Don't buy cheap jewelry!

Good quality, unique jewelry is expensive, and it is supposed to be!

In my first full time job for a high-end jeweler I was introduced to this fact. I coveted the gold and diamond rings surrounding me, but when I looked at the price tags I choked. The least expensive one cost thousands of dollars. At the time that seemed unattainable. My college and graduate school degrees are literally in “Jewelry and Metalsmithing,” but I had not yet been educated in the elegant world of fine jewelry or in the prices.

During that job, I learned as much as I possibly could about gold, diamonds, colored gemstones and all the things that go into making them so rare and special. After a year of dreaming of a particular yellow gold and yellow diamond ring, I “bit the bullet” and purchased it on layaway. I was terrified at the thought of spending $3000 that I did not have. Over time, I paid it off, and years later, I still adore that ring. I hope to give it to my future daughter one day along with the story.

When it was time for me to “fly” into my own business, I knew I wanted to make my own gold designs that a woman could buy, cherish and pass down. But quickly I learned that gold is expensive even in a flat uncut sheet, in pellets of casting grain and in rolls of wire. After buying it, I then have to make something with it and not mess it up, or I wasted all of that money. The price of the gold does not even include the cost of the gemstones. What if I crack the stone when I am setting it? That comes out of my pocket. Let’s just say that making fine jewelry comes with a lot of pressure!

I love it though. I continue to take classes and workshops developing my stone setting skills and hand engraving. All of these classes cost money too, but I have to keep learning to stay relevant and to deliver the most unique and highest quality jewelry that I can possibly make. With every ring I make I strive to make it more precisely and artistically to create the perfectly imperfect.

My point in all of this is that good quality, unique jewelry is expensive. But it is worth saving for. It was made with the intention of lasting lifetimes, not just a passing season or a fashion trend. When you see a price and think that you can never be that customer but you want to me, know that I understand. I was there too. Know also that it is worth it. You will love that ring, pendant or bracelet until the day you pass from this earth, and then your daughter will love it. And so on for many generations to come.