The Weight of Gold and Passing Fashions
How much do fashions affect the value of gold? In an age when the most varied passing fashions take center stage, even the jewellery and goldsmithing sector experiences both positive and negative effects from the current media phenomena. Bracelets, earrings, rings, pendants of all kinds and made from various metals and alloys are widely advertised and purchased. But who will all these products go to? Have we ever stopped to think about who will inherit the trinkets we buy today?
Today we are here to reflect on this together.
If our grandparents managed to fill their drawers with pieces of great quality, it was mainly due to the mindset less focused on marketing in their time: as we know, before the advent of television, social media, and especially advertising, attention was almost exclusively paid to the value of the materials with which the jewellery was made.
Gold then definitely reigned supreme over all other metals. Real investments were made in it, which perhaps left us with fewer pieces of jewellery at home, but certainly of greater value.
Read the article: A journey along the Gold route in Africa
In the modern era, however, the proportions have increasingly reversed.
It is important to note the material from which the best-selling jewellery today is made. Take, for example, the very famous bracelets and buildable charms or the jewellery promoted by various other brands: made with silver or steel, in addition to precious stones and glass. All materials of very high quality, certainly, but not even remotely comparable to gold!
The cost of a piece of silver or steel jewellery is often the same as one made of gold. The difference lies entirely in quality: even though the silver and steel used to create our accessories are of the highest craftsmanship, they still weigh far less than gold.
In the future, when our possessions become the inheritance of children and grandchildren, the investments made now will no longer have today’s value and our drawers will be filled only with hardware. In times of economic hardship, in my opinion, this factor should not be underestimated!
If we put aside passing fashions to focus on lasting quality, we would allow our children to enjoy the same benefits we have had: gold jewellery, inherited from grandparents or parents, of the highest worth and with a value (not only sentimental!) that grows over the years, instead of fading away in the time of a fashion.
Of course, nothing prevents us from wearing jewellery and accessories that keep pace with current trends, whether made of silver or other materials. It is a whim that is good to indulge in from time to time. But it is also important, in my view, to pause occasionally and reflect: investing in a gold piece may seem less stylish than adding a charm to our bracelet, but it is certainly more advantageous in the long run, for us and our families!
Fashions, as Yves Saint Laurent said, pass. Quality, however, remains.
By Olga Navarin https://www.instagram.com/olga.navarin https://olganavarin.wordpress.com
In the modern era, however, the proportions have increasingly reversed.
It is important to note the material from which the best-selling jewellery today is made. Take, for example, the very famous bracelets and buildable charms or the jewellery promoted by various other brands: made with silver or steel, in addition to precious stones and glass. All materials of very high quality, certainly, but not even remotely comparable to gold!
The cost of a piece of silver or steel jewellery is often the same as one made of gold. The difference lies entirely in quality: even though the silver and steel used to create our accessories are of the highest craftsmanship, they still weigh far less than gold.
In the future, when our possessions become the inheritance of children and grandchildren, the investments made now will no longer have today’s value and our drawers will be filled only with hardware. In times of economic hardship, in my opinion, this factor should not be underestimated!
If we put aside passing fashions to focus on lasting quality, we would allow our children to enjoy the same benefits we have had: gold jewellery, inherited from grandparents or parents, of the highest worth and with a value (not only sentimental!) that grows over the years, instead of fading away in the time of a fashion.
Of course, nothing prevents us from wearing jewellery and accessories that keep pace with current trends, whether made of silver or other materials. It is a whim that is good to indulge in from time to time. But it is also important, in my view, to pause occasionally and reflect: investing in a gold piece may seem less stylish than adding a charm to our bracelet, but it is certainly more advantageous in the long run, for us and our families!
Fashions, as Yves Saint Laurent said, pass. Quality, however, remains.
By Olga Navarin https://www.instagram.com/olga.navarin https://olganavarin.wordpress.com
