What To Look For When Buying Gold Jewellery For The First Time
Whether a simple pair of pearl studs or a sparkling ring on your finger, every piece of jewellery you wear makes a statement about you and your style. Jewellery defines you and accentuates your beauty. There are many reasons why people invest in these metals, mainly in gold jewellery.
The yellow metal has been popular for ages now because of various reasons. Throughout the centuries, gold jewellery has been the favorite and widely used by everyone worldwide. People rely on it when no currency works because the value of gold holds some good insurance for all of us.
Undoubtedly, gold jewellery is beautiful and holds a specific value in the market. The value of gold does not depreciate with time, and therefore it can be passed onto future generations. It is one of the best investment tools to keep your income safe during tough times like inflation.
This article will discuss various factors to consider before making your first purchase of gold jewellery.
Deciding The Design & Purpose
First and foremost, you must understand the purchase's purpose. Gold is an expensive commodity, and you would not want to spend unnecessary money on frivolous things. If you are simply looking for an investment option, you can buy a gold coin or biscuit, depending on your budget. This way, you can save a lot on the making charges as well.
Also, there are various reasons why gold jewellery is preferred over other ornaments, such as:
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For the Purpose of Gifting
Gold is regarded as pure and sacred in Hindu mythology. For ages, gifting gold jewellery or coins during special occasions strengthens interpersonal relationships. By gifting this metal, you also emphasize your purity of intent. Moreover, its color emits positive energies and brings prosperity to the receiver. However, when you’re buying gold for gifting, make sure you’re choosing something that matches the style of the receiver. Also, make sure the jewelry you’re purchasing is pure and comes with adequate certifications.
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For the Purpose of Wedding
Undoubtedly, gold is an indispensable part of weddings. It is equated to royalty, power, and divinity. Without gold shopping, weddings are nothing but incomplete. But it is one such occasion when you can easily go out of track as far as budget is concerned. Thus, it is essential to set up a budget when buying gold jewellery for weddings. Also, decide the number and types of ornaments you’d want to buy. Since buying gold for a wedding is a huge investment, try and look for lesser associated charges, such as making charges, delivery fees, brokerage, etc.
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For the Purpose of the Festival
Another significant purpose of buying gold jewellery is to make an investment during the festive season, especially Diwali. Along with other items, a majority of people buy gold jewellery to get good returns in the future. While at it, people might end up committing some mistakes as well. If you’re buying jewellery for investment, it’d be better to look for pure gold. On the contrary, if you’re choosing the festive season to buy gold jewellery for expanding your collection, you can go with studded jewellery.
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For the Purpose of Everyday Wear
Last but not the least, buying gold jewellery for everyday wear is another common phenomenon prevalent around the world. Whether you’re an office-goer or a homemaker, an elegantly simple ring or a pair of studded gold earrings can easily catch anybody’s attention. When buying for this purpose, make sure you understand the concept of purity well. Also, keep a close eye on the price. Try and avoid investing in heavy jewellery that can cost you a bomb. Next, ensure that the jewellery you are buying is resistant to everyday wear and tear.
If you want to buy jewellery for yourself or anyone else, then decide what you want. There are plenty of options in gold jewellery, like rings, earrings, necklaces, and many more.
We live in the digital era, where you can simply go on any social media platform like Pinterest or Instagram and save the design you like. You can use it as a reference when you visit the jeweller and ask them to replicate it. You can get customizations or engravings done on the gold jewellery easily as well.
Understanding Gold Purity
Gold purity is measured in caratage or karat. It is essential to check the gold purity before you buy the gold jewellery of your choice. There are different karat gold as follows:
- 24-karat gold is 99.9% pure
- 22-karat gold is 91.6% pure
- 20-karat gold is 83.3% pure
- 18-karat gold is 75% pure
- 14-karat gold is 58.3% pure
Today, all gold jewellery is certified by a standard called hallmark that specifies the purity of your gold.
24-karat gold is the most popularly used to make jewellery in Asian countries, but around the world, 18-karat gold jewellery is more popular. The lesser the carat, the lower the price of the jewellery; therefore, it becomes more affordable. You can check out a fantastic collection of 18-karat gold jewellery at LifeStyle.
Picking The Right Gold Color
There are different shades of gold that depend on its purity and additives in the jewellery. Majorly there are three types of shades:
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Yellow Gold
This bright yellow color of gold is because of additives like silver, copper, and zinc. This shade of gold is most prevalent in Asian countries like India, Pakistan, UAE, and many more. It has the most resemblance to pure gold. If you have sensitive skin, you should go for yellow gold because it has fewer allergic reactions.
