Beauty

Buying Jewelry When You’re on a Budget

It seems like there is always something that takes a toll on your budget, from kids’ sports to doctor visits, from new clothes to music lessons. It is hard to discipline yourself to put money for the things you want and need for yourself aside. However, self-care is important, and making sure you have your own wants and needs met is important as well.

Just because you are on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t get nice things, and that includes jewelry. Here are a few ways you can still get a good deal on jewelry even on a budget.

Avoid Prestige Names

It seems like a no brainer, but if you are on a budget, you probably aren’t buying designer clothes, and the same is true for jewelry. If a famous jewelry designer puts their name on an item or a collection, you can almost be sure it is going to cost more. I suggest shopping at more affordable places such as Jacobs The Jeweller

This doesn’t mean you can’t get custom or designer jewelry. It means that smaller designers, local jewelers, and other sources for custom jewelry are more viable. A name does not always mean higher quality standards, especially if the name is on a line of jewelry that is mass produced.

Sterling is In

Silver is in, and if you look for sterling silver jewelry, you will get something that is high quality and durable. Just remember, sterling silver is 92.5% pure, while nickel silver or German silver has no real silver content at all.

The high price of gold means that other materials for jewelry have taken its place. Silver is a fashion trend and is thousands less than the gold equivalent in almost every setting. As an alternative material for jewelry, it is one of the best and least expensive options that still remains both beautiful and valuable. ARY D’PO has some great silver jewelry you should check out.

Pearls are Coming Back

Remember the strands of pearls your grandmother wore, or even the intricate pearl bracelets? Those are coming back in style, along with some new ways of using pearls. The good news in this case is that pearls are less expensive than other gemstones, and even synthetic pearls make beautiful jewelry.

It is important to make the distinction between imitation pearls and synthetic ones. Synthetic pearls are grown in a lab, while imitation pearls are colored pieces of glass or even plastics or other polymers. If an imitation is well done, it is often hard to distinguish from the real thing.

Be sure to verify what you are buying, but you can often get great deals on beautiful pearl jewelry, including those set in silver settings.

A Real Gem

Speaking of natural, synthetic, and imitation pearls, the same standards apply to other gems. If you are looking for the best deal, you have some choices.

Just like with pearls, synthetic gems are grown in laboratories instead of being mined naturally. This makes them more plentiful and therefore less expensive. In some cases, this also avoids some of the ethical dilemmas associated with gem mining, such as the trafficking of diamonds and rubies.

While some jewelers can offer you guarantees about the source of their gems, some are difficult to verify. Synthetics do offer a reasonable alternative, as even natural stones are usually treated in some way in a lab to enhance appearance.

Just stay away from fake or imitation gems. They are also often in cheap settings, and the materials used are inferior. These gems are rarely a good deal.

Shop with Care

When it comes to shopping, there are several alternatives. You can shop in stores, although many large chains and box stores have high overhead and markup jewelry excessively, one of the reasons they can offer such amazing sales from time to time.

You can also shop online for jewelry. Usually online jewelry stores have lower overhead and therefore lower prices. Some also offer better return policies, satisfaction guarantees, and warranties than their physical counterparts.

No matter how or where you shop, make comparisons when it comes to price, quality, and overall value to be sure you are getting the very best deal.

Buying jewelry when you are on a budget is a great form of self-care. Taking care of your needs does not have to break the bank though. Follow these tips when buying jewelry on a budget.

21 thoughts on “Buying Jewelry When You’re on a Budget

  1. It’s interesting to know that sterling silver is coming back in style and is very durable. My sister’s wedding is coming up in a few months. I’d love to find some good looking jewelry for the occasion. I love shopping for new jewelry.

  2. I love your point about how a name brand doesn’t always mean it’s of higher quality than others. My mother is looking to find some new jewelry for my brother’s wedding. She might want to look at pawn shops to see if there’s anything available there.

  3. My brother wants to buy some jewelry for his girlfriend. So, I liked what you said about how sterling silver is really in. It is good to know that it is only 92.5 percent silver. He should check if his girlfriend has a metal allergy.

  4. My brother wants to buy some jewelry for his girlfriends birthday. So, I liked that you explained that sterling silver jewelry is high quality and its durable. That is a good thing for him to know while he is looking for jewelry.

  5. This is some really good information about gold buying. I liked that you pointed out that it would be smart to avoid prestige names when looking for gold jewelry. It might be smart to make sure that you get an accurate reading on what the gold is in the piece.

  6. I find it great when you said that a woman can opt to go for sterling silver jewelry so that she can have enough money to pay for doctor visits and kids’ sports. In my opinion, they can start buying some from a local jewelry store as early as now. Doing this will help them save time in investing for themselves while having a local expert help them choose which one that fits their style more.

  7. Great Tips to buy jewelry when you have a specific budget in mind. I will surely keep in this mind while going for jewelry shopping. Thanks for the nice share!

  8. Thank you for pointing out that sterling silver is high quality and durable. My husband has been thinking of purchasing me a bracelet for my birthday. It’s hard for me to wear jewelry because I always want it to stay nice.

  9. This is a really amazing blog post about starting a jewelry business. I have been also making jewelry as an essential tool for my retirement My goal is to make and design beautiful, unique handmade jewelry and to further explore the techniques of metalsmithing.

  10. Heather, I appreciate your tips on how to buy jewelry when you’re on a budget. My wife’s birthday is coming up in a few months. I’d love to buy her a great piece of jewelry.

  11. My friend’s wedding is coming and I almost have spent my money on clothing and now I am on a budget. I am planning to visit pawnshop to pawn some of my old jewelry. Indeed the sterling silver is in the market and I love wearing silver.

  12. I like that you mentioned that pearls are coming back. I have seen somewhere that there are genetically-modified seashells nowadays that can produce pearls easily. I like how you mentioned that it is important to distinguish the imitation and synthetic ones, we need an expert on custom jewelry to look at my wife’s necklace.

  13. I wasn’t aware that we can even shop online for our jewelry needs until you mentioned it. My sister’s wedding is on the 25th and I haven’t gotten her a gift yet. Maybe I can check online and see if I can find a store that sells Texas handcrafted silver jewelry that she might love.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.