Ugly Is…

It’s a fact of life, just like the sun is hot and the rain is wet, there are things in life that are simply downright ugly or to say it gracefully… displeasing to one’s eyes. 

Just like seeing a newborn baby for the first time - I’m not meaning to be cruel here, but I have seen my share of ugly babies. (I hope my son isn’t reading this; I was up front and center when he came into this world. It was a tough birth and he came out as blue as a cartoon Smurf and looked like he did a few rounds with Mike Tyson with that bruised up face. This kid was not exactly the second coming of Elvis. That honor was reserved for me.)

All kidding aside, it’s the same thing with jewelry and believe me I have seen and still see some b*%# ugly jewelry. I found out years ago I can’t just buy jewelry I happen to like all the time. It’s like the old saying “Different strokes for different folks!” I do try to keep my selection of jewelry pleasing to the general public eye.

Years back when I offered consignment or bought gold from the public, it would always amaze me how valuable or wonderful they thought that hideous piece of jewelry they wanted to sell. It was almost always “given to them” from a deceased aunt or close relative, the reason they are offering it for sale is because …It’s ugly! I offer a scrap price because I would only melt it if I purchased it - don’t want that dog in my showcase.

There are many exquisite pieces of antique (old) jewelry I have sold in my lifetime; lovers of antique jewelry are a different breed, and I find they live everywhere but here, my old Boston clientele absolutely loved antique jewelry.

You have to realize there is a fine line between what is considered an antique and just plain old and ugly. Some stuff from the early 1900s, known as the Art Deco era, is in huge demand and can be really expensive to buy and own today. Jewelry manufactured during the war years 1940 to 1945 was extremely boring, yet in the 50’s during the baby boomer years designs got interesting. Speaking of the 50’s, Elvis Presley was a huge lover of gold and diamond jewelry and some of his stuff was pretty homely. The 60’s were all peace and love meaning sterling silver and wooden love beads. The disco years brought us the era of BLING and to where we are today. 

Today rock and movie stars, rappers and athletes are sporting more diamonds and bling than Liz Taylor could ever dream of. I’m sorry besides being gaudy and extremely expensive most of it is downright ugly. Answer me this…when did a mouthful of gold and diamonds become attractive? I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder! A Happy New Year to all!

Questions from cyber-space…

Sean asks, “What’s the deal with lab grown diamonds?”

The deal is they have become popular with a certain generation of Americans. I recently read, to my surprise, that 42% of Europeans interviewed have either received or purchased Lab created diamonds compared to U.S. consumers at 32%.

The popularity is exploding in leaps and bounds and sales are already in the billions. Many prestigious stores are offering them for sale or will be in the near future. The fact is they are near impossible to detect from natural diamonds without expensive testing equipment. The other thing that makes lab diamonds attractive is the price. A fine 1.00 D color flawless clarity natural diamond is over $20,000 (If you can find one!). The same lab created - $1,500 to $2,000 and that number seems to drop on a monthly basis.

By demand I have sold several pairs of lab created diamond engagement rings and more than a few pairs of large stud earrings. I have to admit they are stunning! This rising demand has new manufacturers popping up worldwide and a market flooded with “Frankenstein Diamonds,” as I call them, will cause the price to fall even lower. What’s next, lab created diamond lug nuts for my Silverado, ordered overnight from Amazon?

It is what it is Sean… the choice is yours - lab or au natural. I guess it all depends on the contents of your wallet and the fact you’re not purchasing the real thing with no resale value is not an issue.