Are those real?

A few weeks ago I just happened to be strolling through Birks (the Tiffany's of Canada) when one of the saleswomen came over to tell me how beautiful she thought my earrings were before walking away.  Now she was either buttering me up (a distinct possibility in a jewelry store) or she genuinely liked my studs.  If the latter was the case, then she had just complemented a pair of $14 "diamond" studs that I wear almost every day.

These particular earrings however were purchased intentionally to look just small enough that they might be real (meaning they weren't those 5 carat monoliths) so I wondered if they'd done the trick.   Did I really just receive confirmation of the elusive (and for lack of a better term) diamond assumption status?  Have I mixed just enough "real" into my look that the cheap pieces are automatically deemed expensive?  If so, the rationale given by the little fashion devil on my shoulder egging on my less than bargain purchases, is totally vindicated.

Since I like to assume the saleswoman wouldn't compliment fake earrings, I thought I'd share how I think I managed to pull off probably the best compliment you can get surrounded by jewels you can't afford. 

To paraphrase Coco Chanel, before leaving the house, stop, look in a mirror, and remove one piece of jewelry.  In this case, I only had my engagement ring and a nice bag in tow. Of course her jewelry was probably real but being brave enough to let a few number of pieces shine *as if* you were Coco is the whole point.