Ho! Ho! Ho!
I love December. Everything feels festive and oozes glamour in a manner and attitude that only Christmas can get away with. I may not like the hordes of additional Oxford Street elbow pushers claiming to be shoppers or the unnecessarily jubilant carol singing. But guess what?
The internet makes shopping a joy.
I am always astounded by the breadth of diversity and the insane quality that I can buy at the click of a button. Yup, I grew up pre-internet, where my favourite hangout area was under a ginoromous tree.
December is my month to splurge and buy a fabulous piece of jewellery for myself. However, none of these eclectic pieces I am eyeing carry a Cartier price tag. I hope we both wear some of these hidden gems often.
P.S. Most of these brands are small scale and their marketing budget is non-existent. Therefore, this is an unaffiliated post. Gosh, I do miss those days…
The ring
The designers of this Nordic brand, Bjou Design, describe their products as works of art. This is an understatement and you have to visit this website to appreciate their innovation in design and creative talent. The rings take about 4 weeks to manufacture and are in a range of materials: 18k gold vermeil, silver and black ceramic. Here are some of my favourites.
Statement necklace
Pearls are having a moment (again) and they are everywhere. I love this necklace and I know exactly which outfit it will go with. Remember, pearls are not just Audrey Hepburn’s birthright, they are for all girls.
Not quite the matching earrings
I love these stylish earrings, which don’t need further praise. If you are lucky enough to live in Dubai, they are in the Ounass cybersale for US$ 220.
The pearl moment continued…
I found this pair of hand made floral earrings on net-a-porter for US$ 1,047. They are gorgeous. But I am in two minds about committing to them. Mainly because its by a brand that even my Singaporean friend whose mother collects proper pearls like candy, has not heard of.
I found these alternative baroque options in the range of US$ 140 – US$160.
The bracelet
I love this Hermes bracelet. It’s understated and unassuming.
But it is not a bargain at GBP 930. I won’t be buying it and this truly does have something to do with me being Indian. A luxury stock analyst once told me that when he was working for Cartier, Indian shoppers would size up the weight of gold jewellery in their hands and would be baffled by the lack of weight and the 22K gold options. One explanation that resonated with me, was that Indians had a longstanding culture of jewellery-making and anything that fell short of their standards, they would not buy. This bracelet falls short.
…the alternative
This chic set of bracelets is available on Ounass. Mounser’s individual bracelets typically cost US$ 250 on the brand’s website.
Let’s not leave out deseneros, a UAE start-up. Even though the bracelets are quite chunky, I am sure they will work in greater numbers.
Closing
It was an interesting experience writing this blog. I discovered that I want to spend my money less on the Louis Vuittons of this world but more on an unknown start-up or the brands that are struggling. A US$ 2,000 designer bag has less appeal when you know the entire cost of making it is less than US$ 200 and that the brand sells millions of the same bag in a 12 month cycle. (See this excellent piece of investigative journalism by the New Yorker, The Chinese Workers Who Assemble Designer Bags in Tuscany).
Am I going to buy a Louis Vuitton bag in the next few years? Probably… but RealReal may be my first option.
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