Temple St. Clair vs Van Cleef for gift?

[sedatedrainbow]

Hi folks!
I always know TPF members always have such great insights!
So, here we go.
I want to buy my mom a fun little present for Christmas.

I was looking at a necklace from Temple St. Clair with her classic amulet in the mix
OR
Mini Frivole bracelet.

What are your thoughts?
My mother loves VCA and doesn't own anything yet from them. However, I could get a better discount with Temple St. Clair that could bring it close to the VCA bracelet and I believe it's on the same level as VCA.
What would you do?
Thanks!

 

[kemilia]

I would go with picture #1.

 

[Diamondbirdie]

I love VCA but the mini bracelets are pretty delicate and maybe don’t make much of an impact alone (I have 2 Sweets that I stack, for example). For a slightly older woman (I’m assuming Mom is over 40!) the necklace is more substantial and would be more of a daily wear piece.

 

[Christiflora]

I prefer VCA over any other brands. However, I would hesitate getting Frivole for a bracelet for fear of wear and tear. The relatively large gold surface of the petals will be prone to scratches and dings, especially for a bracelet which tends to see more abuse than earrrings or pendants. Scratches on the gold petals would drive me crazy. I also worry about the potential loss of the diamond from damaged/weakened prongs. You may argue that the diamonds in a tennis bracelet has the same damage potential. What I worrry about is the much higher replacement cost of VCA diamond.
As alternative options, I would consider all gold VCA Alhambra bracelet (sweet or standard size) or a solitaire diamond pendant (non-VCA jewelry, but top cut diamond), or diamond earrrings (solitaire studs or solitaire danglers). If you prefer Frivole style, then I would choose Frivole earrrings.

 

[sedatedrainbow]

I would go with picture #1.

I love VCA but the mini bracelets are pretty delicate and maybe don’t make much of an impact alone (I have 2 Sweets that I stack, for example). For a slightly older woman (I’m assuming Mom is over 40!) the necklace is more substantial and would be more of a daily wear piece.

I prefer VCA over any other brands. However, I would hesitate getting Frivole for a bracelet for fear of wear and tear. The relatively large gold surface of the petals will be prone to scratches and dings, especially for a bracelet which tends to see more abuse than earrrings or pendants. Scratches on the gold petals would drive me crazy. I also worry about the potential loss of the diamond from damaged/weakened prongs. You may argue that the diamonds in a tennis bracelet has the same damage potential. What I worrry about is the much higher replacement cost of VCA diamond.
As alternative options, I would consider all gold VCA Alhambra bracelet (sweet or standard size) or a solitaire diamond pendant (non-VCA jewelry, but top cut diamond), or diamond earrrings (solitaire studs or solitaire danglers). If you prefer Frivole style, then I would choose Frivole earrrings.

Thanks so much everyone for your help so far! I know VCA is fantastic, but I think everyone has made some great points here.
I'll probably go with the temple st. clair items. My only hesitation is whether the brand is recognizable or if it's too obscure and not really 'iconic'.
I'd like to get my mother something else, but I'm purchasing pre-loved so I've narrowed down to these two options. There could be a frivole necklace also, but again, it's quite petite and perhaps not very substantial for an elderly lady
I just want to bring my mom a bit of happiness this year. It's been pretty awful for her.

 

[Gourmetgal]

Thanks so much everyone for your help so far! I know VCA is fantastic, but I think everyone has made some great points here.

My only hesitation is whether the brand is recognizable or if it's too obscure and not really 'iconic'.

A beautiful piece of jewelry does not have to be iconic...AKA, “me too”. Doesn’t anyone want to be unique anymore? My personal inclination is always to prefer the more unusual as I don’t like to see my clothing, accessories or jewelry on anyone else. The Temple St. Clair piece is really pretty and would make a stunning gift.

What a beautiful gesture to your mother. Hope it cheers her up!

 

[Deleted member 629947]

I have a couple of VCA jewellery pieces and like them a lot BUT truth be told VCA’s markup is gigantic. If you compare their craftsmanship to some of the other high end brands out there you won’t find much difference, I’m talking strictly fine everyday jewellery like rings and bracelets not their exquisite pieces of art which can hardly be matched.

I would go for the first option. It’s beautiful and more value for money.

That bracelet is ok too so if your mother wants to own sth by VCA regardless then do what would please her most

 

[restricter]

I’m a TSC fan from way back. Her colored gems are second to none and the workmanship is superb. If you do a search, you’ll see some of my pieces. I find I reach for my TSC more than my VCA. This is my TSC charm necklace, one of my favorite pieces.

 

[sedatedrainbow]

A beautiful piece of jewelry does not have to be iconic...AKA, “me too”. Doesn’t anyone want to be unique anymore? My personal inclination is always to prefer the more unusual as I don’t like to see my clothing, accessories or jewelry on anyone else. The Temple St. Clair piece is really pretty and would make a stunning gift.

What a beautiful gesture to your mother. Hope it cheers her up!

That's usually my inclination as well. I like unusual, but at TSC price tags I just want to make sure that the unusual is still a reflection of workmanship and quality etc. Thanks very much for your input!

I have a couple of VCA jewellery pieces and like them a lot BUT truth be told VCA’s markup is gigantic. If you compare their craftsmanship to some of the other high end brands out there you won’t find much difference, I’m talking strictly fine everyday jewellery like rings and bracelets not their exquisite pieces of art which can hardly be matched.

I would go for the first option. It’s beautiful and more value for money.

That bracelet is ok too so if your mother wants to own sth by VCA regardless then do what would please her most

Thanks for giving me some good insight into alternatives to VCA. I myself might reconsider what I'd like to accumulate in my collection of goods as I was leaning towards purchasing VCA items as my go-to pieces in the future.

I’m a TSC fan from way back. Her colored gems are second to none and the workmanship is superb. If you do a search, you’ll see some of my pieces. I find I reach for my TSC more than my VCA. This is my TSC charm necklace, one of my favorite pieces.

View attachment 4276285

That's awesome! Thanks for taking the time to post your reply and pics! That charm necklace is wonderful! I'm excited to potentially get this for my mother now!

Thanks to everyone for your replies! VCA is out of the running now. Hopefully, the seller gets back to me today and I'll have the piece to post on here. I'll be posting one other alternative in case the TSC necklace deal falls through to see what folks on here think.

Thanks again to the lovely TPFers for all of their support (as usual!)