Buyer Beware: What To Look For When Buying Fine Jewelry
We have all been there. You're in a boutique shopping for candles or sweaters, and you make your way over to their fine jewelry section. You spot a beautiful, dainty necklace on a teeny chain that is just right. Better still, the price point is perfect. Of course you’d spend just a few hundred dollars for a diamond and real gold necklace!
Then, you get home and wear it for a few weeks. One day, while you're pulling off the new chunky-knit sweater you also bought at that boutique, the chain breaks. Your heart sinks as you feel it slithering down your back, what a waste! You make an appointment with your local jeweler to get the necklace fixed, only to discover that the chain is too fine to repair. Your jeweler encourages you to reach out to the maker, and they proceed to give you the “runaround” on their guarantee. Now, you're back at that jeweler, stuck spending more for a new chain, just to salvage the use of the tiny diamond you loved – and the necklace never really looks the same again.
As a full-service jeweler specializing in custom design, we have a pretty unique glimpse into the many ways "fine" jewelry can be sold as something other than what it really should be – which is durable, wearable, and reparable. With mass-market jewelry production taking off over the last few years, we are seeing more and more pieces in our workshop that are just too fine to appropriately wear, and consumers aren't being made aware of their piece's shortcomings before purchase. Let us tell you now. If it seems suspiciously inexpensive, there is always a reason for it, and it doesn't necessarily mean it isn't made out of real gold or diamonds. It's actually quite rare that we come across something that was sold as something other than what it purports to be. When the diamonds are very small and the weight of the gold is quite delicate (and the labor is done in China or India), the cost of the piece can be very minimal. What you're missing, though, is durability and thoughtfulness in design. You'll almost always end up paying for the difference in the end.
What to look out for:
1. A too-dainty chain: Yes, we love delicate looking chains, too. But, believe us when we tell you that you do not want a too-dainty chain to worry about. When a chain is too fine, it can't be repaired properly, even if it's real 14k or 18k gold. It might not look right, and the repair is always going to be a weak spot on the chain. Also avoid chains that kink easily and sterling silver chains (they are very difficult to polish perfectly to a bright white finish, so your chain will inevitably look a bit dirty all the time).
This is the thinnest chain we recommend, and it has a sturdy cable construction that should hold up to unintentional tugging. It’s plenty dainty, but also durable enough to wear with confidence.
2. White stones that aren't diamonds: If the piece is set with white gemstones that aren't diamonds, it might be set with white topaz. White topaz is fine on its face because it gives you a neutral look, but it will not withstand any kind of heat if you ever need to have the piece repaired. This means that a jeweler would need to unset the gemstones to repair a break, or you'll need to pay to have it laser-welded, which doesn't give you as strong a repair. This repair will also cost more than the stones are worth! It's also relatively fragile, so you might be likely to chip or break it as you wear it. Look for items that are set with real diamonds (natural or lab-created), or even moissanite (which can typically take heat), so that you are investing in a piece that can withstand repairs, should you inevitably need it.
Diamond huggie hoops and emerald cut diamond studs, available now from our Curated Collection
3. Hollow bangles: Do you love the look of heavy bangles, but don't want to pay the price for a solid piece? We get it. Just know that if you get a hollow bangle and dent it (and you will dent it), that dent typically cannot be repaired. Also, if the bangle has a hinge and the hinge breaks (and it will break), that break is not repairable either. We have lots of clients bring us their broken, dented, hollow bangles for repair and inevitably, those end up being scrapped in favor of a new, more durable creation.
Investing in a solid gold bangle isn't inexpensive, but you'll achieve a lifetime of worry-free wear. You can opt for personalization ideas like this client did with her pretty bangle which is set with alternating heirloom diamonds and a meaningful diamond engraving.
4. Anything plated: There are different levels of gold plating, and many brands market "extra heavy" plating processes that last longer. We highly encourage avoiding plated items if you plan to wear your treasure a lot, because the plating will inevitably wear off and you almost definitely will not be able to get it plated again. We can only plate items that are made out of fine materials because other non-precious metals actually contaminate the plating solution - meaning we ruin an entire batch of $500 plating solution for your $45 plating job (which, clearly, does not make sense). If you contact the original maker, they might send you a replacement if you are within their usually constricted guarantee window. But, the most likely situation is that once your piece has worn down, you will find yourself coming to a custom jeweler to design a similar piece in 14k or 18k gold since you have grown so attached to this style by that point. Often, these heavily plated items aren’t inexpensive on their own and are worth zero dollars, so you really hit a double-whammy with this style. Plated items are totally fine for occasional wear, just be very careful of avoiding hairspray and other chemicals (no hot tubs) and try not to touch it too much.
This client came to us with a beloved pendant that wasn't the right color for her everyday look, but she loved the design, so we pulled elements from that necklace into a solid 14k yellow gold version, set with a moissanite for cost-saving.
5. A super-thin ring band: This might be the most common design flaw we see in jewelry, and we blame Instagram for this. Like the delicate chain look, we do understand the appeal of a very sweet, thin band on a ring. But, that band will break, or warp, and if you have valuable gemstones in this band then this is a very bad idea. Also, resizing your ring will prove impossible, since most jewelers will insist on rebuilding the shank to a thicker proportion so that the resizing holds. This process will cost more than the ring itself.
A customized Alx&Co. Kathryn design, set with a 1.63ct custom sourced diamond. The thinnest band we recommend is 1.8mm, shown here, but we see makers creating bands as thin as 1mm which is just too thin!
We think of fine jewelry as an investment, both in terms of the initial cost and in terms of what you should expect from the return-on-wear. As craftspeople at heart, we feel that jewelry should be appreciated and worn, not babysat. Sure, we have made items that didn't last (the risk runs inherent in custom design, where every piece is different and contains new potential problems that might not be appreciated at the outset), but our guarantee ensures that our clients are always made whole. Always ask what the maker's guarantee is, and research reviews to see how prior customers have felt when going through a QA issue. Whether you are investing a few hundred dollars or many thousands of dollars into a piece, the key is to understand what you are getting into at the outset. If you're considering making an investment in a fine piece of jewelry, take a look at our Capsule Collection for ideas. These are pieces and design ideas that we turn to again and again, and stand behind for their durability. Happy searching!
