About the brand
The high-end quality of Ripka’s jewels has remained the same during the 40 years of the brand life. To comply with the modern design requirements, today the House crafts all the pieces in 3D. It allows to come up with the great architectural yet organic shapes.
Ripka makes a wide range of jewelry, from bold statement pieces to casual jewels. Comparing to many other modern makers, her prices are rather stay on the affordable spectrum. Affordability is also a part of the program for Judith Ripka jewelry, who wants her creations to be available to different types of clientele.
About estate jewelry
Estate pieces mostly belong to the era when jewels were handmade and not mass produced. There were simply less jewelry makers at that time and they cared about their reputation. Opposed to the current fast fashion approach, life pace was in general slower. That allowed makers to take more time to craft a truly quality piece.
Designer pieces aka signed pieces can cost multiple times more
than their unsigned equivalents. We pay not only for an item itself but also for the brand advertising campaigns and all the buzz the name is creating. Prices for estate jewelry form differently and mostly depend on the cost paid by a seller. A pre-owned Bulgari ring and a brand-new Bulgari piece have a very appealing price difference. Ask your local jewelry store about a retail price of the desired piece and you’d be pleasantly surprised.
Pre-owned jewelry retains its value. Over the time it gets rare
and more expensive. Think purchasing a new car that loses its value right after you left your dealer versus buying a vintage vehicle.