What's your unpopular jewelry opinion?

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#616
sosauce said:
Platinum is 30 times rarer than gold. It’s denser than gold. It’s stronger than gold. It holds diamonds better than gold. It’s harder than gold in its pure form. It stays white. It doesn’t need to be alloyed. And it takes more craftsmanship and skill to utilize.

I think yellow gold has a certain romance to it. But, literally, humans have been making gold jewelry since the Bronze Age. It’s not a very technical material to work with. Give me a hammer and a piece of gold, and I could make you a ring.

When people talk about titles and ranks, platinum always goes above gold. I think there’s a common intuition that platinum is the superior metal. In fact, the origins of white gold were to mimic the appearance of platinum.

When you compare white gold to platinum, it’s just hard to see how white gold does any better or is more valuable than platinum in any jewelry sense.

White gold is lighter, which can be more comfortable for earrings. White gold is more ductile, which means you can theoretically create more ornate metal designs. At 18K, white gold is harder than platinum, so it is more scratch resistant. White gold is less dense and is alloyed up to 75%, which means you can make a lot more jewelry with less material. White gold is easier to work with, which means it doesn’t take as much time, training, or labor to produce a piece.

On color, white gold is buttery yellow. It’s only whiter than platinum once it’s rhodium plated, but platinum can also be rhodium plated.

On skill, white gold can have more elaborate metalwork. But that just means that the same design produced in platinum indicates a greater level of craftsmanship. There is a reason why white gold jewelry is so much more abundant than platinum jewelry in the marketplace.

On maintenance, white gold loses diamonds more readily. It needs to be replated to not show yellow. It loses microscopic amounts of gold whenever it’s scratched. Details in white gold are more prone to losing their clarity over time. White gold can also tarnish, because it is significantly alloyed.

On design, white gold theoretically should have a wider range of designs available because it’s easier to work with. Especially for naturalistic details such a horse’s mane or a peacock’s feather, platinum is probably too challenging or too expensive to utilize. But I feel that this distinction means very little, when the bulk of white gold is being used to produce the most rudimental shapes, like Cartier love bracelets or basic panthere rings. And for designs that feature very detailed metalwork, yellow gold is usually preferred to white gold, since it highlights the material a bit better and lends a more historical or romantic quality.

On comfort, white gold is more comfortable. It’s lighter. And this lightness scales up the more white gold or platinum the piece is using.

On heft, platinum feels more substantial since it’s weightier. Which of course is directly contrary to its potential comfort.

On cost, white gold should cost less. It takes less gold to produce the same volume of jewelry. The white gold is alloyed to 18K (or less), which further reduces the amount of gold input. The labor involved is also less. There is less training required to learn how to goldsmith.

On rarity, platinum is rarer than gold as a raw material. As a finished good, platinum jewelry is also rarer than white gold jewelry in the market. Some of that may be demand-driven, due to price consciousness or cultural factors that venerate gold. But on the supply side, the barriers and costs to create platinum jewelry are significantly higher, so this translates to less supply, even if the amounts of gold and platinum deposits around the world were equal.

On heritability, platinum makes better heirlooms to pass on than white gold. I used to buy a lot of antique jewelry, and the platinum stuff was always in better condition. Probably mostly related to how platinum requires less maintenance. Maybe also because platinum jewelry costed more money, so it was better treasured, though I don’t think that’s a great explanation. Either way, if you want your jewelry to last 200 years, platinum does a better job on average.

Maybe in another hundred years, if jewelers learn to master rhodium metallurgy, then that would be considered superior to platinum. But for now, amongst serious buyers of jewelry, platinum reigns supreme. And between platinum and white gold, there’s really no contest. Especially because the historical/cultural factors that lead to yellow gold (or even rose gold) to be admired are not present when it concerns white gold.

Overall, I think white gold does a poor job competing with platinum when it concerns luxury, craftsmanship, or quality. And white gold does a poor job competing with yellow gold when it concerns beauty, distinctiveness, or symbolism.
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It's just fashion and fashion cycles. For sure, platinum is stronger but prices of precious metals go up and down with supply and demand.

The original 'white metal' was silver and used extensively to set diamonds, often with gold back/underside/reverse/shank. Diamonds were only worn after dark mostly by candle light, and (y) gold wasn't thought to enhance the look of the stones as claws were large. At that time jewellery were gifted and/or anded down, the craft and the stones were of the utmost importance, most settings were to carry the stones, stones were often reset and re-purposed.

It was only in the early 20C platinum became available and became a craze. More expensive than gold, platinum, even worked thinly (it's stronger) was seen as the precious metal to have for a diamond pieces. As platinum became ultimate status symbol, so white gold because a relatively less expensive option (yg plated in rhodium) imitating it's costlier cousin.

Cartier's original Trinity ring (2024) was made in rose-gold, yellow gold and platinum. My 1920s deco e-ring is platinum, but I have another 1930s in wg, when chunkier, design-led, pieces were in vogue, impossible to commercially retail in Plat. The 1940s was all about yg and back to the wg/plat. solitaire in the '50s...and so on. I think wg is wonderful on the right skin tone.

My UO is that layered fine charms/pendants are an accident waiting to happen. Even my 3-chain necklace gets tangled, I can't imagine layering multiple chains and pendants that are not meant to be worn together, I'd end-up strangling myself.
 
