Marketing is killing vintage

I have a Bachelors of Science in Business Management. So believe me when I say that I understand that running a business costs money. But when you see exorbitant prices (an a lot of advertisements) warning bells should be going off somewhere in your head.

Edwardian Reproduction priced at $16,200
Available Here

Marketing is necessary. My own store Bubble and Squeak Gems uses it on a regular basis. If you are buying a piece of jewelry worth thousands of dollars it is worth looking to see if what you are paying for is just their advertising budget. Take, for example, Brilliant Earth. I know I rag on them a lot but I actually respect Brilliant Earth. Just not their "vintage" items.

Authentic Edwardian Stunner Available through Mel's
Antiques for $7,350. Link available Here 

Gallery of the Edwardian Reproduction
ring. 

Take the ring shown above. It is gorgeous. With a 1.7ct Old Mine Cut diamond and .20 ct worth of accents it is a definite stunner. They even got the detailing in the gallery (under part of the ring) right. So is it worth the $16,200 price tag? Well I guess it depends. Allow me to present some alternatives.

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For some real bling a 2ct, high qualty diamond
surrounded by sapphires. Price: $12,716. 

he platinum and diamond Edwardian Stunner above is comparable to reproduction offered by Brilliant earth. The center diamond is 1.7 Old Mine Cut (better quality), it has gorgeous detailing that contains .65ct in accent diamonds and .55ct of natural sapphires. So better quality, more stones, but most importantly this piece is an authentic antique. All for less than half the price of the reproduction. Maybe that is a fluke. Let's look at a few more.

2 ct ring side view

I never thought I would be the girl to drool on a 2ct diamond but surrounded by sapphires and Art Deco filigree...yeah, it's amazing. Once again a true antique and, once again below the price of the reproduction. Just

Gallery view

Emerald and Onyx cocktail ring.
Available for $6,296 Here

because it's fun here are a few more pictures of that ring.

One more because I love it.

The point of this is not to say that Brilliant Earth does not serve a purpose. I love the fact that they are now entering the antique market. Their advertising reaches people who might not otherwise see the Art Deco masterpieces. But what you pay for from them is, largely, the marketing. Those advertisements are paid for by high markup's on the products. While reproductions do serve a purpose and Brilliant Earths policies are very socially responsible I would still recommend that anyone looking for a ring like this buy from an antique dealer. You will get higher quality for a lot less money and remember, antiques are the origonal form of recycling.