What is the better value - larger or more pave diamonds

[SDC2003]

I’ve been looking at some pave jewelry recently and am curious about value.
For example, the small pave love bangle has almost 180 diamonds but it’s just under 1 carat. The Hermes h d‘Ancre full pave bangle has almost 430 diamonds and is almost 3 carats, the full pave love is 2 carats with just over 200 diamonds and the vca clover bangle has 80 diamonds and is almost 1.8 carats.

With vca having the largest diamonds it would seem that would be the best value? I was surprised to see how many diamonds make up a carat for the full pave h bangle and the pave loves. Yes these diamonds sparkle like crazy and they’re excellent quality but it seems like the value isn’t as great given the pave diamonds are so small? Although I’m guessing it’s very labor intensive to create full pave looks. Perhaps that’s why the price is so high? Of course this is H and perhaps a large factor is prespend.

 

[chaerimk]

The melee diamonds by itself worth very little $. They never worth the price you pay for them. I know because my family in the trade. The $$$$ price is because VCA and Cartier can charge an exorbitant price for sparkly things. They know people love sparkle on their jewelry so they can charge as high as they wanted. You can argue labor cost is hight to set those diamonds but that mostly only apply to their high jewelries. Their mass market items (love, alhambra, etc.) are casted so they already have the spot for the diamonds to be set.

 

[880]

Agree 100% with @chaerimk . The resale value is primarily brand and market dependent. The personal value is based on your preference. IMO, the carat weight or labor in these widely produced pieces is nowhere near the mark up. Most buyers buy stones in popular sizes (probably under 5 carats), and unless they are of certain premier brands or have a significant provenance, their value drops significantly in the secondary market.

Given your description, I would assume that the VCA is the best value. However, it seems more flimsy than the comparable Cartier pieces. I would strongly suggest that you try all of them on before making your decision

 

[SDC2003]

The melee diamonds by itself worth very little $. They never worth the price you pay for them. I know because my family in the trade. The $$$$ price is because VCA and Cartier can charge an exorbitant price for sparkly things. They know people love sparkle on their jewelry so they can charge as high as they wanted. You can argue labor cost is hight to set those diamonds but that mostly only apply to their high jewelries. Their mass market items (love, alhambra, etc.) are casted so they already have the spot for the diamonds to be set.

Thank you so much for this insight and confirming what I thought was the case!

 

[SDC2003]

Agree 100% with @chaerimk . The resale value is primarily brand and market dependent. The personal value is based on your preference. IMO, the carat weight or labor in these widely produced pieces is nowhere near the mark up. Most buyers buy stones in popular sizes (probably under 5 carats), and unless they are of certain premier brands or have a significant provenance, their value drops significantly in the secondary market.

Given your description, I would assume that the VCA is the best value. However, it seems more flimsy than the comparable Cartier pieces. I would strongly suggest that you try all of them on before making your decision

My focus actually has been on retail pricing. Well except for the h bangle which I saw on rebag at more than 50% off in excellent condition lol.

What triggered my question is I saw a post comparing finesse and farandole earrings. Farandole pave is a couple thousand more but the diamonds are smaller than finesse though they are about the same in terms of carats. However I should note gold weight is probably slightly more with farandole. Is the price difference due to gold weight or perhaps because there are many more pave diamonds? And is the farandole really “reflective” of the materials and labor? Is finesse actually the “better” buy with the fewer and larger diamonds? I put these in quotes because we are talking branded jewelry, and prices are never no where near close to materials and labor overhead etc.

It got me thinking even more about pave and whether jewelers are just really pulling one over on clients - curious what the margins are with pave and whether it’s comparable to Rtw margins. Someone said to me the other day that some of these pave diamonds are what she refers to as diamond dust.

