Jewelry is an important ingredient of our life. Here I would like to share my views about various forms and fashions of jewelry. The trends keep changing but always for the better.
Gold costume jewelry is a bit that has fascinated roughly one and all on this globe and the lone object that will in no way slack its rage. Prices of gold jewelry continue bombarding up day by day but have slight consequence on the fascination of buying it. Gold is acknowledged to be purest form of metal and has made an enormous gist in our lives from the time when it was revealed. One of the most practical reasons behind gold being most frequently used in jewelry and stuff is that it does not retort with the human skin whereas supplementary metals do. Purest gold besides with silver and diamonds are collectively used as jewelry. An added excelling attribute of this yellow metal is its capability to figure up as preferred and still being sturdy. This enables the goldsmith to whittle gold into dazzling designs. Karat (K) is the constraint with which the clarity of gold jewelry is patented. 24 K is the purest form of gold. Pure gold is assorted with a number of other metals to make it further hard-wearing. In various cases just a varnish of gold is also used to make artificial jewelry appear comparable to gold jewelry.
Gold jewelry is also well thought-out as fortunate and is very universally used as a gift to the near and dear once. Buying gold though requires a scrupulous learning. So many new designs keep varying the trends and it’s hard to opt from. Keeping limpidness as well as variety into concern, most people buy gold jewelry only from apparent close by stores and reliable sources online.
Another most common ingredient of jewelry is Diamonds. Diamonds are one of the most gorgeous possessions in this globe and can intrigue nearly each person. Diamonds are expensive but still they are bought and sold on an incredible velocity. This can very well verify the connotation of diamond jewelry in our lives. Everyone in particular females has an allure for diamonds and consequently somebody extremely appropriately said that diamonds are women’s top associates. Diamond jewelry lift a sagacity of unexplainable exhilaration and just a peep of a diamond can fetch a smile. Diamonds are well transformed into jewelry by craftsmen and that further amplifies its grandeur by countless folds.
Diamonds are pricey and are not gettable for all segments of society but their appeal is such that they can’t go unnoticed at all. On weddings and alike exceptional junctures, diamonds play a chief component. Gifting of diamond jewelry to someone close to your spirit has been a long lived practice. Diamonds are stunning, high-priced and enduring. Precisely talking diamonds are the hardest probable structure of stone. But who cares what unerringly it is, till the time it augments the attractiveness of your near and dears.
While buying a diamond one have to think about all the sources to make certain that you get the finest designs alongside with cleanness and that too at fairly fewer prices. There are loads of trusted trademark names that deal in diamond jewelry. One must put exceptional importance on factors like shade, mass, lucidity and caret of the diamond you obtain.
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The popularity of vintage costume jewelry began to rise shortly after World War I and then peaked in the 1960’s. Today, vintage costume pieces are considered collectibles worth several times their original sale price. Costume jewelry actually originated on the stages and theatres in Europe before becoming popular in the States. American companies began dominating costume jewelry design and manufacturing from the late 1920’s onward. Some popular and highly coveted vintage costume pieces are made by some of these American companies, such as:
Art
Carnegie
Weiss
Eisenberg
Coro
But what makes costume jewelry valuable and how do you identify it? The true origins of vintage costume pieces can be traced to the stages and theatres in Europe. The cheap yet fashionable jewelry became popular in the United States when it was brought back to the country by GI’s returning from the first world war. American manufacturers began dominating the industry from the 1920’s onward. Signed vintage costume necklaces, rings, and other pieces are worth more money. Some popular American companies known to produce high quality and highly collectible pieces include:
Trifari
Eisenberg
Art
Carnegie
Coventry
For anyone who can identify the valuable pieces, collecting vintage jewelry can be a very profitable hobby or side-line. Value is determined by:
Rarity of Piece
Demand
Design
Quality of Construction and Materials
Current Condition
Vintage jewelry prices vary greatly and one of the big reasons is because the supply is so varied. While there were dozens of manufacturers, they all produced jewelry in varying quantities. Larger companies like Coro and Trifari would commonly produce thousands of pieces of each design. DeMario, McClelland, and other small companies might only have batch sizes numbering in the hundreds. Therefore, if all other factors remain the same, a signed piece from a company like DeMario would typically sell more than a similar piece from Trifari. But you really do need to do your homework because even some of the larger players produced some specialty pieces in limited batch sizes and will thus be worth more.
