So the other day I was scrolling through Instagram and kept seeing fancy jewelry ads that weren’t Tiffany’s – Cartier, Pandora, even some new online brands. Got me thinking: is the blue box gang still on top? Grabbed my laptop to dig into this.
First move: checking recent sales numbers
Pulled up financial reports from LVMH (who owns Tiffany now). Damn, their Q1 growth was only 3% while Cartier’s parent company jumped 9%! Scrolled through earnings call transcripts and found execs sweating about “increased competitive pressures.” Translation: other brands are eating their lunch.
The price test experiment
Walked into my local mall to compare. Checked these three things:
- Tiffany’s signature Return to Tiffany heart tag: $225
- Pandora’s similar heart charm: $65
- Mejuri’s minimalist tag necklace: $89
All three basic silver pieces. Why would anyone pay triple for basically the same thing?
Social media reality check
Spent two hours tracking hashtags:
- #TiffanyAndCo: Mostly older wedding posts
- #Mejuri: 20-somethings showing stacks
- #Pandora: Moms building charm bracelets
Then noticed Gen Z obsessed with Lab-created diamond brands – saw someone unbox a 1-carat ring saying “Saved $3k vs Tiffany!”
The eye-opening conclusion
Went back to LVMH’s investor materials and laughed at their “aspirational positioning” jargon. Real world evidence shows:
- Rich folks buying Cartier/Van Cleef
- Regular people choosing Pandora/Mejuri
- Value seekers going lab-diamond routes
Tiffany’s stuck in this awkward middle spot where nobody’s getting excited anymore. That iconic blue box? Starting to look like a relic.
