Jewelry

[Mindy D]

Ross Simons Spring Preview 2023 catalog just arrived. I love everything in it. They have managed to get designs in genuine gold, vermeil and silver that look absolutely gorgeous. There are more of the daintier stylings in real gold, but they look fantastic. Even the small gemstones they have used in some of the settings look fabulous. Remarkable designs that don't make it seem like you're trading off with the use of less gold in each piece than in years gone by. Prices are excellent. As usual, the photos in the catalog are well-done and you can see what the pieces look like. There are tons of wearable, everyday pieces. 
If you don't get the catalog mailed to you you can probably view the catalog on Ross Simon's website (I haven't checked yet).

[PamfromCT]

I have ordered from several times and have always been very happy.  

[FancyPhillyshopper]

When I was much younger I used to be SO happy to get that Ross-Simons catalog.  I would save up and buy something special every year (only a few hundred dollars, as I was much poorer as well).  That was the same with QVC (gold and gem days), HSN and JTV and ShopHQ. Yes, I love jewelry!

I received several pieces that had such LOUSY diamonds from everybody that I soon learned there is no consistency in quality.  Additionally some fine jewelry pieces are made with such light-weight gold that they seem to be barely able to hold up for a few months, much less a few years. I also learned that most gemstones have minimum resale value-- it is the gold that people want these days, that's all.

The only vendors I find pretty consistent with jewelry quality are Effy (although they use a lot of single cut diamonds and they have treated gemstones without informing customers) , LeVian ("chocolate" diamonds are really worth much less than white diamonds), Beverly Hills Elegance (retired now) and Judith Ripka (pre-retirement).  Everything else is hit or miss.  I am gravitating a bit more towards higher-end jewelry designers (David Yurman, Roberto Coin, etc.), who have very good quality, but the prices are outrageous.

It is a bit sad that buying a pretty piece of jewelry these days is now a major budget decision. The mark-up on jewelry is just nuts.  I used to go to the QVC outlets and purchase gold jewelry for about one-third of the television price.  These days I mainly window-shop because I have much more than I need.