of my luxury-brand jewelry is from VCA. I was at London Jewelers one day and saw so many trendy gorgeous pieces that looked amazing but I could see myself outgrowing them pretty fast! Ditto with bags. There are so many ‘it’ bags but as tempted as I am I still stick to the classics.

I know many think RG is trendy but seriously, what’s trendy about 18k gold for God’s sake? Each type of gold Even though majority of my jewelry is yellow gold, I love rose gold for how it looks on my skin tone without any harshness. It just accentuates the beauty of each design even more imo. It’s like small bags versus big bags. I couldn’t care less what’s trending. I prefer small bags because I carry next to nothing so I don’t ever seeing myself outgrowing the smaller sizes. To me the silhouette and style is what makes the bags classic.

My definition of classic may be a bit warped but anything I see myself wearing for years to come that’s a classic in my mind that will stand the test of time. And it’s definitely such a personal choice. For example, my mom thinks any jewelry which is not 22-24K gold is not real gold. I mean!!!!!
I have given up convincing her that 18K gold not equal to costume jewelry

So true. Gold of any hue is timeless for sure. Thanks for your reply.

 

[EANS]

I enjoyed reading each of the VCA journey stories. Thank you for sharing! Here is my VCA journey. Before I start, I want to give a bit of my background. I am an Indian origin Professor of Applied Statistics in a R1 (research intensive) US university. Why I am sharing this? Because in my work environment my colleagues occasionally wear dainty and subtle jewelry pieces. However, being born and raised (first 23 years of my life) in India means I appreciate gold jewelry very much and I enjoy non-dainty pieces more. In my culture men and women often wear non-dainty gold jewelry in everyday life. So, I have been in conflict for a long time on how to combine my love for non-dainty jewelry with my very modest work environment where I spend significant part of my life.

To top it with the above dilemma, I love both white and yellow gold equally. All the jewelry from my parents and husband has been in yellow gold. So in 2021 my husband gifted me my first white gold bangle (Cartier love with four diamonds) to mark my 40th birthday. I loved it so much that I wanted to add a white gold necklace that I could wear to work. I saw a colleague wear VCA MOP vintage Alhambra and I fell in love. I bought my first VCA piece soon afterwards, which was WG Magic MOP. The pendant is not dainty but it is also not too obvious, if you know what I mean. I like VCA WG very much and now in less than two years I have acquired several pieces that I enjoy wearing to work without feeling self conscious.

What is next on my journey? Well, I plan to build my (pave) yellow gold VCA collection starting from next year that I can wear in fall and winter months. My list is not long. I only have three pieces: pave vintage Alhambra, pave guilloche 5-motif bracelet and guilloche earrings.

 

[hja]

What a great thread, @EpiFanatic!

I started my VCA journey not too many years ago...in 2021, after getting a huge promotion. I had always loved VCA pieces but was never ready to take the plunge in getting any of its creations. When I got promoted, I thought getting a VCA would be a great way to commemorate my achievement. I met 2 great SAs who helped me obtain pieces which I had admired over the years.

Where am I at now with VCA? I am happy with my collection which has grown quite fast, since getting my first VCA piece. I will be taking a step back from purchasing further creations for now. What I've learnt from my VCA journey are:

1. Buy what you love, even if the style is not a "popular" creation. At the end of the day, it is you who would be paying for the creation. Buy and wear what makes you happy.

2. Don't settle. I agree with @eternallove4bag of not buying small items to scratch that itch. Go for what you really want, even if it means having to save up longer for it. The thing you really wanted will bring you so much more joy than all the smaller items you settled for.

3. Buy the most expensive item on your list first. With the constant price increases, the savings can be pretty substantial.

 

[Charishrowen]

I started purchasing VCA items in 2021. First purchase was vintage onyx single pendant, then 5 motif onyx bracelet followed by vintage onyx earrings. I started just wanting to collect a full set although I never wear the entire full set together as I feel I can mix many different collections together. Onyx is supposed to be one of the sturdiest stones. I had no intention of getting anymore pieces until I realized the sweet mop single pendant would look very nice and dainty layered with other single pendant pieces. Once I got that I fell in love MOP and got the vintage matching earrings. Then I started to look at their other lines of jewelry and fell in love with the frivole collection. I purchased the small YG earrings and then came back for the YG in between the finger ring. I was told by many people the ring could scratch and is not a practical wearable item for everyday use. I happen to disagree I wear it for all occasions with jeans or to dress up and go to an event. Yes it scratches but all gold does so that doesn’t bother me. Lesson learned here is to go with your instinct and works for you may not work for others and that is ok. In an effort to create a set I purchased the mini frivole necklace and this is where I learned that it is easy to become impatient and I should of held off as I don’t really love the mini and should have saved my money and purchased the pave pendant. I don’t resell anything I purchase so now I think I will give it to my daughter so I can move on to more of a statement piece from the collection. After that I wanted to add more gold pieces to my collection that could be mixed and matched with my Cartier pieces so I got the 5 motif YG guilloche bracelet, single pendant, and vintage earrings. This is where I learned that I have preferred dainty necklaces in the past and now like more statement pieces so taste changes over time. I regret getting the guilloche vintage pendant necklace and should have purchased the 10 motif necklace. However, it’s too shiny on the neck and I want to wear as an everyday piece so now I am on the wishlist in NY as they stopped taking orders for the YG hammered 10 motif. My advice is to take your time and don’t make the mistake I have made of just trying to make a full set. Every piece should be something you can see yourself having in your collection for a lifetime. Finally, while I have loved the Perlee collection I knew I only wanted the signature clover bracelet the thick one and that was very expensive. I didn’t want to settle and get something more in my price range and regret it later so this is where I started to learn from my mistakes. I waited until I had a huge work accomplishment and purchased the bracelet and matching thick ring. Now I am on the waitlist for the pave Alhambra diamond YG earrings. Sets don’t have to be completed from within the same line and that is the beauty of VCA.