VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!

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@BigAkoya I really hope that they will come up with more long necklaces, they are just so easy to wear. I am back on the track for saving up for yg mop 20 motif, after considering billions of others I decided that I should go with my first thought. First thoughts/choices generally turn out to be the best choice :biggrin: CdH collection is not very loud at the first glance but I think it fits very well with Hellebore and let the Hellebore shine without overpowering it. Bracelet seems very flowy/elfish/fairy I am sure it would look great on you :smile: I am wondering if they have a hellebore brooch in the collection. The modshots of the ring on website includes the brooch but I could not find it on website, is it discontinued or are they using earrings as brooch? (crazy idea:biggrin:)
I think you will love the 20! I love 20s, so careful and chic.
Yes, there is a Hellebore brooch, but it is lapis and turquoise. The Hellebore collection is now considered MTO (Made To Order), and I think VCA has pulled their pieces from direct access in their website. However, if you google, you can still access the pieces back door.

Here is the ring: Hellébore ring - VCARP7EO00 - Van Cleef & Arpels (vancleefarpels.com)

If you look at the photos, one of them has the brooch! :biggrin:

By the way, there is a BTF version too, but as much as I love BTF rings, I'm not a fan of the turquoise flower for some reason. It lacks depth to me:
Hellébore Between the Finger Ring - VCARP7EP00 - Van Cleef & Arpels (vancleefarpels.com)
 
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Hello all!
I am thinking of purchasing my first VCA and I was wondering if it’s a better idea to get this in Europe or NYC? Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Hi! For me, I always prefer to buy bling in my home country which is the US, so to answer you, for me, I would go to NYC.
The piece is registered to where you purchased it, you now have a relationship at the boutique, and if you ever need any servicing, you can get help there. Plus, if this is your first piece, it will not be your last. :biggrin:
VCA and other luxury jewelry is all about fit and customization. You may save a few pennies getting it in Europe, but what is most valuable to me is the after care if you ever need it adjusted (or repaired).

Short story...
I just purchased a pair of earrings... I am super picky on fit for comfort as I have super sensitive ear piercings. Coming up will be the third time I need to send these earrings back to my SA to adjust...such drama. :shocked:
My SA is super nice and even said "you can send back all your earrings to make them all fit exactly the same" :biggrin:

My point in sharing this is you never know what you need in after care... an earring loosened, a necklace lengthened, a new travel pouch, etc...

That's what I would do. Hope this helps. Good luck and congratulations on your soon to be first piece!
Post mod shots if you're not shy! We all love to see beautiful bling! :nuts:
 
I use Chubb, but I am not sure if they still offer stand-alone jewelry policies because they were bought out by another company. They have the best type of policy, though, because if your item is lost, they send you a check for the insured amount rather than trying to replace it through a jeweler they work with. In that case, you have to get something of like value regardless of whether it costs what your insurance coverage amount is.

I know many people insure through Jeweler's Mutual. Their policies usually are the replacement type, but for a branded item, they'd have to replace with a similar branded item. So insuring VCA or other branded pieces should be safe as long as you have documented the item well. I always recommend using actual sales receipts over artificially inflated insurance appraisals, because when they replace, they don't have to allow you the amount you were insured for toward the replacement. That means paying for higher insurance premiums for nothing.

My only other advice is to only insure things that would be financially painful to replace. Insurance premiums add up over time!

(The reason jewelry shipping and insurance are familiar to me is that I have been a member of a diamond/jewelry forum for over 15 years! :lol: )

Thank you again for the in-depth info this is very helpful! It’s good to know that some insurances will force you with a replacement of similar value piece over just paying you out. I’ll definitely look into these. Thank you :hugs:
 
I use State Farm, and it's a separate policy. The price is calculated on total amount insured (not per piece insured), and there is a slight discount the more you insure. State Farm is probably not the cheapest; however, I use State Farm as they pay out, no questions asked, and to me, that's what insurance is all about. I don't need the cheapest company. For me, I need a company that delivers on its promise to pay me if I lose or damage a piece. I wear bling everyday, so odds are I will lose or damage something, which I have done both on several occasions.

On what to insure... it's a very personal and individual decision. The general rule of insuring jewelry is the answer to this question...
"If you lose the piece, can you easily replace it within your preferred timeframe?"
The answer will vary for each individual. If the answer is yes, then no need to insure. If the answer is no, then you may want to think about insuring it.

