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| The sale at Macy's - see here - it ends soon but usually returns if you watch for it. |
Because I don't live the lifestyle, it's safe for me to browse. When on a spending hiatus, it's T.J. Maxx where I dare not go!
As my readers know, I don't consider jewelry an investment since you will rarely (or never) get what you paid if you resell it. Realty: Short of being famous (with millions of fans), or a queen, you will lose money on jewelry. So only buy it because you love it!
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| A matching necklace here. |
It is why I'm a big fan of Macy's fine jewelry department for mid-priced jewelry. To find value to suite your budget and taste, it pays to shop where there is a wide selection. Although the gems are not top-notch, you still get lots of bang for the buck. Macy's offers real gold, variety, great design, reasonably good stones; at bargain prices. The gems aren't top-grade, but you haven't paid for them with an arm and a leg either, so it's a smart trade off enabling ordinary people on budgets to own some glitter IMHO. I mean, we can save up to buy a proper piece.
The earrings featured at the top ↑ is an example of what I think is a steal ... or at least a good deal:
- 6 carats of blue sapphires, with 1/4 carat of white sapphires, so 3 big carats per ear
- Set in 10k white gold
- Original price: $1,250.00
- Sale price: $445.99 (64% off)
- Extra 25% off, so with offer = $335.24
Don't get me wrong, Macy's isn't giving anything away. Here are the reasons the earrings are affordable:
The gold is only 10k, the sapphires are navy blue, so on the dark side, yet still blue (not black). The diamonds aren't diamonds, but white sapphires. All OK with me for the price.
Earrings in 18k gold, or platinum; with 6 carats of certified natural Ceylon (color not country) sapphires; surrounded by diamonds would cost between $7,000 - $10,000+ depending on color, clarity and cut. BTW: Sapphires are no longer mined in Ceylon (the Island country a/k/a Sri Lanka) so those rare sapphires can be $20,000 - $100,000+ especially for single, bigger stones!
The Macy's earrings are much less in quality and price than what Tiffany sells. Nonetheless, you get real bling with real gold and real sapphires ... a luxury splurge with money leftover to buy necessities. That's a good deal for a Savvy Shopper!
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These are really lovely, Debra, and good value for money. Sapphires are very expensive. One Christmas my husband gave me a beautiful sapphire stick pin surrounded by diamonds on a gold pin. I still have and cherish it. We were wearing stick pins on the lapels of our suit blazers in those days. I wore suits to work almost all the time. These days I wear more separates and work from home, but my sapphire stick pin still looks fabulous on my denim blazer.
ReplyDeleteI still love my pieces of fine jewelry, some of which are insured, including the stick pin, but the insurance, as you correctly point out, is for replacement not any supposed increase in the value of the gem. Like that brand new car you drive off the lot, it loses value from the moment you leave the dealership and continues to do so over time. The value is in how much we love them and the people who gave them to us.
Great post, as usual.
Cheers, M-T
Your sapphire stick pin is invaluable and can't easily be replaced. It's the reason women get so upset if their jewelry is stolen. The monetary value a thief gets after pawning it, is a mere fraction of its true value, which is priceless.
DeleteDearest Debbie,
ReplyDeleteStill a lot of money in my opinion for only a 10k gold piece of jewelry.
It is mainly American women that often go for the lower gold contents.
Having been born in The Netherlands, we never found anything less than 14k and often even 18k.
When we worked and lived in Italy, the quality of real gold became a lot more pronounced there, it is a cultural thing and women there spend a lot more on it, or should I say, they receive a lot more from their other half?
And to top it off, in Indonesia we went up to 22k and 24k and learned about their lasting value overthere. It is their banking system, contrary to here. So it does heavily depend on culture and sure also on wallet size!
Hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many years ago it was? The price of jewelry has risen quite a bit over the last 10 - 15 and 20 years, since the price of gold has skyrocketed. Certainly now, you pay more for less. Since I live in Manhattan, I have access to lots of jewelry to browse simply because we walk everywhere. Not all of it is beautiful and none of it is cheap. I'm also assuming that the majority of people will not fly to Indonesia to buy 22k and 24K gold jewelry. Moreover 24K is 99.9 pure gold - it would be very soft and delicate for a ring as an example. There's a good reason, in addition to price, that jewelry tends to be 10K, 14K and 18K gold here in the USA. It's harder and durable, so it can be worn frequently, and I always say don't buy jewelry or anything that you need to keep in a box! Customers should also pay less for lower carats.
As I said above, what I like about Macy's is the wide selection and beautiful design offered. People on a limited budget can still find something beautiful that they will be happy wearing.
Debbie, you don't have to fly to Asia in order to purchase their jewelry, it is already on the counters of most department stores. For instance Thailand is a fabulous jewelry making country. But as to the value of gold, it is almost nothing if you have the low karat gold versus the high karat gold keeps its value in weight; it is investment-grade jewelry that is the big difference. I own 24k earrings and they are not soft! Don't you know that the Central Bank keeps 24k gold in as their monetary reserve? It for sure is not the low karat gold but the 24 karat!
DeleteHugs,
Mariette
1) You must have paid a greater price for 24K gold earrings vs what 10k would cost. I believe not everything we own must be the APEX of what exists, and we couldn't afford luxuries if they were. I love my 10K gold ring that I received when I was 12 years old from my parents. Not only is it beautiful, it is priceless -- and I would not trade or sell it for a greater value. There is more sentimental value attached to jewelry than investment value. Having interviewed them for published articles, I know for a fact, financial advisers agree.
Delete2) I (and many of these investment experts) don't consider jewelry an investment. It's a luxury buy. For investments, people should put their money in banks, mutual funds, stocks and bonds.
3) We stretching and getting way off the topic. I encourage you to write your own blog on the subject, share what you know have done, if motivated to do so. Enlighten your readers, perhaps with points I didn't cover, as well as, your own point of view.
4) Happy for any of my readers to read your 2 comments. Perhaps they'll pick up additional tips.
By definition we must focus and limit what we write in a single blog because people who read blogs desire short and sweet, i.e, get on and get off quickly.
5) You and I have different opinions, but that's ok. I thank you for taking time to weigh in.