I have never been interested in fine jewelry. The
only fine jewelry I have owned has been my wedding
ring. I haven't had to worry about safety deposit
boxes or my home being broken into and all my
fine jewelry being stolen. I had always worn
what I called "Junk Jewelry"which was always
purchased to go with a particular outfit.
My daughter, Ashley, has other interests.
If it is shiny, gold, silver, diamond, ruby,
and expensive . . . she loves it. She has
always loved jewelry . . . she spent hours
playing "Pretty, Pretty Princess" when she
was a little girl. She always loves sparkle and
flash . . . I remember a gold metallic bikini
at age 4 that she would wear with her plastic
red sparkly high heels. She would parade up
and down the street in this outfit with a popsicle
in one hand and a purse in the other.
Anyway, she has encouraged me to "invest" in a
few nice pieces of jewelry and has thrown away
all of my old jewelry. She started last Mothers
Day with a pair of diamond stud earrings. Then
a few bracelets here and there, a small strand
of pearls and a monogram necklace for Christmas
this year. I have enjoyed these pieces and see
the value of a few good pieces.
This all has led to my wedding ring. . . it is a wide
band, yellow gold with a single 6 prong setting with
a single diamond. My husband gave it to me for
our 15th anniversary. Well, that was 15 years
ago. I thought I was happy with it . . . a classic . .
right?
Well . . . think again. I purchased another gold
setting to change my diamond out with . . . thinking
that this was a good thing . . . WRONG!
Ashley Toney informed me, as we walked to the
jewelry store, that maybe, just maybe, I may want
to consider changing to a white gold or a platinum
setting? Really? 30 years ago no one would ever
consider white gold! Now . . . was I out of style?
Well . . . the answer is yes, as the jeweler told
me that my jewelry would only be used for
"scrap gold" that no one would want it unless
they were wearing orthopedic shoes?
What had happened in the jewelry world? I
felt like I had fallen asleep for 30 years and just
woke up . . . where had I been? All the rage
is now the antique pave (Not pronounced
pave . . . like asphalt) but paaaa - veigh
(oh so fancy).
Well, I had better get with it, I can't be
wearing a gold setting in this day and age.
And I certainly am not ready for orthopedic
shoes . . . although some days they would
probably feel pretty good.
My jewelry quest had begun. This was the
beginning of the worst shopping experience
of my life. The jewelry world is a different
world. I felt like I was in a foreign country
and a foreign language. Oh, this is the
retail price . . . oh, what is the price?
Oh, no one really knows. I found
that the people that work in the stores
don't even know the price. How am I
supposed to know if I can afford it if I don't
know how much it is . . . why don't they
put a price on it, a price that it would
sell for if I wanted it? Is that too much
to ask? Why are all the tags turned over
in the case . . . what are they trying to
hide . . . not the price . . . because they
don't know the price.
My opinion is that they would sell a whole lot
more jewelry if it had a price on it! How
could I stay in business if I didn't know how
much anything was in my store. You wouldn't
want to shop here . . . would you?
My advice, for what it is worth, is that the jewelers
need to be straight forward, honest, with realistic
accurate prices on merchandise so that I would be
able to go in and buy what I see. I think I would
buy a whole lot more jewelry if this were the case.
This is just a thought . . . my opinion . . . but this
is the way I wish it could be.
only fine jewelry I have owned has been my wedding
ring. I haven't had to worry about safety deposit
boxes or my home being broken into and all my
fine jewelry being stolen. I had always worn
what I called "Junk Jewelry"which was always
purchased to go with a particular outfit.
My daughter, Ashley, has other interests.
If it is shiny, gold, silver, diamond, ruby,
and expensive . . . she loves it. She has
always loved jewelry . . . she spent hours
playing "Pretty, Pretty Princess" when she
was a little girl. She always loves sparkle and
flash . . . I remember a gold metallic bikini
at age 4 that she would wear with her plastic
red sparkly high heels. She would parade up
and down the street in this outfit with a popsicle
in one hand and a purse in the other.
Anyway, she has encouraged me to "invest" in a
few nice pieces of jewelry and has thrown away
all of my old jewelry. She started last Mothers
Day with a pair of diamond stud earrings. Then
a few bracelets here and there, a small strand
of pearls and a monogram necklace for Christmas
this year. I have enjoyed these pieces and see
the value of a few good pieces.
This all has led to my wedding ring. . . it is a wide
band, yellow gold with a single 6 prong setting with
a single diamond. My husband gave it to me for
our 15th anniversary. Well, that was 15 years
ago. I thought I was happy with it . . . a classic . .
right?
Well . . . think again. I purchased another gold
setting to change my diamond out with . . . thinking
that this was a good thing . . . WRONG!
Ashley Toney informed me, as we walked to the
jewelry store, that maybe, just maybe, I may want
to consider changing to a white gold or a platinum
setting? Really? 30 years ago no one would ever
consider white gold! Now . . . was I out of style?
Well . . . the answer is yes, as the jeweler told
me that my jewelry would only be used for
"scrap gold" that no one would want it unless
they were wearing orthopedic shoes?
What had happened in the jewelry world? I
felt like I had fallen asleep for 30 years and just
woke up . . . where had I been? All the rage
is now the antique pave (Not pronounced
pave . . . like asphalt) but paaaa - veigh
(oh so fancy).
Well, I had better get with it, I can't be
wearing a gold setting in this day and age.
And I certainly am not ready for orthopedic
shoes . . . although some days they would
probably feel pretty good.
My jewelry quest had begun. This was the
beginning of the worst shopping experience
of my life. The jewelry world is a different
world. I felt like I was in a foreign country
and a foreign language. Oh, this is the
retail price . . . oh, what is the price?
Oh, no one really knows. I found
that the people that work in the stores
don't even know the price. How am I
supposed to know if I can afford it if I don't
know how much it is . . . why don't they
put a price on it, a price that it would
sell for if I wanted it? Is that too much
to ask? Why are all the tags turned over
in the case . . . what are they trying to
hide . . . not the price . . . because they
don't know the price.
My opinion is that they would sell a whole lot
more jewelry if it had a price on it! How
could I stay in business if I didn't know how
much anything was in my store. You wouldn't
want to shop here . . . would you?
My advice, for what it is worth, is that the jewelers
need to be straight forward, honest, with realistic
accurate prices on merchandise so that I would be
able to go in and buy what I see. I think I would
buy a whole lot more jewelry if this were the case.
This is just a thought . . . my opinion . . . but this
is the way I wish it could be.
2 comments:
I agree!
On another note, if you love your wedding ring in a gold setting,
then so be it! There's nothing wrong w/ that. I think we all should wear/buy things that we love... Maybe you haven't found the right jeweler for you.
A good designer & jeweler should consider the client's personal style, then help enhance it.
Who knows? Maybe in 30 more years," vintage gold" will be the all the rage! :)
C. Long
I completely agree!
In fact, this is one of the reasons I LOVE shopping in your store: I now own many pieces that I (& my family) enjoy everyday. Some were "investment" pieces - and worth every penny... I also have some lovely, whimsical items that didn't break the bank. I won't feel guilty updating them when the time comes.
As for me, I love my wedding set that my hubby bought for me: it's a simple solitare & a simple gold band. He shopped for it without any help from family or friends. To me, it's timeless & elegant - & priceless because of the special man that God saved just for me!
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