Judith Ripka

[Sammycat1]

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@MizKringle wrote:

Bixby has had some of her pieces manufactured in China for years now, but some are still made in Thailand. Those of us who collect Bixby had some concerns with the shift, but overall, there haven't been problems. There were some hiccups in the early days. The problems with Bixby more recently seem to be that some pieces don't have great quality stones. I think that is partly due to the increase in volume of production. But overall, the Bixby collectors have been happy with her pieces, including the China pieces.

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I've collected Barbara's pieces for years.  I agree with the comment on her poor gemstone sourcing -- but that has nothing to do with volume and everything to do with plain old poor sourcing and cost-cutting. Volume should actually help in her ability to secure a higher quality of gemstone at a more reasonable cost.

In addition, the jewelry in recent years that I've received is lighter and the oxidation often poorly executed.  I hate to say it because I enormously admire her artistry, but I'm done with her Q-based work.

[Seka]

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@Glitter Puss wrote:

I've heard that Bixby pieces are made in China. Can't verify this, as I only collect Ripka, but that's what some other Ripkanistas have said.

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That is correct - some of the Bixby pieces are made in China - if you look at some of her pieces on the Q - such as J330524 - it is clearly stamped 'CHINA'.

[MizKringle]

Sammycat1 - While increasing your volume should mean better purchasing power, I think the increase in volume for Bixby's line meant that they expanded the range of what they considered "acceptable" stones.  It was probably so that they could meet a price point. I don't know the extent to which good quality stones are limited when they're buying them. I'm sure it varies by gemstone. One issue has been with iolite - some of it was paler while some was too dark, but most of what they got was good quality. For those of us who like Bixby's designs, it's meant that there were times we had to exchange an item in order to get better quality.  It's frustrating and some have given up. As for the oxidation issue, there was a period when her items were overly oxidized, but they seemed to have fixed that problem. As for weight, I think most of her pieces are still quite weighty - but not quite as much as when she first came to the Q.  But that was a long time ago.

[terrier3]

China can make better quality products too.

If Ripka China pieces have inferior quality, that's because the new owners of her brand specified inferior goods.

I have many Ripka pieces from the good old days - but stopped buying right after the quality fell off - coinciding with the sale.

The prices haven't fallen to match the lack of quality though!

[Vivian]

I say da*n these companies that have cheapened their brand for short term gain. When you think of Tiffany, Cartier, Piaget, etc., etc., brands that have been high end for generations, it's very sad that some have sold out, willing to degrade their former reputation to make a buck...but never will again.

[Seka]

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@Vivian Florimond wrote:

I say da*n these companies that have cheapened their brand for short term gain. When you think of Tiffany, Cartier, Piaget, etc., etc., brands that have been high end for generations, it's very sad that some have sold out, willing to degrade their former reputation to make a buck...but never will again.

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I feel that QVC has done exactly that with the Brands/Products they sell - the Quality, Selection and Value is gone from the Q.