would u rather
- Thread starter gabz
- Start date
i think it depends on your collection and what fits your personality! I would find more use out of the silver necklace because i have more gold than i know what to do with lol -- sometimes being indian is fun, except for when EVERYTHING is celebrated by giving 24 kt gold jewelry!! I hardly wear that stuff!!
For my wedding my mom had a list of gold items that she wanted to get me but i begged her to spend that money on a tennis necklace and a strand of pearls instead, and im so glad she listened!!!
lol but in true indian mom style, she still loaded me up with gold too!!! haha
For my wedding my mom had a list of gold items that she wanted to get me but i begged her to spend that money on a tennis necklace and a strand of pearls instead, and im so glad she listened!!!
lol but in true indian mom style, she still loaded me up with gold too!!! haha
I'd prefer non-designer jewelry with actual worth, but I make designer purchases when I feel the design and craftsmanship are worth the inflated price tag.
With gold and diamonds I know exactly what I'm getting and whether it's a fair price, although I wouldn't get anything from Macy's or any other department store that sells their non-branded jewelry. It's usually crap.
With a Tiffany piece, I know it's obscenely overpriced, and on top of that there are so many fakes and imitations out there, so who's going to know whether your piece is real or not? To me, the designs are pretty bland and repetitious for the most part. If you ever resell it, you have to make sure you have all the papers/box/etc. to sell as authentic. What a hassle.
Either way, the more important aspect is the individual piece itself. If I like the design, then it doesn't matter where it comes from. But look around. You could have a sterling silver open heart necklace from Tiffany for $300, or you could have an 18k gold heart diamond-station necklace from Roberto Coin for $240. They're a similar look, comparable prices, both designer, but one is far more reasonably priced considering the metals used.
With gold and diamonds I know exactly what I'm getting and whether it's a fair price, although I wouldn't get anything from Macy's or any other department store that sells their non-branded jewelry. It's usually crap.
With a Tiffany piece, I know it's obscenely overpriced, and on top of that there are so many fakes and imitations out there, so who's going to know whether your piece is real or not? To me, the designs are pretty bland and repetitious for the most part. If you ever resell it, you have to make sure you have all the papers/box/etc. to sell as authentic. What a hassle.
Either way, the more important aspect is the individual piece itself. If I like the design, then it doesn't matter where it comes from. But look around. You could have a sterling silver open heart necklace from Tiffany for $300, or you could have an 18k gold heart diamond-station necklace from Roberto Coin for $240. They're a similar look, comparable prices, both designer, but one is far more reasonably priced considering the metals used.
I voted for " a gold pendant w diamonds from macys or something like that ". Sorry, I am not sure what Macys is since I am not from States. But if I have to choose between and silver piece from Tiff and a gold piece from say a local but good and reliable jeweller, I'd choose the latter.
We have a lot of the latter in Singapore:
1. Poh Heng (where all our Moms love to go and trust since it is an old name) http://www.pohheng.com.sg/ for their 22K and 24K gold (among other items they sell)
2. Aspial http://www.aspial.com/ which owns:
- Lee Hwa http://www.leehwa.com.sg/,
- Goldheart http://www.goldheart.com.sg/ which carries the Covet pendant and ring, and
- Citigems http://www.goldheart.com.sg/ which carries the more affordable range.
3. Soo Kee http://www.sookee.com.sg/ which carries the Brillant Rose diamond and which owns:
- SK http://www.skjewellery.com/ which, like Citigems, carries the more affordable range.
I could and I would get a gold pendant from Citigems or SK for the price of a Tiff silver necklace (with pendant), although I do still buy gold items from Tiff as well as the above-mentioned jewellers especially Poh Heng since Poh Heng carries 22K and 24K gold as opposed to Tiff's 18K gold. Let's just say I love them all but for purposes of retaining value, I'd get 22-24K gold but one cannot help but buy from Tiff esp their simple pieces cos they are soooo pretty and it is not easy to achieve beauty and simplicity together, which Tiff does it so perfectly.
We have a lot of the latter in Singapore:
1. Poh Heng (where all our Moms love to go and trust since it is an old name) http://www.pohheng.com.sg/ for their 22K and 24K gold (among other items they sell)
2. Aspial http://www.aspial.com/ which owns:
- Lee Hwa http://www.leehwa.com.sg/,
- Goldheart http://www.goldheart.com.sg/ which carries the Covet pendant and ring, and
- Citigems http://www.goldheart.com.sg/ which carries the more affordable range.
