VCA 10 motif, 5 motif, or tiffany hardwear?

[gainzilla]

Hi everyone! I'll be in Europe for my honeymoon, and although the VCA discount isn't really there, it would be very sentimental if my husband and I bought a piece from France. I have a blue agate 5 motif bracelet in yellow gold and a Tiffany hardwear small link necklace in yellow gold. He would like to twin with me, and I would like a necklace option (either by extending the chains or buying a whole necklace). Which do you think I should get?
Some photos of my considerations:

 

[pinkmilq]

I feel like it really depends! Do you feel you’d get more use out of a necklace or bracelet? And what color do you feel yourself more drawn to (what matches your wardrobe, skin tone, what makes you smile, etc.)? This is just me, but I’d honestly go for VCA over Tiffany any day! Not to say I don’t love Tiffany (I do), but Van Cleef always wins in my heart.

 

[gainzilla]

I feel like it really depends! Do you feel you’d get more use out of a necklace or bracelet? And what color do you feel yourself more drawn to (what matches your wardrobe, skin tone, what makes you smile, etc.)? This is just me, but I’d honestly go for VCA over Tiffany any day! Not to say I don’t love Tiffany (I do), but Van Cleef always wins in my heart.

I was going to get a bracelet to connect with my own bracelet. I know it's frowned upon, but it doesn't really matter to me. Sometimes it's bracelet season; sometimes it's necklace season. Right now, I prefer wearing my necklaces over bracelets. I think I prefer the blue actually. Interested why you prefer Van Cleef over Tiffany?

 

[A bottle of Red]

If you enjoy a matching set of bracelet and necklace, then I would get one of those , rather than branching into the carnelian.
However, if you don't care about matching, the carnelian guilloche is truly a special piece. I love mine
And congratulations on your honeymoon

 

[Diamondbirdie]

I voted carnelian/guilloche. To me, it’s too matchy-matchy to buy the blue necklace, and another blue bracelet feels like you’re not getting something new and different enough to celebrate a honeymoon. The Tiffany is gorgeous but I think that specific design will date, whereas you’ll be able to wear the VCA when you are 80!

 

[CateMoss]

Buying VCA in Europe is a lovely memento of your honeymoon. Just my opinion, but I think of Alhambra as classic pieces which will last a lifetime but the Tiffany Hardwear as more of a fashion piece of jewellery, albeit a beautiful necklace.

I think it would be lovely to buy the matching 10-motif BA necklace at this point. You can wear your necklace and bracelet together, or connect them to make a 15-motif. The 10-motif BA is just gorgeous, and not as commonly seen as some of the other Alhambra pieces.

Also, as others have posted before, connecting 2 x5-motifs to make a necklace doesn’t always work so well as the spacing between the motifs is smaller than on the 10-motif, so you may want to consider this too.

But as always, you should get what makes you happy. Enjoy your honeymoon!

 

[CoastalCouture]

If you'll be in Europe for your honeymoon, I think it makes more sense to buy from a European house, in the case of Van Cleef & Arpels, French. I adore Tiffany and have plenty of of pieces from them but, they are an American jeweler and I think it makes more sense to buy from them in the United States, if that is were you live, or if not, then when you visit.

Of the Van Cleef pieces you are interested in, I think that the Blue Agate 10 motif Alhambra necklace would be nice but, you really need to try it on to know for sure. The 10 motif necklace is a style that just doesn't suit me, and as much as I admire them on others, it's not for me. You'll know when you see it!

 

[A bottle of Red]

Another option is to get a Paris specific piece from van Cleef ( they have certain stones that are only for Paris).

 

[pinkmilq]

I was going to get a bracelet to connect with my own bracelet. I know it's frowned upon, but it doesn't really matter to me. Sometimes it's bracelet season; sometimes it's necklace season. Right now, I prefer wearing my necklaces over bracelets. I think I prefer the blue actually. Interested why you prefer Van Cleef over Tiffany?

I don’t think it’s bad at all to connect your two bracelets! I’ve never known that it was frowned upon or thought anything bad of it before. Since you love the blue and are hoping to connect the two bracelets, the 2nd blue agate 5 motif would allow you the most versatility. But I don’t think the 10 motif is a bad option either. It’s more about preference at that point, like say, if you’d like a necklace that you can wear at the same time as your bracelet (rather than connecting the two).

As far as my Van Cleef bias — it’s mostly for personal reasons. I’ve always loved the brand. A lot of it has to do with design preferences and the experiences I’ve had in-boutique. The brand itself really resonates with me. I think design and experience wise, Tiffany would be a close second. However! One thing that really gets me are the necklace/bracelet clasps. VCA has (by far) the best, easiest-to-put-on clasps I’ve ever seen. They’re very smooth to open/close and I never struggle with them. My Tiffany DBTY necklace clasp on the other hand… it’s made me come close to wanting to sell the necklace itself. Somehow, it’s a lot more poke-y and uncomfortable to work with.

Regardless of what you choose, please keep this thread updated. I’d love to know what you end up deciding on!

 

[gainzilla]

Thank you everyone for your takes and well wishes! I've decided to save up for the 10 motif blue agate necklace (yikes my wallet). We're prioritizing some renovations first, so it will have to wait despite the tempting VAT tax back. Maybe we'll try our luck with VAT refunds during a subsequent Asia trip. I absolutely love the look. The blue just glows.

 

[gainzilla]

In case any one was interested, my husband and I purchased the Dior rose des vents medallion necklace in the onyx and rose gold. It fit our budget for a not-so-precious stone necklace and style preferences. The resale value isn't great, but it's not like VCA's onyx pieces are faring much better resale.

 

[A bottle of Red]

In case any one was interested, my husband and I purchased the Dior rose des vents medallion necklace in the onyx and rose gold. It fit our budget for a not-so-precious stone necklace and style preferences. The resale value isn't great, but it's not like VCA's onyx pieces are faring much better resale.

Enjoy your new necklace!