From a purely emotional point of view, that handmade necklace of seashells could hold more value to someone than a diamond ring, but we tend to define such value as priceless. If we were to look at it from a more materialistic point of view though, there are some definite aspects that add value to a piece of jewellery. In case you are planning to gift something special to someone who means a lot to you, here’s a brief but informative list of factors that add true value to jewellery.
Metal(s)
Platinum, yellow gold, white gold and silver are the primary precious metals used in jewellery making, and they are priced in that order as well. Technically, there isn’t too much of a price difference in between yellow gold and white gold, but the former has a much wider appeal due to its unique colour. Sterling silver is your cheapest option and platinum is the most expensive of all commonly used precious metals. If you are looking to add true value to your gift, stick to gold or platinum.
Gemstone(s)
Precious and semi-precious gems, aka jewels are far too many in number to list here, but the following are among the most valuable and rarest gemstones used in jewellery making:
· Blue and pink diamonds
· Musgravite, taaffeite, and Alexandrite
· Benitoite and red beryl
· Untampered, natural black opal
· Burmese ruby, Kashmiri blue sapphire, and tanzanite
Remember that some of these gems are far too expensive to be affordable for most, and even those that can afford them may not be able to find enough right away. On the other hand, royal blue sapphires, rubies, tanzanite, emeralds, and of course, classic diamonds are comparatively easy to find. Also, they make for extremely pleasing gifts when crafted into jewellery.
Uniqueness
Uniqueness is a combination of several factors such as:
· Rarity of the materials used
· Rarity of the design
· Quality of the craftsmanship
· Rarity of the combination
· Rarity of the piece as a whole
By combining several rare factors into a single piece of jewellery, it is possible to create jewellery of undeterminable value. Such jewellery becomes only more expensive with time. For example, natural gold nugget jewellery is among the most unique pieces of jewellery you will ever find.
Nature does not create duplicates and no other type of jewellery makes that fact more evident than pieces made from natural gold quartz and nuggets. See what we are discussing here by taking a look at the limited collection of exclusive natural gold nugget rings, earrings, pendants, and more at www.orocal.com.
Antiquity
Antiquity is the quality of being ancient, rare, and significant, or in other words, antique. Antique jewellery will always be expensive because of those factors, but if you are planning to gift an antique, valuable piece of jewellery, you will need to have deep pockets. The price of any antique piece is attributed to it by the materials used of course, but more importantly, it is the history behind the jewellery that assigns true value to the piece.
Sometimes though, antique jewellery is a combination of history, story, significance, mystery, rarity, uniqueness, and pure monetary value. Perhaps the best example of that would be the 392.52-carat blue sapphire known as the Blue Belle of Asia, which was lost for 35+ years, after allegedly being on its way to the Queen’s Coronation (Elizabeth I) in 1935. You should never buy “expensive antiques” from an unverified source though. That is unless you can actually verify the product’s authenticity with the help of a trusted expert, or preferably, by yourself.
