Jewelry is a very important aspect of today’s society. They can either be used as a form of decoration to enhance our looks when wearing certain types of clothing pieces.
Others commonly use them as mementos of an event or a person while they hold a story or a memory that is special for the one wearing them. This is the most commonly used for Jewelry in today’s society.
With that said, jewelry can also be used as a form of investment, in which people purchase specific pieces as a safety method to guard their finances against things like inflation or loss.
Of course, there are occasions in where certain pieces of work are used as unwearable decoration, placed as a form of expression of either wealth, status, or history.
Regardless of the main objective of a piece of jewelry, some people don’t understand their value in the current market and the differences between antique and vintage works in comparison to newer designs.
In fact, at times, a very old piece of jewelry can be much more valuable than a newer one, just because of its rarity and history, valuable for collectors and jewelry enthusiasts. This is why they can be really good forms of investments since their value only increases with time since they tend to become more scarce as time goes on.
If you are someone who wants to understand the world of jewelry, perhaps to decide whether to gift it to someone, invest in it, or sell some of your antique rings, necklaces, or earrings, this article is for you.
What Can Be Described as Jewelry
As mentioned earlier, jewelry can be described as pieces of decoration that can improve someone’s looks based on the type of clothing worn by the person and the jewelry themselves. The pieces that enter this category are rings, necklaces, earrings, brooches, and bracelets.
Certain works combine better with specific pieces of clothing. For example, a ring or a bracelet would look better with casual clothes, since they are meant to be used on a daily basis. They are also better for people who are constantly moving because of their design and durability.
On the other hand, earrings, necklaces, and brooches are better for women when they are wearing dresses, and a watch or necklace is better for a man that is wearing a suit. This is because these options are considered fancy jewelry, usually worn for specific occasions.
Back in the day, during ancient times, jewelry was used as a form of expressing status and was only used by members of royalty and nobles. It was an expression of wealth and authority, and even today, they can be used for the same purpose.
Still, it is more commonly used to congratulate someone for achieving a goal or to commemorate a situation or event.
People tend to gif rings during a proposal, for example, and this is done because of the emotional significance the rings will shoulder after it happens. The same can be said for a ring gifted to someone by its parent after their graduation.
Jewelry as a Form of Investment and Saving
Jewelry is also perceived as a form of investment, or even saving, depending on the objectives of the one purchasing them. This is due to the fact that money can suffer from something we know as inflation, where its value decreases for several reasons, mostly being social, political, or due to emergencies.
Since most works of jewelry are done with precious metals (another form of saving and investment), their value won’t decrease as much, and in fact, it often increases over time. There’s also the fact that certain pieces of works contain something we know as gemstones.
Gemstones are very rare assets that enhance the beauty of a design created with precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Their rarity and beauty further enhance the value of a piece of work, but it depends on the gemstone we are talking about.
The most expensive gemstones out there are tanzanite, black opal, red beryl, emerald, ruby, pink diamond, and blue diamond. With that said, there are indeed more affordable gemstones that can give a piece of jewelry a lot of character.
However, when it comes to investing or saving with them, as mentioned in this article, antique and vintage pieces of work can be better alternatives, but they are much harder to deal with.
Antique and Vintage Jewelry
The thing about older rings, necklaces, bracelets and such, is that their designs might have been created by notorious craftsmen, or they could be designs that may have been used by certain ancient cultures.
The past behind an item can determine its value on the collector’s market to a great extent, just because of its rarity and its history. There are also limited-time creations that have a really high value on the market as well.
This often means that certain items made out of precious metals or including gemstones might be more valuable in the market despite the components that compose them.
Dealing with Them When Investing
If you decided to purchase a ring, necklace, or any form of jewelry that is antique or vintage, you have two options: engage the process by yourself, or hire a professional that is capable of analyzing the value of a piece of work and let you know whether it’s worth it or not.
The first option entails a lot englobes a lot of research since you have to at least understand some of the valuables you can find in the market, and be able to determine their value before purchasing them. There’s also the chance of running into fake pieces of work that can pretty much ruin your investment if you purchase them without knowing.
Knowing what jewelry to buy can be difficult and might require time and experience, but there are certain things you can rely on that will make the process a much easier one.
The best piece of advice I can give you is to look for signs of work done by a designer. Signature is very common in designer’s jobs, so have that in mind. Never buy a presumed piece of work done by a designer without a signature!
You can also join the community of collectors on the internet to ask questions and receive valuable pieces of information from other collectors. The subreddit /r Vintage_Jewelry is a good place to start.
If you own vintage Jewelry, and you want to make a deal and sell some of it, you should check this article over here for a very detailed guide on how to deal with the process of assessing and selling vintage rings, necklaces, and more: https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-tell-if-your-jewelry-is-valuable-in-three-steps-2043563.
Common aspects to consider are the materials used to create it, the gemstones and decorations it has, and its weight. This can give you a solid idea, but the history behind as well as the signature of a designer can add a lot of value to it, so make sure to research before selling.
