You have to be careful when it comes to Etsy. There are a lot of dropshippers nowadays that pretend their jewelry is handmade but it is really just cheap pieces from AliExpress marked up incredibly high. 😑 Always reverse image search before buying to make sure you aren’t getting duped.
The decline of Etsy into Ali Express is one of the saddest things. There are still incredible makers on there but you have wade through a ton of shit to find them
I normally go to the makers socials- if they’re “legit” they’ll expose their whole process and you can order direct. They’ll prefer that too as Etsy fees are INSANE
I always recommend folks checking out their local jeweler instead of opting in for buying from an online retailer. Just a nice way to shop for something special locally (:
Thank you! My husband is the local jeweler in our shop with around a dozen other uncommon jewelry lines, art and home goods. We support only indy and emerging artists! Appreciate your being one of those consumers who looks out for their small biz culture!
I’ve been buying lots of vintage jewelry on eBay! Costs me max $25 and I get an array of jewelry I love. Some I don’t and I give them to the vintage store across the street from my house.
Loved this read! I would also recommend Noelani and Pilgrim from a European perspective, I usually buy secondhand vintage jewellery or high-end, but these two low to mid-range brands have my seal of approval for sure!
Made the mistake of buying a $125 necklace from NUMBERING on SSENSE :s Not that expensive compared to other designer jewelry but still. It was 14k gold plated brass and tarnished after a handful of times wearing it. Definitely learned my lesson! I would highly recommend buying vintage jewelry and if you're like me and love silver jewelry, I've found that titanium is long lasting.
We are a small business with an obsession for the uncommon, bringing together emerging artists and designers whose work is as distinctive as the people who collect it! ⚡️ check out some of our collections, including my husband, inhouse jeweler Jeffrey Levin. https://poetandthebench.com/collections/jewelry
Dorsey doesn’t stand behind their products -their customer service was awful. And “gold dipped” / “gold coated” are not industry standard terms: the gold came off of my station necklace and bracelet and when I mentioned it they said I shouldn’t have worn it while sweating or washing my hands. I don’t recommend any yellow gold from them if you’d like it to stay yellow.
Love this! Such a unique piece and different from what I usually see on Substack. Love that you included your favorite pieces from each brand. That’s super helpful for those of us discovering a brand for the first time!
I deep dived into jewelry a few years back too! I was so surprised to learn all of this and then also discover how insane the mark-up is!! With that, I'm surprised heaven's mayhem made your list. When I browsed there I noticed everything was "plated over brass" for $100+ . Nuts to me!
yes, you have a point! I purchased the mini knot earrings from HM a while back and I've loved them. As I wrote in the article, I don't really mind earrings that are made of lower-quality alloys because they don't tarnish with wear because there's minimal skin contact. $85 dollars for me is okay for a pair of earrings that I know will last forever and I guess the markup could be attributed to the designs? but I hear you I would NEVER drop that money on a bracelet or necklace that was "plated over brass".
I too am a college girl forever obsessed with 925 sterling silver. I think it’s more eye-catching than white gold actually! And I love shopping at flea/farmers markets for jewelry- I always look for the 925 stamp and usually score nicely :)
Thank you for the kind words! <3 I haven't tried Astrid & Miyu, but I have a friend who swears by Catbird and wears her necklaces and ring from there every day!
You have to be careful when it comes to Etsy. There are a lot of dropshippers nowadays that pretend their jewelry is handmade but it is really just cheap pieces from AliExpress marked up incredibly high. 😑 Always reverse image search before buying to make sure you aren’t getting duped.
OOooo that's so bad. Good to know, thanks for sharing!!!!
The decline of Etsy into Ali Express is one of the saddest things. There are still incredible makers on there but you have wade through a ton of shit to find them
I normally go to the makers socials- if they’re “legit” they’ll expose their whole process and you can order direct. They’ll prefer that too as Etsy fees are INSANE
I always recommend folks checking out their local jeweler instead of opting in for buying from an online retailer. Just a nice way to shop for something special locally (:
Also good idea to take a quick peek at the pawn shop. Lots of good deals there.
