I read an interesting comment on the internet the other day that really got me thinking. An anonymous woman remarked that high quality jewelry is now a luxury that many women can no longer afford. In addition, she observed that fewer women are wearing fine jewelry on a regular basis. I've reproduced her comment here for reference:
"Jewelry is now the great divide between the have and have-nots of the female variety. I still own some silver jewelry, because it wasn’t worth selling when we needed the money. I get noticed when I wear it because most women don’t have real jewelry anymore. Even women who can afford jewelry are not wearing it out anymore, but they still have their wedding and engagement rings."
Unfortunately, I must agree with this woman's assessment. It seems that fewer and fewer women are buying or wearing high quality jewelry anymore. I think the persistently weak economy is the obvious culprit here. Sluggish wage growth, coupled with continuously rising housing, food and insurance costs, has squeezed discretionary spending. High quality jewelry has been one of the many unfortunate victims of this economic trend.
As a result, a lot of budget constrained women have reallocated their precious jewelry dollars from fine jewelry to costume jewelry. This has been a reasonable reaction to economic pressure because costume jewelry is so much better looking now than it used to be. As recently as the 1980s and even the early 1990s, costume jewelry was consistently low quality. It looked cheap and would quickly tarnish or even turn green when exposed to body oils or perspiration.
However, the advent of inexpensive, but alluring, synthetic stones and simulants, coupled with an industry-wide effort to raise the quality of costume jewelry, has made it a much more palatable choice. This is especially the case when a "real" piece of high quality jewelry might cost several thousand dollars while a similar piece of "fake", but still attractive, costume jewelry might be just a couple hundred dollars.
The trend toward buying and wearing less high quality jewelry is most noticeable among younger women in their 20s and 30s. An insightful Pacific Standard article titled "Has Technology Killed the Jewelry Industry?" provocatively lays the blame squarely at the feet of smartphones and other portable technology.
There is certainly an element of truth to this accusation. Samsung, LG, Sony and Motorola all produce covetable smartphones, tablets and laptops. However, it is Apple, with its insanely popular trio of the iPhone, iPad and MacBook series, that has had the most success. In fact, I am of the opinion that Apple isn't really a technology company at all, but a luxury technology retailer - a vitally important distinction. Young Millennial women have, as a group, redirected a significant portion of their discretionary spending into these must-have tech gadgets. Of course, money spent on smartphones or tablets has to come from somewhere. And that place is often the high quality jewelry budget.
There has also been a tendency for younger generations to spend money on travel, dining, concerts and other "experiential" activities rather than physical goods. And once spent on an experience, regardless of how compelling, those limited discretionary dollars cannot be spent on high quality jewelry.
Now that I've discussed why women aren't buying as much high quality jewelry anymore, I'd like to explain why every woman should own a stash of fine jewelry. The first reason is purely economic. For centuries, high quality jewelry has been considered a store of value - a savings account specifically for women. This tradition is still strong in some parts of the world. For instance, owning a sizable stash of high-karat gold jewelry is considered a necessity for any well-to-do Indian, Southeast Asian or Middle Eastern woman.
The reason for jewelry's persistence over the centuries as a savings vehicle is multi-fold. Historically, patriarchal laws in many countries prohibited women from officially inheriting property. High quality jewelry, often received as gifts from family members or spouses, was usually considered to be a woman's property from a legal standpoint. If her marriage ended in divorce, a woman could confidently walk away from her former husband knowing her valuable hoard of high quality jewelry was all hers.
While the modern world is much more amenable to female inheritance and ownership of property, there is still a vital investment argument for every woman to own a collection of gemstone-studded, high quality jewelry. Antique, estate, designer or hand-crafted jewelry, made from karat gold, platinum or sterling silver and set with sparkling precious stones, is the glittering epitome of wealth. Fine jewelry often has a significant intrinsic value that can range from hundreds of dollars for more modest pieces to millions of dollars for legendary jewels.
But the real value of high quality jewelry is the fact that they are miniature works of art. As a result, well designed and executed fine jewelry is always worth more than the sum of its parts. And the stylistic choices available are nearly endless. The flowing, naturalistic forms of Art Nouveau jewelry are nothing like the jagged shapes and sharp angles of Brutalist jewelry. There is a style of high quality jewelry that will appeal to every woman.
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Perhaps most importantly, nothing highlights the beauty of a woman like fine jewelry. Whether it is a luscious strand of Tahitian black pearls, a gold cocktail ring set with a glistening blue tourmaline or a pair of simple platinum and diamond stud earrings, high quality jewelry accentuates the best features of a woman in a way no other accessory can. A woman who wears fine jewelry knows she looks beautiful and, therefore, naturally exudes confidence. And confidence is priceless.
I understand that many women may not feel comfortable wearing incredibly expensive, high quality jewelry every day. Less expensive costume or mass-produced silver jewelry works well in these situations. However, there are certain times in life - weddings, holidays or the occasional night on the town - when a woman just wants to look and feel her best. For those times, there is no substitute for high quality jewelry.
