Jewelry Education

The well-crafted jewelry from Shelley’s is created to last a lifetime, and to be passed from generation to generation. Yet few people truly understand the difference between a well-crafted piece of jewelry and one poorly made. Even fewer know that the difference in price between well-made jewelry and poorly made jewelry is far less than you would think.

The reason? Gold and gemstones cost the same in poorly made jewelry as they do in well made jewelry. The difference in price is the craftsmanship and processes used. For example, with a poorly made engagement ring costing $5,000, the diamond costs $4000, the gold costs $600, and the labor is $400. Labor for that same diamond and gold, crafted by an artist, would be $1200. The total cost of the well made ring would be $5800 instead of $5000 for the poorly made one…a difference of only 16%.

Mass-produced jewelry is made by a process called "casting," in which metal is poured into a mold. Casting is cheap and quick, using metals that are soft and easily bent. The process causes microscopic bubbles and pits in the metal, which cause the jewelry to be brittle and easily broken.

Because of the softer metal, diamonds easily loosen and come out. The prongs easily break and may catch on your clothes.

The ring is easily bent and wears excessively. Within a few years, it not only looks well worn , it is worn out, and gems are in danger of falling out.

Cast jewelry can’t be polished well, and the polish doesn’t hold up for long.

In comparison, crafted jewelry is produced by compressing, hammering, sawing, filing, and forming the gold. This compresses the gold so that it becomes very rigid without being brittle. This rigid gold has no pits and is therefore much stronger. It takes a high, long lasting polish. With hammered gold, precise seats can be cut to the exact shape of your diamond, allowing it to be securely held throughout its lifetime.

Most department stores and jewelers typically sell mass-produced jewelry. Shelley’s crafted jewelry will last a lifetime, with better construction and a custom fit for your diamond.