VCA Sweet Alhambra or IDJ DBTY Bracelet?

[Platinum-blonde]

Merry Christmas!

I'm being my indecisive self... I have a small bonus from work, and want to buy a piece of jewelry with it. I have it narrowed down to the white MOP Sweet Alhambra bracelet, or a 5 station 10 pointer dbty bracelet from IDJ.

i would be getting the dbty in 18kt white or rose gold with the hand made bezels. They say that the bezels won't be perfectly round, and I'm not sure if I can tolerate that, being a perfectionist. The prices is in par with the Sweet Alhambra. I don't have a VCA near me, so I will be buying blindly from the e-boutique.

I'm going to be 40 in January, and have two toddlers. I'm not sure if getting a bracelet with the kiddos being little is wise. I'm kind of worried that the chain will break. So, I guess that the 3rd option is to save my money for a Vintage Alhambra MOP necklace...

Any input (opinions and/or experience) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

 

[MonkeysInk]

I love the Alhambra pieces and a vintage necklace is on my wish list. My kids wouldn’t have bothered a bracelet when they were toddlers, although they did fiddle with necklaces when I was holding them. I think either choice is lovely, although I would lean personally for Alhambra.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Both pieces you have in mind are very delicate. I have the Sweet Alhambra bracelet which is lovely, but it is, well, small! I think it’s only 8mm across, I stack mine with the MOP butterfly bracelet to make a bit more impact. My advice would be to save for the necklace!

 

[Staceyjan]

I have 4 DBTY bracelets that I wear 24/7 and 2 are from ID Jewelry (both 5 stations w 10 pointers - one in WG and one in RG). I don't even feel like I am wearing anything and love them. I think you will be fine wearing them with kids, too. I always liked VCA jewels but love the look of diamonds more. I think there is more of a sparkle factor with DBTY.

I also have one from BG and it is a one station one and I picked out a .25 diamond and it compliments the bracelets perfectly.

 

[Crazie4Cuts]

Exciting you received a bonus! I don't own either a dbty bracelet or VCA Alhambra MOP bracelet. But I would ask if you may be traveling to visit a VCA boutique, then you can try on both a necklace and the bracelet to decide what works best for you! I think dbty you know what it looks like, but since this is a special purchase, it may be worth the wait that you try it on first before making a final decision! Best wishes!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I wouldn't do the sweet size. Honestly, it's very unlikely you'd be happy with that size long term. I have the 5 motif vintage solid gold bracelet and I would not go smaller than vintage on any piece.

I think the diamond bracelet is fine, however, I wouldn't have them make it if the bezels aren't perfect. I'd far rather have perfectly round cast bezels, personally.

 

[Phoenix]

I vote you save up for the VCA Alhambra necklace, or a Vintage-sized bracelet.

Sweets are super small and delicate.

 

[LLJsmom]

Just a month before I would have said to save up for a vintage VCA bracelet. But I just got by five motif rose gold vintage (happy Christmas to me!) and I decided to keep the two sweets I was planning on selling. I have the carnelian Alhambra and turquoise butterfly and I love the sweets, strangely enough more that I’ve got my vintage. The sweets are so light and easy to wear. My kids are a little older than yours but I get your concern. You would be surprised how durable they actually are. I vote for the sweet. If you want something you never have to take off, I vote for the rose gold Alhambra sweet.

 

[hathalove]

Hmmm. I really like both but I may actually like the vca more. I love how delicate the motif looks in that size. I find the regular sizes look a bit chunky and clunky on me and I’m not a petite girl at all. I did own a dbty that BGD made for me. I thought I was going to adore it and I was just so so honestly. It was easy to wear but I basically put it on and then forgot about it all the time. Until one day it really wasn’t there. Sigh. Oddly that’s when I cared. Lol.

Side note. I have a very grabby almost five month old. She never goes for my bracelets which I wear 24/7 but always grabs my necklaces and yanks hard on them. Especially while nursing. She knows they are their and fiddles while she eats. She looks for them even when I’m just holding her. Something to consider.

 

[hathalove]

Oh I just saw that you said toddlers and not babies. I have an older boy too but when he was a toddler he always went for the neck too. He was always interested in my necklaces. Go figure. I do have a lot of interesting ones. Lol

 

[Roi]

Hi! I have a toddler and he loves to play with my jewelry same as older kids so i would choose something that is easy to clean (gold and diamonds, maybe not semi precious stones, i feel like need to polish them all the time. ). If you want delicate bracelet I would recommend VCA mini frivole bracelet, it is a bit larger than sweet and easier to take care/ to clean, IMO. I have one in YG and wear it 24/7.

 

[Platinum-blonde]

Thank you for the responses, so far! I really do appreciate everyones feedback.

@Staceyjan - Did you get the handmade bezels or the regular ones?

@Crazie4Cuts - I don't plan on traveling any time soon, but maybe a trip to Southern Ca is in order. lol It's kind of frustrating that they don't have one out here, but they will charger me sales tax, because we have a Cartier.

@MonkeysInk - I think you're probably right, that the kids won't play with the bracelets, as much as they do necklaces. I haven't worn a watch or bracelet since my son way born 3.5 years ago... the vintage size is appealing tho... I'm might just have to save up for it.

