Blog: buying jewellery online – insider guide

You may or may not have noticed change in the air, it’s subtle right now but in five years perhaps we’ll realise that we’ve all stopped craving handbags and we’ve started craving particular pieces of jewellery?!

The designer handbag; Gucci, Tods’, Hermes, Vuitton has been the accessory of choice every since the mid nineties when Prada made the world take notice of their modern black nylon creations. Every fashionista had a Prada bag and every regular woman wanted one. When Tom Ford took over Gucci even more bag desire was created!

Think about jewellery during that time. Cartier was still making “Love” rings, a style largely unchanged since its inception in the seventies. Tiffany & Co had its never changing (and always desirable engagement rings) and some well-known silver designs, which were created in the seventies and eighties. We loved jewellery but we weren’t hooked on it. We didn’t use it to mark out our identity.

Those days are over! After more than a decade concentrating on high-end jewellery all the big jewellery houses; Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Bulgari have shifted focus onto the high fashion segment of their businesses. All have created new iconic ranges, aimed at the same women who have only had eyes for handbags - until now!

Tiffany & Co has managed to almost single-handedly shift focus from the Chanel flap to the Tiffany T! The ‘T’ collection is a game changer, pulling in desire from the desire makers: fashion editors and celebrities. Once these guys are hooked we are all hooked! With new design director Francesca Amfitheatrof at the helm they have managed to distill all of the brand’s elegance, creativity and longevity into one collection!

Then there’s Bulgari’s Diva collection, modern yet exuding the classic lines of the art deco era. Mother of pearl and Onyx provide the cool yet classic juxtapositions to the gold tones of this collection. “Diva” is all diva but in a wearable fashionable way.

At Cartier, designers have been channeling the spirit of the classic “Love” and “Trinity” collections into the new and super slick “Juste une Clou” and “Amulette de Cartier. In common with the Tiffany T and Diva range Cartier’s offering is aimed at a modern woman who wants to look sleek and groomed.

Will jewellery really replace handbags? At Bloomsbury Manor we think that handbags will still be important but that more and more women will be looking to complement their wardrobe with high fashion fine jewellery in the £500-£10000 range. None of the premium handbag makers need worry too much though as pretty much all of them sell jewellery too!

It has been 15yrs since Tiffany & Co. launched the Lucida diamond ring. After decades in development, a diamond cut to twinkle and shed light like the brightest star in a constellation was born. Now that the Lucida is no longer a newcomer but a seasoned member of the Tiffany & Co. engagement ring collection we have decided to cast a spotlight on this most distinct of Tiffany cuts and ponder on the characteristics of the Lucida woman.

The Lucida diamond was and is a trailblazer. A unique cut and revolutionary cut that paradoxically doesn't scream its virtues. It looks magnificent but in a quiet and refined way, shedding light like a flickering candle and quietly drawing in an audience. The Lucida is strong but feminine, dazzling but not showy.

We think that the two women who are most likely to be Lucida women are:

Amal Clooney (nee Alamuddin)

Besides being a Bloomsbury based barrister, Amal epitomises a discreet magnetism and an irresistible glow. She is a Lucida woman par excellence!

Jessica Ennis-Hill

Lovely Jessica is also a Lucida woman. Strong but not overpowering, Jessica brings attention to herself, not because she's a show off but because of her shining qualities. She's another Lucida woman.

1. Ask questions. A good seller will reply promptly and articulately. Bad English = bad jewellery!

2. Only buy from sellers with with a no quibble returns policy.

3. If you're in any doubt use a free authentication service such as ours. We can certainly tell you if we see something suspicious.

4. Pay with Paypal or a Credit Card so you're protected in case anything goes wrong.

5. Compare identical articles with another seller. Do the signatures and hallmarks match? Remember it is better to do this with more than one other seller as you could accidentally find yourself comparing your item against a fake!

There's always going to be value in buying preloved/second hand fine jewellery but some eras yield more value than others. Why? It's down commodity prices (that means gold, platinum and diamonds to you and I). 

Around the time of the millennium from around 1995 until 2003 gold and other commodities were at an all time low. That meant that jewellers could use more of it. When gold/platinum prices are high they use less. That means that items made around the low gold/platinum price era tend to be heavier and therefore better value for money than later items. In fact Tiffany & Co discontinued many of their heavier items towards the end of the noughties as they became too expensive to produce.