Do You Have a Favorite Gold Designer?

[iluvcarats]

LOL! Looks a little too big....

 

[Harriet]

Date: 9/13/2008 11:30:31 AM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

That bracelet would be very easy to shorten as an alternative--use the links for matching earrings......

cheers--Sharon

Rectangular gold earrings? Any setting ideas?

 

[Harriet]

Date: 9/13/2008 1:35:01 PM
Author: AGBF




For those of you who have never seen this, or those who would like to see it again to refresh their memories, here is the bracelet I received in the mail after ordering a Gurhan bangle! As I said, it made me decide to have my bangle bracelets custom made!


Deborah

Haha. I've never seen that photo.
I would have to take three links off. Pendant?

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/13/2008 9:35:50 PM
Author: Harriet

I would have to take three links off. Pendant?

Earrings and a pendant. One link each. You will need a 24K chain for the pendant. I bought one for my Yossi Harari salted pretzel brooch/pendant. I feel very luxurious having a 24K chain...you will too, if you do not already have one. I do not mean a decorative chain. I mean a fine one from which you can hang pendants of any type.




Deb

 

[Harriet]

Wow! That bracelet is sounding more and more like an excellent buy.

 

[AGBF]

Since I routinely search the Internet or Buccellati jewelry, it probably was not some weird coincidence that I happened upon an article on the Buccellati business. It sounds as if Buccellati has been relatively unaffected, as yet, by what has happened to the US economy. The richaround the world have remained rich. Only some people who were buying lower end Buccellati goods (at $15,000-$50,000 or so) in the United States have been affected by problems in the US economy.



Excerpts from, "Fine jeweler Buccellati feels pinch in the U.S" by Astrid Wendlandt (Thu Jul 3, 2008 11:35am EDT) follow:

PARIS (Reuters) - "Buccellati, the Italian fine jewelry house favored by monarchs and movie stars, is feeling the pinch from the U.S. economic downturn but demand for high-end items remains strong.

''We have seen a drop in sales for less expensive jewelry in the United States but our long-standing well-heeled customers do not seem to be affected by the crisis at all,'' Maria Cristina Buccellati, head of communication, told Reuters in an interview.

''The crisis has been going on for more than eight months but we are only now starting to feel the difference and mainly in the United States,'' she said.

The Milan jeweler, one the last family-owned in Europe, is the latest luxury goods company to warn of tough trading in the United States,

(snip)

But the luxury goods sector, which had remained largely unaffected by the global consumer spending crisis until this spring, continues to enjoy stellar growth in countries such as Russia, China and India.

Buccellati said sales of rings and necklaces priced between 10,000 euros ($15,880) and 30,000 euros had slowed in the United States but jewelry items priced above 100,000 euros continued to fly off their velvet displays at the usual pace.

Buccellati''s remarks come after Richemont said this spring it expected weaker sales in the United States and low-end products to be more affected than high-end items.

Buccellati, whose cascades of gems can fetch more than $1 million, will show a retrospective of its work in the 16th-Century Assumption Belfry in Moscow''s Kremlin from September 25 to January 10.

The jeweler''s long-standing customers include actresses Brooke Shields and Rita Wilson as well as monarchs across Europe and the Middle East. Top buyers, Maria Cristina said, usually come from the United States, France, Russia and Japan.

SNOB VALUE

Buccellati is one of the only high-end jewelers who does not routinely lend necklaces and broaches to actresses strutting the red carpets at the Cannes film festival or Oscar ceremony in Hollywood.

''Sometimes, I think, you have to be a snob,'' said Gianmaria Buccellati, Maria Cristina''s father, who heads the business and took over from his father Mario who founded it in 1919.

''In Cannes for example, there are many kinds of stars and starlets, I don''t want to be mixed with all of them,'' he told Reuters in their plush Place Vendome shop.

Sometimes necklaces come back damaged by careless stars, Maria Cristina added.

Gianmaria, 81, manages jewelry production with his son Andrea, 50, while his eldest son Gino, 52, runs the company''s silver items production in Bologna. Gianmaria''s wife Rosie looks after the company''s commercial development.

Buccellati is known for its signature lace rings and necklaces, gold and silver engraved bracelets adorned with precious stones and for its neo-classical style table silverware and ornaments.

Items are handmade using centuries-old goldsmith and silversmith techniques. Some can take several years to complete.

Buccellati makes only about 3,000 jewelry pieces a year, ''of which about 500 are one of a kind,'' said Maria Cristina.

