I don't usually wear accessories, but the pandemic has brought about a series of dainty jewelry purchases by me and my sister.
We got these from different Instagram shops, so here's a review! π
The Canvas Personalized's IG store is so classy. They do custom pieces in stainless steel, silver 92.5, 14K and 18K solid gold. Their knot ring arrived in a velvet box, earlier than the expected date. Good quality with no flaws. My sister bought this at a slightly higher price, but they were able to find another metalsmith hence the lowered cost.
Current price, subject to change without prior notice:
PHP 2,980 for size 4 to 6.5
PHP 3,280 for size 7 to 9
Approximate weight: 0.5g to 0.7g for all sizes
My sister discovered Leah's Jewelry randomly while browsing her IG feed, saw that @iamhearte was following the said account, so she impulsively ordered a twisted ring. However, Heart unfollowed the shop days after. The ring arrived in a velvet box, but the output was expectations versus reality. The twisted ring did not lie flat on the table so it has an uneven shape, the part where it's soldered is evident (there's a small untwisted part when you look closely), and it's bendy despite being 14K solid gold, which means it's too thin. It also has an odd tone for 14K yellow gold. My sister wants to pawn the ring to get rid of it, but decided not to because she won't get much money back as the weight is not substantial. Their shop sells dainty rings in different styles, and the price may initially seem affordable, but the quality is not so good, at least in my sister's experience.
As for my own experience with this shop, M bought me a custom silver initial necklace plated in rose gold also from Leah's FB page in 2018, which I accidentally discovered during quarantine while browsing the shop's ancient IG story highlights. The necklace has tarnished so much I have stopped wearing it. I don't know how to clean it because it's plated, so it looks like it needs cleaning and replating, which is too much work for something inexpensive.
Because of that, M never bought me sterling silver jewelry again regardless of brand. He upgraded to gold.π So no, we will never buy Pandora too, because it's just overpriced branded sterling silver.
Price bought: PHP 2,500
Theodore's Jewelry PH sells 18K Saudi gold and custom jewelry with local setting. I wanted to buy a bubble ring for so long (budol by Princess Mendoza and Heart for always wearing VCA PerlΓ©e rings). This shop's turnaround time was around 3 weeks. The output was not perfect initially, as there was a minor flaw on the inner surface of the ring (lacks gold on the soldered part so there's a small line). The seller is very accommodating and open to changes/feedback. My rings has been repaired, and it's perfect now! What I like about their bubble ring - the inner surface is not hollow but solid. (If it's hollow, then dirt can and will accumulate in it.) I'm satisfied by my ring's appearance, thickness, and weight (approximately 1 gram). It also doesn't look and feel fragile, so it's definitely okay to wear everyday. I do take care of it by still not showering with my gold jewelry, even if they don't tarnish. I just want to keep them sparkly for long.
Current price, subject to change without prior notice: PHP 4,500
Approximate weight: 1g
For me,
the price of PHP 4,500 is justified because of my difficult ring size
(3.75), so I will never find a ready-made 18K Saudi gold ring that would
fit and I will forever need to resize or go custom. Custom-made rings
require the labor of our local goldsmiths and support their livelihood.
I chose 14K gold because this material is harder and more resistant to
everyday wear and tear. I liked the final output so I bought my second custom-made ring from Theodore's Jewelry, but I'll save that for another post!
Hope this review helps! π
Love,
Helen