VCA ~ Van Cleef Arpels Discussion thread!

[Deleted member 626500]

One very significant factor in my experience wearing and buying VCA bangles, in particular, if they are not YOUR perfect size, the look can be very different. I NEVER liked the signature bangle until I tried it on in my size, which was an XS. Anything bigger looked awkward and made me feel like I was a little kid playing dress up in my mom's clothes. Once I tried on the size I liked, which a small fit size, I loved it. True for both my bangles, the signature and the single row diamond perlee. The signature is also hard to scratch up due to the perlee edge. The Chaumet, although cute, I know I would get bored of in a month, and would also scratch up quite easily. (If that wouldn't bother you then great.) That's just me and you do you. But after learning how I got bored of Cartier love bracelets in a short while, this relatively similar in spirit bangle would not hold my interest.

Agree. 100% . . . .

 

[Deleted member 626500]

I went down to the boutique , hoping to try on perlee signature in rg but they only have it in L size which I am not in love with … not sure if it’s the look or the size that’s not doing it justice … SA was also not the friendliest.

Then while shopping, this caught my eye from Chaumet . I am now undecided, and the brand Chaumet vs VCA … any comments? Which would be a more timeless piece ? I do know ultimate it’s indiv preference but just wanna hear some thoughts aloud .

View attachment 5414936

While I like simple jewelry, this is much too plain for my tastes. I'm sure it's expensive, but there aren't enough design details (for me) to make it look interesting.
Further, with that mirrored-finish, it's will show every scratch and scrape immediately. There is no way this is going to look good if worn on any kind of regular basis so that's something to think about.
Re VCA, I love the Perlee line, and as @EpiFanatic mentions, it has the beaded border. Not only does this give it interest, it acts as a protectant.
Further, VCA is immediately recognizable and will hold its' value. I'm not so sure about Chaumet.
I have another question though--are you buying what you love or are you buying based on what you can afford right now? In other words, if you had more money at your disposal is this what you would choose? If not, I say wait. However, if you love this, go for it!

 

[Listopadhygge]

While I like simple jewelry, this is much too plain for my tastes. I'm sure it's expensive, but there aren't enough design details (for me) to make it look interesting.
Further, with that mirrored-finish, it's will show every scratch and scrape immediately. There is no way this is going to look good if worn on any kind of regular basis so that's something to think about.
Re VCA, I love the Perlee line, and as @EpiFanatic mentions, it has the beaded border. Not only does this give it interest, it acts as a protectant.
Further, VCA is immediately recognizable and will hold its' value. I'm not so sure about Chaumet.
I have another question though--are you buying what you love or are you buying based on what you can afford right now? In other words, if you had more money at your disposal is this what you would choose? If not, I say wait. However, if you love this, go for it!

Yes I am looking for something I would love , not so much on the affordability. The bummer is as mentioned , the L size VCA didn’t look great on me . And there’s no visibility when stocks for XS will come in to be able to try. But I do have the option to order via their e-boutique.

as much as the Chaumet one caught my eye , i agree with you ladies that it’s simple, nothing fancy. It’s also more pricey than the VCA by 10% hence for something simple , concern be also would it hold my interest for long …. I feel like I am giving answers to myself heeheee

 

[RDR]

Hello Guys, I bought my second set of yellow gold onyx earrings, I had MOP yellow gold previously, there is a slight variation in color, MOP look more yellowish whereas Black stone looks little less yellow, Is this variation normal or should i get my piece exchanged?

 

[sunshineshiney]

Hello Guys, I bought my second set of yellow gold onyx earrings, I had MOP yellow gold previously, there is a slight variation in color, MOP look more yellowish whereas Black stone looks little less yellow, Is this variation normal or should i get my piece exchanged?

I have a YG Blue Agate and YG Guilloché. I noticed a slight difference in my YG variation as well. It never bothered me though (maybe because I had a more concerning issue when I received my Blue Agate bracelet). But I figured different stone colors will cause some variation to the human eye in the YG (and even WG) with light bouncing off of the stone.

When I stack my YG Blue Agate with my RG Cartier, the YG on the Blue can sometimes appear more rose gold-ish to my eyes.

I think for peace of mind, you should bring this up with your SA and see what they say.

 

[lvmon]

Glad this was helpful. For what it's worth, I think the Victoria earrings are beautiful. Those earrings are all about the diamonds. Tiffany cuts their marquise diamonds exactly the same, meaning all four diamonds making the X are a perfect match. People have commented the X is such a simple design, but most vendors who copy it have to source their diamonds from their diamond dealer. This means one marquise can be fatter, another marquise can be skinnier, yet another marquise can have an off cut making it dull, and yet another marquise may be a different color. Each Victoria marquise matches. The mounting of Victoria is also slightly angled to create such a beautiful look. It's not a flat X mounting.

It's funny you mentioned the center, the "dot." I have thoughts on dots to share some.
One of the things I do not like about the VA pave earrings is the metal "dot" in the center. The idea is a pave look, so why couldn't VCA just put in a tiny diamond to create a pure pave look, similar to the Magic size? I would love those earrings if it were a VA version for the Magic, but now, I only like them (e.g. like, love, hate).

For Victoria though, I love the "dot." I think it adds to the beauty of the piece. This one dot acts as a shared prong to all four marquises, very clean, minimal metal. Victoria is not meant to be a pave look, it is four gorgeous marquise diamonds in a X. If the center had a diamond, my guess is more metal would be needed to set the round center diamond and also the edge of each four of the marquises. That's a lot of metal in the center, and I think it would take away from the beauty of the X look.

