Get your baskets ready.
I’ve always questioned wether buying designer clothes, shoes or jewellery was actually worth the investment, especially seeing as you can usually get similar items at much lower prices.
But as a consumer, how do you know if you’re actually getting good quality items for a fair price? Does buying designer automatically mean buying better? What happens if you have champagne taste on a lemonade budget?
For those of us who sort price high to low when shopping online knowing that our current accounts will barely support the sale, this is for you.
With that, I introduce a new segment of this blog: Ball On A Budget where I’ll be trudging through the world of designer jewels, crying because I can’t afford any of it and then hunting down the next best thing for the next best price.
Gold-tone and enamel hoop earrings – £100
I really like these earrings, but not for £100. Lets break it down:
“Gold-tone” = Not gold. If the item doesn’t state what purity the gold is (9K, 14K, 18K, etc.) and how its applied (vermeil, plated, filled, etc.) chances are the item isn’t going to have any gold content. So here we have gold coloured beads for £100. And over here, we have 500 gold coloured beads for £1.99. You see where I’m going with this.
“Enamel” = Glass attached to a metal or hard surface. Not precious, not natural, not expensive.
It isn’t stated what the setting (the pin that goes in your ear and the hoop that the beads are strung on) is made of so I would assume that’s not gold either.
Now if these hoops were made with 9K gold or even plated with 14K gold, the £100 price point would make sense. But I still like them and I can’t get them out of my head.
Same Vibe: ASOS Lot less money, lot less substance. I’d be afraid to get them wet. Still cute though.
£6
Similar Vibe: CECILE COHEN An elegant two tone, well thought through design that screams of regality.
£25*
*Item is listed in Euros at €29.
Out of the four, based on design alone, Roxanne Assoulin wins the prize. She manages to make a very simple concept into something loud and feminine; cheeky yet refined. But frankly this is way out of budget for a few pieces of rainbow glass.
Trusty ASOS comes through with a strikingly similar design which looks as though it probably took £94 less time to create but I’m here for it. For the price of two meal-deals you could have these delivered straight to your door, just in time for your next quarantine video chat.
Getting a good deal that suits you is easy when you have all of the information.
Cecile Cohen conquers the affordable range with her titanium, blue and gold design. The design is delicately eye-catching and at that price? Consider me caught.
“Gold/Fiesta” is an accurate description for these hoops by Covet. They have the same elements as the others (rainbow and gold beads) just arranged in a different way. The overall design enhances the playfulness of the materials used in a way that the other designs don’t.