What It's Like To Be A Mejuri Affiliate and a Review of Their Products {Update: January 2021}

*I received two items for free in exchange for two Instagram posts but this blog post is not sponsored (in fact they don’t even know I’m writing this).

Recently I had the enlightening experience of being asked to promote Mejuri for the holidays on Instagram (even though I have a relatively small Insta following). I know I wrote awhile ago that I was done with costume jewelry because in some ways they’re like fast fashion (something pretty to wear but not something that will last), especially when compared to fine jewelry (which I know I’m so so so lucky to have received from my grandmothers and mom). But I decided to make an exception this time because 1) I’ve been wanting an ear cuff for awhile now but I’m not about to spend the big bucks on a solid gold one and 2) I wanted to know what it was like to be a part of the marketing machine that is Mejuri. In a lot of ways they remind me of the watch brand Daniel Wellington, which blew up because they gave so many influencers on Insta a free watch for a plug.

What it’s like to be a Mejuri affiliate

Mejuri sends out a very generic email asking if you’d like to participate in their promotion. The email includes a link where you can pick your item from a menu of select pieces (about 4 to choose from) and outlines their posting guidelines. They tell you what they want to see in the caption (in this case a promotion of their sale), what they want to see in the picture (no other jewelry), and the date you need to post by. I have to say that overall it was an interesting experience to be a part of the Mejuri program but everything was a tad impersonal and felt quite corporate. But I feel jewelry should be personal and meaningful, since these are items that are meant to be cherished. Translating an impersonal experience into a personally meaningful post was a bit challenging for me, which is why I guess I resorted to humor instead. I seriously didn’t think I was going to be asked again for another gifted item (especially since my post got 40 likes—an all time low). But surprise surprise they asked me again in December. I couldn’t resist because they happened to offer the Bold Link Chain, which is exactly what I’ve been jonesing for (thanks to being influenced by Jennifer Fisher and her long link chains). We’ll see how long this partnership lasts considering my minor influence on Insta lol.

Review of Mejuri Items

Even though I don’t personally purchase gold plated jewelry anymore, gold plated jewelry can be just as meaningful as the solid gold kind when purchased for the right reasons and occasions. Gold plated jewelry also can last as long as you take care of it (don’t wear it in water, wipe it down after wearing, and taking it off every night). Also if you really love it and want to keep it forever, jewelry can be replated in gold. So if you’re going to get a fun bauble for yourself as a reward or request it as a gift, you can’t go wrong with Mejuri. Each item comes wrapped carefully in a box and a canvas pouch, so when you’re unboxing it, it feels incredibly special. The jewelry is sturdy and has a nice weight to it. This isn’t your cheap H&M jewelry hanging on a plastic tag and stacked on rods. And this isn’t the kind of costume jewelry meant to be thrown away or dumped in a Goodwill box when you tire of it (December 2020 Update: I sold one of my Mejuri pieces on ebay and got about 70% of the price). I should mention that Mejuri also sells solid gold fine jewelry for really decent prices and I have been tempted by their stuff from time to time.

The croissant dome ear cuff that I received first is a great fashion piece that adds a little flair to the ear. It’s easy to put on and works well with any other gold earring you might have on. It stays put so you can rest assured you won’t lose it, but it doesn’t pinch the ear either (but to be totally transparent I only wore it for 3 hours at a party and not all day). {Edit: I wore it all day yesterday and it was just as comfortable—no pinching at all. This makes me want to get another ear cuff from them…}

The second item I chose was the bold link chain. It’s a beautiful necklace with some weight to it. Like I said above, this necklace fulfills my craving to try a Jennifer Fisher type of chain necklace without breaking the bank.

I do admire Mejuri for being open about the factories they work with (detailed here). The jewelry business can be quite shady (blood diamonds anyone?) so having factories that are part of the Responsible Jewelry Council where they are audited and held to ethical standards is definitely a step in the right direction. Mejuri also has a two year warranty on their jewelry which is pretty unheard of. And to tell you the truth, in the time it took me to write this post (over several weeks) I’ve come to change my mind about Mejuri. I think their prices and quality are really good, so even if you’re looking for something like a wedding band, you should definitely check out Mejuri. I also love that they offer engravable jewelry and they engrave it for free. Personally I really want this signet ring, this boyfriend bold chain, this bold chain ring, or this single diamonds line mini hoop. Looks like I know where I’m going to shop the next time I’m looking for a piece of jewelry to mark a special occasion!