While rarity plays a large part in the overall value of any particular neclace or bracelet, demand always plays the largest role. Higher demand translate into higher price. Despite having some rather odd designs, signed Miriam Haskel jewelry is in high demand right now. If you want to collect vintage jewelry and make money, then you need to do a little homework and find out which pieces are in demand and which are not. True collectors seeking profits need to remember that the popular pieces do not always have great designs or materials–but they still tend to be more profitable to collect.
Why do people actually prefer one piece over another even when their choice was the necklace, brooch, etc. of lower value? Demand for a piece is stimulated most by the actual design of the jewelry. Novice collectors tend to focus exclusively on signed pieces but it is often the case the unsigned, well-designed pieces prove to be the most profitable to collect. Many vintage costume pieces, including those made by some of the largest manufacturers, are actually unsigned but still very valuable. You can identify the unsigned pieces and usually snap them up for little money by simply being able to spot great designs. Unsigned pieces by companies like Bergere and B. David are highly prized by collectors and can be identified by their distinctive but high quality designs.
The overall design is accentuated by the quality of craftsmanship and materials used to produce each piece. Gemstone quality, in particular, plays a key role in determining the value of a particular piece of costume jewelry. A handful of vintage jewelry manufacturers were famous for using gemstones of exceptionally high quality. Bogoff, Eisenberg, and Weiss are all great investments because they almost always had great designs featuring fabulous, high quality stones.
Eisenberg costume necklaces, earrings, and other pieces tend to be hard to find at the flea markets or via online auction. If you are trying to find some profitable pieces to purchase at cheap prices but still command a lot with serious investors, look for jewelry made by these companies:
Danecraft
Kramer
Bogoff
Weiss
Monet
As with all antique valuations, the final condition of the piece plays a pivotal role in the price determination. Lost stones, excessive scratches, peeling, and discoloration are all factors that will lower the value of a piece of vintage costume jewelry. Still, even vintage necklaces, rings, and other pieces are coveted by investors and collectors as they are worth big money even in less than perfect condition. Collecting vintage costume pieces is still a very profitable venture for anyone knowing how to identify the truly profitable pieces.
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I have been collecting Antique and Vintage Costume and Fine Jewelry for over three decades. Most of what I bought was from the Saturday and Sunday flea markets at the local drive-in theater and at a once a month massive open air antique market held in the mountains near where I grew up. I never paid much, a quarter here, a dime there and sometimes a few dollars however over the years until I really became a serious collector, I probably had no more than $500.00 in an amazing collection of over 2,500-3,000 pieces.
Over the years I have collected many types of jewelry. At first it was bracelets, then rings and when I got out of college and pursued my career as an interior designer, I found pins and earrings to be practical and suitable. In the mid-60’s to early 70’s I bought a lot of colorful and heavy “plastic” pieces and most were bracelets. I just loved the dull clunk they made when they hit against my desk… well I am sure you know where this is going… you’re right most were Bakelite. One in particular is a wonderful art deco black, red, orange, yellow and green fins clamper bracelet and it is like having a carnival on your arm. It fits great and feels sturdy andit brings me joy. It wasn’t until I received Harrice Simons-Miller 2002 third edition Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry, that I realized the bracelet is called “Philadelphia” and has a market value of up to $5,000 making it the Holy Grail of Bakelite jewelry.
I also became quite passionate for the charm bracelets made in the 1960’s by Napier. At one point I had over 30 of them and I rarely wore them I just loved holding them. I had the colored fruit, the Asian theme, and my favorites was the marine theme with seashells and seahorses. Over the years I paid between $1.00 – $5.00 each for them and in early 2000, I sold them individually on eBay for $125.00 and up to 245.00 each. What a great return, right. Well yes but a day does not go by that I regret selling them. They gave me more happiness than the monies they brought.
As I became more sophisticated in my jewelry search I began to love all things Miriam Haskell, Eisenberg, Pennino and Boucher. All of these names seemed to come with a higher price but still affordable and all quite luxurious. Then there came Staret, McClelland-Barclay, Schreiner, Dujay, DeMario, Reja, Deja and Alfred Philippe and Alfred Spaney’s extra special pieces made for Crown Trifari. Needless to say I was smitten and would never turn back. After a while and as I was getting older, I started to understand the beauty of 19C Victorian and Art Nouveau and in particular the mourning pieces made during and after the Civil War. The Art Deco period pieces also caught my attention because of their architectural angled designs. Well enough about me…
Throughout the years it was truly guesswork as to what I should pay for a piece and then the harder part came when trying to find out how much a piece was worth. As a result I found that the public library had many jewelry price guides and I poured through them all for days on end and would pick out my next piece I was obsessing for. Through this research, I found three authors who stood out as being the best at giving the right information for just about anything you might need to know as an antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry collector or dealer.
