Would you rather...

[pearaffair]

Would you rather...

Have many smaller pieces of jewellery over the years, or ONE holy grail piece after 10 years of abstinence?

This question came I mind as I helped my mom sort through all her jewellery. She has fifty billion costume jewellery pieces (they make her happy!) but if she has abstained she could have put that money towards something more... long-lasting. Myself, I have a bling fund that is growing and I'm having a hard time deciding if I should enjoy now, or save for something really substantial!

It's the marshmallow experiment: enjoy now, or get double the rewards by being patient!

 

[pearaffair]

In the past, I've gone for many small pieces. But lately I've been leaning towards saving up for many years in order to get something REALLY SPECIAL. Man is it hard, though! Talk about delayed gratification.

 

[SimoneDi]

Save for something substantial that you will really love! I have many silver pieces and if I could now turn them into a pair of small diamond studs, I would have much preferred that! I feel greater pleasure from having a few, but more expensive/valuable jewelry pieces.

Edit: I would start with something smaller that you can afford now and UPGRADE later

 

[Sunstorm]

Get now and upgrade later! I love many pieces but again being in the trade I can always sell some and trade towards a new love affair. Before doing what I do now, I wasted so much money on costume jewelry, my mom loves them though so gifting the remaining ones to her is an option. It really comes down to what you like. I used to prefer wearing one ring, today I am rocking four. I miss rings on my fingers, plus necklace, earrings but some people just want one substantial ring. I find it too hard to just pick one stone or one design that I love. This is so subjective though. I think minimizing quantity some is a good idea and getting as good a quality as you can but just one piece, dunno, for me that would never be enough.

 

[pearaffair]

Oh you guys are smart! I should've put an option C) Get smaller stuff now AND trade in for the big stuff later! WF's policy comes to mind

I see no downside to this plan, aside from maybe spending too much on settings?

 

[acaw2015]

I think it depends on your style. If you prefer wearing different things each day and you dont have the budget to buy many expensive pieces it would be a better idea to do just that, buy many less expensive pieces. I never change my jewelry, I wear my favourites all, or at least, most of the time. So, for me, one more expensive, or at least nicer, piece is better than having many... Once I have bought something nice and replaced the old piece, I never wear the old piece again. Most old jewelry I have, that are not diamonds/gold, I let my son use for his treasure chest when playing pirates.....

 

[tyty333]

I say get small (real bling) and upgrade as you go...until you reach your definition of substantial.

I cant do costume jewelry. I'm sort of a minimalist. I dont like to have multiple purses, lots of shoes, or lots of costume jewelry. It just makes for too
many decisions . I dont like making decisions....I want to grab and go. I think I think like a guy .

 

[iwantsparkle]

I would wait, but man, 10 years is a long time!

 

[ringo865]

Right. If my husband banked any cash for every time I declared "after this piece, I'm on a bling ban," I could get something really substantial. But for, say the last decade, I haven't bought any costume jewelry, so my pieces are "nice" - like DH says though, "there will always be an $X thousand dollar diamond to buy." And so there will… lol

 

[Queenie60]

I prefer nicer jewelry. I don't buy much however I use what I have. And I don't change it around much at all. For daily wear it's my studs, bracelet, solitaire and another necklace to layer sometimes. Simple is ok with me.

 

[secretagentlaura]

This might sound totally bananas, but I love my smaller (and smaller priced) pieces as much as I do my ACA and designer pieces. I'd have a hard time choosing.

I have one wristwatch that I wear exclusively, and rarely change my earrings, but I like having a collection of rings and necklaces to choose from.

 

[pearaffair]

This might sound totally bananas, but I love my smaller (and smaller priced) pieces as much as I do my ACA and designer pieces. I'd have a hard time choosing.

I have one wristwatch that I wear exclusively, and rarely change my earrings, but I like having a collection of rings and necklaces to choose from.

I can relate to that. I love to wear certain pieces depending on where I'm going and what I'm wearing.