However, Gianmaria said he also took special orders from clients such as Princess Lea of Belgium, who had called this week to discuss a possible ring for her daughter.

The jeweler started making watches in 2000 priced between $10,000 to $150,000, but as opposed to many pricey watches, none of them are embossed with its trademark name.

It says it has tried to preserve the same classical style over the decades.

''We hate flashy jewelry,'' said Gianmaria. ''Many jewelers always try to invent something new but us, we never changed our style, and our customers love that.''"

Deborah

 

[iluvcarats]

I forgot to add cathy waterman. OMG I love this ring!

 

[movie zombie]

i love it too!

movie zombie

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/26/2008 9:08:22 PM
Author: iluvcarats

I forgot to add cathy waterman. OMG I love this ring!

I see that the label on the picture says that the stone is a ruby. Where did you find the photo of the ring? I wouldn''t mind reading its description. (I am not interested in buying it, but would like to read about the stone!) Thank you for sharing the photo!



Deb

 

[AGBF]

I asked IndyGirl if she would join us here and, when she has had the chance to photograph some of her high karat jewelry (which is stored at her parents'' house), to post photographs of it in this thread. Her high karat gold jewelry (or at least most of it) is from Vietnam. She wrote in another thread that her parents think that only 24K gold jewelry is real gold. I had remembered that Chinese women said that their parents felt that way, but I knew that Thai and Indian gold jewelry was not 24K, so I am interested in whether 24K is the norm in Vietnam. I am hoping that IndyGirl will let us know!


Deb

 

[Anna0499]

Hey Deb! To answer your question about 24k being the norm in Vietnam - I am unsure. I know my parents and their families who still live in Vietnam feel that way, even if they cannot afford to buy any, but I can''t say that I know it is a common sentiment throughout Vietnam. When my sister was married they gave her the customary gold bracelets, rings, etc. and they were all 24k. The pieces were small and thin because they don''t have a lot of money, but it was important that it be 24k. So, I would have to agree with the anything less than 24k is not meant for formal occassions or gift-giving. I will ask my mother next time I talk to her and let you know for sure what her impressions are. I will definitely post pics ASAP and thank you for showing me the gold thread - I would have never found it on my own!

 

[iluvcarats]

Date: 9/29/2008 2:51:12 AM
Author: AGBF

Date: 9/26/2008 9:08:22 PM

Author: iluvcarats


I forgot to add cathy waterman. OMG I love this ring!

I see that the label on the picture says that the stone is a ruby. Where did you find the photo of the ring? I wouldn''t mind reading its description. (I am not interested in buying it, but would like to read about the stone!) Thank you for sharing the photo!




Deb

Sorry AGBF - I just saw this now

oops!
The site is ylang23

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

This link was provided in RT from someone who bought diamonds--I perused the website and they have some yummy 24K pieces.

http://jfjtoronto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=22&Itemid=97

cheers--Sharon

 

[AGBF]

Date: 11/18/2008 6:26:26 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

This link was provided in RT from someone who bought diamonds--I perused the website and they have some yummy 24K pieces.

http://jfjtoronto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=22&Itemid=97

cheers--Sharon

ooooooh....thank you, Sharon! I was just enjoying Etsy, to which I was introduced by a thread on affordable, stackable rings. I just e-mailed a vendor in Istanbul about a goldplated sterling silver pair of earrings, which means I am getting restless....


Deb

 

[jbazz]

I adore Carrera y Carrera. I have been to their factory in Spain a couple of times.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 11/18/2008 8:38:55 PM
Author: jbazz

I adore Carrera y Carrera. I have been to their factory in Spain a couple of times.

jbazz, I was not familiar with Carrera y Carrera, so I took a look at their website. Here is a link for anyone else who wants to look.


http://www.carreraycarrera.com/



Deborah

 

[AGBF]

Date: 5/29/2005 5:32:04 PM
Author: AGBF

I may have posted this elsewhere on Pricescope (I don''t remember). It is a bracelet designed by Jean Schlumberger. In the past I would never have entertained wearing something so big. (My taste has always run to small, classic, conservative jewelry.) I now think that this would be fun to wear. Unfortunately it doesn''t come cheap! The price tag (before tax) is $5,800.00! And, remember, it has no diamonds in it!

I thought I would update this posting from 2005. This bracelet is now $9,000 (I saw it in my travels on the Tiffany website yesterday) and I think it is grossly overpriced. Of course I would think so, since I could have bought it for $5,800.00 and didn''t! But I also compare it to my 24K solid (as opposed to hollow) gold bangles and think that Tiffany has a nerve asking this much for 18K gold. If the craftsmanship were Buccellati quality, I would feel differently.

