23k gold jewelry from India
- Thread starter dmitchell15
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I don't know about Manhattan, but there are several in Jackson Heights in Queens, a short walk from the 74th St and Broadway subway station.
dmitchell15, I haven't ordered from that site before, but I have been window-shopping online at various 22K-24K gold sites in the hopes of adding to my collection.
Last year I had the chance to travel to the Middle East and got a great tour of the gold souks (huge shopping market). I didn't have a lot of cash on me at the time, but was able to come home with a bracelet and ring in 23K. When I got home I shopped online and at the b/m stores in our 'little india' area of town. I have to say, from what I see here and online, the designs are nothing compared to what you can get over there and the markup is pretty steep.
If you're looking to buy, I would definitely suggest shopping when you get to travel... but, barring that, definitely walk into a store if possible. You can definitely negotiate a better price.
Last year I had the chance to travel to the Middle East and got a great tour of the gold souks (huge shopping market). I didn't have a lot of cash on me at the time, but was able to come home with a bracelet and ring in 23K. When I got home I shopped online and at the b/m stores in our 'little india' area of town. I have to say, from what I see here and online, the designs are nothing compared to what you can get over there and the markup is pretty steep.
If you're looking to buy, I would definitely suggest shopping when you get to travel... but, barring that, definitely walk into a store if possible. You can definitely negotiate a better price.
Agree. There's lots of nice jewelry stores there and some of them are reasonable. I bought my wedding jewelry from one of them.
For the most part if you're buying South Asian (Indian) 22kt jewelry, it's pure not plated. For the rubies and emeralds you have to ask them because sometime it's just colored stones. They do have precious stones but tell them that's what your looking for otherwise it'll be just colored stones. With diamonds it's the same thing - there isn't a big trend for diamond jewelry in some parts of India so it depends where you buy it from. It's really gold that's loved! 22kt of course!
^^ okay so that is good to know ladies. Thank you so much. you all have been very helpful. I think I might order some earrings from the site that I posted. If I do I'll let you know how that goes. Also, thank you for letting me know about the rubies and emeralds.
I haven't bought from this site, but Totaram jewelers are very reputable.
BTW, I am Indian and my family buys only 22k gold in India. We don't get much of 14k or 18k gold in India.
BTW, I am Indian and my family buys only 22k gold in India. We don't get much of 14k or 18k gold in India.
If you are ever in Massachusetts, you can visit Kay Pee Jewelers which is also an Indian Jeweler selling 22kt gold.
I own a lot of this. Both 22k from India and 24K from China. You can also get from the Middle East (Dubai or Egypt or
Saudi Arabia) 21K gold.
It is like the gold you see in museums. It's not only yellow in color but has a kind of glow to it that even 18K does not have. The 22K will look a little more orange (this is very subtle) than the 24K. There are different ways of making the jewelry. When its 'cast' (they do this sometimes for bracelets) it's quite hard. (22K. 24K is always soft). I have a bracelet made in India that is very hard. But mostly it is softer. Not like butter, but the way silver is flexible. It makes gorgeous jewelry because of this. You get wonderful filigree, it can be enamelled, there are so many different things that a jeweler that can do that is impossible with mass-produced machine made stuff. You don't really miss having precious stones in it--the gold can stand by itself.
a lot of Indian jewelry nowadays is bi-color-- white (It's plated with something)and gold together--very beautiful. Their white jewelry somehow has a much richer look than our white gold.
I think that the Indians excel with the jewelry techniques and prefer the slightly more durable 22K gold, but the Chinese pieces are also lovely.and of course, there is something wonderful about wearing absolutely pure gold, like Helen of Troy or an Egyptian princess.
