jewelry in auctions is a whole new world to me. would love to spend more time and study.
I agree with all you've said.
VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!
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I agree with all you've said.
Didn’t want to start a separate thread for this, so I figured I’d ask here…
Has anyone had experience lately with placing an order for pieces that “used” to be readily available? I have an order placed for the 6 motif Magic Alhambra necklace with mop/gmop. I only placed it 2-3 weeks ago. And I am considering placing another order for the single motif Magic Alhambra mop earrings. Apparently they are now extremely hard to come by as well. So my question is - for those of you who have gone this route, how long did it take for your pieces to come in? I am located in the US (I’m sure timeframes vary by country).
Has anyone had experience lately with placing an order for pieces that “used” to be readily available? I have an order placed for the 6 motif Magic Alhambra necklace with mop/gmop. I only placed it 2-3 weeks ago. And I am considering placing another order for the single motif Magic Alhambra mop earrings. Apparently they are now extremely hard to come by as well. So my question is - for those of you who have gone this route, how long did it take for your pieces to come in? I am located in the US (I’m sure timeframes vary by country).
Wow is that unavailability still covid & shipping related or are they purposely keeping stock low?
This year, I have to had to place "orders" on common pieces, and they did not take long. I had to order a ring, a pair of earrings and a bracelet. The ring took four weeks, the earrings took 6 weeks, and the bracelet took one day.
2-3 weeks is not a long time, and you'll get your pieces. No doubt in my mind.
The one thing is... did you pay in full? My SA told me he is seeing clients who pay in full for their pieces get them first over clients who put down a 30% deposit. It's not an official policy, so that is not confirmed. It's only from him and his other SA peers observing.
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I placed an order for the 10 motif hammered RG necklace with 30% down and was told approximately 6 months. I asked my SA if it was better to pay in full and he told me it didn’t matter. It wound up coming in after 3 weeks!
I am honestly not sure - the "official" answer seems to be COVID and lower production due to shutdowns, but I do think there is something to be said for scarcity causing people to buy more frenetically. That is totally my opinion, no substantiation for it whatsoever.
Ok thank you! No, 2-3 weeks isn't bad, I just didn't know if it really would be up to 6 months as they suggest. I just hope to have it by the holidays!
The policy seems to vary by boutique. Some boutiques told me you must pay in full, others required only 30%. I ended up ordering at a boutique where only a 30% deposit was required. I doubt it matters for "speed of delivery" since it seems to be up to the boutique's discretion.
I think it depends on what the item is as to how fast it will come. It certainly can only help to pay a deposit or in full. I had asked my SA about a few Alhambra items and she said it would likely be next year before any come in. I am not in a hurry so it doesn't bother me to wait. I don't in any way think the short supply is deliberate. They make a lot of money off regular Alhambra pieces and other popular pieces like Frivole earrings, and I am sure VCA wishes the stores were fully stocked so they could sell far more than they'll be able to during the holidays. I also think they shifted to producing the holiday pendant and the zodiac line, and that probably has added to the delays. I feel very sorry for the SAs who have so many people asking for things and they don't have them to sell!
I've heard rumors that the butterfly collection will be phased out and discontinued. Has anyone else heard the same?
I have heard it might be phased out but my SA could not confirm.
I was told that certain Alhambra pieces are not even coming in for general purchase and the only way to purchase is to place an order. They are not expecting inventory to be back to somewhat normal levels until next summer apparently. So that is why I placed an order for the pieces I am interested in. I was more curious as to the wait time once an order is placed.
I think the idea of passing pieces on to future generations is very interesting. It seems to me that a lot of people think their children and grandchildren will not want the pieces that they collected and will instead just sell off or gift the pieces away down the road. I take a different approach in my thinking. I think if you collect a few really "nice" pieces, that is something your children and grandchildren will cherish in years to come. Same with handbags. I see a difference if your collection consists of 10+ luxury handbags and many many jewelry pieces. At some point it becomes excessive and almost overwhelming to the next generation and they will likely have to sell off some of the pieces that they will never use. However, 1 or 2 really nice bags (and a handful of really nice jewelry pieces), will likely be treasured by the future.
But this also comes from someone who is a firm believer in "curating" collections (i.e., selling off pieces as you go that are not getting the love they deserve
).I think the idea of passing pieces on to future generations is very interesting. It seems to me that a lot of people think their children and grandchildren will not want the pieces that they collected and will instead just sell off or gift the pieces away down the road. I take a different approach in my thinking. I think if you collect a few really "nice" pieces, that is something your children and grandchildren will cherish in years to come. Same with handbags. I see a difference if your collection consists of 10+ luxury handbags and many many jewelry pieces. At some point it becomes excessive and almost overwhelming to the next generation and they will likely have to sell off some of the pieces that they will never use. However, 1 or 2 really nice bags (and a handful of really nice jewelry pieces), will likely be treasured by the future.
But this also comes from someone who is a firm believer in "curating" collections (i.e., selling off pieces as you go that are not getting the love they deserve
I agree totally and am with you on the curating part! My daughters love seeing my jewelry, and I am pretty sure most of it will be kept by them. My younger daughter always asks me to get out my jewelry so she can look at it when she comes home! I have two little granddaughters and they love jewelry thus far, too! I have already bought some starter fine jewelry for them when they are older!!!
I agree with both of you. I've seen firsthand how special receiving a piece of family jewelry can be. My daughter in law was given her grandmother's engagement ring by her grandmother when she found out she was going to be engaged. My DIL was so happy to be offered that ring and the grandmother was so pleased that her grandaughter would be wearing her ring. DIL named her baby girl after her Nana's mother.
To be honest, I feel like for every person I know with a treasured piece of jewellery I know another person who has been given something that they understand they should be sentimental over, but that they don't love and don't appreciate.
I guess quantity(or lack thereof) is key. One ring/necklace may not be a burden but a whole collection could be. Only you know how your beneficiaries might react to those pieces, but ultimately, I think you can only buy what you love and will use - not what you think future generations will appreciate.
I guess quantity(or lack thereof) is key. One ring/necklace may not be a burden but a whole collection could be. Only you know how your beneficiaries might react to those pieces, but ultimately, I think you can only buy what you love and will use - not what you think future generations will appreciate.
I absolutely agree with this. I think quantity is absolutely key. Leaving a lot of anything to the next generation can be burdensome, but a few pieces is something different. I kind of cringe whenever I hear people buying pieces specifically for their children. Maybe a couple pieces here and there, but vast quantities doesn’t make sense to me not knowing what their tastes or preferences will be in the future. Everything I buy, I buy to use during my lifetime knowing full well it might get sold down the road (either by someone else or by me
).