The first is Jeanenne Bell. Jeanenne Bell has been on Antiques Roadshow as a jewelry appraiser and is one of America’s leading authorities on antique jewelry. She has written many books and the first book I bought of hers was “How to be a Jewelry Detective”. This book is filled to the brim with priceless information about the clues to solving jewelry mysteries. She gives easy to understand tips for testing materials, gem cuts, hardware and findings throughout the ages, marks and a whole lot more. I have recommended this book to literally 100’s of my buyers on eBay who may not be sure what gutta percha is, or is it ivory or bone and what is a briolette cut stone. She answers them all and she even has a small pocket size field guide to take along to the shops and flea markets.
My favorite book of hers is Collecting Victorian Jewelry which is a real treat for the eyes and is beautiful enough to be left out for others to peruse. In this book she shows an amazing range of incredible museum quality pieces of Costume and Fine jewelry. Each piece is a work of art and each has an easy to understand description and value assigned. She imparts the history associated with the Victorian era and who all of the main characters were. She enlightens the reader about this period in time that was all about romance, passion and heartache. Very good read and a very good aid to the serious period piece collector.
My next favorite author is Harrice Simons-Miller. I have two of her price guides, Costume Jewelry 2nd edition and Official Price Guide to Costume Jewelry 3rd edition. What I love about her books is that she knows her stuff as it relates to costume jewelry dating from early Art Deco up to the present. Her books are very good for identifying the major players in the costume and fashion design industries. She really clarifies what each jewelry designer’s signature look is and her photographs and descriptions will give you an edge when you are out in the field. Her values are truly representative of retail in fine antique or jewelry boutiques and give the reader the parameters as to what to spend to get your jewelry collection “fix”. She has bought from me on eBay on a couple of occasions and each piece she purchased was always a little odd and unexpected, making me think she knew of or was creating a trend which others were yet aware.
My third favorite author is Roseann Ettinger. She has a series of price guides that are not only about jewelry but other vintage collectibles with a lot of concentration on fashion and the fifties. Her jewelry price guides include her “popular” series and include “Forties and Fifties Popular Jewelry”, “Popular Jewelry of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s” and my all time favorite of hers “1840-1940 Popular Jewelry” the revised 3rd edition. Her price guide covers jewelry pieces that you actually might come across and be able to own for not a lot of money. Unlike Bell and Simons-Miller who are showing museum quality and hard to find pieces, the pieces shown in Ettingers are really quite attainable and I have actually had many of her pieces that she has described. Her photographs are quite large making it easy to see the details of the pieces and she doesn’t dwell on the glitzier side of jewelry but the real down to earth stuff that most of our mothers and grandmothers would have worn.
There are many great costume jewelry price guides out there from Nancy Schiffer, Lillian Baker, Christie Romero for Warman’s, Cheri Simonds, Ronna Lee Atkins and more, but my first three will give the beginner or even well seasoned antique and vintage costume or fine jewelry collector or dealer a well rounded wealth of knowledge and pricing guidelines.
For even more super jewelry tips and great jewelry to buy, visit Vintage Gems Emporium at www.vintagegemsemporium.com. Registration is free and easy.
About the Author: My name is Candace Daugherty and I live near Charleston, South Carolina. I am an entrepreneur and have worked as a retail design and marketing consultant with many internationally known retailers and fashion designers over the past 30 years. My true passion however is Antique and Vintage Costume and Fine Jewelry. I have collected jewelry for over 35 years and own many incredibly fabulous book pieces as shown in the many of the jewelry price guides discussed above.
Since October 1, 2008, I along with three others have founded the first of its kind, an exclusive auction boutique for antique, vintage and new costume and fine jewelry. We started Vintagel Gems Emporium at www.vintagegemsemporium.com with three philosophies in mind. The first is to be a specialty boutique in an Auction Venue just for the collector and specialist of antique and vintage costume and fine jewelry. The second is to be the lowest cost auction or fixed price venue on the internet. And the third is to put the entire Virtual Gems Emporium community first with unbelievable customer service and fair equal treatment of all trading partners.
www.vintagegemsemporium.com
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As one of the oldest fashion houses in the world, Louis Vuitton is internationally celebrated and highly regarded for name recognition in the fashion world. The world’s greatest fashion design house: such compliment has been lavished on Louis Vuitton. It sold people a feeling, an image: fashion setter, rather than a mere luxury, thus Louis Vuitton gains timeless glory. While the other luxury brand, Swarovski, offers a wide range of precision-cut lead crystal glass and related products and wins world wild reorganization. When the two meet with each other on the runway, here come precious LV inclusion bracelets.
