I should have considered that this market existed for some time, but it did not cross my path until now. I just uncovered the prestigious secondhand jewelry market. I was clicking around Bluefly and found a link to a piece of jewelry that I did not find in their main fine jewelry section and then I discovered that they were selling high end pieces from Cartier, Tiffany and Bulgari. I initially thought that these jewelry offerings were from the original retailers and were perhaps items that were returned. These retailers in turn would not be able to resell them, so they would be sold at a discount to stores that featured designer merchandise like Bluefly. I read the description regarding each piece and the company CIRCA was mentioned so I decided to check out CIRCA.
CIRCA is the crown jewel of the secondhand jewelry market. The gist of this market is shopper buys or receives a piece of fine jewelry as a gift. Eventually the owner no longer wants the piece of jewelry and wants to unload it and receive more compensation than merely selling it for the weight of the gold or the grade of the diamonds.
This is where CIRCA comes in. CIRCA appraises fine jewelry. They consider every element of the piece such as…is it signed, where it was made, and is it a prestigious designer like Cartier for instance. CIRCA then makes the client an offer and in turn, CIRCA sells pieces to international collectors. CIRCA also sells to Bluefly.
Here is a sample of the current inventory at Bluefly. I will start with my favorite first…This is a piece from Cartier. It is elegant and timeless. It makes a great substitute for the engagement ring/wedding band combination or a lovely “right hand ring” choice. You can also view this piece at full price online at Cartier. The price savings of over $4,000 to bring the total cost for the ring under $10,000 might be a selling point for someone who has a specific price point in mind for a wedding band. As I write this post Ebates is offering 8% cash back on Bluefly purchases. That is $773 off this ring. Plus,$30 off your first $150 order plus free shipping at Bluefly.com so that will increase the additional savings to over $800. This means that total price point for this item will now be under $9,000.
My second choice is a simple wedding band from Tiffany & Co. The endless diamonds make this a complimentary addition to any wedding band. Moreover, I would presume that if you wore this for a couple of years and became tired of it, you could sell it back to CIRCA to recoup part of your cost since these pieces never go out of style. With the Ebates discount the savings total is 35% off the retail price. This piece is can be purchased online at Tiffany & Co.
Some of you may not have heard of Bulgari name in conjunction with jewelry but as a fragrance. The history of the Bulgari fragrance collection began in 1992 when the jeweler offered the fragrance as a gift with a jewelry purchase. Since few pieces of jewelry are less than $1,000 it was only available to few individuals who were able to afford this price point. It gained notoriety and Bulgari decided to take it mainstream making it available to the general public. Bulgari has expanded the fragrance line to include Eau Parfumee White Tea. (You can purchase it at Sephora.) I have worn this scent at least once a week for the past several years. I adore it. The Bulgari company has been around for over 100 years. I am not surprised that Bluefly is selling a piece with a simple and classic design. This piece is available for sale on the Bulgari website.
Would you rather purchase one of the items above for the prices listed or put the money towards a new piece of jewelry?
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