For me, I do not feel the need to insure all my pieces. I insure my higher value pieces, and "higher value" is a different amount for every person based on comfort level. Insuring jewelry can get expensive, I won't kid you on that. However, for me, it's the price I am willing to pay for peace of mind. I have 100% peace of mind and never worry when I wear my bling, any bling... $10K or $100K. Mentally, each piece of bling from a value perspective is all the same to me because I know, if I lose it, it is replaced.

Which brings us to the phrase... "What's the point of buying nice bling if you're afraid to wear it?"
That phrase is often said, but it is not often analyzed... What makes us afraid to wear nice bling?
I would say for most people, the answer is fear of loss. Insurance is a great way to eliminate that fear and allow us to wear our bling, anytime, worry free.

Insuring jewelry and especially what pieces to insure can be complicated, so I would suggest thinking through all the pieces first. Lesser value pieces do not require insurance as one can easily replace it. Higher value pieces should be insured so they can be worn; else they will just sit in a box somewhere collecting dust which is such a shame. Jewelry is meant to be worn.

I want to emphasize what is considered "higher value" to insure is very personal.
I got married shortly after graduating from college. We were young, broke, had college debt, you name it. My husband saved to buy me an engagement ring and surprised me with it. It was not an expensive ring by today's "VCA prices." However, for broke young kids as we were, it was an expensive ring, and it was certainly a lot of money for my husband. Did we insure that little ring? We sure did! :biggrin: :heart:

Just my two cents as food for thought.. hope that helps.

@BigAkoya thank you so much for your lengthy and in-depth replies, I’ve been lurking on this thread for a while and always found your advice to be very wise and on point. I really appreciate you and all the ladies here taking the time to reply to people’s concerns and even advice on which pieces to get! :hugs:

You are totally right, there are pieces I’m afraid to wear due to losing or breaking that just sit pretty in the safe; it doesn’t help that I have a nervous disposition in the first place but I think I would have more peace of mind about wearing them if they were insured. Some pieces are still irreplaceable as it’s not about the dollar amount but sentimental value, but certainly having that aspect “covered” will help than none at all. I will do a careful deliberation over my pieces and look into the insurances mentioned. Thank you again for the sound advice.
 
I actually need to get on this because I have not put any of my jewelry or watches under insurance yet. It isn’t common practice in the country where I’m from but I just moved back to the States last year. If I may ask, would you mind sharing which company you use/trust for jewelry insurance?

I use Chubb and have been pleased (though I haven’t had to make any claims).
 
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I think you will love the 20! I love 20s, so careful and chic.
Yes, there is a Hellebore brooch, but it is lapis and turquoise. The Hellebore collection is now considered MTO (Made To Order), and I think VCA has pulled their pieces from direct access in their website. However, if you google, you can still access the pieces back door.

Here is the ring: Hellébore ring - VCARP7EO00 - Van Cleef & Arpels (vancleefarpels.com)

If you look at the photos, one of them has the brooch! :biggrin:

By the way, there is a BTF version too, but as much as I love BTF rings, I'm not a fan of the turquoise flower for some reason. It lacks depth to me:
Hellébore Between the Finger Ring - VCARP7EP00 - Van Cleef & Arpels (vancleefarpels.com)
I think you made a great choice with lapis :) lapis is my favorite stone together with MOP. I never felt drawn to turquoise for some reason, except for the yg alternating pave turqoise 20 motif. That one is fabulous!
I agree also on turqoise and map lacking dept in this style. I think the dark contrast makes it much more interesting. I showed my mom couple of times lapis yg bracelet and necklace but she was always saying that she likes navy blue on wg (she also didn’t like sapphires set on wg) so maybe I am biased :D
 
Ladies, I am very interested in the 3 motif Lotus earrings!! I adore my single small Lotus, and when I saw the email today, it really got me!

I went to try them today. they are lovely, but ultimately they did not come home with me. I felt the design just had more metal than I expected and not enough stone somehow. It may just be me and the fact that I was looking for jewelry for a specific event. Curious to know what you think when you see them IRL.
 
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Do you ladies think this stone has too much color variations?
That's what I love about your piece. Mine does too. Your natural skin tone will show more through the more translucent striations and will be blended with the color of the stone. My skin comes through and I'm warmer toned. But it depends on what you like. This pic shows how the warmer skin tone accentuates the variations.

2B215EFD-8B1D-438F-B39C-F9DA79AE6402.jpeg
 
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Thank you so much for your thoughts on the earrings luckylove! I really appreciate the feedback. I hope to be able to see them IRL soon. I will definitely report back. Did you find them heavy? I am trying to imagine how they would sit on the ear. I love the design but I do love sparkle so too much metal and not enough bling is a drawback for sure!
 
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