Tips When Buying Fine Jewellery

If you are shopping in the mall or in the gold market for fine jewellery and with the intention to purchase, there are several things you need to know beforehand that will help you make your purchase smooth and successful. You also want to make sure your requirements to the retailer are clear, so they may tailor their showcasing to what you like.

First things first: how much money are you willing to spend? So, what is your budget? And this will be determined by the reason for purchase. If you are buying a gold and diamond engagement ring, then you might want to dig deep into those pockets! If you want to purchase a bangle or bracelet to show it off in the summertime, then you don’t have to dig so deep. You know, 50% of jewellery buying is for gifting - which side are you on?

Are you in a rush to purchase? Are you buying to gift someone and perhaps the celebrated occasion is on that day? Do you have more time to select and finalize your purchase? So, what is the time frame you are working on? There are instances to consider when you need to shorten or lengthen an item and these cases arise when you are purchasing a necklace, bracelet, and rings. Of course, there are standard sizes that apply and work in a lot of the cases but there are other times when issues like this need to be considered.

If it is gold you are buying, then how many karats (kt) do you want? Do you want to buy 9kt, 14kt, or you want something with more gold value, like 18kt? The higher the karat the higher the level of purity of gold. Gold can be a maximum of 24kt but it is too malleable. Manufacturers produce jewellery with at least 22kt for the gold to hold its shape and remain a solid form. When you are buying gold always think of I as an investment. Will it hold its value in the future? Will its value increase? If you think you can sell it in the future, then it is worth buying, for sure! The wisest purchases are the ones where the item is all gold - no stones on it whatsoever. What usually happens is that the retailer considers the weight of the stone as gold, and that is simply not fair! It’s understandable though, a retailer does not have a mobile shop, they have to wait for customers to walk in, and that will cost them money to sustain.

Another aspect to consider when looking to buy is the level of craftsmanship put in behind the work and how many elements were mixed with the article to make a complete piece? Does it have diamonds in it, zirconium, pearls, precious stones, semi-precious stones, etcetera? All these elements come with a price added to the labor that is put in to make this piece. Customers don’t have the nearest clue of what goes on behind the scenes in design and manufacturing these fine articles you see on window displays! Craftsman own a level of experience and knowledge that has been handed down for centuries!

Now, let’s get straight into it and define our 4 tips for buying fine jewellery along the way. You’re with your BFF and you walk by a jewellery window display and you see a beautiful set you have been seeing similar designs of online and it is perfect for every day and for occasions. There is a rose gold necklace with fresh mother pearls pendant on it and on each pearl is a small diamond stone to amplify its glamour. You have $400 USD on you and you want to buy! Sounds feasible with the amount you have considering the set is light in weight and not too complex in design.

TIP 1: Know the gold ounce rate and its converted value per gram.

Let’s assume the gold ounce price on the day was $1,300oz, this means that 1 gram of 24kt gold is equivalent to $41.80. If you were to purchase 18kt then you calculate 75% of the value to determine the cost per gram for an 18kt piece - which amount to $31.35. However, this price per gram excludes the labor fee. In a retail environment, they may add on average a $20 to $50 labor fee, depending on the item. It may sometimes be much higher (refer to TIP 4) if the article was custom-made or exclusive to a collection.

TIP 2: Define the elements and their value.

We know it is made of 18kt rose gold, freshwater mother pearls and 6 small diamond stones amounting to about 0.12 carats. Each pearl stone could average between $10 to $20 (depending on diameter size, origin, and color). The 0.12ct diamond stones could average between $150 to $250 (depending on the quality).

TIP 3: What is the weight of the gold alone, without the pearls and stones?

This will narrow down the actual price of the gold without the inclusion of the weight of the other stones, which retailers tend to add as gold weight when they are making a sale.

TIP 4: Complexity of design, exclusivity, and execution:

All these aspects play a role in setting a price tag on each piece. It is nice to acquire an eye for this if you love jewellery and enjoying shopping for new and trendy pieces all the time. Aks how it was made to know more about the item you might purchase. Was the design hand drawn or it was done using 3D matrix program or CAD? It is always going to cost more when there is the human touch!

We hope you find this information useful! Write back to us from the Contacts section on our website or write to assist@bowdaa.com. Make sure to follow us on our social media outlets @BowdaaSocial to learn more about our offerings and to see updates on how we are enhancing the user experience.

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