Totally worth it-totally not worth it!

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#257
texasgirliegirl said:
I collect VCA and love it but I advise that you buy/ and enjoy what you love. It's true that if you purchased VCA years ago it's much more expensive now BUT resellers will only give you a portion of that. Additionally, while vintage alhambra can sell on eBay for close to current retail, the diamond pieces don't hold the same value.
You just need to determine what you love and then enjoy it.
Sometimes it takes years to figure it out ☺️
You can't go wrong with beautiful Classic pieces with a few fun items thrown in.
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Oh i thought the ones with diamond are always the expensive ones...now I know...do you know why?
 
#262
texasgirliegirl said:
They are more expensive. Always.

The percentage return should you ever sell it isn't as great.

I'm a big fan of VCA diamond pieces.....
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TGG, do you think it depends on the piece, though? I think the regular alhambra pave earclips and ring keep their value fairly well. Actually, considering what it is, I think the regular pave ring is not a bad retail price. OTOH, other pieces, like the diamond Perlèe...not so much. Yes, they are beyond gorgeous, but as far as "worth" it, unfortunately, not.
 
#263
Worth it:
My diamond studs, diamond hoops, sapphire w diamond halo studs, my eternity and sapphire bands, reset ERing, Tag watch, my Italian gold necklaces, pendants, and bracelets, gold charm bracelet

Not worth it:
Alex and Annie bracelets ( everyone has them, I just can't wear them anymore)
Pandora bracelet (too heavy)
Full price jcrew statement necklace ( I always find them on sale.. So on sale they are worth it)
 
#264
Mcandy said:
Me, I can live without earrings and necklaces but I could not do without my rings and a bracelet..I have to have at least my wedding ring on my left finger and one ring on the right..MK watches looks good but I prefer movado and even a tommy hilfiger watch over this. The stainless steel strap looks and feels light and thus not worth the money. It used to be a trend some time ago. Plus, big watches never look good on my thin wrists. Wow! You got 24k gold aye? My hubby got me a 21k bangle from saudi and much as I love the design i hate that it could cut you like a knife. The edges are really rough and it even peeled my husbands skin when I accidentally rub him with it. I shudder remembering that long strip of his skin. Now each time I see his keloid scar I still shudder. Heck, I even scratched my legs with it during my washroom break I pulled underneath the surface of the bangle.. I only wear it when im using a sweater and no kids around. I dont like to get rid of it because aside from sentimental reasons, its a good quality gold. Saudi gold is one of the purest gold there is.
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wow, it sounds like a good weapon at least! hah!

anything above 18K - 24K is so pliable so mostly depending on design not good in terms of wear - I have some beautiful 24K pieces from Istanbul and they all broke! Still in my "to be fixed" box but in reality they will only break again...at least the carpets I bought there are even more exquisite and I bought very old ones! My Turkish friends cautioned against 24K, I learned my lesson!!
 
#265
palmbeachpink said:
wow, it sounds like a good weapon at least! hah!

anything above 18K - 24K is so pliable so mostly depending on design not good in terms of wear - I have some beautiful 24K pieces from Istanbul and they all broke! Still in my "to be fixed" box but in reality they will only break again...at least the carpets I bought there are even more exquisite and I bought very old ones! My Turkish friends cautioned against 24K, I learned my lesson!!
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Maybe remelt them and make new jewelry? That is if you know of an honest jeweller..
 
#266
Worth it: just about all my fine jewelry, including Tiffany silver. I don't buy jewelry with the intent of reselling it, so I'm not concerned with whether it is appreciating in value or not. Also, my super cheap costume jewelry. I have no regrets paying $20 for a fun statement necklace and then giving it away when it goes out of style.

Not worth it: Mid-range and higher end costume jewelry. I have so much J Crew/Banana Republic/Kate Spade/department store fashion jewelry and it's so not worth the prices I paid, especially considering the quality. Also, my diamond studs. I asked for them as a gift and was pleased to get them as they are on every list of essential jewelry items every woman should own, but I never, ever wear them. I put them in, look in the mirror, and then change them out for something else. But, since they were a gift, I could never get rid of them.
 
#267
My worth it list:

  • Hermes Farandole 120cm: So easy to wear. Toss on and go. Perfect with jeans and a tee. Right length as a long necklace
  • Chanel Glass Bead necklaces from the Classic line (Black, White and Gray). Goes with everything, simple, and love the little CCs.
  • Cartier Love Bracelet. A Classic
  • Rolex Date Just. A Classic
  • Anything VCA.
  • While I don't own these, I think a diamond tennis bracelet and a Cartier Watch, would be worth it investments.