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#617
Pursephile said:
What’s also kind of insane is the markups on lab grown diamonds, still. I know someone in the biz (well), I wanted to get lab grown copies of my own studs for travel. They said they’ll do me a solid and give me a good price, and essentially gave me 75% off the price they charge in the market. And I’m pretty sure they would’ve still made some profit on the transaction.
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I know right?!
It makes me so angry that some brands sell lab grown diamond jewelry like 40-50% cheaper than real diamonds. When they’re so cheap, it’s ridiculous. So the brands make much more money on items with lab grown diamonds than on items with real diamonds because the stones are so much cheaper!!!
 
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#618
And natural diamonds are incredibly abundant.
So all said and done, it is all about marketing and mark up.
I don’t foresee Gen z buying real diamonds and spend the mythical 3 month’s salary on a ring.
the minute designers use lab diamonds in their designs, it will be even more acceptable, imo.
Pandora came with a lign.
Tiffany will be next.
 
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#619
limom said:
And natural diamonds are incredibly abundant.
So all said and done, it is all about marketing and mark up.
I don’t foresee Gen z buying real diamonds and spend the mythical 3 month’s salary on a ring.
the minute designers use lab diamonds in their designs, it will be even more acceptable, imo.
Pandora came with a lign.
Tiffany will be next.
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Your'e so right, somewhere in this thread many years ago I wrote I didn't get diamonds in contemporary silver. That was a trend that came and went.

Although De Beers stoped with the retail lab-grown (Lightbox) and now grows diamonds only for industrial purposes
https://rapaport.com/news/de-beers-to-stop-producing-lab-grown-diamonds-for-jewelry/ including blue (boron) to purify water

I don't believe Tiff will do LG, even though apparently LVMH made a whole thing about using them especially in watches. LG is what will separate the jewellers from contemporary designers who make jewellery. I know a couple of Gen Zs (colleague's friends) already regretting LG E-rings.

There's nothing wrong with LG IMO (so long as no one buys me one - or sells me one) but I have a synthetic ruby ring from the 1940s, natural rubies today are worth more than ever. Cultured pearls are put into brass fashion jewellery, natural pearls have gone through the roof.
 
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#620
A designer will introduce an entry level line to test the market.
The difference between cultured pearls and natural pearls can be seen, not so for lab and mined diamonds.
IMO, there will be a market for both.
Time will tell.
I have purchased a pair of earrings and so far, so good.
Lightbox is still available in the USA
As long as the consumers know what is being sold, why not?
 
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#621
limom said:
A designer will introduce an entry level line to test the market.
The difference between cultured pearls and natural pearls can be seen, not so for lab and mined diamonds.
IMO, there will be a market for both.
Time will tell.
I have purchased a pair of earrings and so far, so good.
Lightbox is still available in the USA
As long as the consumers know what is being sold, why not?
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I was at De Beers HQ UK (where they used to sort the natural stones) only this Summer. Do you mean Portland-grown Lightbox Jewelry diamonds, they're not De Beers.

So much tech is being rolled out to test LG against natural, it's only a matter of time it'll be available as an app :D.
 
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#625
limom said:
Wow, the technology is that old?
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Unpopular opinion - lab created stones can be fun.

My opinion may be shaped by the fact that most ruby and sapphire jewelry, excluding hj, made after 1950 has created stones.

The tech is that old. The first lab created precious stone was a ruby made by Edmond Fremy in 1877 - they became commercially producible by 1902.


Spherical cultured pearls were first produced in 1904, and commercially viable by 1921. Lab emeralds were being made by the 1930s, and the first lab diamond was 1954
 
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#627
Mcandy said:
Some costume jewelry is not even made of sterling silver. It needs more care too like protecting from water and direct sunlight. But they are so expensive if its branded like chanel or dior. Do you remember those dior pearl earrings that are very pricey? Ive seen fakes using genuine 18k gold and south sea pearls and even way cheaper than the original.
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This is my unpopular opinion. I guess it depends on the costume jewelry. I have costume pieces from the 1960s that I don't have to do anything too.
 
#628
The Love wedding band and JUC SM rings are so uncomfortable that I barely wear them, unlike the Classic Trinity ring which I wear all the time. Tempted to let them go, but I don't want to have seller's remorse. Will have to think on it longer.

However, I'm liking the idea of stacking this Mejuri ring I recently purchased with the Perlee Pearls of Gold (small model) in YG for something a bit more unique. I would do it on the same finger as the model is wearing below.

mejuri.png
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#629
UO: I love to buy different RTW, but I’m kind of wedded to the same big jewelry for daily or dressy occasions. I’m medium boned though short, and dainty jewelry or stacking jewelry doesn’t feel right on me.

I just realized that I take a lot of style cues from my grandmother. My GM had a lot of jewelry, but later in life (by the time I knew her), she basicslly wore the same large things for both daily and dressy. So much so, that if you knew her, you couldn’t really picture her without them on. She had the same things in both white and yg. And alternated depending. Though she favored wg for evening
 
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#630
880 said:
UO: I love to buy different RTW, but I’m kind of wedded to the same big jewelry for daily or dressy occasions. I’m medium boned though short, and dainty jewelry or stacking jewelry doesn’t feel right on me.

I just realized that I take a lot of style cues from my grandmother. My GM had a lot of jewelry, but later in life (by the time I knew her), she basicslly wore the same large things for both daily and dressy. So much so, that if you knew her, you couldn’t really picture her without them on. She had the same things in both white and yg. And alternated depending. Though she favored wg for evening
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I have to agree with this strategy. At a certain age, jewelry needs to have some humph.
However, it is hard to stick with the same pieces, I get bored.
 
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