The Inclusion collection features Monogram charms adorned with floating Swarovski crystals. It not only has LV signature timeless luster, but also embodies a strong favor of African culture. Besides, CRYSTALLIZED? – Swarovski Elements label guaranteed the originality of Swarovski crystals used in creations of international fashion houses and designers. Being part of the Monogram Inclusion collection, the bracelet is a perfect combination of resin and crystal and trimmed with golden brass pieces. The generous sized, acetate bracelet evokes the lightness of the rebirth of spring. Imperial and intensive African favor is no doubt the leading tune of Louis Vuitton 20009. When the rich color falls on a bracelet, it becomes lovely and lively, just like the appealing candy you lost in your careless childhood. Now here is the chance for you to pick up your lost candy.
To meet with different need and preference, Louis Vuitton released a complete range of bracelets at various sizes and colors including rose pop, praline, brown, black, orange and transparent. As I see it, these bracelets are like a box of chocolate candy, you can never know the taste until you have a try.
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When buying fine jewelry, it is expected to look for the best quality at an affordable price. However, if you’re new to the world of fine jewelries, then it is best to take extra caution to ensure that you’re dealing with a reliable jeweler with authentic lines of fine jewelry.
Buying fine jewelry can be overwhelming because of the wide variety of choices. For this reason, it is important that you know the basic terms used in the industry to ensure that the item you bought online or through jewelry shops is 100% original fine jewelry.
The Golden Truth of Jewelry
When searching for the perfect golden piece of fine jewelry, “24-karat gold” is usually one of the commonly used terms. This kind of gold is made by mixing with other kinds of metal, which increases durability and hardness of the fine jewelry. A 24-karat gold fine jewelry is the highest grade of gold around.
The term karat signifies the amount of gold a certain item has. For instance, a 14-karat golden ring contains only fourteen parts of gold, and the remaining ten is mixed with other based metals. As a general thumb, the higher number of karat, the higher quality a jewelry is.
Revealing the Metals of Jewelry
Contrary to popular belief, platinum is more expensive than gold. Platinum is a kind of precious metal, which is usually combined with other metals to achieve its perfect form. Instead of “karat” markings for gold, “thousands” calculate the quality of platinum fine jewelry.
For instance, if you buy an 800 Platinum jewelry, this means that the 800 parts of your jewelry is made out of pure platinum, while the remaining 200 parts are made out of other metals like palladium, osmium, rhodium, ruthenium and other kinds of metals from the platinum group.
Fine Jewelry from the Nature’s Best
If you’re a nature-lover, you’ll probably be looking for fine jewelry that are originally found in nature. These kinds of jewelries include gemstones, diamonds and pearls.
However, some of these exquisite items are manufactured, synthesized or made in laboratories.
Depending on your taste and style, you can use these natural fine jewelries as anything you like. With the different kinds of fine jewelry available in the market, you’ll never be short of simple or extravagant jewelries. With a little bit of patience, knowledge and cash, you can now enjoy the best of fine jewelry and pass it on to the next generation.
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In my opinion there is nothing more elegant than a fine piece of sterling silver jewelry ANKLET a woman clutching the ankle. I truly believe that it is simply because of the sparkle and shine, which broadcasts in sterling silver. It radiates the glow is brighter than other precious metals known to man. There is just something to say, without words of a woman who is a beautiful piece of jewelry to adorn the ankle, as it is through his day.
Rings gold anklets are good, as well as other materials such as white gold, platinum, pearls, and others, however, for the simple brilliance and sparkle of silver there is no comparison. Sterling silver is 92.5 percent pure and the only reason why it can not be 100 percent because pure silver is very soft so if it must be mixed with other metals to give it enough rigidity to be made into jewelry or other things.
Silver jewelry is also becoming very popular because it is a bit more affordable than gold, platinum, diamonds and other gemstones. There are countless styles and themes for anklets, rings and there is even the possibility to have custom jewelry made from the artisans and manufacturers of Jewelry.
In short, ANKLET silver jewelry is a piece that can be worn at all times by a woman and should be very good because it is a simple, elegant and classic accessory that no woman should be without. All my best to all those that adorn the ankles, whatever the style ANKLET.
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someone FINE JEWELRY as gift. There’s so much to know, both about the person you’re giving it to and the jewelry you are buying.
