What, really, is the difference between a pair of "gold" earrings I
buy at Mervyn's and a pair I buy at Nordstrom?  I'm not talking about
the fine jewelry counter but the earrings on spindle racks, say $12-25
here versus $30-60 there.  When I pay more to buy them at Nordstrom,
what am I paying for?

Thank you,
Apteryx

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Clarification of Question by apteryx-ga on 02 Jul 2004 22:00 PDT

Thanks for your comments, Pink and Juggler, and I'm sure you're right,
the name on the shopping bag, the ambience, and of course the live
piano music are all reflected in the price tag.

But I was actually looking for something more factual:  for instance,
is a different grade of metal used in less expensive costume jewelry? 
Is it perhaps not even metal at all but a metal coating over plastic? 
Is it more likely to corrode and discolor?  Is there anything to the
quality of the crystals used in sparkly jewelry? etc.  Now, some stuff
definitely just looks (and is) cheaper -- Kmart-quality items, let's
say -- but I am not talking about those that are conspicuously of
lesser value.  I'm inquiring about earrings (in particular) that look
more or less the same in style and workmanship and composition but
that seem somehow "nicer" and definitely cost much more at the pricier
stores.  Could essentially the same product be found at both counters,
with different price tags, or is there really something different
about what's sold at the upscale department stores?

I love costume jewelry, and over the decades I've acquired a boatload of it.

By and large, I think that nice costume jewelry (i.e. the items sold
by Mervyn's, not the stuff you find at Family Dollar) is virtually
identical in quality to the costume jewelry sold by the tonier stores.
I have not noticed that gold electroplate wears thin any sooner with
the Mervyn's type of baubles than with things from Saks Fifth Avenue,
nor is the smoothness and polish of the finish visibly different. In
the area of 14K gold, I can say with no shame that the nicest chain I
own came from Wal-Mart. A friend of mine has a very similar chain from
Neiman-Marcus, and she admired my chain's workmanship, declaring it
superior to hers.

So it's my conviction that, when you pay more to a store like
Nordstrom, you are not necessarily buying better jewelry; you are
paying extra for the atmosphere of the store, for the appearance of
the shopping bag, and for the emotional resonance of the whole
experience. None of this is readily apparent when a person wears the
jewelry, but it may mean something to the wearer.

I should note that, as a devout bargain-hunter, I seldom buy from
retail stores; most of my jewelry has come from a local liquidation
chain called NBC (Name Brand Clothing) that buys discontinued and
damaged clothing, shoes, jewelry, and other merchandise in large lots
and sells it at a small fraction of its original price. Since I
haven't acquired my jewelry direct from the retailer, it is possible
that my perception is off.

Tryx,
Doesn't Nordstrom's live piano music count for anything? :-)

My late wife was also a costume bauble collector.  Have you checked
the names.  Pieces often look identical but when you check the back,
one might be a Whiting Davis mounting for example and the other a "no
name" yet both look the same.  You might be paying just for the name.