Jewelry as an investment?

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#31
NewStyle said:
BagsRmyLife I too am surprised at the price of gold these days! I now wish I had listened to the women in my family when told me to stop buying "junk" (they're far to practical to understand "but I looooove it" reasoning) and buy gold. Ah well, you learn as you grow right? Lesson learned... well almost I still want a cartier bracelet lol.
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Just wait until the end of this year. I've heard that it can possibly reach $2000, but I find that hard to believe. Nevertheless I highly doubt the price of gold will drop down as drastically as it went up. Even if does, it goes right back to being jewelry! :graucho:
 
#33
Stophle said:
Valid points, definitely. I suppose the value of jewelry/gold depends on the state of the world economy and affairs. If there were to be some sort of cataclysm, people would value weapons, food, and tools much more than shiny pieces of metal. It's all completely subjective and dependent upon outside factors, which is the point I was making. Which is why, in the end, if you're going to spend money on something, it should be because you love it.
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Very valid points for us living in the US. If the US crumbles into chaos, the whole world is screwed.
Recently there were world economists on NPR that said forget worrying about gold, you can't eat gold. Better off stocking up on Spam.
 
#35
Please correct me if I am wrong but in the US: 18kt, 14kt are called solid gold (as in not plated or filled). And they are, but just a lower percentage/ mixture of actual gold is in the mix and more alloys. With the following being how much actual gold is in a piece with a certain karat weight:

10 kt = 41.67%
12 kt = 50%
14 kt = 58.33%
18 kt = 75%
22 kt = 91.67%
23 kt = 95.83%
24 kt = 100%
 
#36
^ This is accurate. The karat weight of gold is how many parts per 24 are pure gold - so 24/24 in 24 K, and 14 parts out of 24 or 14/24 for 14 K and so on. 14K is or used to be the most common karat weight of gold in the US, although 10K is becoming more and more common as the prices on gold go up. 18K can also be relatively easily found, but 22K and 24K is much more difficult to find in the US and is almost never seen in chain jewelry stores.
 
#37
Vegas Long Legs said:
Solid gold would be too soft for this bracelet. Very few jewelry items are solid gold. They might be 14 or 18 kt which still contains a mixture of metals & one is still paying too much for the cartier name at the retail store.
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When I say solid, I mean solid alloy. (I'm an American - the only designers i know that make real gold jewelry is Gurhan and Reinstein/Ross!) In the case of Cartier, 18k. That's why 18 is my minimum for real.

After the US government stopped setting the dollar against gold, prices increased tenfold, and for about a decade, most Cartier play pieces like LOVE and the nail bracelet were plated - occasionally vermeil, but usually over steel.

And for Cartier, you do pay 4x weight on average. And don't get me started on tiffany, who has been decreasing minimum standards consistantly. What used to be made in platinum and of respectable size is now white gold and scrawny.

These days, I still buy designer jewelry and tableware - but I buy it second hand; auctions and estate sales are the only place to get value and a label... (best of all, Tiffanys still cleans, checks and services my diamond pieces gratis)
 
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#38
So what it sounds like is one needs to buy second hand or possibly have the gold already and have someone (an independent jeweler or designer) to create it into something that they would like to wear.

This leads me to my next question, Where in America can you find someone who will make a custom or a replica/ inspired piece with really good craftsmanship for a reasonable price?

Can anyone here recommend someone? Please pm me if you do not feel comfortable posting the information.

I have tried several people that I have found by myself off of the web, but have had costly and time consuming problems with each. The pieces themselves have really not been intricate in design, I had provided a multitude of pictures and examples, always communicated via email, and even when we spoke on the phone I would summarize what we spoke about and email it back so that there was always a record of what was said. And yet the pieces were always either ridiculously over budget (mainly because the price of gold that I was quoted at the beginning of the project had skyrocketed by the time they bought the gold and I was expected to pay the difference) and/ or took several months for completion (and not because I changed my mind but because they had to think about how they would tackle the project, or put it off and then rushed to get something out the door even though it was poorly finished). I have also always been very laid back and easy going to work with and been too understanding and accommodating to a fault and I think I really need to be more assertive and not let them think of me as a understanding friend but as a client.
 
