What to get...?

#61
HADASSA said:
Gosh!!!! Now this is what will water down the brand name even more :tdown:

I know they say "NEVER SAY NEVER" but I definitely will not be buying any porcelain nor paying top dollar for it.
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ITA! Have you by any chance noticed that they appear to be pretty sneaky when they have released the Porcelain pieces? What I mean by that is so far all of them have been LE, which is supposed to make them more special because of limited availability. I am really sad that they have chosen to go in this direction because we are losing the beauty and individuality that one gets with imperfect stones from nature. I am really quite miffed about the light pink porcelain because pink opal (they already use this stone according to their own website and therefore can easily source it) and pink mother of pearl are not expensive or rare (making it difficult to obtain) but beautiful stones that really would have made for an amazing new standard color in the Alhambra line!

Those who know me know how much I love the lapis lazuli. I have been waiting for a reissue for YEARS! I did try on the blue porcelain in Paris and the color is gorgeous, I will give them that. And although I cannot afford to purchase vintage VCA lapis lazuli on the preowned market at the current exorbitant price, not to mention my fear of purchasing a counterfeit piece. I also personally refuse to settle for the porcelain.
 
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#62
I understand everyones point about porcelain. I have to admit - I would be a sucker and purchase a beautiful porcelain vintage alhambra 20 motif if it came into production again. Years ago when porcelain was offered as LE, I couldn't imagine purchasing it, I was just at a point where I was still building my career and fine jewelry was not attainable for me. However the positive of porcelain is the vibrancy of the colours. Natural striations and colouration of semi precious stones is unbeatable but I also do have a soft spot for the vibrancy and flawlessness of porcelain too.
 
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#63
Phoenix123 said:
ShyShy,

I'll try and summarise the main differences btw the 2 versions and then post pics afterwards.
- the bamboo detail on the stem is no longer on the new version, as you've pointed out.
- the leaves are positioned differently, as you've also pointed out. Most noticeably, on the old version, one of the leaves points downwards, at roughly a 45 degree angle. On the new, the leaves are closer together. I'd say this is the main difference.
- the end of the stem ends up on a different place, so more on the face up position (not sure how to describe it, but you can see in the pics)
- the centre diamond is raised slighly on the new version (unfortunately, I didn't manage to capture this But I'm going back to VCA tomorrow or on Saturday to pick up my earrings, so if you'd like me to take a close-up, let me know and I'll try)

I didn't discern any noticeable difference in the swivel/ opening and closing mechanism. It seems to be the same to me on both.

The new version is still, as I said, plenty beautiful. It's funny, the SA cleaned my ring and brought them both out on the same tray; and at first glance, I couldn't tell which was which! lol
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Phoenix, if it is not too much trouble, could you take a few side profile pictures of the ring? I just want to see if the flower and leaves are flatter, especially the flower. The new piece is still breathtaking but at this price point I want to be really sure since the 3D effect of VCA's flowers are my weakness...
 
#66
ShyShy said:
Phoenix, if it is not too much trouble, could you take a few side profile pictures of the ring? I just want to see if the flower and leaves are flatter, especially the flower. The new piece is still breathtaking but at this price point I want to be really sure since the 3D effect of VCA's flowers are my weakness...
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Absolutely!! No worries:smile:

I'll also pay closer attention to what TGG said.

Will report back later.
 
#67
Screenshot_20170907-161130.jpg
ShyShy said:
Hello all, I am thinking of adding another VCA piece to my collection. There are so many pieces that I like but I am not sure which one I want to get first. I usually have quite a few items on my wishlist for VCA and certain items I would want to wait for a special occasion just to commemorate that special day.

