I find the attitudes interesting and actually surprising about
10kt and 14kt gold. If one of my customers want to save money by
requesting a piece of jewelry (usually heavy weight link
bracelets, etc) in 10kt versus 14 or 18kt, I’m more than happy to
make it up in that karat. Actually, I wear a rather heavy
bracelet and smaller link necklace that I deliberately created in
10kt. I find that it holds up much better to my abuse than any
other. 9kt jewelry has long been the norm for England and they
seem perfectly satisfied with that karat gold. And 14kt is the
best balance between customer money and a very nice piece of
jewelry. Sure softer gold (18 or 22kt) is nicer to work with
and easier to create, but other than the color, which MANY people
do not care for, what is the benefit for the customer? The same
thing goes for the latest marketing ploy of pushing platinum in
every single wedding ad to the consumers. Nearly all the young
people coming to me for engagement rings are telling me that
their girlfriends demand platinum. This is a direct result of
the marketing, not that they know any difference between
platinum and white gold. So these guys plop down big bucks for a
setting that I could have made in white gold for half the cost.
Someone mentioned gold as an investment. NOT! All we are
making is a piece of jewelry that the buyer is proud to wear and
that we are proud to claim to have made. No matter how you say
it, that ring that you are about to sell them, is not an
investment. They’ll never get the “retail appraised” value from
it and would be in shock to know what it actually cost to make
it. Investing in gold is done on the market with bullion
certificates, not jewelry. And. all this hype about only 18kt or
22kt being good enough for “real” jewelry? Please! All I make
is custom stuff, and rarely use 18kt and never have used 22kt. I
advise the customer not to waste the extra money, if they really
don’t care about the added gold content. Depending on how you
finish it, it’s doubtful that the average person can tell the
difference between 10kt, 14kt or even 18kt anyway. I’ll bet
that nearly 75% of all gold jewelry is sold at 14kt. My
opinions… Bud Cravener
Someone mentioned gold as an investment. NOT! (snip) Investing in gold is done on the market with bullion certificates, not jewelry.
Have you told that to all the many immigrants from 3rd world
countries who will buy nothing gold unless it’s 18K or above?
They see it as their security against financial disaster. A
Brazillian friend who has a jewelry store near here that caters
to the Brazillian and Asian communities West of Boston told me
that he would not show anything less than 18K gold in his
store–nobody would buy it. Colene
I find the attitudes interesting and actually surprising about 10kt and 14kt gold.. Depending on how you finish it, it's doubtful that the average person can tell the difference between 10kt, 14kt or even 18kt anyway. I'll bet that nearly 75% of all gold jewelry is sold at 14kt. My opinions....
Pardon my edited paraphrase. I agree with some of your points,
but from a craftsmans’ perspective, I believe there are things
that can be done with 18 & 22 karat gold that cannot be done
with 10 or even 14. Granulation comes to mind. 10K is a pain
to forge, and it always darkens with time, no matter who wears
it. It has a gray-yellow color, a rather non-descript hue in my
opinion. As for the customer being the target of marketing, you
bet! I absolutely agree with you on the “investment” angle,
pure hogwash. And the platinum push is way overdone. For a lot
of people, 14K white would suffice just fine. But I would never
compare the working characteristics of the two metals. Although
platinum is a bear to polish, white gold is tough for setting
over delicate stones, especially channel and other hammering
methods. Not so with platinum. Bright cutting platinum is a
dream after
Bud, If I may, there is far more depth to value. I feel good
about leaving “Fine Quality Jewelry” to my heirs. 9 or 10K I
would never even think of owning no less leave them as an
inheritance. I personally knew better long before I began to make
Jewelry.
Wedding jewelry was traditionally set in Platinum years ago, it
is beautiful and elegant, there was pride in ownership.
Lowering standards in anything is a sad way to go. I cannot
imagine someone commissioning you for custom work in 9 or 10K.
Perhaps that is my prejudice.
My mother had a lot to do with creating quality standards for
me. We were very poor and my mother bought at the Canal St. New
York City wholesale jewelry stores, for resale to my father’s
family.
To keep me busy, one of the jewelers brought out his tray of
bulk sterling silver used jewelry. I happily went through that
and every now and then was allowed to buy a piece. Still have
some today.
Later on the style was a strand of Pearls worn on a cardigan
buttoned down the back over a box pleated skirt. I was not
allowed to buy fake pearls. For my 16th birthday, I received my
first strand of Cultured Pearls, yes still have them. Rarely
bought costume jewelry. All I own is Fine and Real, and have
value. Teresa