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#39
Reinstein/Ross makes custom pieces with their own alloyed high carat gold. I haven't finished a project with them (I am still in the early design stages). But others have, and they were high recommended to me.
 
#41
Does anyone honestly purchase jewelry in case of martial law in their nation? Those who will live will have private jets, homes in other nations, the right connections, highly diversified portfolios, and yes, perhaps some tangible precious items. The others, especially working professionals, will most likely have their McMansions looted at gunpoint.

No, jewelry is not a good investment in general, although the right designer piece will possibly ***** a bar of solid gold, and a poorly chosen solid piece may sell for melt value only. It's a gamble.

As much as I love jewelry, I buy what I like. I think Alexis Bittar is sometimes as beautiful as a $25,000 bangle, and even Swarovski looks nice. It makes more sense to use your money to live - and not rely on your possessions in case of disaster.

Who wants to wear chunky gold when it could buy a beautiful dainty piece they'd love, or a college education for a child, or a pool in their back yard? At the same time, why would a bold gold lover buy platinum mint coinage?

To each their own.
 
#42
Personally I do not regard jewelry as an investment. I buy what I really like. I have noticed that estate or pawn shop finds can bring really good deals. Also, I usually buy at my own estate jeweler he enables to 'buy back' his own jewelry at the same price.
I would not advice to buy jewelry if it's your purpose to become rich :nuts:
 
#43
I don't think most people with the mindset of having high carat gold as an investment intend it as the sole means to get wealthy. For myself, I view my gold as a guarantee that I will have a way to access cash/gas/food/travel whatever in the most dire circumstances. I would not put every spare cent into purchasing gold, especially at these high prices, but it's nice knowing that if something horrible happens, I can pawn a bit of gold and get out of the crunch, pay the pawnbroker and get my piece back again.
Maybe viewing it as a bit of insurance rather than investment/savings is more accurate.
 
#44
tiffanysilver said:
Does anyone honestly purchase jewelry in case of martial law in their nation? Those who will live will have private jets, homes in other nations, the right connections, highly diversified portfolios, and yes, perhaps some tangible precious items. The others, especially working professionals, will most likely have their McMansions looted at gunpoint.

No, jewelry is not a good investment in general, although the right designer piece will possibly ***** a bar of solid gold, and a poorly chosen solid piece may sell for melt value only. It's a gamble.

As much as I love jewelry, I buy what I like. I think Alexis Bittar is sometimes as beautiful as a $25,000 bangle, and even Swarovski looks nice. It makes more sense to use your money to live - and not rely on your possessions in case of disaster.

Who wants to wear chunky gold when it could buy a beautiful dainty piece they'd love, or a college education for a child, or a pool in their back yard? At the same time, why would a bold gold lover buy platinum mint coinage?
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Monica said:
I would not advice to buy jewelry if it's your purpose to become rich
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I think you may be missing the point a little. In this thread we were just discussing jewelry (primarily in the form of gold because that has always seemed to be the standard) as a easily transportable and convertible commodity that has been used successfully for generations to barter should the entire monetary system fall apart or should a woman need the financial means to survive without a man. I also came away from this discussion with an understanding as to why women, from specifically poorer countries, were and still are given jewelry as gifts as opposed to what might be considered more practical items. I found it to be very interesting and resourceful and can only really try to equate it to a modern woman's mad money but just in a more global currency.
 
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#45
Kitsunegrl said:
I don't think most people with the mindset of having high carat gold as an investment intend it as the sole means to get wealthy. For myself, I view my gold as a guarantee that I will have a way to access cash/gas/food/travel whatever in the most dire circumstances. I would not put every spare cent into purchasing gold, especially at these high prices, but it's nice knowing that if something horrible happens, I can pawn a bit of gold and get out of the crunch, pay the pawnbroker and get my piece back again.
Maybe viewing it as a bit of insurance rather than investment/savings is more accurate.
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Very well put. I must have been typing my previous response while yours was been posted.
 
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