This lead me to look at bangles too and I’d been in the market recently looking to add a wg bangle. I have ultimately crossed both loves off my list for various reasons but the carat weight and size really made me rethink value. Of course we pay a lot for the name and these pave are quite good quality but 30k for just under a carat of approx 180 pave diamonds on the small love seems a bit much for me. I really do love the design of the pave love but not enough to open my pocketbook.

Agree the clover is best value of these and already own this one . Also agree it’s not as substantial. In fact I once dropped it on a tile floor and the bangle hinge went so off kilter I had to take it in for repair. I’ve dropped other bangles before and have never had something like that happen. Perhaps it was just unlucky.

But going back to paves are they really just a big “scam.” And is it better to buy something with bigger pave diamonds and fewer carats over smaller pave diamonds but more carats. I’m thinking value and quality.

 

[truelvoe]

My focus actually has been on retail pricing. Well except for the h bangle which I saw on rebag at more than 50% off in excellent condition lol.

What triggered my question is I saw a post comparing finesse and farandole earrings. Farandole pave is a couple thousand more but the diamonds are smaller than finesse though they are about the same in terms of carats. However I should note gold weight is probably slightly more with farandole. Is the price difference due to gold weight or perhaps because there are many more pave diamonds? And is the farandole really “reflective” of the materials and labor? Is finesse actually the “better” buy with the fewer and larger diamonds? I put these in quotes because we are talking branded jewelry, and prices are never no where near close to materials and labor overhead etc.

It got me thinking even more about pave and whether jewelers are just really pulling one over on clients - curious what the margins are with pave and whether it’s comparable to Rtw margins. Someone said to me the other day that some of these pave diamonds are what she refers to as diamond dust.

This lead me to look at bangles too and I’d been in the market recently looking to add a wg bangle. I have ultimately crossed both loves off my list for various reasons but the carat weight and size really made me rethink value. Of course we pay a lot for the name and these pave are quite good quality but 30k for just under a carat of approx 180 pave diamonds on the small love seems a bit much for me. I really do love the design of the pave love but not enough to open my pocketbook.

Agree the clover is best value of these and already own this one . Also agree it’s not as substantial. In fact I once dropped it on a tile floor and the bangle hinge went so off kilter I had to take it in for repair. I’ve dropped other bangles before and have never had something like that happen. Perhaps it was just unlucky.

But going back to paves are they really just a big “scam.” And is it better to buy something with bigger pave diamonds and fewer carats over smaller pave diamonds but more carats. I’m thinking value and quality.

I‘m currently also very interested in this topic. I find the technique fascinating and have watched a few YT videos and tried to find out more online.

Personally, I prefer the minuscule diamonds for the pavé look, I just love how they appear almost like liquid when they are spaced very close together. Also, I think the smaller the diamonds are, the easier it is (for me) to incorporate the jewelry piece in my everyday life bc they sparkle more than being flashy (I love flash but feel more comfortable with sparkle/glitter).

I do think the smaller they are, the more laborious the process is. Would really like to know how much work it requires to make piece XYZ.

Of course, as with all things designer, the mark-up must be enormous but you are also paying for the design, after-sale services and craftsmanship etc.

When considering making a jewelry purchase (especially 10k and up - which is by no means an everyday occurrence), first of all I have to fall in love with the piece and then I do like to inform myself of other (comparable) options. But at the end of the day, if I fall in love with a 30k+ piece and I can see myself really wearing it, then I would just rather get that than something that has more value for money (for less or equal the amount) and not be 100% in love with it and therefore might still be pining away for the initial piece.

I would also like to add that I do not wear a lot of jewelry and I rarely buy something but when I do, I would rather buy a very expensive piece that I love instead of something for the same amount just because of the better value of carats/gold weight or also instead of getting 4-5 pieces that would then eventually add up to the same amount. For me, value for money means 1. I absolutely love it and it will give me great joy for years to come 2. I am assured that after sales services are great 3. I can wear it daily 4. Impeccable quality/materials/craftmanship

 

[Swanky]

A bigger quality stone is worth more in the same weight as melee. I don't think of pave as a "scam" because I love it, especially paired with a larger stone, I love the shimmer and contrast! A quality jeweler will still use better stones even in pave.

