I agree 100% with everything you said. Thank you for this insightful post. And most (exceptions exist ofcourse) SA’s do not really care about customers after purchase. I had really bad experiences with some VCA sa’s after I was not fully satisfied with my purchased item and was so dissapointed because of this. Better for the OP to exchange the article as she paid good money for it. For these (continuously increasing) prices we are definitely entitled to better quality craftsmanship! I also read in another thread that the newer VCA items seem lighter than older versions so probably skimping on gold and other material. Totally unacceptable as we keep paying higher prices. But what can we do except inspecting our items thoroughly before purchase.I would like to make a few points here also addressing some of the discussions happening around other topics:
1) purely from the materials point of view VCA pieces are worth very little, nowhere near their asking price. This also applies to sought after pieces like those with turquoise, butterflies collection, etc. So why do we buy their jewellery? Because of the brand name, history, and excellent workmanship (maybe there's something else as well - does not really matter now). Giulloche pieces, for example, have this very intricate pattern on them which is quite tough to make: those perfect "rays" are so very close to each other that the motif shines. BTW, replica people still can't make something 100% like this. And Van Cleef and Arpels are positioning themselves as La Maison, where each piece is a creation, so for this money I expect to get something perfect, almost flawless, since main part of the cost has to go into the craftmanship and not into a few pieces of onyx/turquoise/MOP and a few grams of gold.
2) I would not trust everything that SA says: their task is to persuade you to keep the piece and reassure you that everything is okay. They have their own goal to keep the sales and not hassle with the returns/exchanges/complaints. I would trust my own eyes and my own judgment, given everything that I said in point 1.
(Sometimes it is really funny to ask them questions which they do not know how to answer BTW.)
3) Many replicas are really very well-made these days but of course not absolutely 100% like authentic VCAs. There are sometimes subtle and sometimes big differences. Sometimes one really has to look closely to tell authentic piece from replica but honestly: with such enormous gaps I would have thought it's a rep. Coming back to square one: if the quality becomes the same like Chinese factory produces, then what is the point of paying a ton?
Sorry for the lengthy blah blah blah
Whoa air lines on rose gold GMOP alhambra
- Thread starter spykitty
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This is absolutely true that items become thinner and lighter. I noticed this myself with Tiffany's for example. I even will post photos in my dedicated thread to show the difference - you are welcome to check out (Schlumberger fanclub).
In a nutshell, I compared my vintage ring to the modern ring in the store (same model). Half the weight of my ring but higher price.
So yes, vintage VCAs maybe do not have those perfect beads and the stones are not set in the same way like modern pieces. If you ever see those really vintage Vintage alhambras, you can often notice how motifs themselves are thicker and stand "above" the beads so to say. But the chains are thickers and overall pieces feel more solid. I understand that gold prices are up but really the difference is only a few grams - why not just suck it in and make a better, more solid piece? Recently there also was a discussion about the Lotus ring which design has been updated and it's lighter, stones are smaller, etc etc.
SAs: there has been a number of occasions when I knew the products better than the SAs did. This applies to all major brands like VCA, Tiffany, Cartier. Just believe your own eyes
it is very rare that they really know the history of the brand, vintage pieces, limited old collections, etc... At least in out part of the world.Again, I maintain my view: creations are getting lighter, prices are going up, so at the very least for this they have to maintain exceptional quality.
Hi.
Just wanted to update you all about what I decided to do. After reading everyone’s comments I decided to return the onyx bracelet. Thank you for encouraging me to really appreciate the house of Van Cleef and Arpels and to stand my ground with the SAs. They were very helpful and exchanged my item very quick. They told me that the bracelet would be sent back to Paris for quality control (have no idea if it’s true or not, but hopefully that’s the case ). I decided to exchange this creation for the hammered gold bracelet and I am absolutely thrilled with it! Thank you all for your support.
Just wanted to update you all about what I decided to do. After reading everyone’s comments I decided to return the onyx bracelet. Thank you for encouraging me to really appreciate the house of Van Cleef and Arpels and to stand my ground with the SAs. They were very helpful and exchanged my item very quick. They told me that the bracelet would be sent back to Paris for quality control (have no idea if it’s true or not, but hopefully that’s the case ). I decided to exchange this creation for the hammered gold bracelet and I am absolutely thrilled with it! Thank you all for your support.
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Enjoyed reading your post. I wish I knew the answer to "why do we buy their jewelry?" Most VCA pieces are very overpriced and still sell well.
I was at the store not long ago and their stocks were relatively low. I keep telling myself, this will be my last purchase... something is very wrong.With such enormous gaps, I would also think that the pendant is a rep, and a bad one.
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After reading this thread, I started looking at my pieces against a window and found some gaps. I had not noticed them before, so I'm disappointed. 
Totally support you on this. For this money, you should be absolutely happy with what you are buying and not have any second thoughts. I hope they will really send it quality control as this is the thing that they have to maintain for sure.
Also talking about whoa airlines, here is what I've seen on eBay:
The rest of the pics are in the listing
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Lucky Alhambra Turquoise MOP White Gold Butterfly Earrings | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Lucky Alhambra Turquoise MOP White Gold Butterfly Earrings at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Update here! Thank you all for assuring me I'm not crazy. I called VCA and explained it to the SA. She said she never heard about that (!!!!) But to send it back. I did and received a credit to my credit card within the week.
I still want this piece but will wait until i can go into a boutique to see them. I really want the bracelet but will wait until it's a piece vs SO.
I still want this piece but will wait until i can go into a boutique to see them. I really want the bracelet but will wait until it's a piece vs SO.
omg hi! so i have the same exact issue (and its on the same exact pendant thing) and it made me really anxious that this was a defected one or something!! so glad i’m not alone, and the gaps are honestly so big! if i’m paying 1k+, i would’ve hoped they’d have a better quality control going on ☹