Vintage Turquoise earrings - different shades ?

[samouu]

Hello there,
Back in december 2023 my mother lost one of her turquoise Vintage earrings so VCA took the old one and made a brand new pair. 2 weeks ago, my mum received the pair at the store, it is beyond stunning... we took a picture but looking at it clearly I realize that depending on the lighting the shades are different. As you can see one is lighter than the other.
My mother already paid for the service.
-Is it worth asking for the stone to be replaced to a similar shade or it is too late? Would it bother you?
I mean it is quite obvious to me that the shades are not exactly the same. The total service cost around 3600 USD

Thanks a lot for your feedback folks

 

[880]

I don’t really see this; I think they are beautiful
At any rate, I think slight variation is natural, and it’s possible that the second one will be
even more apparent. . .JMO though

 

[waterlily112]

If they look close to the second photo I'd let it slide. At the end of the day, they're being worn on the ears so the slight mismatch coloration won't be detectable at all. Beautiful earrings btw!

 

[Grande Latte]

I think they are fine because like the other poster said, one on each ear, so it's really hard to tell any difference.

Besides turquoise is a natural stone, so it's nearly impossible to find identical color/ shade/ saturation if they are not on the same slab of stone. I'd actually be very happy for the service.

 

[jellyv]

Besides turquoise is a natural stone, so it's nearly impossible to find identical color/ shade/ saturation if they are not on the same slab of stone.

But Van Cleef doesn't use natural turquoise, which does change shade organically for various reasons (and even within the same slab). They use stabilized turquoise, to assure color stability and hardness for cutting. Here's the language about their turquoise.

Whether a variation between two stabilized turquoise pieces suits the customer is I guess personal preference.

https://www.vancleefarpels.com/tw/en/the-maison/articles/turquoise.html

 

[Nata321]

Hello there,
Back in december 2023 my mother lost one of her turquoise Vintage earrings so VCA took the old one and made a brand new pair. 2 weeks ago, my mum received the pair at the store, it is beyond stunning... we took a picture but looking at it clearly I realize that depending on the lighting the shades are different. As you can see one is lighter than the other.
My mother already paid for the service.
-Is it worth asking for the stone to be replaced to a similar shade or it is too late? Would it bother you?
I mean it is quite obvious to me that the shades are not exactly the same. The total service cost around 3600 USD

Thanks a lot for your feedback folks
View attachment 5779125View attachment 5779126View attachment 5779127

Gorgeous colors! The difference is so subtle, but perhaps try wearing them both to see how different they look worn?

 

[waterlily112]

But Van Cleef doesn't use natural turquoise, which does change shade organically for various reasons (and even within the same slab). They use stabilized turquoise, to assure color stability and hardness for cutting. Here's the language about their turquoise.

Whether a variation between two stabilized turquoise pieces suits the customer is I guess personal preference.

https://www.vancleefarpels.com/tw/en/the-maison/articles/turquoise.html

When I read it I take it as the stability process is only used to preserve the stones in their natural shades so they stay within the standard deviation instead of skewing too far to one side or the other due to its temperamental nature, and not an attempt to make all the stones to be in the same shade. With that said, a slight variation in the shade of each stone should be expected. Only way to be certain is if both clovers are cut from the same stone.

This reminded me of how some have mentioned VCA stop taking SO's on blue agate earrings, because clients would complain about the stones not matching a 100%. I suspect the same thing may happen to turquoise. But depending on the client's preference, it can either be a none issue or deal breaker.

 

[jellyv]

When I read it I take it as the stability process is only used to preserve the stones in their natural shades so they stay within the standard deviation instead of skewing too far to one side or the other due to its temperamental nature, and not an attempt to make all the stones to be in the same shade. I suspect the same thing may happen to turquoise.

Stabilization of turquoise makes turquoise no longer what's considered natural in gemological and market terms, and it's done for several purposes, not only to achieve color stability. It's primarily the chief way to "improve" lesser turquoise (vs. gem grade) for lapidary purposes, as in reducing porosity and hence hardening the material for cutting. Color improvement is another goal.

Color variation range definitely hits differently with different clients.

 

[EpiFanatic]

I would ask. The color difference bothers me. Does it bother her?

 

[waterlily112]

Stabilization of turquoise makes turquoise no longer what's considered natural in gemological and market terms, and it's done for several purposes, not only to achieve color stability. It's primarily the chief way to "improve" lesser turquoise (vs. gem grade) for lapidary purposes, as in reducing porosity and hence hardening the material for cutting. Color improvement is another goal.

Color variation range definitely hits differently with different clients.

Oh yeah I worded it poorly. I didn't mean that being the sole purpose but 'only" as in terms of what it does to the color of the stones, it can enhance it to a degree but the outcome would still vary because the baseline is different.

With that said, I wonder if the artisan who crafted the new earring attempted to match it with the existing earring at all, or maybe the lighting in the workshop gave him/her the perception that they look close enough? In the last photo they do look very similar in color imo. @samouu - maybe the best way to assess is to have your mom put them on and check how they look in different lightings to see if it she's happy with it? It's never too late to ask for a replacement of the stone.

 

[marbella8]

I wouldn’t be happy. However, when they are on, I bet you it isn’t noticeable. If you can, send them back and see if they can match them. Good luck!

 

[papertiger]

I wouldn’t be happy. However, when they are on, I bet you it isn’t noticeable. If you can, send them back and see if they can match them. Good luck!

Yes, that's the only test. When they're in the ears

 

[nicole0612]

I have a turquoise pair of earrings and they are a slightly different color. It bothers me, but I tell myself that it is not noticeable since they are worn on opposites sides of the head. Nevertheless, since I noticed the difference I have not worn them. In my experience, VCA will not replace only one turquoise, they have to replace all turquoise stones to ensure the best color match, however, in that case it is hard to account for the color difference here. Since she just received them, I would return them and ask for a better match. If this was years down the road and she had just noticed, I would say it's not a huge deal and learn to live with it, but in this case there's no reason to settle for less than a perfect match.

 

[alohaina]

Is this USA? I thought standard procedure for a lost earring was to replace both and charge 60% or something along those lines.

Agree you very likely can’t tell when worn (but you should test under different lighting), though either way - I think doesn’t hurt at all to ask and see if they are willing to work with you.

 

[samouu]

Is this USA? I thought standard procedure for a lost earring was to replace both and charge 60% or something along those lines.

Agree you very likely can’t tell when worn (but you should test under different lighting), though either way - I think doesn’t hurt at all to ask and see if they are willing to work with you.

Hello there, yes they took the old single motif and made a brand new pair with brand new turquoise stones. That is why I am surprised that the artisan put different shades.