 

[missy]

Ideally I would rather have one HG piece after 10 years of abstinence but that will never work. I could never ever go 10 years without buying bling as long as we had the funds that is. So while ideally yes one holy grail amazing piece is what I want I have to also have some smaller jewels to enjoy in the meantime...so a compromise of sorts. Save for the big piece but spend a bit for a few smaller pieces to enjoy during that time. If that makes sense. I mean it does to me. The idealistic realist or is that the realistic idealist. You get the picture.

What's key is you wear and enjoy the pieces you do own...live in the moment because that is all we have right now.

 

[december-fire]

I'm definitely 'less is more' when it comes to jewellery.

The upgrade policy is a great option.
Unfortunately, at my age, I don't want to wait much longer to have what I really want.

I'm also experiencing VDDS; Virtual Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome.
The solitaire carat size that I previously imagined as perfect, is starting to look too small when I imagine it on my hand.

I'm usually good about waiting for what I want.
But there's a direct correlation between 'time waiting' and 'the reward'.
Combined with VDDS, and the amazing diamonds on PS, makes for a distracting dilemma.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I used to collect but I've sold nearly all of it and focus on more substantial pieces. If I am going to buy something that I know I will eventually sell then I make sure I can trade it in or I buy pre-loved so I can resell for about the same price and not loose much (if any) money. I currently have two eternity rings, I know if I loose a lot of weight they will not fit, I'll sell and replace with one that does. With the exception of my wedding set, I consider everything else for sale.

 

[rubybeth]

I have some costume jewelry, and it's cheap and goes with a couple of outfits (or jazzes up a little black dress) so I don't see a problem with having some of that, and also some classic pieces. I don't think I could just ONE piece of jewelry, but I usually rotate between my diamond studs and hoops and pearl studs, occasionally wearing some costume jewelry. I prefer real gold/gemstones for rings and mostly wear just a few of my rings. I don't wear necklaces and hardly wear bracelets.

 

[Tourmaline]

Good topic! I change my jewelry every day, and I love having a lot of interesting pieces. I love silver and stones, and I would miss them if I were to stop buying them to save for a big thing down the road.

 

[whitewave]

Dh put me on a soft bling ban after the fun I've had and after the CVB ID reset. After Dec, though, I will get a new pair of diamond studs. I was going to trade my Es up but I love them for everyday, so I'm going to get a whole new pair of 1.25-1.4 (small lobes).

Luckily I started before I amassed a hot ton of costume... so I'm on good foundation for a nice collection for my granddaughters

 

[GearGirly]

I'm learning that I am team small bling and work in upgrading, I like to try new things and to change it up. I think I want to eventually end up with a close to 4 carat OEC/OMC and a 2.5 carat MRB. I'm on a 2.22 carat OEC and a 1.27 MRB lol. So a ways to go. I love my pendant so I won't change that out maybe ever, and I do want at some point 1.5 TCW set of studs!

 

[pearaffair]

I'm learning that I am team small bling and work in upgrading, I like to try new things and to change it up. I think I want to eventually end up with a close to 4 carat OEC/OMC and a 2.5 carat MRB. I'm on a 2.22 carat OEC and a 1.27 MRB lol. So a ways to go. I love my pendant so I won't change that out maybe ever, and I do want at some point 1.5 TCW set of studs!

Ooo that is on my bucket list: a large MRB and a large OEC! Trouble is, I can't decide which one I'd love to have first...

 

[MissGotRocks]

I much prefer to have a few nicer pieces than a ton of others. With the exception of a few different bracelets, I wear and enjoy my signature pieces every day. I don't need or want multiples so I have been content to buy quality over quantity.

 

[chrono]

Fewer nice pieces; not a tonne of small, nor just one giant piece.

 

[JLW05]

I went through a period of buying a lot of small pieces. My daughter asked me why I didn't save for a few nice signature pieces instead. I decided that I had definitely gone overboard on small pieces but I did get a lot of use of them because they were great everyday pieces that fit my casual lifestyle. I decided to significantly reduce my spending (how many pendants/rings/earrings does one need?). I made a wish list of a few small pieces I coveted and started saving for diamond studs. I got my WF ACA studs in February and while I was saving, I was able to purchase two wish list items.

