Is Fine Jewelry a Good Investment? Pros and Cons

Ok, so you’re probably in your late 20’s and early 30’s and realized how much money you’ve wasted on branded bags, shoes, or makeup. Only for them to deteriorate and expire after a few years. They were simply liabilities. Have you ever thought of spending it on fine jewelry instead? Gold, diamonds, brilliant gems, etc. They’re something fancy you can still wear. And instead of depreciating, their value appreciates over time! That’s why today, I’ll be sharing with you my thoughts on fine jewelry as an investment, its pros and its cons.

My First Fine Jewelry Investment

I can still remember the time (4 years ago to be exact) when I purchased my very first fine jewelry. It was a dainty brilliant-cut .15 ct diamond set on an 18k diamond ring. The funny thing was, the money I spent from that came from a GC that came along with my blogging service. So it didn’t feel like I “spent” on it. But after bringing it home, looking at how bright, white, and sparkly it was. I realized, why was I wasting all my money on bags, shoes, or makeup, when I can invest it in fine jewelry instead? (besides stocks, MF, savings, and insurance of course).  I believe jewelry investment is starting to rise in the Philippines too.

It’s an expensive “collection”  so I promised to limit myself to 1-2 jewelry pieces every year!

Is Fine Jewelry a Good Investment?

Gold and diamonds, regardless of the economic conditions taking place in society, have been in high demand for decades. If you still need to resell it, this strong demand makes your jewelry stay valuable and lucrative.

Since gold can be melt to create new pieces and refashioned, its worth remains comparatively high. Jewelry that contains a higher proportion of gold will still be expensive, unlike money, which fluctuates in value depending on the economy. For, e.g., the price of gold and gold jewelry continues to rise even as the current economic crisis affects the world.

Diamonds are equally as coveted since they can be removed from their settings and reused to create new pieces. These shimmering beauties have been in demand for centuries and are worth a great deal in loose form or when set in a piece of jewelry. Size and quality add to a diamond’s value. Large, high-grade diamonds are valuable due to their exceptional size, great clarity and fewer flaws. Additionally, high-quality coloured diamonds, such as fancy pink stones, are rarer and tend to increase in value over time. Large diamonds of an unusual colour often fetch the highest return value as they are harder to find.

Regardless of monetary value, your jewelry has an intrinsic worth that money cannot buy. The piece is representative of a moment in time that you will cherish forever. Most importantly, it will always hold a sentimental value that will increase as it is passed along to future generations of your family. But, if you ever lose your job, become widowed, or need money after a divorce, your fine jewelry can be resold for a nice profit.

Pros

• It has a socio-economic background and can be liquidated in difficult times and used instead of loans through a bank.
• It is an investment you can still wear and sell it for a profit as well.
  Diamonds and gold are exquisite and do not rust. Diamonds especially is known to be the toughest mineral
• It’s always a classic and can add brilliance to any outfit.

Cons

• Owning fine jewelry raises new problems, such as where it can be kept and how to carry it. To keep them, you will need to have a secured safely.
• Compared to stocks that pay out dividends, fine jewelry like gold or diamonds doesn’t receive passive income.
• Fine jewelry just gives you money until it is actually sold. Which would be hard to do especially if you’ve already fallen in love with your earring or necklace.

My Advice: Save until you can splurge

I’m in no way a “rich” person. I can safely say I’m in the middle-class. So I can’t afford to buy heavy grams of gold or big carat diamond. But that doesn’t mean we can’t splurge on fine luxuries. I recommend that before you start purchasing your first fine jewelry investment, you should have:

1. Savings in your bank account
2. Other investments
3. Insurance

Then you can treat yourself to collecting investments you can wear! Why? Because we don’t want to experience buying gold and diamonds only to pawn them eventually. 

I’m truly excited for your jewelry journey! It doesn’t matter if you’re just beginning, or already have a piece or two. Fine jewelry is an excellent investment that you can keep and hopefully pass on as an heirloom to our children or grandchildren. 

You may also like reading:

• How can you tell if your jewelry is gold or gold plated?
• Where can you buy fine jewelry online in the Philippines