Bvlgari Vs. Van Cleef | Luxury Brand Wars

73 Comments / By Mona Jawad / August 24, 2023

High jewelry is arguably one of the heftiest investments that one can make. It is, however, worth the expense for those who value luxury jewelry for its superior quality, and as generational assets or investment pieces.

Bulgari and Van Cleef are two prominent names that you are likely to come across frequently in the world of luxury jewelry. Both have their own set of unique qualities and rich backgrounds that explain their position and popularity.

Nonetheless, when spending a fortune of this magnitude, you want to make the wisest choice. To make this easier for you, this article contains a thorough comparison of the salient features of both these brands.

Table of Contents

About The Brand

Bulgari

Bulgari originated over a century ago in the 1880s, and since then has been associated with the elites of each era. Today, it is a go-to for its dedicated followers worldwide, for many of whom Bulgari has become a style statement.

Van Cleef

Van Cleef and Arpels is a highly exclusive yet one of the most popular luxury brands in the industry today. With a rich history and over a century of experience to boast, Van Cleef has been particularly successful in gathering a global fandom.

Today, Van Cleef has become synonymous with class, opulence and old money.

Quality And Aesthetics

Bulgari

Bulgari has successfully charmed the market for decades with the vintage Roman touch in its jewelry. However, a key feature that sets the brand apart from its rivals is its ability to harmoniously balance classics with modern designs.

While most lavish brands stick to dainty and timeless aesthetics, Bulgari is not afraid to play boldly and introduce chunky, geometrical and innovative patterns with bright colors.

Furthermore, Bulgari has also been known for using unconventional materials such as silk and porcelain.

Being a luxury house, Bulgari lives up to the high expectations for the standard of its products. It uses the most expensive types of gold, silver, platinum and steel for the manufacturing of its masterpieces.

Also, the stones used in their jewelry are known for their exceptional quality and rarity, and include GIA certified diamonds, rubies, emeralds and hematite to name a few.

Van Cleef

Anyone with a sharp eye for jewelry can spot a Van Cleef by its clean and sophisticated aesthetics, which has more or less become a signature style for the brand.

Van Cleef jewelry is particularly popular for being elegant and exquisite, despite featuring uncommon themes such as animals and fairies.

Van Cleef makes sure to use top quality materials such as platinum and 18 carat gold for its jewelry. The diamonds are chosen based on their precision and flawlessness, and are all GIA tested and certified.

However, the one thing that puts Van Cleef many steps ahead of other brands is its outstanding craftsmanship. The master jewelers of the brand are highly skilled and employ centuries old techniques to create their masterpieces.

The Van Cleef mystery setting is one example of this, where the gemstones are set in such a way that the prongs are not visible.

Despite years of trying, no other brand has been able to replicate this setting and it stays unique to Van Cleef, which is an evidence of the superior workmanship.

Online Shopping Experience

Bulgari

Bulgari has a minimalist website that exudes class. It features all the different products in clearly distinguished categories, with pictures and detailed specifications.

The website is user-friendly and you can easily navigate through it. It has numerous filter options available to help you reach your desired product.

The website also allows you to reach out to a representative for questions or queries, which is quite helpful.

Van Cleef

The Van Cleef website is everything that you would expect from a brand of this caliber. It displays all the products with a plethora of pictures so that you can view them in detail and from all angles.

The website is also fairly easy to navigate, however, there are fewer filters than most other websites, which means that you might have to work harder to find your desired product.

Warranty And Customer Services

Bulgari

Bulgari has earned a reputation for its excellent customer services. All Bulgari jewelry comes with a generous 2 years warranty and a multitude of aftersale services such as ultrasonic cleaning, polishing, repairing and resizing.

Furthermore, you can also get your jewelry engraved.

If you are not satisfied with the purchase, you can return or exchange it within 30 days. Customers can contact the brand through live chat, email, virtual and physical appointments and phone calls.

Van Cleef

Like most other brands, Van Cleef also allows you to return or exchange your jewelry within 30 days of purchasing. The brand allows you to get your jewelry customized with engravings, as well as complimentary cleaning and polishing.

If you need any assistance, you can reach out to the Van Cleef representatives via call or message.

Price

Bulgari

Bulgari is rated among the most high-end jewelry brands out there, so their products are priced accordingly.

The brand tag means that the costs of the products are inflated when compared to similar products from local stores.

A simple 0.04 carat diamond ring from Bulgari is priced at approximately $3000, as opposed to around $500 at a local vendor.

As mind blowing as this price difference sounds, the exceptional quality, exclusivity and excellent craftsmanship as well as the label makes it worth it, for those who can afford it.

Van Cleef

Anyone familiar with Van Cleef is also familiar with the fact that the brand sells some of the most expensive jewelry in the market. The Van Cleef label alone adds a couple thousand bucks to every product that they offer.

If you are searching for a solid engagement ring at Van Cleef, do not expect to find anything substantial for under $28,000.

The rings alone can retail for as high as $600,000. Much of the cost that you are paying at Van Cleef is for the rich history and supreme quality.

When compared with Bulgari, Van Cleef is relatively more expensive. However, it is important to mention here that Van Cleef jewelry has a very high resale, and it only increases in value overtime.

This, coupled with the magnificent craftsmanship and greater demand means that Van Cleef offers an overall greater value for the money.

Conclusion- Which One Should You Choose?

It is not difficult to conclude at this point that investing in either Bulgari or Van Cleef is a serious business and must not be taken lightly.

Among the two however, Van Cleef would be my choice. It has been more popular over the past few decades, especially with the advent of social media and the appreciation of its old money aesthetic throughout the world.

This is also a major reason for its high resale value, which makes it a much safer choice.

Nonetheless, the final decision comes down to the buyer’s personal preference.

Other luxury brand comparsions for your to read: