An Aesthetic Investment: Jewelry That Appreciates in Value
Some jewelry holds its resale value longer than others. The materials used to make various pieces of jewelry dictate how much they’re worth over time. Several kinds of jewelry stones and metals appreciate in value. These materials include diamonds, gold, palladium, platinum and silver.
These materials increase in value over time due to scarcity. The harder it is to find and mine stones or metals, the more it costs to process. In turn, jewelry made with these items costs more to purchase.
These materials are so scarce that they’re limited in supply. As a result, the demand for jewelry made out of precious material also increases its value.
Most people purchase jewelry because they like the way that it looks. However, savvy buyers also want jewelry that appreciates in value.
They want to ensure that they’ve purchased jewelry with the maximum resale value. Historically, the previously mentioned materials have enabled collectors to meet that goal.
Types of Jewelry That Appreciates in Value
If you want to make a profit over time with your jewelry purchases, you’ll need to think like an investor. You can still purchase jewelry that appeals to your taste. However, you’ll also have to think about the tastes of other jewelry collectors.
If you’re purchasing jewelry as an investment, you want its value to increase. It can prove challenging to figure out which jewelry pieces will maintain or even increase in value.
There are many points for you to consider. The most important consideration is whether the jewelry that you buy now will increase in value in the future.
However, you must also assess the current value of your purchases. As an investor, you must purchase jewelry that appreciates.
Diamonds
White diamonds do not always appreciate in value. Yet, they have historically retained their value over time.
There’s a finite supply of diamonds. As a result, diamond jewelry will most likely not lose value over time. In yet other instances, however, some white diamonds do appreciate.
Most importantly, you want to avoid lab-grown diamonds at all costs. Manufacturers can generate lab-grown diamonds to meet nearly any amount of demand, driving down their value.
Gold
Gold is aesthetically pleasing, versatile and unique. Jewelers use gold to make some of the most beautiful creations on the market. Moreover, gold holds value.
Depending on its purity, gold is a valuable commodity. Gold retains its value over time for this reason.
However, the value that you receive out of investing in gold depends on its purity. Also, the effect of supply and demand in the market also affects the value of gold.
Palladium
Palladium is one of the rarest metals on Earth. It’s even rarer than gold and platinum. Moreover, it’s the most valuable of all precious metals.
This metal has been on the market for some time. However, it will never become as available as other precious materials, such as gold, silver or platinum.
Palladium is a good option if you want to ensure that your purchase will appreciate over time. Jewelry designers who use palladium follow exacting standards.
In addition, palladium is also an ideal investment if you have sensitive skin. If you’re like many jewelry lovers, you most likely wear a piece for all activities at all times of the day. Impure jewelry, however, can cause your skin to turn green.
Palladium jewelry pieces have 95% purity. This construction results in palladium of high consistency and hardness. Jewelry designers craft the remaining 5% of palladium jewelry using ruthenium and other practical, hypoallergenic metals.
Platinum
Platinum is another metal used for jewelry that holds its value well. It’s up to 15 times rarer than gold. Furthermore, it’s very versatile.
This metal is dense. However, jewelry designers can manipulate it easily. Despite this heavy manipulation, platinum maintains its durability.
Platinum resists wear and tear. It doesn’t scratch easily. As a result, you can wear platinum jewelry regularly without worrying about reducing its value.
Platinum also has another beneficial characteristic. It doesn’t expand when exposed to heat.
As with other metals, the value of platinum varies with its purity. Usually, the lowest purity of platinum is around 85%.
Meanwhile, the highest purity of platinum is around 90%. In either case, its rarity enables the metal to retain its value.
Finally, platinum doesn’t tarnish over time. Instead, it develops an attractive sheen.
Silver
Silver is also aesthetically pleasing. It’s also valuable. Once again, however, appraisers base the value of silver on its purity.
High-quality sterling silver jewelry will retain its value. This kind of jewelry has the highest possible purity level of silver of 92.5%. Still, the market will determine the value of jewelry made using this material.
What Jewelry Appreciates in Value?
Not all jewelry appreciates in value. This point applies even to vintage jewelry. Accordingly, if you want to invest in jewelry, there is an important point that you should consider when looking for pieces with lasting value.
It’s important to buy attractive jewelry. Vintage jewelry may have antique status. However, no one will want to buy it if it’s not attractive.
Instead, you’ll want to invest in classic pieces. It’s important to invest in jewelry that will leave a lasting impression. The pieces that you select must have staying power, even when tastes change.
For instance, you want to consider jewelry between 1920 and 1935 if you’re interested in vintage jewelry. Designs from this time still look modern today.
What Type of Jewelry Is a Good Investment?
If you want to invest in diamonds, you’ll have a better chance of finding pieces that increase in value if you choose exceptional colored diamonds. There’s been notable growth in the demand for colored diamonds over the last several years.
A growing number of buyers are finding appreciation for colored diamonds. They now realize the rarity of the finest examples of colored diamonds available on the market.
As a result, there are more fine jewelry connoisseurs competing for colored stones. In turn, they’re driving up the price of this commodity.
The luster of the world’s top mines is fading. Now, colored diamonds are outperforming white diamonds.
Tastes are changing among diamond buyers. A growing number of consumers want rare and colorful fancy diamonds. They’re moving away from their penchant for traditional white stones.
Jewelers use a grading system for white diamonds. They rank diamonds from D to Z, with D being the whitest diamonds.
Fancy color diamonds fall outside of this scale. Jewelers use a different system to rank these kinds of stones. The colored diamond scale system ranges from “faint” to “vivid fancy,” with faint being the lightest colored diamonds.
White diamonds decrease in value if they show any obvious color. Conversely, colored stones increase in value with a stronger hue.
A Different Kind of Diamond That Increases in Value
Fancy diamonds are available in every color. However, only a select few are the rarest and most sought after.
Only one in 10,000 diamonds is a fancy stone. These pieces generally include blue, green, red and pink diamonds.
Among colored diamond selections, the pink star diamond is the most valuable cut diamond ever sold. It’s the largest flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded. In 2020, it sold for more than $26 million at auction.
A Promising Future for Gemstones
In relatively recent years, fancy diamonds have produced record-breaking auction sales. With its sale, the 18 carat Rockefeller Emerald set a new world record per carat. It sold for $5.5 million.
Meanwhile, the CTS pink star diamond fetched an even larger return for an investor. It sold for more than $70 million. Elsewhere, the pink legacy diamond sold for nearly $54 million.
In the past, buyers didn’t appreciate stones such as rubies and sapphires. Now, green, red and blue stones are at the top of the auction market. Furthermore, sapphires are generating record-breaking profits.
Building Value With Investment Jewelry
Investing in jewelry offers value in that you can convert it to money readily when needed. You can sell jewelry faster than other assets.
Accordingly, it’s highly liquid. Furthermore, you’ll usually pay fewer fees when selling jewelry compared to other assets.
This characteristic holds especially true for gold. In part, this circumstance exists because you can sell gold anywhere in the world.
Also, jewelry offers another benefit. You can pass it on to your heirs. This kind of gift teaches a valuable lesson in fiscal responsibility.
Still, the price of diamond jewelry, for instance, can swing wildly. Ultimately, the value of your jewelry will vary depending on consumer tastes and what buyers are willing to pay.
There are a couple of things you want to keep in mind when selling jewelry.
Know Your Pieces
First, you want to learn everything about your jewelry. For example, someone may have told you that your jewelry is valuable.
However, you can’t invest in jewelry based on hearsay. It’s essential to have your jewelry appraised accurately.
You may know the authenticity of your jewelry. However, a professional assessment will also inform you about the condition of your piece.
Buying Today for the Market of Tomorrow
When it comes to selecting jewelry pieces, it may help to think about who will buy your jewelry in the future. Businesses are just getting used to the idea of catering to millennials.
However, as an investor, you’ll want to think one step ahead. Accordingly, you may want to pay attention to the predilections of Generation Z.
Now, Generation Z buyers are ages 15 to 25. Nevertheless, they already have massive buying power.
Already, Generation Z contributes over $163 billion to the economy every year. It’s likely that someone from this generation will buy your investment jewelry in the future.
Generation Z is concerned about the environment. With this in mind, you may consider investing in palladium.
The metal has a reputation for being friendly to the environment. It turns toxic gases from car emissions into safe water vapor.
This generation also values authenticity. They like the idea of humanity behind their brands. If you choose to buy vintage investment jewelry, you’ll want to look for pieces with an interesting background.
Generation Z buyers also appreciate gender neutrality. They don’t want to fit into pre-classified categories. Here, you may want to consider investment jewelry that might appeal to both men and women.
Price Them Appropriately
As an investor, it’s also important to price your jewelry fittingly. You want to set realistic expectations for your profits.
A professional appraisal will help in this regard. You’ll also want to compare your jewelry with similar pieces available on the market. This information will help you to learn what price is competitive and will help your jewelry to sell.
Assess Your Selling Options
Finally, you must know available options for selling your jewelry. You have two options when selling precious stones and metals.
You can sell your jewelry to an individual buyer. Alternatively, you can sell to a jeweler.
A jeweler will enable you to sell your piece quickly. However, they will not pay you top dollar for your jewelry.
An Investment You Can Enjoy for Years
Jewelry is timeless. Furthermore, it offers added value. When you invest in jewelry, it’s not something that you’re going to sell right away.
You can wear your jewelry as you please. In this way, jewelry is a tangible investment that you can enjoy over time.
Jewelry also helps to add a spark to your wardrobe. It’s a feature-enhancing accessory. From another perspective, it’s also like wearing a piece of history.
As an investor, you may want a beautiful diamond stone to start your collection. Alternatively, you may have more interest in a brilliant gold setting.
Philophrosyne can offer you gorgeous jewelry that appreciates in value to start or add to your collection. Please feel free to contact us today with your questions. Alternatively, you can browse our online catalog of fine jewelry at your leisure.