{Update: I went to the soft opening of their store in SF (Hayes Valley) yesterday and I gotta say I’m pretty impressed with the quality of their jewelry as well as the graciousness of their staff. I also came away with a long list of other items I want to buy but I gotta hold off for now because of financial responsibility lol.}

{December 2020 Update: So after writing this post I’ve had several inquiries as to how exactly I got Mejuri’s attention. Unfortunately I don’t know how they found me, especially since I have a fairly low follower count on Instagram. But I have been writing this blog for about 6 years now and do show up on Google search for certain topics. My best guess is that since my blog has been around for awhile, it shows up on some kind of index for Bay Area blogs. And because they were looking for Bay Area affiliates back when they were opening a store in SF that’s how I popped up. If you’re interested in working with them I suggest reaching out to them with a media kit.

Also I wanted to add that for the first time I’ve purchased something from them that I had been eyeing: their Dome Ring. I wanted something bold but simple and this beauty is just the ticket. As for all my other gifted Mejuri items, they’ve held up great with no tarnishing or signs of wear. I’ve heard from others that some of their gold vermeil items tarnished but I since they have a 2 year warranty on their items I suggested they touch base with Mejuri to see what they could do. Also I didn’t purchase my ring during their Black Friday sale though I should have since that’s the only sale they have all year and it’s a pretty good one (10% off for one item, 15% for 2, 20% for 3+). If you’re eyeing something from them and can wait, I would suggest waiting for their sale (which is what I intend to do next year). Also if you have Rakuten, you usually can get a bit of cash back with Mejuri purchases.}

{January 2021 Update: Got my Mejuri ring and I looooove it. It’s easily my favorite piece and even though it’s gold vermeil and not solid gold I don’t mind one bit (especially this is the type of ring I would normally put on for occasions and not wear everyday—for everyday stuff I would still recommend getting solid gold). But for $60, this ring feels like it should be at least $160. It has a beautiful weight to it and it just feels really nice. But I’ll update this post with how it wears over time (and I hope it fares well!).

Please note that this portion of the post contains affiliate links that could result in my earning a small commission - at no extra cost to you - if you click and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!

My Unsponsored Experience Selling/Consigning with The RealReal Part 2: Commission, payments, and how it compares with selling on Fashionphile

So Part 1 of this post can be found here. This is a continuation because otherwise it would be one darn long blog post.

Ok so once your items reach the warehouse, they’re evaluated and processed. Jewelry takes a bit longer since a GIA specialist takes the time to look at each item. Clothes are processed much faster. And like I said in the last post, all selling prices are determined by them, so really only sell things you don’t care about. For my clothes, I had a current/elliot button down that I couldn’t sell that I got $26 for (this is the take home amount) and a Tory Burch dress I bought at crossroads for $42 sold for $80 so I got $40. So yep, they initially take a 50% commission off of what you consign (yikes, I know!). Only when you sell $1500 worth of stuff with them (of which you see $750), will your take home percentage bump up to 60% (so they take 40%). For items that they sell for over $1000, they take only 30% (which is great if you have valuable jewelry or purses—this is a standard commission rate across most consignment sites for high value items, including Fashionphile). I was able to surpass the $1500 in sales (since I was selling mostly jewelry), so my commission rate is now down to 40% but I have to reach $10,000 in sales for it to bump down to 30% (highly unlikely). But that 40% commission rate is good until 11/30/20. So you can see how they incentivize you to consign with them.

Oh and I should note for jewelry, unless it’s a well-known brand they will sell your items for much less than what you initially paid for them (I know this since I also decided to sell some items of jewelry that I purchased myself and regretted since I never wore them). But like I said, it’s better to have some cash in the pocket than to see these unused pieces staring back at you from your jewelry box. Of course if I still had the receipt and box for a piece of jewelry purchased from a reputable site (like Blue Nile), I was able to sell them via my eBay shop and recoup much more of the initial cost.