If you want to buy a gift for your wife, then here are some suggestions for your reference.
1. Choose popular jewelry, such as a 3-stone diamond pendant, earrings or ring. Recommend you Mirna’s 10.6 TCW Cushion Cut CZ Diamond Earrings- Garnet. Splash some color to an elegant look with these garnet beauties. They feature a post backing; a focal cushion cut garnet CZ stone, and a smaller round cut CZ top stone.
2. A right hand ring. It’s quite popular right now to wear a right hand diamond ring. They’re available in a nice range of styles.
3. A colorful mother’s ring. A mother’s ring is a beautiful way for her to celebrate being a mother. Wearing a different piece of jewelry will make her attractive and glamorous.
4. Dangling gemstone earrings. Briolette is popular in dangling earrings right now. It’s a cut of gemstone that looks quite lovely. Pick the color based on what you think would match her.
Fine jewelry is a gift meant to last a lifetime. Some people have a very hard time finding the perfect item to give, The look of delight you are likely to get should make the challenge of shopping worth the time.
Jewelry Website: http://www.emitations.com/
Title: Cubic Zirconia Jewelry, Silver CZ Jewelry, Imitation Jewelry, Discount Cubic Zirconia Rings.
Description: Buy cz jewelry online! Emitations specializes in cubic zirconia rings, sterling silver earrings, cubic zirconia necklaces and fake jewelry imitations.
Read more about FASHION JEWELRY
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Irish Celtic Jewelry – It is enjoyable jewelry not exclusively for the Irish.
is tied to many sacred values embraced by the Irish, they also have a powerful message for individuals of all backgrounds and nationalities.
Irish wedding bands symbolize a very dear meaning because each one indicates an important belief that the majority of marrying couples, not just Irish couples, will relate to. A great example of this are Claddagh rings. The concept behind Claddagh rings is to signify the individual steps and stages in a relationship with a designated placement approach for every one. The beginning step for the Claddagh ring is friendship, something all couples, whether Irish or not, must first have. The second stage is engagement, again something we all must submit to before we get married. The abiding and final stage of the Claddagh ring is unconditional unity in marriage, yet another wonderful symbol of your eternal love. Obviously a Claddagh wedding ring holds beautiful meaning to all couples, not just couples that are actually Irish.
Irish jewelry is beautiful and provides a message that the whole world can relate to. The designs used in Irish jewelry offer a stunning piece that holds an important message that the owner will carry with them forever as they lovingly show the world their most treasured thoughts. From Celtic crosses showing a Christian faith, to Celtic Trinity knots which symbolize many different beliefs, thoughts, and ideals; regardless of what you stand for or where you stand, Celtic jewelry offers a handsome and exquisite style that means anything you want it to.
Some of the most remarkable rings can be discovered by simply browsing the wonderful selection of Celtic engagement rings that will be just right for all women, Irish or not. Although the significance of a stunning Celtic ring is based on the values, beliefs, and morals of Irish culture; these ideals ring true to everybody getting ready to be married. Passion, unity, honor, and love are important and essential principles for every couple to embrace, thereby making a Celtic ring a remarkable way to show your loyalty to the world.
Love is one of the messages that is continuously used as symbols of Celtic jewelry, making it a remarkably universal piece. Everybody, regardless of where you live or where you are going, dreams of finding love, or perhaps you’ve already found it. The symbolism placed into each piece of Celtic jewelry helps everyone demonstrate their ideas of love in a beautiful and compelling way.
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There are many articles on precious metals on the web and some of them are quiet professional with a lot of details and data. I will try not to give you just another one. Here I will offer you a simple version and avoiding extensive technicality add my professional opinion on the best use of these metals in order to utilize their unique properties.
In this article we will focus on the most popular precious metals used for jewelry: gold, platinum and the fast growing in popularity palladium. Pure gold and platinum are soft metals which are extremely dense. pure gold is about two and half times heavier than iron and pure platinum is just under three times. While really bright in color pure metals are not suitable for fine jewelry because of their softness. Soft metals are easy to damage, difficult to polish, and unsuitable for detailed work. This is why they are mixed (alloyed) with other metals, in order to give them the desired properties. This is also where all this “carats” and confusing numbers come into play. In fact it is pretty simple. All pure metals in nature are white or gray in color except two, gold – bright yellow and copper- reddish pink. Now we go back to precious metals. All different colors of precious metals are achieved by mixing these colored metals with white ones.