My not worth it list:

  • Hermes Clic Clac Bracelets. So many reasons but luckily I only have three before I realized they are not worth it for me.
  • All the costume jewelry I got over the years from JCrew, Ann Taylor, Gap, etc.
  • Chanel Jewelry. The seasonal pieces. Get dated quickly and for the price, don't hold up well. Luckily, I only have two pieces before I realized not to 'invest' in Chanel Jewelry anymore.
  • Hermes Farandole 160cm: Even at 5'9" it was WAY too long for me. And when I would double or triple it up, the weight of it shifted on my neck and it would one strand would be strangling my neck and the other would be hanging so far down. So I was having to constantly adjust it. Keeping it for the time being as I may use it for a strap for a bag or wallet on a chain. But it is in my not worth it column.
  • Anything Tiffany. I've never been impressed with their stuff. That's just me.
 
#269
Squids said:
Not worth it: Mid-range and higher end costume jewelry. ... Also, my diamond studs. I asked for them as a gift and was pleased to get them as they are on every list of essential jewelry items every woman should own, but I never, ever wear them. I put them in, look in the mirror, and then change them out for something else. But, since they were a gift, I could never get rid of them.
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Why don't you reset them? Make a pendant and a ring - or add a different center stone and make a 3 stone ring?
 
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#270
Vintage Leather said:
Somehow, cleaning out the jewelry box has taken a lot more time than I thought when I initially made this list... But, my opinion and taste has evolved.

Worth It:
Tiffany Elsa Peretti, Frank Gehry pieces - I still love DBTY, Starfish, the Infinity Cross, Orchid and Fish. A lot of the overproduced pieces irritate me, however.
Antique watches - 1910-1975 gold watches. Classic styles, simple look. I have a pendant, two cocktail, and two wrist watches (3of these watches were inherited - CPW is in the pennies!)
Costume jewelry - I love the striking French statement pieces. Big bold necklaces and earrings. But a lot of the other stuff is just overwhelming


Not Worth It:
A lot of branded trendy silver - Tiffany, John Hardy, David Yurman, Konstantino, Kieselstein Cord.... it seemed like a good idea at the time. But I should have stopped after a piece
Modern watches - I have one "beater" watch, and it is a solid daily piece. However, I have a lot more than one watch, and I still haven't remembered those darn batteries and bands. More work than I am willing to put in to it
Heavy earrings - Hello ripped earlobes! I've converted several pieces to clips.
Logo jewelry - thankfully, I've managed to give away or sell what I once had.
Costume jewelry - there is such a thing as too much. I've hit that point.


I have a lot more "stuff" to get rid of before I really finish off weeding through my jewelry. So, in 6mo to a year, I'll clean out more and have even more "Not Worth It" items.
I have learned that "One thing is good, two is not better. Three negates any good from the One Thing"
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The problem with being on this board for a number of years is that you occasionally see posts you made in the past and thing "My god, who was this idiot... ooh... me." Yeah, see where I said "in 6mo to a year..." didn't happen. The jewelry box still needs to be cleaned out.

BUT, 4 years after my initial post:

Worth it:
-Vintage pieces, big and bold costume or delicate real. I've become a quality snob; more inclined to look at the back of a piece than I did at the front of it.
-Pins and brooches in sterling or gold
-DBTY set; I've worn the earrings for about 250 days out of the year - well over a third. My other earnings are sulking in their boxes about being neglected. I haven't worn the necklace as much, but its great as a dainty bit of sparkle.
-My double-strand pearl necklace. I have enough pearls to turn it into a three, and I've been debating if it would add or not...
-The big chunky white plastic necklace from the 40s that the Knight gave me for Christmas one year. It's appalling how much I wear it.

Not worth it:
- Anything I have functional duplicates of. Again, One is good, Two is not better, Three is just plain bad.
Looking through my jewelry, I had a tendency to buy into things I loved.
What I mean is, I loved the piece; it was beautiful and full and a joy to wear. Because I loved the one piece, I thought I loved the maker. So I bought more pieces by the same maker. I don't love them as much, and I'd rather wear the piece I found first. So... it only took me four years, and some painfully expensive lessons to learn to sit down, look at why I like something, and only get things that spark joy.
 
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