Payments

So payment happens at the 15th of the following month. I chose to be paid by check, though now you can do direct deposit (which wasn’t an option when I started selling them last year). Also, if you shop a lot TRR, you can choose to receive it as TRR credit and get 5% more of your selling price. That might be something I try out when I have a fairly low selling month (but for now I want the cold hard cash lol). The checks are cut in a timely manner and everything has been going fairly smooth.

Except…

Some of my jewelry items I sent in November were held in limbo by quality control. So for the longest time I saw two pendants and a ring not move along in the process. I finally contacted a consignment rep after a month and she has been able to push TRR team to get it processed. And she’s been periodically updating me through email which has been great (they finally are listed 6 weeks after arrival to their warehouse). And they gave me site credit for $50 because of the inconvenience so I’m pretty happy. So no, things weren’t 100% smooth but I don’t have any major complaints.

If your item doesn’t sell at all and you’re ready to take it back, you can just email their customer service and let them know you’d like the item returned. They pay for return shipping back. I have one rag & bone top listed since October so I might give it a couple more months before taking it back and tying my luck at Crossroads.

So how would I compare selling to Fashionphile (my other favorite consignment site)? Well if you’re selling a purse or designer jewelry, even though Fashionphile’s initial photo submission process is a bit more of a pain, at least you know what your payment will be before you send your item in. So you can make the choice whether or not it’s worth it to sell it. But with TRR, it’s really a crapshoot, and you’re most likely going to be way underpaid. Also Fashionphile will pay you as soon as they receive your item since they outright buy your item if it’s less than $5000. So for my high end designer items, I would go with Fashionphile (if I choose not to sell on my eBay store). But if you’re selling clothes or unbranded fine jewelry that you don’t really care about and just want to get some money for (and you don’t have an eBay store), then I would go with TRR. It’s convenient, easy, and about 80% of my stuff sold within the first 2 weeks. For anyone looking for an easy way to get rid of their stuff and earn some cash, TheRealReal is a great option!

Closet Sale to benefit the Wildfire Relief Fund

I have so much stuff. It’s a fact and I’m so lucky and grateful, but there are many people in California now with absolutely nothing due to the wildfires. I can’t even imagination the devastation of losing everything and so close to the holidays as well. I’ve donated already to the Red Cross but I felt like that wasn’t enough so I wanted to do a little sale on my Closet Sale page with all proceeds going to the Wildfire Relief Fund. I’ve started by listing fashion jewelry that’s too meaningful for me to throw in a bag for Goodwill. So I figured it would be a win-win-win by selling it to you guys at a good price, and I know it will go to a good home and be used, as well as donate more to another good organization to help the wildfire victims. Shipping is free (US only).

DIY Opal Knotted Necklace (Irene Neuwirth Sweet Candy Necklace Dupe) Tutorial

This is for all those who were interested on my Insta-story in making this necklace for themselves:

It all started when I read an article about Busy Phillips’ rise on Instagram as the every-girl best friend, and so naturally I was curious to see what all the hoop-la was about. So I began to follow her too and I slowly became hooked on her Instagram stories. And this led me to Irene Neuwirth’s opal beaded necklaces like this one and this one, which Busy rocks on a daily basis (and seeing as she’s friends with Irene, she sometimes promotes them too). I was intrigued, but when I looked up the prices I could not believe my eyes (I felt like my eyes literally leapt out of their sockets, lol). These necklaces range from $5k-$11,000!! For something that looks like sweet candy necklaces, they sure do cost a lot! So forget it, I’ll never buy one. But I figured they can’t be that hard to make, and you know what? I was right!

Materials

The Beads:

So in general, opals are not cheap. But I found some of the best prices on Etsy by buying directly from suppliers in India. I purchased these green opal beads from this seller here. I purchased them for about $69 and there was an added shipping of $5 (they sometimes hike up the price but I’ve seen it stay at this “sale” price for weeks at a time so don’t purchase these beads for anything more than $70!). They came well packaged and delivery was quite quick, especially considering they were coming form halfway around the world. The quality was pretty good with some crap beads but the bulk of them were quite nice. These beads are about 3-5mm so they’re on the smaller side, which worked for me. But if you want larger beads, they have those too (they just cost a bit more). Since I wanted my necklace to be shorter than 16 inches, I was able to eliminate the crap beads and some small nice beads and still come out with a 15” necklace using only the best beads. Also since the knots add length to the necklace, your final product will be longer than the 16” if you do use all but the few crap beads.

