So, this is a review of both the Sweet V and the Mariell Marquise CB set of earrings, which is duplicated on the Sweet V site. I found this exact style of earring for my bridesmaids at a mall store, where I was hoping to get something lightweight. A few of my bridesmaids did not seem keen on chandelier earrings, but I wanted bling! This was the compromise... At the time of this post, there is a $6 differential between ($16.99 vs. $22.99), where the Sweet V earrings had 1 rating at 1 star review and the Mariell had 80 ratings at 4.8 stars. So, I ordered both... bc I was curious about the discrepancy! So, after getting both, I found that these two sets looks exactly the same!!! I have included pictures of the sets side by side. So, I hope this helps some bride out there... 1st picture: This is at the time of unboxing. The Sweet V is on the left and the Mariel is on the right. As you can see, the packaging for the Mariel was waaaay better. In thinking of how this looks as a gift to bridesmaids, the Marielle is waaay better. The box is sturdy and the earrings are affixed to cardboard. However, there was no other packaging in the Marielle box, as the earrings were enclosed in re-adhesive shrinkwrap without any sort of gauze. The Sweet V packaging was quite lackluster. The box was 1/4 the size of the Mariell, in that it was approximately 1.5x1.5 versus Mariell at 3.75x3.75. So, I was not as impressed by the Sweet V tiny box for gifting. However, I actually love tiny boxes personally. So, I personally thought it was adorable, but it will get lost in the "Bridesmaid gift boxes". What I did not like was that the Sweet V earrings came packaged in a plastic zip lock... a bit drugdealer-y in my mind. Second picture: this is a side by side of the Sweet V earring next to the Mariel earring. The Sweet V is on the left and the Mariell is on the right. No differences here. Same size, same weight, and they look identical.... so, the only thing that is different might be in the plating. According the item descriptions for both pairs, the Mariell are platinum plated and the Sweet V were silver plated. I do not have any training is how to verify the truth of these claims. They both look identical (front and back)! Third picture: this is also a side by side of earring backs. Mariell is now on the left. I did find a key difference on the backs. The Mariells have a thin plastic back; whereas, the Sweet V's have a rubberized backing. Personally, I liked the rubberized backing, the plastic back seemed like it is more loose and would be easier to fall off if dancing at a wedding. The rubberized backing definitely felt like it would stay on! Fourth picture: this is actually the same earring but branded as Monet that I found it at JCPenney on clearance (last one apparently in the US, or I probably would have ordered all of them there). The Sweet V and the Mariell looked identical to the Monet! So, there is that! In summary, I ultimately went with the Sweet Vs bc I have 7 bridesmaids (for a savings of $50 with taxes), the rubberized backing was great, and there are super cute personalized earring cards on Etsy to replace the awful packaging choice by Sweet V (or, you can find foam board/gauze at a hobby store, if you are just so over all the things associated with wedding planning like I am.) However, I think that it should be noted that the Mariell brand has the distinction of being a small business in the US. I love the idea of shopping local/small business! So, I was personally torn on this issue. Additionally, the Mariell is platinum plated... so, this is also an issue to consider if your bridal party has sensitive ears or for overall quality concerns. I hope this helps!
