[Shopping in Paris] I bought Dior Rings in place Vendôme

After the Hermès squares at 24 Faubourg, we continue the series of luxury tourism / shopping in Paris with this article on Dior and their famous boutique on Place Vendôme

Why Dior? When I discovered the “OUI” and “MINIOUI” collections at Dior, I was still a student, but I kept them in the surroundings of my head, waiting to be able to offer them to me one day. The years passed and my girlfriends started buying jewelry at Dior. I could see how it looked on them, it was even more beautiful than on the pictures.

I told JB about it and at that time, our tradition was that he would give me a small ring on each wedding anniversary.
And after a few years of marriage, thanks to the raises we got at work, we agreed to give me a Dior ring

Where to buy a Dior ring?

Dior in department stores

At the time, we simply went to the Dior corner of Le Bon Marché. I left with the idea of buying a “minioui”, but on the spot, I didn’t like the ring, so I simply opted for the “Yes” ring.

I bought the size 46! I’m surprised myself, because with the other brands, I oscillate between 47 and 48.

The shopping experience was not up to the image of the brand, the store was too small, there were too many people, the salespeople were very busy, we were standing instead of sitting comfortably… In short, even if the ring is beautiful, I don’t recommend buying at Dior in a department store, but rather in a real Dior boutique.

Dior boutique at the corner of Saint-Honoré street

When I went to Hermès at 24 Faubourg with my sister, we quickly went to the Dior store in size XXL at the corner of 261 rue Saint-Honoré and 14/16 rue Cambon just to see the new store (opened just a week ago).

As I didn’t know the old store a few meters away, I couldn’t tell you if it’s better or not. But already, compared to a poor little corner at Le Bon Marché, this store is much more breathable, the experience is more pleasant. On the other hand, not all the models are shown in the window, so you have to find out a minimum amount of information and ask the salesmen which one interests you.

I just wanted to stop by and see, but the mistake is fatal! There is a ring that has been making my eye for years: Rosewood, spotted thanks to a sublime photo taken by Garance Doré. None of my girlfriends have bought it yet, so I have no idea what it looks like in real life.

Just out of curiosity, I asked to see it and try it. 3 people took care of my sister and me upstairs. We were comfortably installed.

I had no idea how big my ring was, and the vendors showed up and asked to see my Yes ring. The size was marked on it.

It was not only the pleasant experience that convinced me, but the ring was even more splendid, more beautiful, thicker than I thought. I was extremely surprised but also annoyed. I was made to try the size 48, but since the Rosewood ring cut more correctly than the Yes ring, it might have been a good fit for me. I think I am between 47 and 48 for this model too. They didn’t have size 47 of the ring, but they could send a courier to bring it to me in an hour (they have access to the entire stock of all Dior stores) . Being pressed for time, my train, and my wallet emptied at Hermès an hour earlier, I left the place, regretting it, to better return lol.

Despite my lack of purchase, I was taken around the store, to show me the “home” corner, and a corner where you could personalize your Lady Dior bag. I think this XXL store will be a pleasant experience. The advantage of this boutique is that you have access to all their products: from jewelry to bags and decorative items.

There is a lot of place, moreover, upstairs, we are super quiet. The jewels were delivered to us on a tray for the fitting.

After much thought, I decided to buy the much coveted Rosewood anyway. We are a few months away from our 10th wedding anniversary. Since I have been taking jewelry lessons, we have interrupted our tradition of “wedding anniversary gifts”. So this is the best pretext to offer me a second Dior ring.

Dior boutique in Place Vendôme

Even if it’s expensive, why not go straight to the Dior boutique on Place Vendôme? I’ve never been there before. It’s rather small but extremely well placed. What’s more, this historic location is symbolic: right next to other fine jewelry boutiques: Van Cleef, Chaumet, Boucheron, Chanel? On the diagonal is the Hotel du Ritz (where we had the Tea Time experience). The place being dedicated to a king as haute couture as the place : Louis XIV whose statue was destroyed and replaced by that of Napoleon.