@hathalove - Thank you for sharing your experience with both pieces. I too would probably wear the DBTY bracelet 24/7, until I realized that it fell off... I worry that the piece just won't be blingy or special enough for me to love it. I have a BGD .3ctw Barbara pendant (which feels small to me these days), which makes me think that 10 pointers would be too small for me to enjoy. lol

@diamondseeker2006 - I too think that the non-perfect bezels might drive me nuts. If it were on a pendent, I don't think that I would mind as much... maybe.

@Roi - I too think that something easy to clean might be best. The frivole is sooooo pretty!

@Phoenix - Thank you for your advice. You have such a beautiful collection of VCA!

@LLJsmom - How do you like the carnelian? That's my husband's favorite, and he thinks that I should save up for the vintage carnelian necklace. I actually think that the rose gold sweet would be gorgeous! hmmmmmm.

I can't say that I'm any closer to making a decision, but I have a lot of great information to help me make it. Thanks!!!

 

[Staceyjan]

For the BG .25 one stationed bracelet, it was a handmade bezel. The bezel setting itself is more delicate.

Yes, ten pointers do start to look small very quickly. I think I kept adding bracelets so they would continue to sparkle and stand out.

I also have a .3 pendant and would love a larger one!

Good luck with your decision, maybe if you are close to a VCA store, you can try one on and put your necklace next to it just to get an idea of the two styles next to each other.

 

[Octo2005]

@Staceyjan Sounds like a lovely stack! Mind sharing any photos?

 

[Staceyjan]

Sure!
The single is .25 WG from Brian Gavin (closet to my elbow)
RG 5 stones .10 each from ID Jewelry
WG 5 stones .10 each from ID Jewelry
WG 5 stones .10 each from Good Old Gold estate collection

I do not even feel like they are on when I am wearing them. I did loose the BG one once in my work bathroom, though. The others have a lobster clasp and the BG one has a round clasp. The single one also stays on the top of my wrist and does not turn around. I have them all attached to make it easier when I need to take them off and put them on.

 

[Queenie60]

I have a DBTY bracelet from IDJ - .20 pts each. Love the size and I had the cast bezels done as I wanted them to be perfectly round. Love the .20 pts and it's an easy bracelet to wear.

 

[PintoBean]

Get whatever you want from VCA first because their price hikes can be ridiculous.

 

[Staceyjan]

Get whatever you want from VCA first because their price hikes can be ridiculous.

That is so true and would influence my decision if I were you.

 

[yssie]

I have three MOP/YG Sweet bracelets, a WF DBTY with 8-pointers, and the Frivole bracelets in WG & YG.

The Sweets are very very dainty, and the stone motifs don’t sparkle so they don’t have “larger than life” presences like diamonds. I love these stacked but I wouldn’t wear one by itself - I generally prefer dainty bracelets but they’re just too Sweet solo for me!

The Frivole Minis are slightly larger than the Sweets and they look larger on the wrist thanks to those shiny metal petals. These I do wear by themselves occasionally, but I still prefer them together. They’re somewhat three-dimensional, and they need to be worn tightly to avoid flipping - these aren’t for someone who doesn’t like snug bracelets.

The Vintage size is a completely different aesthetic - much bolder, much more impactful. More casual. I’d recommend them over the Sweets or the Mini florals unless you’re specifically looking for stacking pieces.

The DBTY is actually a wrist/ankle conversion piece. I’ve literally never worn the bracelet portion in the three years I’ve had it, though! I think that’s because my wedding set is “classic” (nondescript face-up), my everyday earrings are all “classic” (again - nondescript face-up), I don’t wear necklaces or RHRs, so my wrists are the only places left to show more personality. @Staceyjan ‘s DBTY quartet is delightful

 

[Platinum-blonde]

I have a DBTY bracelet from IDJ - .20 pts each. Love the size and I had the cast bezels done as I wanted them to be perfectly round. Love the .20 pts and it's an easy bracelet to wear.

I think that the 20 pointers would be better for me. I have a 2ctw eternity with 10 pointers, can can't imagine a bracelet with the same size stones. lol

That is so true and would influence my decision if I were you.

I agree! @PintoBean has a point, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

I have three MOP/YG Sweet bracelets, a WF DBTY with 8-pointers, and the Frivole bracelets in WG & YG.

The Sweets are very very dainty, and the stone motifs don’t sparkle so they don’t have “larger than life” presences like diamonds. I love these stacked but I wouldn’t wear one by itself - I generally prefer dainty bracelets but they’re just too Sweet solo for me!

The Frivole Minis are slightly larger than the Sweets and they look larger on the wrist thanks to those shiny metal petals. These I do wear by themselves occasionally, but I still prefer them together. They’re somewhat three-dimensional, and they need to be worn tightly to avoid flipping - these aren’t for someone who doesn’t like snug bracelets.

The Vintage size is a completely different aesthetic - much bolder, much more impactful. More casual. I’d recommend them over the Sweets or the Mini florals unless you’re specifically looking for stacking pieces.

The DBTY is actually a wrist/ankle conversion piece. I’ve literally never worn the bracelet portion in the three years I’ve had it, though! I think that’s because my wedding set is “classic” (nondescript face-up), my everyday earrings are all “classic” (again - nondescript face-up), I don’t wear necklaces or RHRs, so my wrists are the only places left to show more personality. @Staceyjan ‘s DBTY quartet is delightful

Thank you for sharing your experience, and point of view! I'm totally going to take it all into consideration. In the long run, I would love to be able to stack them, but I don't know if I can wait another year to get a second one, so I might just save a bit and buy the vintage.