 

[pearaffair]

I went through a period of buying a lot of small pieces. My daughter asked me why I didn't save for a few nice signature pieces instead. I decided that I had definitely gone overboard on small pieces but I did get a lot of use of them because they were great everyday pieces that fit my casual lifestyle. I decided to significantly reduce my spending (how many pendants/rings/earrings does one need?). I made a wish list of a few small pieces I coveted and started saving for diamond studs. I got my WF ACA studs in February and while I was saving, I was able to purchase two wish list items.

That's a good strategy! Make a list of a few items you really want, at different price points, and check them off!

 

[girlyglam]

What a great topic! I'm finding that I'm a wearer rather than a collector. Although I tend to wear a fair amount of jewelry on a day-to-day basis (earnings, rings, necklace, bracelet just about every day), I rarely change out what I'm wearing. I also place a lot of sentimental value into jewelry, particularly if I received it as a gift, and I feel guilty about owning jewelry that I don't wear. Thus, I would be more inclined to the holy grail piece after 10 years (although 10 years is a long time not to buy any jewelry!).

Right now, I'm working on building my "everyday classics jewelry wardrobe". I have two pairs of diamond studs, my RHR, and my e-ring and wedding band that I wear daily. I am working on acquiring another pair of diamond studs for my third holes, diamond pendant, and a tennis bracelet and DBTY bracelet (I imagine I would layer the two bracelets). It will probably be another few years before I can accomplish all that, but I really feel like once I do, I'll feel satisfied with my jewelry collection.

Which, of course, isn't to say that I won't want more! I do, afterall, lust and drool after so many of the amazing things here on PS! But, when it comes down to it, I want to be able to get a lot of wear out of my pieces. So I think any pieces I would want after completing my everyday ones, would still be pieces I would plan to wear on a daily basis. So, for example, I would love to own a nice OEC ring some day, and one day, when I have children, I know I'll want a mother's ring. But I envision just adding those pieces to my everyday look - I'm thinking OEC ring stacked with some sort of mother's ring band. I am most likely to change out my earrings or necklaces, so I certainly wouldn't be opposed to a fabulous, special-occasion earring or necklace piece some day either.

 

[pearaffair]

What a great topic! I'm finding that I'm a wearer rather than a collector. Although I tend to wear a fair amount of jewelry on a day-to-day basis (earnings, rings, necklace, bracelet just about every day), I rarely change out what I'm wearing. I also place a lot of sentimental value into jewelry, particularly if I received it as a gift, and I feel guilty about owning jewelry that I don't wear. Thus, I would be more inclined to the holy grail piece after 10 years (although 10 years is a long time not to buy any jewelry!).

Right now, I'm working on building my "everyday classics jewelry wardrobe". I have two pairs of diamond studs, my RHR, and my e-ring and wedding band that I wear daily. I am working on acquiring another pair of diamond studs for my third holes, diamond pendant, and a tennis bracelet and DBTY bracelet (I imagine I would layer the two bracelets). It will probably be another few years before I can accomplish all that, but I really feel like once I do, I'll feel satisfied with my jewelry collection.

Which, of course, isn't to say that I won't want more! I do, afterall, lust and drool after so many of the amazing things here on PS! But, when it comes down to it, I want to be able to get a lot of wear out of my pieces. So I think any pieces I would want after completing my everyday ones, would still be pieces I would plan to wear on a daily basis. So, for example, I would love to own a nice OEC ring some day, and one day, when I have children, I know I'll want a mother's ring. But I envision just adding those pieces to my everyday look - I'm thinking OEC ring stacked with some sort of mother's ring band. I am most likely to change out my earrings or necklaces, so I certainly wouldn't be opposed to a fabulous, special-occasion earring or necklace piece some day either.

I find that I'm a wearer AND a collector! I seem to always wear the same items but for me to part with others I've collected is almost unthinkable! I wear them once in a while but some: never! However I love looking through my little treasure trove and my jewellery box would look so empty if I only had a few pieces. And like you, the emotional attachement is important so anything that has been given to me is very special indeed.

Sometimes I think I'd be happiest curating a little diamond museum!!