3. Soo Kee http://www.sookee.com.sg/ which carries the Brillant Rose diamond and which owns:
- SK http://www.skjewellery.com/ which, like Citigems, carries the more affordable range.
I could and I would get a gold pendant from Citigems or SK for the price of a Tiff silver necklace (with pendant), although I do still buy gold items from Tiff as well as the above-mentioned jewellers especially Poh Heng since Poh Heng carries 22K and 24K gold as opposed to Tiff's 18K gold. Let's just say I love them all but for purposes of retaining value, I'd get 22-24K gold but one cannot help but buy from Tiff esp their simple pieces cos they are soooo pretty and it is not easy to achieve beauty and simplicity together, which Tiff does it so perfectly.
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uh-oh this poll is getting close! lol
i saw a small star of david diamond pendant for about 400. but it looks V tiny compared to a medium open heart but the silver might tarnish over time. decisions decisions. i want something that will commemorate a vaca and anniversaty in NYC nicely.
i saw a small star of david diamond pendant for about 400. but it looks V tiny compared to a medium open heart but the silver might tarnish over time. decisions decisions. i want something that will commemorate a vaca and anniversaty in NYC nicely.
Silver is a little over $12 an ounce today while gold is $903 an ounce.
I hear people tell me the design is worth the high markup of these Tiffany pieces--but to me this makes no sense. If it was a design created just for me by the artist, then I would pay for the design, but Tiffany pieces are mass market pieces, probably made by machine. So I don't see the sense paying so much than the silver is worth, for the 'design'.
Of course Macy's gold is not the best quality either. I would find an Indian or Chinese jeweler if I were you. they have the most beautiful things.
If you really love silver (which I actually do and I have a lot of it) I would look into the older Taxco pieces which were really made by artists in limited quantities and also in much better silver than sterling. Sterling is only .925 pure--you can find antique jewelry 940, 960 or even 980 pure. They cost a lot nowadays but you are really getting something. My grandmother used to give us the very pure silver when we were young and it has the most beautiful glow and feels very soft and heavy. Plus it doesn't tarnish. It's actually the copper mixed in with sterling that tarnishes (and makes it more hard). Unless the jeweler coats it with that awful shiny rhodium--and then it doesn't look like silver anymore.
No offense, but my grandmother would have said that .925 (sterling), made by Tiffany or anybody else, is only good for forks and knives, not for jewelry. Nobody from Central America who saw or has the beautiful old jewelry would be impressed by Tiffany anything.
I think there was some beautiful old silver from other area of the world, too, like Scandinavia, people like Georg Jensen.
But be careful if you decide to buy some of this--there are a lot of fakes of the older, nice stuff, so you have to do research.
JMHO.
I hear people tell me the design is worth the high markup of these Tiffany pieces--but to me this makes no sense. If it was a design created just for me by the artist, then I would pay for the design, but Tiffany pieces are mass market pieces, probably made by machine. So I don't see the sense paying so much than the silver is worth, for the 'design'.
Of course Macy's gold is not the best quality either. I would find an Indian or Chinese jeweler if I were you. they have the most beautiful things.
If you really love silver (which I actually do and I have a lot of it) I would look into the older Taxco pieces which were really made by artists in limited quantities and also in much better silver than sterling. Sterling is only .925 pure--you can find antique jewelry 940, 960 or even 980 pure. They cost a lot nowadays but you are really getting something. My grandmother used to give us the very pure silver when we were young and it has the most beautiful glow and feels very soft and heavy. Plus it doesn't tarnish. It's actually the copper mixed in with sterling that tarnishes (and makes it more hard). Unless the jeweler coats it with that awful shiny rhodium--and then it doesn't look like silver anymore.
No offense, but my grandmother would have said that .925 (sterling), made by Tiffany or anybody else, is only good for forks and knives, not for jewelry. Nobody from Central America who saw or has the beautiful old jewelry would be impressed by Tiffany anything.
I think there was some beautiful old silver from other area of the world, too, like Scandinavia, people like Georg Jensen.
But be careful if you decide to buy some of this--there are a lot of fakes of the older, nice stuff, so you have to do research.
JMHO.
I would take the silver Tiffany if those were my choices.
I prefer gold for most of my pieces, but I just haven't been impressed by department store jewelry unless it was David Yurman, Ripka, etc.
I prefer gold for most of my pieces, but I just haven't been impressed by department store jewelry unless it was David Yurman, Ripka, etc.
My favorite pieces, believe it or not, can be found at Barney's. It might be worth it to check out their jewelry selection... I always get compliments and I never see myself coming and going.
