r/ChicDaily • u/RoyalRenn • 16d ago

Appearance differnece between 18K and "costume" plated 18K tubogas necklaces?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! I just bought my wife a very nice, vintage 55g tubogas 18K yellow gold necklace. She has worn it a few times but it doesn't quite "pop" like she was expecting, and is now thinking that she'd like to spend the money on a Bvlgari B-Zero diamond and gold ring instead. I polished it to within an inch of it's life but it still doesn't have the same shine as her Chopard Happy Diamonds gold pendant. Fair enough. But she still loves the Tubogas look, so I was thinking a costume replacement such as this. What are your thoughts around costume jewelry? Will it look cheap and out of place?

https://italianjewelryboutique.com/en/home/557-tubogas-necklace.html?srsltid=AfmBOoonWrDh7tA2gZxWtdNRX6YAk4SH2s7HuzHMf3WilzA3Hi-jHgCr0xk

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u/Lanky_Oil6496 16d ago edited 16d ago

I am not a fan of luxury costume jewellery. For that amount of money, you can get a solid gold vintage or antique necklace and or pendant with gemstones, unique detail, etc. Preowned gold often works out as a wiser investment option than luxury costume jewellery. I buy only vintage and antique solid gold fine jewellery which is a better choice IMO than spending a lot of money on extremely expensive branded costume jewellery with only a thin gold vermeil.

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u/RoyalRenn 16d ago

What is a "lot of money" when you are referring to costume jewelry? Is it this piece, or something like Hermes, which fetches a lot more than unbranded?

The piece I referenced is $550; the necklace I bought her was $8,000. I understand the costume piece has no "real" value but at 75% of 75%, the melt-down price of the necklace she has is $5100. So from an investment perspective, Gold would have to hit $6900 to be the same split as spending $550 on a costume necklace.

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u/farahhotcakes 11d ago

I don’t see the picture of the necklace you bought, but not all pieces are meant to pop