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White Gold
When gold is mixed with metals like nickel, palladium, and silver, it tends to look like white-colored metal. It still has a hint of yellow, which is why it is plated with rhodium, which gives these pieces a different shine. It resembles platinum jewellery. White gold jewellery looks ethereal and graceful.
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Rose Gold
Also known as “Russian Gold,” the beautiful pink shade of rose gold comes from the presence of copper. However, the coloration depends on the copper quantity. In recent years, rose gold jewellery has become very popular worldwide because of its soft shade and minimal look. Also, it is the most durable because of the copper present in it.
Primarily the percentage of gold remains constant, and the number of additives differs, which makes the shade of gold vary. Therefore, the monetary value stays mostly the same.
Finalizing The Budget
Budget is a crucial part of your jewellery shopping. As discussed previously, gold jewellery is expensive, so it is good to be mindful of the money you want to spend on it. Once you have decided what type of jewellery you want, you need to finalize the budget.
By doing so, you save yourself from overspending and over-indulging. Generally, the price of gold depends on the grams and other factors like supply, demand, and overall market behavior. You can keep a check on the market and buy when gold prices fall. It will help you save quite a few bucks.
Also, the price of gold varies as per the carat. The price of 14-karat gold is less than 18-karat gold, and the 18-karat gold price is less than 22-karat gold. You can decide your budget depending on the type of gold jewellery you want.
Plain Gold Vs. Studded Gold Jewellery
People have been buying plain gold jewellery to fulfill their investment purpose and studded gold jewellery for ornamentation. Sure, such a practice is not compulsory, but analyzing the amount of gold in studded jewelry becomes challenging.
In many parts of the world, people still prefer to buy simple yellow gold jewellery because of its pure appearance. At the same time, many are inclined towards studded jewellery as it has more elements and vibrancy. If you are choosing studded jewellery, it is essential to note the amount of gold in it. Besides, the value and quality of precious and semi-precious stones in the jewellery also require authentication.
Also, keep in mind that studded jewellery requires much care and maintenance. In contrast, plain gold jewellery is easy to maintain and clean.
Whatever jewellery you decide to buy, there are a few tips to keep your jewellery as safe and shiny as ever.
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Keep jewellery safe
It does not matter if you own very little or an extravagant amount of gold jewellery; keeping it in a safe or locker is always recommended. Gold is expensive; therefore, there is always a chance of theft around it.
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Keep the bills and certificates safe
When you buy jewellery, the retailer will hand you all the documentation. The invoice and certificate of authenticity are essential for all jewellery. If you ever decide to sell it in future, you will require these documents to make an easy sale.
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Avoid polishing your jewellery
Excess of anything can be harmful. You can get your jewellery polished once in a while, but you cannot get it polished every year or two. It will reduce the quantity of gold and the quality of gemstones in your jewellery.
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Clean at home
It is effortless to clean your jewellery at home using water and a soft-bristled brush. You can soak your jewellery in water for an hour and then use the brush to remove the loosened dirt at various places on the jewellery.
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Store in a soft cloth
When you keep your gold jewellery in a locker, keep it in a soft cloth to avoid any scratches. After wrapping it in a cloth, you can place it in a box or pouch to keep it in the safe or locker.
Don't Forget Deals And Discounts
Online and offline shopping is debatable as they both have pros and cons. Brick-and-mortar shopping gives you the experience of touching and feeling the jewellery. With a big perk of online shopping nowadays, we have got our hands on the best products at the best prices. When the covid-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, we all started to incline toward online shopping. Today, many online retailers offer great deals and discounts. But it is difficult to trust them because of the daily fraudster stories we hear.
The best jewellery deals are often found online during the most significant sales of the year. Nevertheless, offline stores have also started offering great discounts and deals on gold jewellery in the last few years to compete with the online market.
However, some authentic jewellery retailers like LifeStyle offer amazing deals and discounts. The online Lifestyle store has an exquisite jewellery collection with suitable offers. Their clearance sale includes all kinds of jewellery, including rings, earrings, studs, necklaces, and many more. Offers make it easy for you to buy jewellery for yourself and your loved ones.
Besides these, they have an easy return policy just in case you do not like what you ordered and want to return it. Their impeccable customer service makes everything smooth and hassle-free.
Always research before purchasing the jewellery to save yourself from fraud or overspending. You can visit local stores or scroll through online stores to explore different kinds of jewellery. But do not only think about buying; you should also buy it from authentic stores, online or offline.
Conclusion
We can understand how difficult it can get to make the first jewellery purchase. You have to think about various aspects. This article helped you conclude what type of jewellery you want to purchase. Purchasing gold jewellery is auspicious; it brings home wealth and luxury. After deciding the purpose and budget of your purchase, you can easily decide what type of jewellery you want.