For my second necklace, I decided to try a different seller (also from India) and I got these white opals here. I got a 16 inch strand for $80 and again “on sale” but that seems to be the normal price. I can’t yet verify the quality of the beads but they seem to have really good ratings on Etsy. I’ll update this post once I get my shipment.

The Silk Thread:

Following a Youtube tutorial (which I posted below), I purchased high-quality silk thread from this shop meant for beading and stringing pearls. This thread is great because it comes with it’s own needle and there’s enough thread to make 2 necklaces. I purchased the No. 1 size (0.35mm cord size) because you want to make sure the thread can fit through the bead (which for these opals from India are 0.4mm). And make sure your string matches your beads for a more seamless look.

The clasp and french wire:

I bought my sterling silver clasp from this Etsy seller, and found the quality to be so-so. If you’re only planning to make one necklace and thus only need one clasp, I think it’s a good price. There was nothing wrong with the function of the clasp, but it was slightly tarnished (which a silver polish cloth should fix). For my second (and third necklaces, yea I’m getting a bit ambitious) I bought clasps from this Etsy seller. Their clasps look nicer and cost only slightly more, but since they’re coming from Canada the shipping is more and thus the overall price is higher than the Florida seller. I’ll update this post about their quality when I get them.

You will also need french wire (explained in the video below) to cover where the clasps connect to the string of beads. I purchased mine here. And you want to get the thinnest silver one for this necklace.

Other Tools:

So the two other things the video recommends getting is a pair of thin tipped tweezers and this glue to ensure your necklace will never unravel. I definitely recommend getting the tweezers since regular tweezers won’t cut it.

How To

And here is this great video where I learned how to make this necklace:

And that’s it! It took me about 2 hours start to finish. I can’t wait to make my white opal necklace (maybe make it long like Busy’s?) and I also got material for another aquamarine necklace (my birthstone). I’ll take pictures and post them here when I’m done.

Total, my necklace came out to about $95 with some start-up costs. So it wasn’t exactly cheap, but at the same time it’s waaaaay below that several thousand dollar starting price of Irene Neuwirth’s versions so it’s worth it in my book. Plus the next one will be a lot less since I already have some of the materials (french wire, the tweezers, and glue). Anyway if you decide to make this necklace I would love to see your versions so please send pics through email or Instagram!

{Update: Sorry for those who were waiting for an update. I had a baby and moved so I didn’t have time to make the second necklace. But just to let you know the white opals from the second seller were crap so I recommend sticking with the first seller I bought the green opals from. As for the silver clasps from Canada they were great so I would recommend them. Anyway if I ever get around to making my second and third necklace I’ll let you know. I’m also considering selling this green one since I never wear any necklaces anymore with the baby pulling at it. I’ll update this post when I decide to sell it over at my closet sale.}

The Scrooge of Valentine's {Giveaway closed}

via GIPHY

Bah Humbug!  I cannot think of a better term to describe Valentine's day (since "humbug" means something designed to mislead).  To me Valentine's Day is a 'holiday' made by the marketers to mislead people to buying more useless things (and they tell you it's in the name of love).  Bah humbug!  As if you already didn't buy enough stuff during the holidays.

via GIPHY

Does this come off especially Scrooge-y?  Maybe I didn't get enough Valentine cards when I was younger >.< lol.  Well I think I've only celebrated 2 Valentines days with my husband, after which I told him how I really feel about Feb 14th, to which he was more than happy not to have to buy me anything or do anything special for this bogus day.  So there will be no gift guides of heart-shaped items coming from me (ever). 

But I bring this all up because recently I've had a bit of a change of heart (or maybe I've seen the ghost of Valentine's Future, lol).  I still don't think you should buy anything for Valentine's Day but it wouldn't hurt to do things that show love.  Yes, lets celebrate by expressing love and kindness to our significant others, friends, family, and your fellow woman/man.  And yes, we should probably be doing this as many days as we can, and not just one day per year.  But why not make a special effort for today?

