What's the longevity of Nordstrom/Bloomingdales fine jewelry brands (Ippolita, Roberto Coin)?

[JenJBS]

Many would consider Roberto Coin, David Yurman and Ippolita in the luxury category. They all offer some high-end, beautiful silver, gold and diamond items. Personally I prefer to own a wide range of jewelry designers. The jewelry world would be a very dull place IMO if we all owned the same Cartier Love bracelets, Return to Tiffany tag bracelets and VCA Alhambra pendants.

Yes! So very, very true!

 

[wisconsin]

Hi! If you buy jewelry based on resale, I would suggest you stay with luxury brands such as Tiffany, VCA, or Cartier.

The others listed here are mid tier, and really.,. it’s mall department store jewelry with a brand name. Resale value is low. Pandora is a great example... a flash in the pan. It’s crashing now and trying to get back it’s clientele. And Kwiat used to be popular (sold Nordstrom and Saks) but no longer and now you can get it at discount stores.

I would stick with a luxury brand. I personally have seen some items I love from Kwiat and Roberto Coin, but I did not purchase as I wanted to stay with a luxury brand. That was more important to me. Shallow? Perhaps, but I love knowing I have a luxury branded piece. I’d rather have a few of those than a ton of Roberto Coin. If you like John Hardy and wear silver, I love Tiffany’s silver pieces. I like the Peretti line, she has a bold Bone Cuff... a classic.

Hope this helps.

You make good honest points but John Hardy designs are more intricate, a true blend of East and west.
Tiffany’s are simpler, more minimalist.
My John Hardy jewelry is more substantial and can be worn with a variety of clothing options,

 

[muddledmint]

Was wondering what you all thought (or in your experience over the years) has been the longevity and brand value of fine jewelry brands sold at Nordstrom/Saks/Bloomies/NM (such as Marco Bicego, Ippolita, Roberto Coin, John Hardy, David Yurman, etc.)? Not including the old jewelry houses like Cartier that have been around for over 100 years.

I remember back in 2008ish, Nordstrom used to carry brands like Lois Hill, Lori Bonn, and they had pretty good resale value at the time and a big fan base. Now it seems the department stores have dropped those brands and there's not much of a market for them. $300 Lori Bonn earrings that you could resell for at least $120 on ebay back then if you got tired of it, nowadays goes for $40 or less.

Lori Bonn started in 1991, so looks like it lost popularity after 25-30 years. Ippolita and Roberto Coin both started around 1996/1999... so will they meet the same fate in 10 years as Lori Bonn? When I was looking at diamond/gold pieces by Ippolita and Roberto Coin, I was thinking I wanted to spend money on things that will be able to at least hold their value decently. I know people say just get things that you like, but it'd like to think the brand will still be around in 10 years and not become worthless aside from base materials.

Are there high-end jewelry brands you really liked that everyone forgot about? Will most of those brands run their course within tens or 20 years? Seems like the only ones that have stuck around are a small handful (Tiffany, Van Cleef, Cartier).

My feeling is that ippolita is on the waning side of things and David yurman is kind of like the coach of fine jewelry, but that doesn’t mean everyone thinks that way. I don’t think these brands will have the longevity of the classic luxury brands. I’m biased since I don’t really like any of the brands you mentioned, but I would much rather spend money on tiffany, Cartier, or vca (or cheaper more trendy jewelry).

 

[2cello]

Resell value is better for the three lux houses noted but VCA or Cartier don’t exactly have a large catalog of jewelry options. (Ignoring the $50k plus stuff). Tiffany has a little more diversity. So if you want something specific or different with real gold and gems you have to branch out.

 

[beekmanhill]

I own many Marco Bicego pieces and love them. Love the color of his brushed gold and love the light weight of his earrings. Also have some Ippolita and find I rarely wear them. I don't buy Yurman anymore since his stuff is no longer made in Italy. I have some pieces from the good old days. I owned one John Hardy bracelet and I sold it at quite a discount. Silver is just not flattering on me. Have never sold anything other than the John Hardy. I'm not really tempted by the high end brands except by pieces I really can't afford. I never consider resale value when I buy.

 

[Liberté]

If you look purely at resale value, Chanel costume jewelry holds its value better than these brands, especially monogrammed double C pieces...

 

[DS2006]

I am currently (unfortunately) in love with VCA, but I have several pieces of Roberto Coin..mainly hoop earrings, bangles, and a diamond cross. I always try to buy classic pieces that won't go out of style regardless of brand. RC is all 18k and is sold at Neiman Marcus and other high end stores, so I don't see it as being a bad choice at all as long as you find a piece you love. I've had zero quality issues. It goes on sale, too, and that's the time to buy. I have a few fine classic jewelry pieces from Tiffany, also. I think Yurman sterling is more like high end fashion jewelry, so I'd agree that Chanel would hold value better than that. Most brands connected with a designer may end up declining in popularity after the death or departure of the designer, so that's inevitable with most of the ones you mentioned, whereas VCA, Cartier, and Tiffany are not dependent on a specific designer to sustain the brand.

