Diamonds are a girl's best friend right? Well what about Swarovski crystals? That's what BB and B Premium Clay Confectionary wants to convince us, and I'm not mad!
I received a necklace from them to review, the Victorian Sugar Cookie necklace, and right off the bat I can tell you that I am in love with BB and B's quality.
First, a little bit of background: A few years ago I went to Rufflecon, and I bought a necklace from a boutique table I had never heard of before. This vendor was completely new to me, but their table blew me away. Absolutely gorgeous deco jewelry, head accessories, phone cases - and the prices were so inexpensive that I bought a necklace from them. I got this one from their table, and the quality was amazing for what I paid.
This time, two years later, I am still just as impressed.
The Quality: ★★★★★
For how much they charge, which would be $28 for this necklace, the quality is outstanding.They don't skimp on the small details. The jewels, pearls, and clay pieces feel sturdy and securely glued in place. Even the weight is a nice balance between feeling cheap and feeling burdensome.
One thing I really appreciate that is usually overlooked is the type of fastener. I always notice cheap versus quality fasteners when I buy jewelry, and I love that BB and B didn't just use a cheap spring or lobster clasp. They used an adorable heart-shaped toggle clasp - I love toggles more because they are so much easier and less painful to use!
There is some lint within the crevices of the clay, but you only notice this when your face is within a few inches of the necklace. For what's it's worth, I don't think it is a big deal at all.
The Details: ★★★★★
Aside from the custom clasp, BB and B makes sure to really make the most out of normal things. On both necklaces, they attached a tiny lace piece to the under/back-side of the clay. When most jewelry companies would probably just leave this empty space blank, I like that they decorated even this spot!I looked really hard to find fingerprints in the clay, and I found none on either piece. I don't usually buy cheap clay jewelry because fingerprints are unfortunately common and an easy mistake, so I was happy to find that BB and B's pieces are textured nicely without any prints.
A minor detail that irked me is that in the description for my Victorian Sugar Cookie necklace, it says "genuine pearls" and yet they are not genuine at all. They are plastic - which is fine! - but the description is a little misleading. Not a deal-breaker for me, but something to keep in mind.
The Website: ★★★
Since I received this necklace for free and they are located in my own state, I can't really comment on processing or shipping times. However, I can comment on their website!I really like the look and feel of their site, with easy-to-find pages and a pretty design. They have really helpful buttons and links to everything you need. For a small indie brand, I love that they have a wishlist feature!
My problem is with their system. You can't see any prices without creating an account. In order to create an account, you have to be approved before you can actually log in and see the prices. This seems unnecessarily tedious to me, especially if I was a first-time customer. Not knowing how inexpensive these pieces actually are, I would feel like they were really expensive for how detailed they are and not want to go through the effort of creating and account if I couldn't afford them.
Conclusions: Would recommend!
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Their stuff is so cute, but I agree with your comment on the compulsory registration and approval format. I remember looking at this website for the first time and struggling with the same thing of trying to find the prices. I don't think I found the information about having to create an account and if I did, I was put off by having to wait for approval, because it really makes it seem very exclusive and you assume that this will equal highly expensive. It wasn't until a lot later, I think when watching Lovely Lor's video on BB and B Deco, that I understood it more. And yet despite ogling their stuff, I still haven't made the plunge to register - it still seems like a lot of hassle when, as a UK-based customer, I probably wouldn't buy a lot or often because I assume shipping charges will cost me just as much as the item itself (why is shipping from North America to Europe so expensive when shipping from the UK to North America feels like half the price?).
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