Thank you! My husband is the local jeweler in our shop with around a dozen other uncommon jewelry lines, art and home goods. We support only indy and emerging artists! Appreciate your being one of those consumers who looks out for their small biz culture!
Love that!! My parents are small biz owners so it’s always a priority for me 🫶🏼
Look at GLDN jewelry! Small biz and great pieces
Ok looked and loving it! Thank you for the recc!! 🤍
I’ve been buying lots of vintage jewelry on eBay! Costs me max $25 and I get an array of jewelry I love. Some I don’t and I give them to the vintage store across the street from my house.
How do you shop good vintage pieces on eBay, I’ve been trying to hack it:)
I’d say the key is the use the filters as much as possible! It might take time to look and scroll
i learned a lot from this piece! great write up! thanks for sharing your knowledge.
thank you so much for reading and for commenting! your kind words mean so much! <3
Loved this read! I would also recommend Noelani and Pilgrim from a European perspective, I usually buy secondhand vintage jewellery or high-end, but these two low to mid-range brands have my seal of approval for sure!
Thank you for the reccs!! I'm loving a lot of the Pilgrim pieces!
Made the mistake of buying a $125 necklace from NUMBERING on SSENSE :s Not that expensive compared to other designer jewelry but still. It was 14k gold plated brass and tarnished after a handful of times wearing it. Definitely learned my lesson! I would highly recommend buying vintage jewelry and if you're like me and love silver jewelry, I've found that titanium is long lasting.
OOoo that is the worst. Do better NUMBERING/SSENSE!
Comments like yours have inspired me to start buying vintage jewelry! Thank you for sharing!
We are a small business with an obsession for the uncommon, bringing together emerging artists and designers whose work is as distinctive as the people who collect it! ⚡️ check out some of our collections, including my husband, inhouse jeweler Jeffrey Levin. https://poetandthebench.com/collections/jewelry
I really love the dog tag pieces by Jeffery Levin! So impressed! 🤍
Awesome! Thanks for perusing! You found my husband’s jewelry! Hand carved, lost wax casting.
Thank you so much for including Dorsey ❤️
Of course! Dorsey is so special- a brand with heart!
Dorsey doesn’t stand behind their products -their customer service was awful. And “gold dipped” / “gold coated” are not industry standard terms: the gold came off of my station necklace and bracelet and when I mentioned it they said I shouldn’t have worn it while sweating or washing my hands. I don’t recommend any yellow gold from them if you’d like it to stay yellow.
Hi Cameron! Happy to look into this for you personally. You can email directly at Meg@ShopDorsey.com.
Did you have a good experience with Frank Darling to get your wedding ring? Very curious and absolutely love your setting!
YES! They were fantastic. And thank you!!!
Thanks for this! Super informative!
Thank you for reading and for your kind words!<3
Love this! Such a unique piece and different from what I usually see on Substack. Love that you included your favorite pieces from each brand. That’s super helpful for those of us discovering a brand for the first time!
Thank you for the kind words, they mean a lot! I am so glad this was helpful!<3
This is exactly what I've been looking for! Thanks for writing
I'm so glad! Thanks for reading! <3
I deep dived into jewelry a few years back too! I was so surprised to learn all of this and then also discover how insane the mark-up is!! With that, I'm surprised heaven's mayhem made your list. When I browsed there I noticed everything was "plated over brass" for $100+ . Nuts to me!
yes, you have a point! I purchased the mini knot earrings from HM a while back and I've loved them. As I wrote in the article, I don't really mind earrings that are made of lower-quality alloys because they don't tarnish with wear because there's minimal skin contact. $85 dollars for me is okay for a pair of earrings that I know will last forever and I guess the markup could be attributed to the designs? but I hear you I would NEVER drop that money on a bracelet or necklace that was "plated over brass".
I too am a college girl forever obsessed with 925 sterling silver. I think it’s more eye-catching than white gold actually! And I love shopping at flea/farmers markets for jewelry- I always look for the 925 stamp and usually score nicely :)
Love this!
Do you have an opinion on Astrid and Miyu or Catbird? Love the article!
Thank you for the kind words! <3 I haven't tried Astrid & Miyu, but I have a friend who swears by Catbird and wears her necklaces and ring from there every day!
Good to know, thank you!