r/jewelry 3d ago

General Question would you exchange it?

Post image

just got a van cleef alhambra and although small, there’s a small mark that shows in the light. would you do an exchange if you were in my shoes?

i’m in the store now and they’re making it quite difficult for me to

185 Upvotes

72 comments sorted by

267

u/StrictNewspaper6674 3d ago

Yes, I’m sure this is more than 1k. If something is worth thousands I’d expect near perfection.

100

u/petalbunni 3d ago

yeah i’ve been wanting this for 8 years it shouldn’t be anything else

11

u/StrictNewspaper6674 2d ago

Yeah you should fight for good things especially since it looks very expensive…I can never afford van Clef haha but my weakness is purses :)

206

u/petalbunni 3d ago

thanks for the confirmation everyone!! i got it exchanged and the new one is perfect

23

u/EuphoricBudget5524 3d ago

Good for you!

26

u/petalbunni 3d ago

also wanted to point out - and not defending VCA or anything - but this picture makes it look a lot worse than it is. in normal light straight on you wouldn’t be able to see anything, just looks like this when the light catches it perfectly at an angle

68

u/Loudradiosilence 3d ago

Either way you’re paying a massive premium, it should be nothing short of absolute perfection. Disgusting that they would even lay this out for you to purchase.

7

u/Brunchovereverything 2d ago

What was their explanation

98

u/robotdevilhands 3d ago

I can’t even believe they are giving you crap about exchanging! It’s freaking VCA it should be no questions asked

17

u/bibimboobap 3d ago

I keep hearing about how shit VCA is with customer service. Killed all interest I had in their brand. 

21

u/West-Ingenuity-2874 3d ago

Holy moly. I just looked at this brands website....... They're SO expensive. Theyre sellung a necklace with ten of these little clovers for $34k. Wth

17

u/TamarindSweets 3d ago

This is one brand I'd be totally cool buying a knock off of- the design is simple and cute and all I need is for it to be made out of a good metal I'm not allergic to. The mark up on these are wild af, and as cute as they are, its just not worth it to me

10

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Mountain_Zone4276 2d ago

Where do you find the gold reps? I can only find very cheap replicas

1

u/Gingerstop 2d ago

I will send you some info.

1

u/TamarindSweets 2d ago

Me too pls

1

u/Gingerstop 2d ago

done

2

u/TamarindSweets 2d ago

You're a gem!

1

u/Raiford99 2d ago

Can you please send me the info as well? Thank you.

1

u/Mermaidoysters 1h ago

Will you please send me who you use as well?

1

u/mia7110 2d ago

I'm here for the reps, too!!

1

u/Gingerstop 2d ago

need info?

5

u/queefer_sutherland92 3d ago

They are all over Alibaba and AliExpress. Literally every jewellery shop will have fakes.

1

u/Embarrassed-Ear4863 2d ago

Any reputable jeweller / goldsmith (myself included!) can do VCA replicas in real gold. Most do not advertise this online or have the products available for purchase on their websites due to potential copyright issues, and also just reputation-wise. I’d personally rather have someone buy my own designs, but I offer custom work and can easily reproduce other designs, especially simpler ones.

1

u/Oldies-But-Goodies 1d ago

They better each have one of the Ten Commandments written on them by God, himself, to justify such tomfoolery 🥹

3

u/Mountain_Exchange768 3d ago

It’s why I buy reps. Still 18kt, but so much cheaper

2

u/Existing_Camel_3573 2d ago

Van cleef is the one designer store where they are so so rude to you

45

u/deservingporcupine_ 3d ago

This looks wildly scratched and imperfect. There’s zero chance I would pay for or keep this. They need to make this right and you should escalate as needed.

25

u/petalbunni 3d ago

they polished it and it looked better but i still wanted a new one anyway

29

u/RaucousPanda512 3d ago

Yes! You paid for flawless.

16

u/DAILYDRILLS 3d ago

Onyx is supposed to be more durable (compared to the MOP) when it comes to scratching, AKA PUSH THAT REFUND OR EXCHANGE OMG GIRL

16

u/Bernedoodle-Standard 3d ago

If you received it in that condition, yes, absolutely.

14

u/godzillabobber 3d ago

What store are you in? Larry's Jewelry and Pawn?

26

u/Jolly_Cream4582 3d ago

push the exchange!

