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Have you wasted a lot of money on bling over the years?

Laila619

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Anyone else in the same boat? I have bought a lot of rings/settings over the years, and quite frankly, wasted a lot of money! It really drives me nuts and makes me ill if I think about it too much. Most of the pieces I sold on pre-loved, I took a significant loss on. I still have some empty settings just sitting in my jewelry box. So, I wondered if anyone else has been through the re-set carousel and/or bought a lot of pieces you regretted or changed your mind on? Does it bother you if you lost money, or do you just chalk it up to a learning experience and forget about it? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
 

monarch64

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I've picked up smaller pieces and gotten tired of them pretty quickly, and looking back I probably wasted $ I could have saved up and spent on one, more significant piece. My problem is that I'm really indecisive about the big stuff!
 

Madam Bijoux

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I have bought lots of jewelry. Money spent that brings you happiness (even for a short time) is never wasted.
 

canuk-gal

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Hi:

Please define: how much is " a lot" and "wasted"!! LOL

cheers--Sharon
 

the_mother_thing

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Yes ... but I chalk it up to a learning experience.

I also went on a gemstone buying spree, and now I have a bunch of loose stones.

Laila - Maybe you should send me pics of your empty settings. :think:
 

PintoBean

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Yes. Absolutely. Everything in my jewelry box is a loss. I barely wear anything these days. I decided that 2016 would be the year that I make an effort. When we go out on the weekends to run errands, I've been making an effort to wear at least earrings Lolol.

Then there are all the colored stones I bought when I discovered the CS part of PS. I can't even look at all the gemstones I have bc I will start to get irritated. I've set a bunch and there are still plenty more unset. I'm not a fan of the ebay settings i got for them bc they are so thin at the base of the band. Anyways, they are sized betweem 7.75 and 8.25, and I wear a 9 now for the most part.

Now I'm going to submit this post and erase it from my mind.... :wall:
 

Bonfire

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Madam Bijoux|1456357783|3995198 said:
I have bought lots of jewelry. Money spent that brings you happiness (even for a short time) is never wasted.


Thank you Madam Bijoux, you made me feel better! Now if only I can convince my husband :lol:
 

pearaffair

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I've wasted tons but I don't drink alcohol so I figure I'm saving money somewhere ;-)!

We all have our things we like to spend on.
 

azstonie

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Yes. Custom jewelry. :wall:
 

Jambalaya

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I have a large collection but many pieces are under $200 or under $500, as well as more expensive pieces. Others would probably consider that I had wasted money, but I love it all and really enjoy having a large jewelry wardrobe to choose from each day.

I could have spent much less and yes, there are probably quite a few pieces I could have lived without. But I make sure I rotate my items and hopefully I have a few decades ahead to enjoy it all. (I also have a lot of make-up and I rotate that too. Rotation is the antidote to waste!)

I did write a thread about feeling down regarding past purchases, but that was about being mis-sold - i.e. told something was real or un-enhanced when it wasn't. Over approx 15-20 years of buying jewelry, I've probably been deceived to the tune of about 3k. But out of that, I kept and enjoyed synthetic items worth $1.5k (such as a very pretty set of synthetic opals).

I'm sure anyone looking at my jewelry box would think it was a mish-mash and too large, but I can honestly say there's nothing in it that I don't like.
 

Jambalaya

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azstonie|1456365504|3995274 said:
Yes. Custom jewelry. :wall:

You've mentioned this before, Azstonie. I'm interested to know what happened with your custom items? :)
 

marcy

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I wouldn't consider the money I've spent on jewelry as wasted. Even if I only enjoyed my jewelry for a short time I did like that piece of jewelry for a while. Once something moves to "previously loved" I either sell it for far less than I paid for it, traded it in for something else or passed it one to someone who wanted to give it a new home.

I have more regrets for not buying sometime I liked because it was more money than I was willing to pay. That is why I buy a lot of my jewelry from places that have great upgrade policies.
 

marcy

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azstonie|1456365504|3995274 said:
Yes. Custom jewelry. :wall:

Kristie, you are so right on custom jewelry. I have decided custom jewelry is like gambling - only pay out what you are willing to lose. If you walk away a winner good for you but don't count on it. :wavey:
 

Polished

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I feel your pain Laila! Yes I think I overspent on jewelery and gems. I don't like it because I think by nature I am quite frugal and it can like a strange out of character thing. One of the problems is that it can be such a process and you learn so much while you do it and you become more refined in your taste. This led to two or three mistakes for me. How do I deal with it:

One thing I've loved from buying from the States (apart from the fact that the exchange rate worked greatly in our favour, at the time, between the US and Australia) I got diamonds at a much cheaper price than here in Australia. This coupled with the fact that the exchange rate worked greatly in our favour, at the time, between the US and Australia, made me feel I at least got good bargains.

I also absolutely adore the Vatche ring in yellow gold I got from the States as well as the Mark Morrell in platinum. I really don't think the quality compares over here. I really get so much pleasure from these rings that they help compensate for mistakes.

I have two daughters and a son (who may eventually marry - who knows!). When it comes to sharing out my jewelry to each - there won't be that many to go around! Jewelry is something I would love to leave them and I know they love some of the pieces.

It's brought happiness to some other people and I enjoyed doing it. My niece recently got engaged and the engagement ring completely flopped. A moissanite which looked good but the setting is so cheap it won't stay upright and she finds the stone too large for everyday wear. I had a good quality Brian Gavin setting with diamonds down the sides that I'd got at a bargain basement price due to the favourable exchange rate. I popped an aquamarine it, had it enlarged to her size so it fits perfectly. They both absolutely adore this ring. She works with children and is fine with it being not an everyday wear ring.