Right now I am lusting after the alhambra full pave sertie watch. However, I do not know if it is a piece I will wear well into the future. It is, for what its worth, just a very expensive dress watch. For the short term (as in the next few years) I can see myself reaching for this piece. This is not my picture, I did not take one at the boutique but I saved this a while ago and can't quite remember the source.
View attachment 3811215

Then comes the other option, the lotus btf ring. I can't say I love the lotus motif as much as its round petaled counterparts but this ring is uniquely VCA because of its ingenious swivel mechanism. I was waiting to get this next year to commemorate a milestone but when they changed the design, I frantically realised I should have gotten the old design sooner. Too late, they tried to source it for me in my size but none can be found once the new design rolled out. Sigh. Should I consider the new design when my heart is set on the older one (somehow the new design does not appeal to me)? If the older design can be found I would choose this over the watch.
View attachment 3811219
Older design (I cannot remember the source, sorry)
View attachment 3811221
New design (saved from VCA website)


The other item I quite like is the noeud btf ring. Although unique, I somehow prefer it to be all pave and WG not mixed.
View attachment 3811241


Of the three, I see myself reaching for the watch the most. I say this because I do not think I will be able to wear the two btf rings as often (too bling and perhaps slightly restrictive due to their designs). I love wearing my pieces on weekends but weekdays I prefer less bling for various reasons. The weather is still cold where I am so I can easily wear the watch with a long sleeve pulled over. I do not mind if my watch is only visible to me and no one else... in fact I prefer this. However when summer rolls along, the watch will be viewed in its full glory. By then I wonder if I will still be able to wear the watch as much? I have considered just the pave bevel option. In fact, that was the original one that I fell in love with. But once the SA let me try on the full pave... I could not stop thinking about it!

Further down my wish list is the MA 2 motif earrings (which I can definitely wear daily). I will get this pair eventually but if I had to compare it to the alhambra pave watch, my current irrational self thinks about the watch a lot more.
View attachment 3811250

Sorry for the long post!
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Since you like Bow/Ribbon designs make sure you check out the Chaumet Insolence Collection and the newly launched Liens Seduction Collection.
 
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#68
Okie, ShyShy, you and TGG were/ are right. The flower is flatter/not as curved on the new version - so yeah the 3D effect is somewhat lost. And there IS more gold on the five little diamonds surrounding the centre stone. As for the size/ shape of the petals, I really can't see much of a difference or rather the difference is very indiscernible (I tried and tried and tried but still couldn't tell). The leaves look a little different, shape-wise, but I am not sure they're fatter/ less slender. They just look a little different.

I'll try to post pics tomorrow.
 
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#70
ccfun said:
Thanks, Phoenix, for the very detailed info. I haven't gotten a chance to see the new version yet. So is it more comfortable?
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No worries. I'm happy to have been able to do this. Any excuse to ogle VCA bling, lol.

It didn't feel more or less comfortable than my own ring. Felt the same, actually. But then the ring they had at the boutique (the only Lotus ring in the whole country) is a 52, whereas my own is a 47. So it fitted very loosely on my finger, not sure if the right size would've made a difference.
 
#72
Phoenix123 said:
Okie, ShyShy, you and TGG were/ are right. The flower is flatter/not as curved on the new version - so yeah the 3D effect is somewhat lost. And there IS more gold on the five little diamonds surrounding the centre stone. As for the size/ shape of the petals, I really can't see much of a difference or rather the difference is very indiscernible (I tried and tried and tried but still couldn't tell). The leaves look a little different, shape-wise, but I am not sure they're fatter/ less slender. They just look a little different.

I'll try to post pics tomorrow.
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Oh Phoenix, you are amazing, thank you! Perhaps the petal shape hasn't changed but due to the flatter angle of the petals it just looked wider.
 
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#75
Phoenix123 said:
View attachment 3816536
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What I don't like about the new version - and please correct me if I'm wrong as I am just going on the photos - is that part towards the center where you have the five diamonds set out almost like a star shape. In the new version it seems that there is more metal (gold) around each individual diamond where in the original there was less metal and the diamond seemed more integrated with that piece. The new version is more visually jarring to me, it almost looks like eyes. Am I correct on this?

Alena21 said:
View attachment 3817388

Since you like Bow/Ribbon designs make sure you check out the Chaumet Insolence Collection and the newly launched Liens Seduction Collection.
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This bracelet is gorgeous. Wow! Gonna go look it up right now...
 
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