 

[mewt]

Yeah it's at least part of the decision, I realized I had some pieces that were popular brands back in the day but have died out lately, some that I didn't end up wearing much and it just felt like throwing away money. Sometimes it's hard to say when you buy it whether you'll end up wearing it a lot, so I wanted to be more responsible about it and not as wasteful.

If you want to be responsible and not wasteful, just get things second hand. Then you also get a head-start on resale value! Also if you're not sure you'll wear something, better hold off on buying. Buy things to wear and enjoy. I mean as long as you buy it and enjoy it for a time, then even if it's no longer "popular" in the future it was still worth it.

 

[bayslarry]

Hi, for me both are nice to me as both have a good quality product whether it is jewelry or whether it falls in furniture. Both stores Nordstrom and Bloomingdales when it comes to shopping the name definitely comes to your brand. Both stores have a different department and they do have different store policies. The longevity depends on the person who wears it and bought it for how much? Never mind if you bought and found it defective or you are not happy with it then you can return it back to both stores. Here you can check out Bloomingdales Return Policy in order to return jewelry or anything.

 

[jjjlove]

I am currently (unfortunately) in love with VCA, but I have several pieces of Roberto Coin..mainly hoop earrings, bangles, and a diamond cross. I always try to buy classic pieces that won't go out of style regardless of brand. RC is all 18k and is sold at Neiman Marcus and other high end stores, so I don't see it as being a bad choice at all as long as you find a piece you love. I've had zero quality issues. It goes on sale, too, and that's the time to buy. I have a few fine classic jewelry pieces from Tiffany, also. I think Yurman sterling is more like high end fashion jewelry, so I'd agree that Chanel would hold value better than that. Most brands connected with a designer may end up declining in popularity after the death or departure of the designer, so that's inevitable with most of the ones you mentioned, whereas VCA, Cartier, and Tiffany are not dependent on a specific designer to sustain the brand.

Oh! Thanks for the interesting insight! I never thought about it that way - how some brands are tied to the one designer and when the designer is gone the brand can't survive, vs brands that aren't tied to the designer.

 

[jjjlove]

My feeling is that ippolita is on the waning side of things and David yurman is kind of like the coach of fine jewelry, but that doesn’t mean everyone thinks that way. I don’t think these brands will have the longevity of the classic luxury brands. I’m biased since I don’t really like any of the brands you mentioned, but I would much rather spend money on tiffany, Cartier, or vca (or cheaper more trendy jewelry).

Thanks! I guess I was also looking for people's opinions on the brands I mentioned (not sure if I phrased it well in the original post). I remember buying Ippolita a few years ago when it was quite popular and going for high prices. Recently I noticed Ippolita is in all the discount retailers (Nordstrom Rack, Off 5th, Last Call) and a bunch of items on clearance even in those stores, so it just makes the brand feel... not as luxurious as it used to be?

They also have Roberto Coin and Marco Bicego at the discount retailers, but not sure if they're waning like Ippolita. Was just curious what everyone's personal perception of the brands were. Sure if you like a piece then that won't really factor into the buying decision, but it's always kind of sad to see a brand you like going downhill.

 

[DS2006]

I think Roberto Coin has done a good job at sticking mostly with classics but also coming up with new and beautiful designs. Of all the ones you mentioned, I'd be most likely to buy from RC. I do have some extended family that still buy a little David Yurman, as well, but I don't see it as much as I used to. I don't think some of the other brands have designs that are going to endure. Brands like Ippolita made a very specific style, and I don't think they were broad enough in their designs to really be a top brand. All I can tell you is that RC is still in the section with the nicest fine jewelry in my nearest NM. They sell enough classics like diamond or gold hoops, other classic diamond pendants, and new collections that are quite beautiful such as Venetian Princess. I have seen some of that in person and it is far prettier than it shows on the website. It is pricey, though. RC does go on sale or can be bought at some places at a discount. I wouldn't pay full price.

Buying anything trendy is risky, so I'd stick to classics for fine jewelry and buy fashion jewelry for the trends.

 

[beekmanhill]

Yurman is opening a huge flagship on 57th right off Fifth so they must be prospering. TIffany, right across the street, has had financial problems over the past few years and sold to LVMH this year. I think Yurman is almost trying to emulate the old Tiffany. As for Bicego, my favorite, its a family business and all is made in one factory in Italy. But I buy it because I love it, not for any other considerations.

 

[muddledmint]

Yurman is opening a huge flagship on 57th right off Fifth so they must be prospering. TIffany, right across the street, has had financial problems over the past few years and sold to LVMH this year. I think Yurman is almost trying to emulate the old Tiffany. As for Bicego, my favorite, its a family business and all is made in one factory in Italy. But I buy it because I love it, not for any other considerations.

I love certain things at Tiffany (Tiffany t, hardwear, some metro, some Paloma Picasso, and engagement rings), but everything else at Tiffany leaves me completely cold. I’m not surprised they weren’t doing well. They didn’t move away from the twee and juvenile silver stuff like return to Tiffany fast enough.

 

[kath2]

The thing about jewelry is that even if a style or brand wanes it can come back. For example I think of those tiny Roberto Coin pendants that it seemed like everyone was buying for a year or two—some day, people’s teenage daughters are going to think those are “vintage” and “cool.”