PurseBlog Asks

Hot or Not: Handbags Made by Jewelry Brands

Must haves or totally forgettable?

Last Tuesday night was just like any other; I passed the evening doing my usual things: enjoying a hearty dinner, washing my hair, and watching whatever Netflix told me to before heading off to bed to unhealthily scroll through my Instagram feed into the wee hours of the morning.

As I flicked through the sea of eyeshadow tutorials and delicious-looking Keto meal ideas, I was stopped by a targeted ad for the Double C De Cartier Nano and the Guirlande Top Handle bags; And all I could think to myself was, why?

Sure, I think the bags are stylish and they look to be made of pretty high-quality materials but I couldn’t keep myself from wondering when such an established jewelry brand started trying to become a serious player in the luxury handbag game.

I know that Cartier bags aren’t new and that it isn’t the only brand to have branched out at one point or another. Bulgari made waves with its Serpenti Forever collection and to my surprise, Chopard and Tiffany & Co also have had lines of premium leather bags; however, no matter how sleek or “affordable” they may be I still have a bit of skepticism about their staying power and whether any of the bags are worthy of real consideration.

From what I understood, most bags made by jewelry brands have always been considered somewhat of an afterthought or only valued as vintage pieces. The general consensus is that many people feel they would be better off spending their money on the things a brand specializes in instead of something that was off base and lacked the same prestige as their main products. This same attitude is commonly echoed in the reverse scenario when luxury clothing brands make jewelry pieces that, while pretty, are considered to be nothing more than pricey costume jewelry so… does the same logic apply here?

Double C De Cartier via @cartier

I personally do like some non-jewelry items made by these brands and don’t think they should all be downplayed. I love my Bulgari cardholder so I think their small leather goods definitely have their place but do you think their bags should be viewed in the same way as those of luxury fashion houses?

Perhaps trying to enter the larger designer accessory market is really just a roundabout way for these companies to make their products (and their brand name) more accessible to people but the resale value makes it obvious that consumers still feel some indifference towards them.

Currently, most handbag styles made by these brands (except the Serpenti) can end up on the resale market for as little as $550. Considering that their original starting prices hover between the $2,000-$3,000 range, it doesn’t look like these bags will be considered investment pieces any time soon.

Nevertheless, I know that many of us don’t care how well the market perceives certain bags and only care that ours are stylish, functional, and make us feel fancy when we wear them. So with that in mind, I thought I would turn to you all to get a second opinion on if handbags made by jewelry brands should be considered hot or not.

What do you all think?

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