Anyway, that's just my thought to share for another way to look at Victoria. I think the Victoria is beautiful. Maybe you will give it a second chance and find some "love" for Victoria.

I have medium size Victoria earrings and I wear them a lot. The setting of the diamonds are raised up and angled slightly, making the diamonds appear floating with minimum hardware as described by @BigAkoya.

 

[RDR]

I have a YG Blue Agate and YG Guilloché. I noticed a slight difference in my YG variation as well. It never bothered me though (maybe because I had a more concerning issue when I received my Blue Agate bracelet). But I figured different stone colors will cause some variation to the human eye in the YG (and even WG) with light bouncing off of the stone.

When I stack my YG Blue Agate with my RG Cartier, the YG on the Blue can sometimes appear more rose gold-ish to my eyes.

I think for peace of mind, you should bring this up with your SA and see what they say.

I think you are right, colors definitely affect how the gold appears to the eye. I will contact SA.

 

[DeryaHm]

I have medium size Victoria earrings and I wear them a lot. The setting of the diamonds are raised up and angled slightly, making the diamonds appear floating with minimum hardware as described by @BigAkoya.

Now I’m wondering if my Victoria pieces are defective… does no one else have trouble with sharp dots?

 

[lvmon]

Now I’m wondering if my Victoria pieces are defective… does no one else have trouble with sharp dots?

@Safa, you mean the 4 pointed corners? They don’t bother me!

 

[Deleted member 626500]

I think you are right, colors definitely affect how the gold appears to the eye. I will contact SA.

That's certainly true, but I've noticed that even new, there can be a variation in the color of the gold. A friend bought two 10 YG motifs one a few months apart from the other, and the color differed. (She's a wonderful client and her SA exchanged both for two that matched.)

This is the result, in part, of the oxidation process. Exposure to air, the oil in your hand, weather conditions such as humidity, amongst other things, will cause the color to change. This is a natural process. Polishing can sometimes equalize the color.

It is also possible that the difference you see is a function of minuscule differences in the gold components. 18k carat gold is labeled 750. That means that the gold component is 750 parts per thousand, with the balance being comprised of other components. This is done for two reasons. First, 100% gold is very soft. The other parts are there to give it strength. Second, gold is brassy in color. The additives are used to change the color. In white gold, a large component of the remaining 25% is nickel silver or palladium. That gives it the white color. In pink gold, it's copper. There are other alloys too. However, even a 1% difference in the mixture can alter appearance. Thus, even the best quality control can result in an infinitesimal difference in color that can, depending on how sensitive you are, be detectable.

Therefore, if you want two items to match, best to buy them at the same time, or bring in one piece when you're picking the next, use them equally, and store them in the same wrapping and in same place. In other words, one wrapped in a felt bag, as distinguished from a suede pouch or a box may age differently from one stored in a plastic bag. However, even assuming these precautions are taken, over time, they can oxidize differently.

This is not unlike dry-cleaning a suit. If you have a skirt cleaned without the jacket, after a while you'll notice a difference between the two. However, if the skirt and jacket were cut from fabric with a different dye-lots, the differences will always be perceptible.

Finally, even if there are slight differences, you still have a beautiful piece of jewelry. I have a set of vintage VCA brooches, both yellow gold. One is brighter than the other. Oh well. I wear them and love them and remember too, that these differences are a reflection of the lives they had with other people who owned and loved them that came before me.

 

[Deleted member 626500]

Yes I am looking for something I would love , not so much on the affordability. The bummer is as mentioned , the L size VCA didn’t look great on me . And there’s no visibility when stocks for XS will come in to be able to try. But I do have the option to order via their e-boutique.

as much as the Chaumet one caught my eye , i agree with you ladies that it’s simple, nothing fancy. It’s also more pricey than the VCA by 10% hence for something simple , concern be also would it hold my interest for long …. I feel like I am giving answers to myself heeheee

Ah! An XS! It's worth the wait as a large is so comparatively ridiculous it won't give you a correct impression. I say from experience as I'm an XS small too.

 

[thepoohbear]

My SA just texted me that the 5 pendant guilloche bracelet I inquired about a couple months back is finally available… but I already bought a JUC to layer with my love. I really love a minimalistic look, will it be too much? Or will it be weird if I wear the guilloche bracelet on the other wrist? Maybe with a watch.

 

[DeryaHm]

@Safa, you mean the 4 pointed corners? They don’t bother me!View attachment 5415582View attachment 5415583

Yes! The earrings are not bad because except certain unusual situations, like stretching out to lay on my shoulder they don’t touch skin. On the ring there are lots of them and they are very painful digging into the next door fingers. Or if I forget and hold the dog leash in that hand for example ouch! It’s bled when I wear the ring too long!

 

[pinky7129]

My SA just texted me that the 5 pendant guilloche bracelet I inquired about a couple months back is finally available… but I already bought a JUC to layer with my love. I really love a minimalistic look, will it be too much? Or will it be weird if I wear the guilloche bracelet on the other wrist? Maybe with a watch.

Def go in and take a look!
I’m going to wear my hammered gold on my left, while my love and tennis and whatnot are on my right

 

[Listopadhygge]

Ah! An XS! It's worth the wait as a large is so comparatively ridiculous it won't give you a correct impression. I say from experience as I'm an XS small too.

I ordered XS piece yesterday ! Thanks for everyone’s inputs . Waiting excitedly for it . Now my eyes are roving for a motif bracelet to layer with it ….aaarrgh