 

[SDC2003]

I‘m currently also very interested in this topic. I find the technique fascinating and have watched a few YT videos and tried to find out more online.

Personally, I prefer the minuscule diamonds for the pavé look, I just love how they appear almost like liquid when they are spaced very close together. Also, I think the smaller the diamonds are, the easier it is (for me) to incorporate the jewelry piece in my everyday life bc they sparkle more than being flashy (I love flash but feel more comfortable with sparkle/glitter).

I do think the smaller they are, the more laborious the process is. Would really like to know how much work it requires to make piece XYZ.

Of course, as with all things designer, the mark-up must be enormous but you are also paying for the design, after-sale services and craftsmanship etc.

When considering making a jewelry purchase (especially 10k and up - which is by no means an everyday occurrence), first of all I have to fall in love with the piece and then I do like to inform myself of other (comparable) options. But at the end of the day, if I fall in love with a 30k+ piece and I can see myself really wearing it, then I would just rather get that than something that has more value for money (for less or equal the amount) and not be 100% in love with it and therefore might still be pining away for the initial piece.

I would also like to add that I do not wear a lot of jewelry and I rarely buy something but when I do, I would rather buy a very expensive piece that I love instead of something for the same amount just because of the better value of carats/gold weight or also instead of getting 4-5 pieces that would then eventually add up to the same amount. For me, value for money means 1. I absolutely love it and it will give me great joy for years to come 2. I am assured that after sales services are great 3. I can wear it daily 4. Impeccable quality/materials/craftmanship

Above it was mentioned that many of these brands have casts so it does not appear labor intensive to make these pave jewelries.

I agree when buying anything you have to love it first and I’m with you it’s better to pay more for something you absolutely love. And of course wearability is an important factor. But when the quality of diamonds is the same and you are looking at a few jewelries that are equally appealing and are trying to decide which to pull the trigger on value I think can help serve as a deciding factor. After service typically is the same with all the luxury brands so for me it’s not a deciding factor. The service is normally very good but they’re almost always is a cost if it’s a repair.

I think the micro pave diamonds are beautiful in their own way but now after comparing micro pave and larger pave diamonds for me personally I like to see the individual diamonds.

 

[honey52]

Actually I think the item with more gold inherently has more value… so less diamonds and more gold is… actually more valuable

 

[limom]

I came across this article, apparently mined diamonds lost value because of Lab diamonds availability.
Thus now more than ever, it is wise to buy what you love and branded if you are looking at resale or at a minimum to retain some equity.

Diamond prices slashed 25% as lab-grown gems rock the industry

Diamond giant De Beers slashed the price of its precious solitaires amid plunging sales as bargain-hunting fiancées increasingly opt for cheaper lab-grown gems. Among De Beers’ larger stones,…

nypost.com

 

[SDC2003]

I came across this article, apparently mined diamonds lost value because of Lab diamonds availability.
Thus now more than ever, it is wise to buy what you love and branded if you are looking at resale or at a minimum to retain some equity.

Diamond prices slashed 25% as lab-grown gems rock the industry

Diamond giant De Beers slashed the price of its precious solitaires amid plunging sales as bargain-hunting fiancées increasingly opt for cheaper lab-grown gems. Among De Beers’ larger stones,…

nypost.com

Thank you so much for sharing. Wow! It really puts things into perspective regarding recent price hikes by certain brands and the value of existing diamonds. Wow. Btw gold prices have also been dropping but that’s always in flux.

 

[limom]

Thank you so much for sharing. Wow! It really puts things into perspective regarding recent price hikes by certain brands and the value of existing diamonds. Wow. Btw gold prices have also been dropping but that’s always in flux.

You are welcome. It is the NY Post but still.
It is only a matter of time before premium designers put lab diamonds in their designs, imo.