As someone who simply loves pretty jewelry, I'm drawn to it all: high end, low end, costume, fine ... As long as it's a well-made, quality piece, I don't care if it's signed or not.
But there are those amongst us who love high-end jewelry and are lucky or wealthy enough to be able to afford it. So what do those people buy? Well whether it's costume or fine jewelry, signed pieces of course! Why? Because jewelry bearing the designer's name isn't just impressive: it's a long term investment because of its collectibility.
The enduring appeal and collectibility of designer signed jewelry is well exemplified in the likes of Cartier. Talk about longevity! One day when I had some time on my hands, I decided to look up Cartier on the net. I was blown away by the prices being asked for Cartier jewelry. Who could afford this gorgeous stuff?
Then suddenly I had the good luck to find a nice pin and bangle set in 18k and silver.
Not being all 18k, it was more affordable, though still more than I'm used to spending on myself. But hey, I wanted to have the thrill of being able to say "I own a Cartier". So I indulged. Once I got it, studied how it was made and wore it, I was sunk. My hunger for Cartier jewelry had begun.
It goes without saying that when a person buys Cartier, the quality and workmanship of the piece is beyond reproach. There's just no compromise on quality in Cartier jewelry: everything from the gemstones and diamonds in a piece to the mechanics of a bracelet or necklace clasp is first class.
Fascinated by this designer, who, until now was little more than a famous name to me, I began buying up books on Cartier so I could learn more. I purchased catalogues from the great auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's, to see what bidders at those events were paying for Cartier, old and new. And paying they were ... and are!
In a Dupuis auction in Toronto in 2009, a colored diamond & onyx bangle went for $160,000!
What an eye-opener! And at a Sotheby's auction in New York in 2005, there was a gorgeous diamond bracelet that was expected to sell for between $12,000 - $15,000. It sold for $22,500! Yikes! But that doesn't compare to the Cartier diamond and sapphire bracelet that sold for $6,942, 856 at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong in June 2010 ... a new world record for a piece of Cartier jewelry. Yes, you read right: the bracelet sold for nearly $7 million dollars. Ouch!
I decided to check out the one auction place where most things usually don't go for what they're worth: eBay. Surely eBay shoppers wouldn't pay that kind of money for Cartier.
Well, given what I now know, I did find sellers asking very fair prices for Cartier as a "buy it now", but they weren't selling. After all, ebay buyers love auction and would any sellers there trust their Cartier's to auction? Well some do. I found a rather remarkable diamond elephant ring being auctioned on ebay. It sold for over $2500! I couldn't even see myself wearing something like this. But perhaps the buyer didn't buy it to wear either i.e. they bought it because it's Cartier - rare and collectible. What a bargain they got at that price! They stole that one.
I also discovered a superb guilloche 18k enamel brooch by Cartier on auction at eBay. It sold for just under $1000. Now let me tell you: that's so cheap for Cartier! Put the same pieces to auction at a Sotheby's or Christie's auction and it'll fetch 3-4 times that! So beautiful. I wish it were mine. A pretty rare old piece too going by my reading.
I've been able to satisfy my new craving bit by bit with a lot of judicious shopping and haggling and have started to collect a few lovely Cartier pieces. One of my favorites is this Saturn braceletwhich dates to the Second World War Years. I also really like this unusual Sterling silver and 18k bead necklace with its 18k yellow gold floral clasp. So unique!
It was originally purchased from Cartier, New York, by one of that city's prominent socialites. Being made of silver with carnelian stones, it's obviously not as valuable for its metal content as are Cartier's 14k & 18k gold pieces, but when it comes to its history and rarity, it's a significant find.
Locating Cartier I can afford is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I can buy half a dozen fine pieces for the price of one Cartier. But these days, I'm thinking more about the investment side of buying vintage jewelry. While all the pretty costume jewelry sparkles and twinkles with affordability, it will never be worth what a fine "name" piece is worth. If I suddenly have a need for cash, jewelers are eager to take estate name brand fine jewelry off my hands. They can sell a Cartier, Bulgari, Choppard, Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels and so on for way more than they paid me. So if I buy carefully, I can't lose. The fine metals, 14, 18, 22k are gaining in value, not going down. Diamonds and genuine gemstones aren't getting cheaper. And obviously from those high-class auctions, buyers aren't paying less for Cartier. They're paying more!
I could be wrong, but something tells me that long-term, I'll be glad I invested in a "name" because when the name is Cartier, it means everything.
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