Deborah

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 11/22/2008 11:44:08 AM
Author: AGBF

Date: 5/29/2005 5:32:04 PM
Author: AGBF

I may have posted this elsewhere on Pricescope (I don't remember). It is a bracelet designed by Jean Schlumberger. In the past I would never have entertained wearing something so big. (My taste has always run to small, classic, conservative jewelry.) I now think that this would be fun to wear. Unfortunately it doesn't come cheap! The price tag (before tax) is $5,800.00! And, remember, it has no diamonds in it!

I thought I would update this posting from 2005. This bracelet is now $9,000 (I saw it in my travels on the Tiffany website yesterday) and I think it is grossly overpriced. Of course I would think so, since I could have bought it for $5,800.00 and didn't! But I also compare it to my 24K solid (as opposed to hollow) gold bangles and think that Tiffany has a nerve asking this much for 18K gold. If the craftsmanship were Buccellati quality, I would feel differently.

Deborah

HI:

UNreal!!! Grossly overpriced is an understatement! Scandalous perhaps

ETA: I'd rather have this 18K baby:

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-specials/closeout-jewelry/bracelets/011CO4/8/

cheers--Sharon

 

[AGBF]

You have incredibly good taste, Sharon...and good financial sense with which to acompany it! Any possibility you will buy, possibly over the hoilidays?


Deb

 

[movie zombie]

ditto everything Deb said: not a bad price!

movie zombie

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 11/22/2008 2:03:46 PM
Author: AGBF

You have incredibly good taste, Sharon...and good financial sense with which to acompany it! Any possibility you will buy, possibly over the hoilidays?


Deb

HI:

Thanks Deb and Movie Zombie

!!!! I have thought about that bracelet again and again, but am bummed over the frightful Can$ exchange--shouldda bought it this summer when it was par.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[jbazz]

Here is an example of an Carrera y Carrera wedding band. I think it is a beautiful band.

 

[AGBF]

A few nights ago I discovered a site on eBay called Athena's Treasures that featured high karat gold. These stackable rings were just a couple of the many beautiful high karat gold objects for sale there. Supposedly items are now discounted, but I have no way of knowing whether that is true.

Here is a link:


http://stores.ebay.com/Athenas-Treasures_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZQ2d33QQftidZ2QQtZkm



Deborah

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 11/26/2008 10:10:23 PM
Author: AGBF



A few nights ago I discovered a site on eBay called Athena''s Treasures that featured high karat gold. These stackable rings were just a couple of the many beautiful high karat gold objects for sale there. Supposedly items are now discounted, but I have no way of knowing whether that is true.Here is a link:


http://stores.ebay.com/Athenas-Treasures_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZQ2d33QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Deborah

HI:

I have seen this website and enjoyed their visuals.

Anything in the yellow gold realm on folks radar this year? I would hate for this thread to become too sleepy.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[Judah Gutwein]

My personal favorites are Buccellati, Roberto Coin and H. Stern.

I have many other favorites after that...but hey, nobody''s counting...!

 

[Harriet]

Here''s a new designer: http://www.atelierminyon.com/home.htm The work is done in Turkey.
P.S. I didn''t say I liked all of their designs, ok?

 

[AGBF]

Date: 1/10/2009 1:52:25 PM
Author: Harriet

Here's a new designer: http://www.atelierminyon.com/home.htm The work is done in Turkey.

I saw their corporate headquarters is in Westport, Connecticut (which is a stone's throw from where I go when I am there). Unfortunately, it doesn't mention whether any retail stores carry their jewelry. [I am just curious; I do not know that I would want to buy any of it. I wouldn't mind looking more closely at the diamond mesh bracelet, however, even though it was white gold, not yellow. ]

Thanks for the link, Harriet.

By the way, welcome, Judah. Are you related to Barry Gutwein?


Deborah

 

[Harriet]

They have their own boutique in Soho. As for the Westport connection, they're somehow affiliated with Violet York Designs: www.violetyork.com. I've tried on the yellow gold mesh bracelet (the one with rubies and diamonds). The thing drapes like silk.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

And adding Links of London to my list of desirables--I know they do s/s but their gold pieces are rather cute...willl post new necklace soon....

cheers--Sharon

 

[Harriet]

Don''t ask me why, but the hubs thinks gold prices will increase. So, he''s suggested that any jewellery gifts this year be gold pieces. Seriously.