Carat is a confusing name for purity or fineness of precious metals. It is confusing because the same word is used as a weight measurement for precious stones. That carat is equal to 0.2gr. and have nothing to do with metal fineness. To differentiate the one carat from the other, in some standards, weight carat is marked with ct and purity karat with kt or k. We can accept this rule to avoid confusion in further articles, therefore when we address metal purity we will use “karat”. Karat is used mainly to define purity of gold alloys. Different countries have different standards for gold purity and the most used globally alloys are: 9kt or 375, 10kt or 416, 14kt or 585, 18kt or 750, 21kt or 875 and 22 or 916. The alternative number which alone can be used as hallmark indicates the number of fine gold parts in the alloy out of 1000. The easy way to translate this into a manageable information is to perceive it as the percentage of fine gold used x10. For example 750 means 75% pure gold content or 18kt.
Platinum is used in almost pure form and 95% hallmarked 950 is a standard alloy. All alloys with pure platinum content of 95.0% or higher can be also marked with the full word “platinum” or “”plat.” Other used alloys are 900 (90%), 800 (80%) and 585(58.5) also called karat platinum. The amazing qualities of this amazing metal are better described in another article where I am comparing it with the white gold alternative.
Palladium 950 alloys are as white as the platinum, blending well with white diamonds and eliminating the need of rhodium plating. Palladium is a light metal with weight close to the one of sterling silver and much lighter than platinum and high carat gold alloys, thus making it the metal of choice for items like large earrings. At the time of writing, the price of 950 palladium alloys is about a third of the price of the 18k white gold offering great possibilities for large solid pieces at significantly reduced price. One disadvantage though is that quality casting of palladium requires materials and equipment, currently not viable for small workshops
The hallmarks you will usually find on your precious metal jewelry are:
1). Karat or fineness stamp (e.g. 18kt/ct or 750)
2) Manufacturer’s stamp
The karat stamp does not have much value without the manufacturers stamp because the declaration of purity is not signed. Beware; in most countries you can buy a karat stamp for few dollars.
Variety in gold colors and mechanical properties is achieved by alloying fine gold with one or more other metals. White gold for example is a gold alloy with whitening metals, usually palladium, nickel or silver or combination of them. Since the fine gold is always yellow, it is the alloy (base) metals that give the karat gold its color and properties. For example to be able to stamp an item as 18k it must content at least 75% of fine gold. The remaining 25 percent of alloy metals will determine its color and physical properties. If 8.4% of copper and 16.6% silver is used in the alloy, we will end up with the traditional rich 18k yellow gold color. If we mix the same amount of fine gold with 15 % of palladium and 10% of silver we will have good quality white gold. The constant content in 18k gold alloy is always 75% pure gold. Higher than 18k white gold alloys are not possible because the alloying metals are not in sufficient quantity to absorb the yellowness of the pure gold. 21k or 22k gold is always yellow, very yellow. The same principle applies for platinum and palladium, although these metals are used in much purer form (95% is a standard) and there is not detectible changes in color. The only changes there are in physical properties.
Now, with our newly acquired knowledge of precious metals we will probably arrive at the questions: What are the best alloys? What metal jewelry should I buy?
Different metals are good for different purposes. As a general rule (and if you can afford it) buy alloys with higher precious metal content. That applies mainly for gold, since platinum and palladium are used in almost pure form. 18kt gold or higher have distinctive gold color and real precious metal properties. My opinion is that alloys with less than 50% gold content (under 14k) should not be called gold, but gold brass or something else defining the inferior gold content. If you are looking for big bold and heavy pieces the best is to go for silver with gold accents or the very new precium (25%palladium and silver alloy developed by Handy & Hartman)which may be already on the market at the time you read this article. For your fine jewelry pieces choose 18k gold and platinum. 18k white gold can be used for heavier, thicker pieces while platinum is the best for delicate settings with a lot of detail. It does not make sense to set $10 000 diamond in white gold just to save $ 300-400 difference on platinum setting. Besides the aesthetical superiority, the security of platinum setting is immensely greater. When we come to earrings, especially large ones, choosing lighter alloys is essential. Palladium is the first choice followed by 14k white. For yellow, stick to 18k. You can never get the right color in lower karats. Then, your goldsmith’s ability to work light will come handy. Try to find the right craftsman. It is really making all the difference. The weight of the stud settings is rather small even in the case of large diamonds, thus making the platinum the obvious choice for white metal. The difference in price will be insignificant but the difference in strength and safety and quality – vast. Another advantage of the platinum studs – they could be made very delicate and retain their strength.
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