Worldwide Jewellery Fashions - Jewellery Trends
Gold Jewelry - Costume Jewelry - Diamonds
The
term Jewellery makes people think of items such as a necklace, ring, or
bracelet, made from gemstones, precious or semi precious metals.
or numerous other substances. Jewellery no longer has to be made of gold, silver or diamonds. Jewellery today is made of just about anything imaginable.
While traditionally only gold and diamond jewellery were popular, times have gradually changed and costume jewellery has also gained popularity amongst women all over the world.
Gold jewellery is popular in countries like India
where some people still look at gold as a form of investment. Pure gold
which is 24 Carats (Karats) 24k.
Pure gold is considered to be too soft for normal use and is hardened by adding alloys like copper or other metals to improve the jewellery strength and hardness. This makes the jewellery somewhat scratch resistant and less liable to go out of shape.
The maximum amount of gold that jewellery is made of is usually 22 Carats. Gold jewelry is normally made with 22, 18 or 10 Carats.
Gold jewellery is quite popular in India and Dubai. Many Indians and foreigners visit Dubai to buy gold jewellery.
The price of gold jewellery depends on the amount of gold used in making the jewellery.
Jewellery pricing involves the cost of the gold on the day of purchase and the labor cost in making the jewellery.
When buying jewellery check the carat of the gold used and the total weight of the item. This way you can separate the cost of the gold and the charge for labor that the store is charging you for your jewellery purchase.
GOLD PRICES WORLD WIDE
The
price of gold has now become an international price. In the past there
were fluctuations in the price of gold between different countries and
gold smuggling was common.
People bought gold in countries where the price was cheaper and sold it in countries like India where traditionally gold prices were higher. This has now changed as gold prices are pretty much standardized. India now even allows import of gold at very much reduced customs duties. However since the prices are almost identical there is no reason to import gold to India by individuals.
ARE GOLD JEWELLERY PRICES CHEAPER IN ASIAN
COUNTRIES?
To some extent this is true. Not because the price of gold but because of labor costs. When you buy jewellery items in India, you may pay the same for the amount of gold in the jewellery as you would probably pay in the United States or London. However you save on the labor costs.
In the United States of America and Canada when buying gold jewellery you are generally charged the price of the gold and a similar amount for labor. That is if the cost of the gold in the item of jewellery you are buying is $100 then the labor cost is also calculated as $100 and you pay $200.
When buying jewellery in India the cost of gold say amount to the same $100 but labor on such an item would probably be in the range of $15 to $20. Hence to some extent prices are cheaper in some Asian countries where labor charges are cheaper.
COSTUME JEWELRY
Costume jewellery has turned out to be a multi million dollar business today. The phrase 'all that sparkles is not gold' is certainly true when it comes to costume jewellery. Though on occasion it is hard to distinguish between real gold and costume jewellery.
Complete
fashion look for women generally comprises of fashionable attire, shoes
that complement the dress and of course jewellery is considered the
icing on the cake.
With the right style of jewellery women can change the entire look of a dress. Fashion designers realize this and many dresses today are sold with professionally matched costume jewellery. Quite often you walk by a store and find an attractive dress on a mannequin. Don't be surprised but many people look at a dress displayed in a shopping window and love the style. Usually the dress will also have accessories to make it look trendy. If you remove all the accessories displayed with the dress, like a scarf or jewelry the chances are that the dress may no longer appeal to you. The point I'm trying to make is that jewellery does make an important difference in the way a dress looks on people.
You may have several items of clothing that when worn
with different selections of jewellery and accessories will give you a
new look.
Fashion stores know this and use this trick very effectively when adjusting their store window displays.
DIAMONDS - ARE THEY
REALLY FOREVER?
Diamonds have been promoted as the one item of Jewellery that just about every women dreams of owning.
Diamonds are sold also by Carat. However the clarity and cut of the diamond also affect the price of the diamond.
TIPS FOR BUYING DIAMONDS
Many Jewelers sell diamond Jewellery items such as diamond rings, diamond earrings and diamond necklaces by advertising a cart weight that is made up of the total of the tiny sand like pieces of diamond shavings.
Jewellery items like diamond rings that may be
advertised as having a 'Total weight of 1 carat'. In such cases the
customer feels they are buying
a one carat diamond at a bargain.
While total weight sounds good when it comes to selling to customers who are not very much familiar with buying diamonds. In my humble opinion such diamonds are just about worthless.
When buying diamonds don't get fooled by total weight, check the carat of each individual diamond. Buying a single one carat diamond is a lot different than buying a 100 tiny pieces that add up to one carat.
More information on diamond jewellery will be added to this page in February 2008.