The concepts of worth and value are remarkably complex in the world of jewellery, and the most beautiful piece of jewellery in your collection need not cost the earth, figuratively and literally.
What makes jewellery so special and why bespoke jewellery matters so much is that the perfect piece is highly dependent on the purpose you have for it.
This means that both extremely cheap costume jewellery and antique heirlooms have an important place in our lives, but you would not wear a luxurious necklace that has been in your family for generations as part of a fancy dress party, and conversely, a tin-plated or stainless ring would not typically be used as an engagement ring.
At the same time, neither are ideally suited as jewellery pieces you can wear every day; antique and particularly luxurious pieces can sometimes be impractical to wear every day, whilst costume jewellery is by design not meant to last.
However, there are several categories within the two extremes, and one of the most interesting is known as “affordable fine jewellery”.
How is affordable fine jewellery defined? Why is it so popular? And how can you find pieces that are both beautiful and affordable?
What Is Fine Jewellery?
Defining different jewellery categories can be difficult at times, something that Jeweller Magazine noted in a particularly insightful debate about definitions, but to define affordable fine jewellery, we first have to define fine jewellery as well as what we mean by affordable.
Generally, the industry defines jewellery as either costume (or occasionally fashion depending on price point) or fine jewellery, and where the line is drawn on the latter depends on whether price, materials or craftsmanship are its most important defining element.
This debate surrounding fine jewellery is rich in nuance, but a working definition we can use is that fine jewellery:
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Is made from precious metals and gemstones.
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Is made by fine jewellers rather than being mass-produced.
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Has a level of detail, quality, craftsmanship and durability beyond a typical piece of mass-produced costume jewellery.
These three elements can generally be agreed to be typical and vital in a piece of fine jewellery, whether it comes from a pre-existing collection or whether it is bespoke designed and tailored around a particular person’s needs.
How Affordable Is Affordable Fine Jewellery?
Typically, fine jewellery is associated with relative expense; if skilled jewellers use precious materials, it stands to reason that it will cost more than a mass-produced piece of costume jewellery.
To borrow a term from the world of finance, the intrinsic value of the necklace, ring or bracelet is higher, because the price of the materials, the price of the labour to make it and the clear level of quality and detail make it worth more than a piece that lacks these elements.
However, not all fine jewellery needs to necessarily be heirloom-level expensive, and there is a lot of scope for jewellery to have that level of beauty but also be affordable enough to wear every day.
This is where affordable fine jewellery comes in; it is the type of jewellery you buy rather than invest in, and you can feel comfortable wearing it whenever you like without worrying too much about the costs of fixing it.
How affordable is affordable?
Everyone has different budgets, but we have fine jewellery that can cost over £10,000 at one end but less than £100 on the other side, and every piece we make reflects our artisan skills at working with precious materials to create something truly beautiful.
Everyone should be able to get beautiful jewellery that lasts, and affordable fine jewellery is a triumph of beautiful design that makes the most of the materials available.
How Can You Find A Perfect Affordable Bespoke Jewellery Piece?
The best way to get an affordable fine jewellery piece is to explore our range of fine jewellery and see which pieces are within your budget and which pieces suit the way you want to wear your jewellery.
Alternatively, get in touch with us and ask about our bespoke jewellery service; with commissions that range from personalisations and adjustments to existing pieces in our collection to completely new one-off designs, we can offer jewellery to suit all price points.
The key to getting the right piece is to set your budget and be clear about it from the start; that way, a fine bespoke jeweller can talk to you about your options and what you can expect for the price.