I've overspent but I know I've reached the end, after I've re-set a sapphire I have that is! I love what I have, my jewels make me happy.
 

partgypsy

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I definitely regret some of my jewelry decisions. The whole losing my anniversary ring, replacing it in a rush because I was so busy at work I wasn't thinking straight. I should have sat on the entire thing for 6 months to a year. Then after finding the original ring, not being patient about selling the replacement ring, so unsetting and selling the diamond only, losing all the money on the setting, which then led me to feeling pressure to return original ring to the insurer. Fiasco.

In retrospect also would have kept the diamond earrings I sold. I could have kept them and used them as side stones.
 

dk168

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I have made mistakes in the past, however, I would not say I have wasted a lot of money.

DK :))
 

tyty333

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Not a ton but I do have a maul bracelet setting in my closet right now that was a waste of money...no way I could get anything worth
what I paid and besides it's not really in style anymore.

edit - and 1 ctw stud earrings that I dont wear due to flimsy earlobes...they were a gift though.
 

susief

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Yes, for sure. I don't like to think about how much!

BUT I don't consider a piece wasted if I loved and wore it for a decent amount of time, and if it brought me happiness, even if I don't wear it much any more.

I also don't consider something entirely wasted if it helped me to develop my taste and work out what I really wanted. It's only through buying and wearing things that I've realised what works for me. Trial and error.

I have realised that waste is minimised by following these rules (for me):

- not rushing (buying or selling).
- analysing my past pieces to look for themes about what has been a good purchase v bad purchase. For me, good purchases are comfortable, sturdy items that don't interfere with everyday life and I don't have to baby.
- link the piece to a special occasion
- save up and get what I really want
 

girlyglam

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I'm pretty new to buying bling...have really only started in the past few months, so no, I haven't wasted money yet. I'm trying to be very conscious in what I do buy though to try and minimize wasting money, and I've done a lot of thinking of what would be considered a waste to me. I've realized that things like rings, bracelets, and earrings in my 2nd and 3rd holes are things that I almost never change out, so for me, buying a ton of rings or bracelets would be a waste because most of them would never get worn. It's leading me to be very careful in my bling purchases, but it's also a little hard for me. For instance, I LOVE rings, and there are SO many CS rings I'd love to make (royal blue sapphire, london blue topaz, grey spinel, just to name a few)...but realistically, I'll never wear more than three rings at the most. I've got my ering and a RHR in the works, so really, that's just one more ring that realistically would make sense for me (and I'm hoping that third one will one day be an old cut diamond!). Basically, as I foray into my bling buying journey, I'm trying really hard to think long-term and only purchase things that I'll wear and love. Of course, tastes often change overtime, so who know how I would respond to this question in 20 years from now!
 

diamondseeker2006

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Pre-Pricescope...yes, I wasted some. I loved jewelry and during the years I was busy with kids and working, I really didn't buy much. But some of what we did buy wasn't the best quality, so I wear almost none of it now. I do have a few nice quality, classic, sentimental pieces that I have kept. Most of the rest I either sold for scrap or gave to my daughters. Many lessons learned, but once I came here and learned about diamond quality, my intent has been to only buy high quality classic items that will stand the test of time and are heirloom worthy. I'd rather have a few high quality pieces than a multitude of inexpensive things.

Since coming here, I have had to experiment with sizes and types of diamonds and even kinds of solitaire settings. I gained money on one diamond sale that has offset losses on other items, but I have been able to sell 2 diamonds and a couple of my settings that I have replaced. I lead a very casual lifestyle for the most part, so my daily wear pieces are my wedding set, earrings, pendant, and watch. I do enjoy wearing my DBTY pieces and a couple of long pendants such as a Tiffany key. However, I do have some nice things that are not worn much, and I do have to be careful not to collect things I will not wear. I actually need nothing else, but I seriously doubt I can totally stop collecting at this point because it is such a fun hobby!
 

Snowdrop13

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All of my spending on jewellery is done with money that is "spare" after other expenses and savings are taken care of, so I don't regard it as waste! I like to buy preloved where possible and love the thrill of the chase, often it takes a long time to find the pieces I want. I do have a couple of things I slightly regret buying and don't wear, I really must get over that and put them up for sale sometime!
 

swingirl

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I wouldn't say "wasted" but I did by a few stones hoping to set them only to find out how expensive it is to set. So they are sitting in my jewelry box and I don't know if I will ever do anything with them. But I can't bring myself to selling them because I am hopeful.
 

missy

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Yes I have wasted what I consider to be a lot of money on the first few ER diamonds and settings I had before I finally found the diamond of my dreams.

However it was a journey that I had to take to find Bea and I have accepted the fact that I did spend a lot more money during the journey than I would have if I had known from the start what I truly wanted in an ER diamond.

Life is a journey and along the way we are bound to make missteps and learn from those in order arrive at certain destinations that are best for us. You can look at those missteps as necessary learning experiences to help you be where you are meant to be and in that way make peace with it.

Anyway that's how I look at it but yes objectively I have wasted a lot of money on bling through the years. I have enjoyed (almost) every minute of it though. 8)
 

beaujolais

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Actually, the jewelry hobby has better used resale value then many other hobbies, imo.

I've found custom replications not to be worth it, though.

Life is for learning, eh?
 

susief

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I just stumbled across an old thread of yours Laila, and am curious - did you end up selling your Blue Nile rings? What pieces did you keep hold of? (if you don't mind my asking)
 

chrono

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I don't feel as though I've wasted money buying bling. It takes me a long time to hunt the right stone down, think it over, and even more years to decide on the right setting. I rarely purchase on a whim or impulsively. I do so carefully to reduce the chances of regret.
 

Arcadian

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I waste more money on crap from Home Depot than I do on bling.

Jus sayin. :lol:
 
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