Knowing roughly my size, I phone the store the day before my visit to ask them to set aside sizes 47 and 48 for me. Luckily, I phoned earlier because size 47 was not available, and the saleswoman had to ask the Central (??!) to send it to her first thing the next day. All this was confirmed to me by phone and SMS, so I could come and try on my future ring at any time the next day.

As usual, I am accompanied by my sister. Unlike the boutique on rue Saint-Honoré, here the doors of all the Place Vendôme boutiques are locked. A gentleman is in charge of opening and closing the door, all day long. No need to make an appointment in advance, you just have to wave to enter, but it’s still surprising. It seems that one enters in a giant safe (NB: we are in covid period where everyone is masked, it is thus perhaps a constraint of safety).

In this store dedicated only to jewelry and watches, you can look at some high jewelry rings. A film runs in a loop, showing us how some rings, or some watches are made at Dior. I don’t know if it’s the Covid effect or because it’s a weekday, but the store is completely empty. We are the only customers. You absolutely have to look at the windows in the middle of the store. The miniatures are exquisite! The furniture on the pictures are miniatures !

The saleswoman I had on the phone is fortunately there (she gave me her name on the phone). As she went to a lot of trouble to find my ring, I wanted to be advised by her. As in all Dior boutiques, as soon as we sit down to try on a piece of jewelry, we are offered water, tea, coffee or Coke

She makes me try a size 47 first. Always on a tray.

Since the size fits me, I no longer need to try on size 48. A security guard is watching us during our visit, while all the jewels are in the shop window. Probably because there is more at stake here than in other Dior boutiques.

Not surprisingly, I leave with the ring, delighted with the experience. My saleswoman has been working here for more than 15 years, so she knows the store and the collections by heart, and has a lot of information and anecdotes to tell us. After 20 minutes, you feel like you personally know Victoire de Castellane, the jewelry designer at Dior, the why of how she created this or that collection.

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The ring is delivered to me in a rather theatrical way. The box at Dior is really beautiful and durable. I recommend you to keep it, there is enough room to store two hihihi rings. We are given a bag 10 times bigger than the box, with Dior ribbons in every direction, and Dior tissue paper. In short, it’s impossible not to notice that we just bought Dior ahahah.

Each ring has a unique serial number. This way, if I ever lose the invoice or the certificate of authenticity, I can be issued another certificate. They will find the date and place of purchase.

We end the experience by going around the boutique, there are only 2 floors, but it’s much more luxurious than all the luxury boutiques we visited.

I show you some jewels that I liked:

To buy or not to buy at Dior?

Once again, I’m going to disappoint my jewelry teachers (I told you about my jewelry classes here). Indeed, I showed my Yes ring from Dior to my teacher, and he asked me how I, who had some knowledge of jewelry and created my own ankle jewelry (it’s an expression that means that they are created by hand), could buy this, and at this price. You could tell that it was a piece of jewelry that was produced on a chain, from a wax model. According to him, and the older generation of jewelers, who value unique pieces, handmade… jewelry isn’t what it used to be.

But hey, we all agree that when you buy from Dior, you buy the brand. And then the design, which is unique because it’s a creation of Dior. It’s like buying the Clou ring at Cartier, it’s just a poor gold nail, but it’s Cartier, you buy the brand, then the unique design.

• my opinion on the ring Yes: this ring has a small design/design flaw. The dot on the “i” is under a lot of pressure and in some people it has fallen off. It is always this point that clings to clothes, especially lace. After several years of intense use, my “i” has come a little closer to the “u”. It isn’t embarrassing in itself, but it is necessary to be careful. The setting used is a closed setting and my diamond is still held perfectly in place. In the eyes of the pros, there is a problem with the wax pattern that is the origin of all the rings yes. The letter “o” is particularly badly executed. It is too obvious that it is wax. But hey, only pros will be able to see it. It costs 850€, like Rosewood, and the white gold version is more expensive (900€) because of the rhodium plating to be done on top of it. The “yellow gold” version is the most beautiful in my opinion.
• my opinion on the Rosewood ring: this ring is less known, but it is thicker than the Yes ring, it looks more or less like a mini rose stem, with small thorns. It is asymmetrical so by turning it on the finger, it looks like a new ring. There are like several “facets” and you can wear it in any direction. Contrary to the ring “yes”, these thorns do not cling to clothes at all, and have been well rounded and polished. The version with diamonds at 1800€ is weird because the diamonds are placed at the end of the thorns, it’s just to have diamonds (and we sell it more expensive), but it’s not visually useful, and their locations aren’t tip top. This is a mass setting so it’s better to be careful. Anyway, I recommend the version without diamonds. The version without diamonds costs 850€, like the Yes, and the white gold version is more expensive (900€) because of the rhodium plating to do in addition. The “pink gold” version is the most beautiful in my opinion.