So today I want to show my love to you, my readers, who not only read my words here but also give me advice and more ideas (and generally enrich my life through your comments here and/or on Insta).  And I'm going to express my love by giving away a diamond ring (ok well pave diamonds to be exact).  This dainty band was purchased at Fighting Eel in Hawaii and is part of their ROLA jewelry line.  This band is 14K rose gold and a size 6.  If you don't want to wear it, I'm sure you can pawn it (it retailed for $280).  This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with Fighting Eel.  The giveaway is open internationally and will end at 2/20 at midnight PST.  Winner will be announced 2/21!  Just enter the form below and please only one entry per person.

Unsponsored VRAI (formerly known as Vrai & Oro) Review {Updated January 2021}

I don't talk a lot about my jewelry obsessions here on the blog, but I luckily come from a long line of jewelry lovers (some of my most prized possessions were handed down to me by my grandmother).  Recently, after discarding a bunch of my fashion jewelry during my move into the Airstream, I've decided to no longer purchase cheap mixed metal or gold plated jewelry.  Cheap jewelry is pretty much an equivalent to fast fashion for me since I only wear them once or twice.  I find that I'm not good at putting on (or taking off) jewelry every day.  If I'm going to wear something, it has to be something I can wear 24/7 (as in during showers, swimming, or manual labor with the Airstreams), which means the only pieces I really wear are the ones that are solid gold.  So when I stumbled upon VRAI (formerly known as Vrai & Oro), I was interested.  Vrai & Oro is trying to do what Everlane does for clothes: make things ethically, with transparency and simplicity.  

source

Now they don't tell us exactly how much it costs them to make their jewelry but it does seem that there is a minimal mark-up to their jewelry as they claim.  For example their diamond bezel necklace (with a 0.1 carat diamond) goes for $260 (in 2021 it is now $325) while Tiffany's diamond solitare (0.08 carat) goes for $800 (in 2021 it is now $950).  Having owned both, the only real difference I would say is that the chain from Vrai & Oro is slightly daintier (ie has less total gold in it).  I also ordered Vrai & Oro's vertical bar necklace (no longer sold) and their diamond bezel bracelet.  I'm a huge fan of their simple styling and the quality of their products.  So if you're interested in quality solid gold jewelry (in white, yellow or rose gold) then definitely give Vrai a shot (plus they have a 30-day return policy if you're not satisfied).  And as usual this is a completely unsponsored review! {January 2021 update: And they now have a VRAI promo referral link which will give you $75 off your first purchase (and I would also get $75 off so thanks for tempting me to buy more of their stuff lol—this Tetrad ring is calling my name).}

P.S. If you're interested in something on their site that's sold out, click on the link to leave your email to notify you when the product is back in stock.  I've noticed that they will offer the item first to those on that waitlist before they show that the item is in stock (ie I was able to purchase the vertical bar necklace even though it said it was out of stock on the website).

P.P.S Another bonus of buying solid gold as opposed to gold-filled is that you can always sell off your real gold jewelry if you want/need to lol (though for not nearly the same price for what you bought it for).

P.P.P.S Also I purchased their thick band ring (no longer sold) and their baguette diamond bezel ring.  I love both rings but especially the thick band ring which is wide but actually quite thin and lightweight.  The diamond baguette ring is cute and dainty but there's no actual sparkle to the diamond due to the cut (some people may prefer that though).  But I also find the setting to have quite sharp corners and you have to be careful not to scratch yourself with the ring when wearing it (I've already done that twice).

{January 2021 Update: It’s been over 4 years since I’ve written this post so I thought I would update it with thier new name (now only VRAI), their new prices (which of course went up in 4 years), the updated names of their products, and some new links. I’ve also since added affiliate links but have not changed any opinions of their products or their brand. Since this post I purchased a pave ring about 2 years ago (also no longer sold) and that’s actually the only Vrai piece left in my collection (the rest I was able to sell quite easily on eBay). I also want to add the Vrai now only use sustainable man-made diamonds thus reducing their need to mine the earth for their raw materials and their carbon footprint. Of course there’s some controversy over these “synthetic” diamonds but I think it’s a step in the right direction. Also just because they’re man-made it doesn’t make their jewelry cheap.}

Please note that this portion of the post contains affiliate links that could result in my earning a small commission - at no extra cost to you - if you click and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!