Things to be aware of: the earrings will have very thick wires a lot of the time that can be hard on your ear piercings if you aren't used to this. So I'd definitely make sure to try on earrings. They can also be HEAVY. Ihave some 7.8 gram hoops that I just don't wear much because they are really heavy to me (and earrings come much heavier than that). You might like to stick with small hoops or huggies. The necklaces are very beatiful and durable and you don't need to be afraid when they come with that clasp that you bend to secure the piece--at first I kept thinking that bending back and forth I'd break the gold, but it takes a long long time before that happens. Pendants are also often 'cast' (feel stiffer). I like having a lot of pendants and switching them on my various chains. Precious stones are not going to be up to American standards. When they are real (there's a lot of CZ and coloredCZ in Indian jewelry) they are very included. They can still be pretty--I have some included emeralds that still have a wonderful color--but the reason that the stones are so cheap, or even free (often you just pay forthe weight ofthe gold, not the stones) is that the quality is not there. And they aren't cut with any precision either.
The stonesare prone to falling out,also ( so a it's a good thing that they are generally cheap). This is worst in rings. I absolutely would not buy a ring with a stone that had any real value. And forget diamonds. They do not go together with high carat gold. They're much too hard. Even though INdians andChinese do not consider 18K to be anything but costume jewelry, they will use it for diamonds because their gold is not suitable.
It's just a whole different aesthetic and a whole different mindset. Superpractical in some ways. Anybody that's been to try to sell 14kt and even 18kt for cash now that gold costs so much is aware of all the math the buyers do and how little you get considering the size of some ofthe pieces. WithChinese gold especially, its like portable cash. What you weigh is what you get. So if you had an ounce of Chinese 24k jewelry, you'd get $1375 for it right now, just fromthe weight of it. But for 14K-- alot less. A lot LOT less. And the sad thing is, you undoubtedly paid MORE for the 14k than you did for the Chinese jewelry which is sold by weight and has very little markup for labor, etc. It's really great stuff to have if you are expecting paper currency devaluation or hyperinflation,or having to flee the country in a hurry because of warlords or invasion and scenarios like that--which used to seem a bit more impossible to U.S. residents than they do now. Actually, we are living out scenario #1, aren't we. One reason gold costs so much is that the dollar is so down.
So far as high carat gold jewelry and skin tone-- if you are warm complexioned (what they call spring or autumn if you ever had your season done) you are going to look great in it. Often winters can wear it if they have a dramatic kind of appearance. Summers are generally not going to look that good. It's really THERE and can make someone who is both cool-toned and kind of neutral looking look VERY washed out. The only way to tell is to try some on.
I love it.
I do buy it in person because you definitely CAN get them to make a deal. They quote you higher expecting to have to come down.
Saudi Arabia) 21K gold.
It is like the gold you see in museums. It's not only yellow in color but has a kind of glow to it that even 18K does not have. The 22K will look a little more orange (this is very subtle) than the 24K. There are different ways of making the jewelry. When its 'cast' (they do this sometimes for bracelets) it's quite hard. (22K. 24K is always soft). I have a bracelet made in India that is very hard. But mostly it is softer. Not like butter, but the way silver is flexible. It makes gorgeous jewelry because of this. You get wonderful filigree, it can be enamelled, there are so many different things that a jeweler that can do that is impossible with mass-produced machine made stuff. You don't really miss having precious stones in it--the gold can stand by itself.
a lot of Indian jewelry nowadays is bi-color-- white (It's plated with something)and gold together--very beautiful. Their white jewelry somehow has a much richer look than our white gold.
I think that the Indians excel with the jewelry techniques and prefer the slightly more durable 22K gold, but the Chinese pieces are also lovely.and of course, there is something wonderful about wearing absolutely pure gold, like Helen of Troy or an Egyptian princess.
Things to be aware of: the earrings will have very thick wires a lot of the time that can be hard on your ear piercings if you aren't used to this. So I'd definitely make sure to try on earrings. They can also be HEAVY. Ihave some 7.8 gram hoops that I just don't wear much because they are really heavy to me (and earrings come much heavier than that). You might like to stick with small hoops or huggies. The necklaces are very beatiful and durable and you don't need to be afraid when they come with that clasp that you bend to secure the piece--at first I kept thinking that bending back and forth I'd break the gold, but it takes a long long time before that happens. Pendants are also often 'cast' (feel stiffer). I like having a lot of pendants and switching them on my various chains. Precious stones are not going to be up to American standards. When they are real (there's a lot of CZ and coloredCZ in Indian jewelry) they are very included. They can still be pretty--I have some included emeralds that still have a wonderful color--but the reason that the stones are so cheap, or even free (often you just pay forthe weight ofthe gold, not the stones) is that the quality is not there. And they aren't cut with any precision either.