If you still want luxury without taking out a consumer credit, it is better to go to the small jewelers who make custom jewelry (I can give you some addresses if you need in Paris & Quebec City). You will have there an even more rewarding experience, even more luxurious because the orders are personalized. You will choose your diamond, your ring will fit you to within 1/5 of a millimeter, for a price lower than luxury brands.

For true luxury, if your huge wallet allows it, try to get your hands on one of the Van Cleef jewels using the Mysterious Set technique. It allows the setting of stones without any apparent metal claws. The level of expertise required to make the Mysterious Set is such that only a few rare master jewelers, called the “Golden Hands”, hold the secret. But this is high jewelry.

My practical advice

Then, as with all luxury brands, what you buy is above all the brand, the buying experience and the unique design. So I strongly advise you, if you still decide to fall for a ring at Dior:

• to go to a real Dior boutique (and not a corner in the department store). My favorite remains the Place Vendôme.
• to take all your time, and therefore if possible during the week, so that the salesmen will have even more time to devote to you
• try the rings on site to make sure you get the right size. If you ever plan to buy a used ring on the Internet, try a new one in the store first. Rings don’t cut the same way from one model to another, and then there are models that look prettier on one finger and not the other 😀 ahaha
• to try all types of gold of the same model (white gold, yellow gold, pink gold), with or without diamonds.
• white gold is actually covered with rhodium and over time this layer can be removed. To have your ring rhodium-plated at Dior adds extra maintenance costs. By the way, you will notice that most of the rings resold in second hand are in white gold. If possible, I recommend yellow gold or rose gold which are easier to maintain and are more durable
• wearing an iconic model with too many fake models may be annoying: I am constantly asked if my Dior ring is a fake. The disadvantage is that thieves won’t necessarily think of stealing it from me ahaha

What about resale?

One of the advantages of buying the brand and especially such a well-known model is thatyou lose little money by reselling it.

When I saw the Yes ring from Dior for the first time in my life, its price was 600€.
When JB was able to offer it to me, we bought it for 640€. In
2020, it costs 850€

I don’t think my “A” booklet has brought me that much money.

The “positive” point of luxury is that the price does not follow inflation at all and increases like this: +50€ from one year to the next, for no reason at all.

I have already explained to you in another post about Hermès, that used buyers look a lot at the new price to accept or not the used price.

So, I think that if a person has paid €650 for a new ring, if it is still in very good condition, compared to the new price (€850), it is quite reasonable to resell it at €600 in 2020.

But hey, you shouldn’t buy something thinking about resale ahahaha. You have to buy for yourself first. But if you’re the type to buy things compulsively and regret a few months later, keep reflexes about luxury to optimize resale :

• keep everything you are given: box, certificate of authenticity, invoice?
• if the jewel has a defect, ask the brand to repair it first before going to see an ordinary jeweler
• take good care of your jewelry
• keep the official photos of your jewel (put on Dior’s website) on the computer, note the purchase price and the name of the jewel
• the sale of this type of articles is better done in physical sale deposit, or via the sites with much protection like Vestiaire Collective(my link of sponsorship here, which gives you 15€ on your 1st purchase), attention with the commission on the other hand. Vinted is acceptable, but in this case you must require the hand delivery.

Did you like this article? For a 100% luxurious stay in the capital, read our article on the purchase of Hermès squares at 24 Faubourg, the price of solitaires at Tiffany, tea time at the Ritz, niche perfumes to discover at Jovoy and the mythical hotel bars in the capital.