Where do you shop for inexpensive gemstone jewelry?

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AntiqueShopper

AntiqueShopper

O.G.
May 29, 2010
4,638
7,454
#1
Hi all! I am 29 weeks pregnant and have started thinking about my push present. My hubby and I are trying to save up to buy a bigger house in a better area. However, he still wants to buy me a push present. Although he hasn't told me an exact budget yet, I can assume the highest point I would be able to spend would be $1000. As much as I love designer jewelry, there is nothing in that price point that sparks my interest. Then I started to imagine myself with some colorful earrings or a fun cocktail ring. My problem is that I have no idea where to purchase less expensive gemstone pieces. In the past, I would buy those type of items at Forturnoffs; this company has since closed. So, now I have no idea where to look for stones like amethyst, turquoise, citrine, etc. I have checked Blue Nile, but their selection is pretty limited. Ross Simons does not seem to have the quality I am looking for. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
#4
I used to order from bidz.com until they cease operation last year due to bankrupsy. Now they emailed me that they are back. Im not sure if its legit or not but i used to get a good deal there last year
 
#7
Junkenpo said:
I would absolutely consider etsy. You could have something customed for you.

I think Gumps has a fun selection, too.
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Thank you for the suggestion. I think if it was something under $100, my hubby would be all for Etsy. Anything higher price for a 1st time purchase would make him a little nervous. If we do order online, he usually likes to read a lot of reviews prior to purchase.
 
#8
Chapstick said:
Congrats!! Maybe Etsy? I don't know about your other stones but I have looked for amethyst before and there is quite a lot of it. Peridot as well.
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Thank you for the suggestion. I am not sure how comfortable my hubby would feel to spend a larger amount of money on this site. He would probably want me to create a list of items to choose from.
 
#9
Melora24 said:
Why don't you visit local jewelry stores? You will probably be able to find none-designer jewels, and maybe order from their catalogs?
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Thank you for the suggestion. I will be going to visit the estate jewelry store I frequent. However, the location is pretty far (about an hour and 20 minutes away), and it is getting harder to take long trips with a toddler and a pregnant belly. Unfortunately, I do not have a personal jeweler at this time.
 
#10
Jesssh said:
Do you like silver?

Can you post images of pieces you like?
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Thanks for the help. I own a lot of designer jewelry (primarily Tiffany and Company) and estate pieces. At this time I am not able to upload photos, but I can tell you what I do own. I tend to stay with really classic pieces. When it comes to Tiffany and Company I have:

-3 different DBTY necklaces (silver, yellow gold, platinum)
-A lot of Elsa Peretti Open Hearts ( all different metals, gemstones, including the mini in platinum and diamonds)
- Paloma Picasso's Loving Heart in different metals
- Paloma Picasso Beads (including the one that looks like a blue box in color)
- 1 14mm Bean in 18k yellow gold
- Variety of Frank Gehry pieces

Antique pieces range from 1850-1950s. I am a sucker for lockets (empty ones (pictures of dead people or pieces of human hair from dead people freak me out)). I also love Edwardian/ Art Deco pieces; however, these designs tend to have diamonds. I am not sure if my budget would allow for a piece with more than a diamond accent.

I am looking for a piece in gold. I want to be able to pass it down to my baby girl one day.
 
#11
I doubt you can get a cocktail ring in gold for less than $1K.

If you were interested in silver, do you like ippolita? There was one yellow gold quartz/diamond pendant that was $995, I think, and sometimes there are store sales. There are lots of big colorful options in silver for less than $1K, but most of those use colored mop with quartz doublet. The colors are amazing though, prettier than gemstones IMO.

The other place I like to look for color is na hoku. There is a newer rose gold/art deco-style heart mop pendant they have been advertising. I have a similar one made by kabana and it's beautiful. On their website they have retired styles which are discounted.

I found a nice bright blue topaz and yellow gold pendant at a reseller in town for $250. It has a small diamond, and the topaz is a nice size. It might be worth one trip to peruse a large estate jeweler reseller's inventory. The one I went to had a small selection of estate jewelry but a huge selection of other fine jewelry. I think they shopped closeouts. I found a lot of utility pieces I liked there.

If you are going to try things online, you could look at hautelook, especially before Valentines Day. It's hit or miss, and may take a while to find a good piece.
 
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#13
I think it would be possible to get a nice cocktail ring with gemstones and in gold for less than $1000 as long as you shop around a little! I would definitely try to shop around at local jewellers and see what you can find.
 
#14
Jesssh said:
I doubt you can get a cocktail ring in gold for less than $1K.

If you were interested in silver, do you like ippolita? There was one yellow gold quartz/diamond pendant that was $995, I think, and sometimes there are store sales. There are lots of big colorful options in silver for less than $1K, but most of those use colored mop with quartz doublet. The colors are amazing though, prettier than gemstones IMO.

The other place I like to look for color is na hoku. There is a newer rose gold/art deco-style heart mop pendant they have been advertising. I have a similar one made by kabana and it's beautiful. On their website they have retired styles which are discounted.

I found a nice bright blue topaz and yellow gold pendant at a reseller in town for $250. It has a small diamond, and the topaz is a nice size. It might be worth one trip to peruse a large estate jeweler reseller's inventory. The one I went to had a small selection of estate jewelry but a huge selection of other fine jewelry. I think they shopped closeouts. I found a lot of utility pieces I liked there.

If you are going to try things online, you could look at hautelook, especially before Valentines Day. It's hit or miss, and may take a while to find a good piece.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. I was thinking about looking at Saks Off Fifth Avenue for Ippolita pieces. They often had a large selection at low prices. I will be going to my estate jeweler probably in a few week/ 1 month. It just needs to stop snowing and warm up a little in NJ:D. Thanks for reminding me about Hautelook. I always forget about that site.
 
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