The stonesare prone to falling out,also ( so a it's a good thing that they are generally cheap). This is worst in rings. I absolutely would not buy a ring with a stone that had any real value. And forget diamonds. They do not go together with high carat gold. They're much too hard. Even though INdians andChinese do not consider 18K to be anything but costume jewelry, they will use it for diamonds because their gold is not suitable.
It's just a whole different aesthetic and a whole different mindset. Superpractical in some ways. Anybody that's been to try to sell 14kt and even 18kt for cash now that gold costs so much is aware of all the math the buyers do and how little you get considering the size of some ofthe pieces. WithChinese gold especially, its like portable cash. What you weigh is what you get. So if you had an ounce of Chinese 24k jewelry, you'd get $1375 for it right now, just fromthe weight of it. But for 14K-- alot less. A lot LOT less. And the sad thing is, you undoubtedly paid MORE for the 14k than you did for the Chinese jewelry which is sold by weight and has very little markup for labor, etc. It's really great stuff to have if you are expecting paper currency devaluation or hyperinflation,or having to flee the country in a hurry because of warlords or invasion and scenarios like that--which used to seem a bit more impossible to U.S. residents than they do now. Actually, we are living out scenario #1, aren't we. One reason gold costs so much is that the dollar is so down.
So far as high carat gold jewelry and skin tone-- if you are warm complexioned (what they call spring or autumn if you ever had your season done) you are going to look great in it. Often winters can wear it if they have a dramatic kind of appearance. Summers are generally not going to look that good. It's really THERE and can make someone who is both cool-toned and kind of neutral looking look VERY washed out. The only way to tell is to try some on.
I love it.
I do buy it in person because you definitely CAN get them to make a deal. They quote you higher expecting to have to come down.
I will speak for myself. I'm from the Middle East and I will never wear anything gold below 21K. And so everyone I know its just the way we wear gold jewelry here. And your concern that the gold is softer. Its not that soft. My 1.5 year old DD have a 21k gold bangle and she wears it every day and its still as good as new.
22K or 24K gold is supposed to be the best form of gold in terms of resale value. The higher the carats, the softer it is. This means its more maleable and ductile. Indian or Moghul jewelry has fine details and mesh work like designs. Its also more yellow. So they need 22k or 23K gold. 24k gold is NOT used in making jewelry. You get them in form of coins or bricks and people buy them as investment.
To set stones like DIAMONDS, TOPAZ SAPPHIRE etc, you need 18k gold. Its difficult to set stones in 22k or 23k gold.
In Indian and Asian countries Gold is given as Asset or purchased as security. The pure, the best. Also, Gold and silver are purchased by weight and not just as Piece. So at times a TIFFANY Gold (14k/18k) will be more expensive in terms of cost than an ordinary Gold earing (23k), but in terms of Value (like if u want to sell), the BRAND Tiffany wont fetch you as much as a simple non branded 22k gold stud will get you.
14K and 10k gold has less % of gold in it.
Please feel free to correct my mistakes.
To set stones like DIAMONDS, TOPAZ SAPPHIRE etc, you need 18k gold. Its difficult to set stones in 22k or 23k gold.
In Indian and Asian countries Gold is given as Asset or purchased as security. The pure, the best. Also, Gold and silver are purchased by weight and not just as Piece. So at times a TIFFANY Gold (14k/18k) will be more expensive in terms of cost than an ordinary Gold earing (23k), but in terms of Value (like if u want to sell), the BRAND Tiffany wont fetch you as much as a simple non branded 22k gold stud will get you.
14K and 10k gold has less % of gold in it.
Please feel free to correct my mistakes.
