Jewellery Investments: Which Jewellery Increases in Value
Jewelry as an investment – this is a topic that gains more interest in economically uncertain times. However, not all jewelry increases in value. This guide objectively explains which jewelry is suitable as an investment and which is not.
The Fundamental Truth About Jewelry as an Investment
Honesty first: most pieces of jewelry are not good financial investments. Buying a ring from a jeweler and reselling it a few years later almost always results in a loss – the purchase price includes margin, design costs, and craftsmanship that is not recouped upon resale. This is especially true for costume jewelry.
What Can Increase in Value
Rare Natural Gemstones (Untreated, with Certificate)
Large, untreated Burma rubies, Kashmir sapphires, or Colombian emeralds of top quality with GIA or GRS certificates: These stones have significantly increased in value in recent decades. Untreated sapphires from Kashmir became rarer – their price per carat rose tenfold in 30 years. Important: Only certified pieces hold their value; uncertified ones cannot be reliably sold.
Historical Jewelry (Antique, Signed Pieces)
Signed jewelry from important houses (Cartier, Van Cleef, Bulgari) from historical periods (Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Edwardian) is regularly sold at auctions above the purchase price. This is a very specialized field that requires expertise.
Gold Bar Purity in Real Gold
The material value of real gold jewelry (585, 750) corresponds to the current gold price – and gold prices rise long-term. This means: real gold jewelry never loses its material value. It is not an investment in terms of appreciation, but a value-preserving asset.
What Never Works as an Investment
- Costume Jewelry/Fashion Jewellery: No material value, no collector's value – consumer goods
- Mass-produced Gold Jewelry without Design Value: Material value minus processing costs results in a loss upon melting
- Treated Gemstones without Certificate: Difficult to verify and barely valuable
- Diamonds in the Mid-Quality Range: Diamond price increases were historically real; however, lab-grown diamonds have fundamentally changed the market
The Emotional Investment Value
There is another kind of "value" in jewelry that is not monetary: a piece passed down through generations, a ring given at graduation, a grandmother's necklace. This emotional value is not transferable at auctions – but it is real and sometimes more significant than any financial value.
Conclusion: Buy Jewelry for Joy, Not for Returns
Anyone considering jewelry as a financial investment should rather invest in gold ETFs or commodity funds. Anyone who buys jewelry because they love it, wear it, and enjoy it – that person makes the right decision. The "return" lies in wearing it daily, not in the resale price.
Quality Jewelry at Corelune Jewellery
For the joy of wearing, not for the portfolio – at Corelune Jewellery you will find jewelry that is meant to be lived in.