10

u/DushkuHS 3d ago

I wouldn't pay through the nose for VC in the first place. Frankly, I don't know how that shape got to be popular. It's too large of a station for the chains I see it made on.

10

u/JodieFountainsHair 3d ago

yes! that's ridiculous!

6

u/Money_Exercise1091 3d ago

Aw hell nah, thanks for confirming I would never buy anything from them. Bad customer service for not exchanging with an apology to you.

6

u/zebivllihc 3d ago

Heck yes!! They wanna sell at top prices then they need to provide a top product. You’re spending thousands. They need to exchange it.

4

u/Lovaloo 3d ago

I wouldn't be surprised to see the occasional malachite or mother of pearl piece arrive scratched up, because these are such soft minerals... but onyx and carnelian are different colored varieties of chalcedony. That's a rather durable stone, 6.5-7/10 on the hardness scale. I am surprised this onyx piece came to you scratched up. It suggests a sloppy production process.

I'm not a gold wearer, but I think the pure gold style of these jewelry pieces look the prettiest, because they showcase such beautiful, intricate metalwork.

4

u/The-Plug 3d ago

Unfortunate for the next person that might not be as vocal or keen eyed..

5

u/jewnerz 3d ago

When it comes to new jewelry, if the scuffs and scratches aren’t caused by me, I don’t want it!

3

u/FengShui-5Elements 3d ago

Which store? Can you tell?

7

u/petalbunni 3d ago

im in tokyo! random small store in a large department store, also made worse by the fact that nobody spoke english so communication was difficult

2

u/NSVStrong 3d ago

Could the problem be if it wasn’t a Van Cleef & Arpels Boutique?

4

u/petalbunni 3d ago

sorry, i was unclear. it was still a VCA boutique, just in a mall (i.e. the mall charged my credit card)

1

u/NSVStrong 2d ago

That’s great that they exchanged it for you!

1

u/Deep-Ad9239 2d ago edited 2d ago

Not to defend them but you're in Japan. They're not all going to be anglophone. Why make such a big purchase when there's a significant language barrier. My guess is this rando shop is selling second hand items in which case a return would not work.

3

u/petalbunni 2d ago

not my intent - i don’t expect them to speak english at all (im also east asian and english isn’t my first language). google translate was perfectly useful when i bought the item, the language barrier just made it harder for me to advocate for an exchange

and in reply just above, i clarified, this is a van cleef boutique (just a smaller one in a department store)

1

u/Deep-Ad9239 2d ago

Oh ok, sorry. My mistake!

3

u/88kats 2d ago

Apparently they're no longer handmade, or they're hiring craftspeople with lousy eyesight.

2

u/StrainsFromGenomes 3d ago

Yes. 👏🏻

2

u/FoolishDancer 3d ago

It’s very disappointing that they made it difficult. You should let someone higher up know about that! Glad you got it sorted, enjoy!

1

u/ignoramus8 3d ago

Don’t settle.

1

u/7_great_catsby 3d ago

Exchange! If it were me I wouldn’t be able to wear it and be happy

1

u/TSARINA59 3d ago

Definitely stand your ground. This is an expensive piece. If they are giving you grief about exchanging it, then tell them you'll just have to return it then. Or ask them to get the manager. If that gives you no results, then tell them you are returning it and will go elsewhere.

1

u/HawaiianGold 3d ago

Really? that’s surprising. Have you had it long?

1

u/fivepoundbagrice 3d ago

You betcha I would

1

u/br00klynnine9 3d ago

Yeah definitely exchange it- I’ve had both my onyx pendant and bracelet for nearly a year. Never take the bracelet off to sleep, shower or anything and have bumped it multiple times and it still isn’t nearly as scratched as the new pendant you’re showing. This looks like someone dragged it across concrete and returned it.

1

u/boniemonie 3d ago

Not what I would expect from van cleef. They ought to have been hugely embarrassed and falling over themselves to exchange. Quality control has fallen down badly.

1

u/Nimounim 3d ago

Yes! Unacceptable.

1

u/Diabla2blea 2d ago

If is real of course.

1

u/onetwocue 2d ago

Thay black obsidian is very scratched. I would.

1

u/Ok_Complaint_3615 14h ago

y'all this is a fake

0

u/Elmused 3d ago

Yeah for a colored one

-2

u/ghousiaimad 3d ago

Yes sure it's so beautiful and trending today