Jewelry can vary in price from less than $20 for tiny earrings and pretty rings to thousands of dollars for luxury items (or even more). The urge to look good or show off is balanced by the worry of spending too much money, and this struggle leads many people to purchase the incorrect type of jewelry and make some big mistakes. Here are some of the most common jewelry-buying errors and what to do instead.

Thinking About Price Over Quality 

Too many individuals have purchased a low-cost silver-colored ring only to have an adverse response to the nickel or other metals used to make it. Thinking about price over the quality of an item of jewelry results in someone owning an off-color diamond because it has a specific amount of carats or an uncommon kind of gold because it is less expensive than 14K and 18K gold, both of which maintain their worth for centuries. 

Compare the cost of the jewelry to its long-term worth. Cheap jewelry that you toss away, break, or regret owning a few years later isn’t worth the cheap price you paid for it. If the owner intends to wear the jewelry for a lifetime, only purchase items that will endure that long, and if that means paying more, it will be worth it. 

Assuming Size Isn’t Important

There is some wiggle room when purchasing a necklace, but when it comes to rings especially, but also bracelets and similar items, it’s crucial to know what size you need to buy. Just a millimeter here or there, and something that would otherwise be perfect becomes unwearable because it’s either too tight and therefore uncomfortable, or it’s too loose and thus could easily be lost. 

Not only do you need to think of the size of the jewelry itself, but also the size of any stones that are to be used. A vast stone can look incredible, but it can also overwhelm the piece. This needs to be taken into account; a smaller but more high-quality stone is often better than a large one with many flaws. 

Considering Trends vs. Personal Preferences

If you want to keep up with the current fashions, use the clothes you’re wearing to do so and not your jewelry. Clothing can be sold on easily, or even changed into something else (or donated to charity or, as a last resort, thrown out completely), whereas jewelry may not be quite so easy to dispose of. It’s far better to buy something that you love and that you can wear for the rest of your life, rather than something linked to current fashion trends that you don’t really enjoy wearing. 

In fact, having your own custom jewelry made for you by the Phoenix Design Group could be the best option. Not only will you find that it suits you perfectly, but because you had a hand in creating it, and it’s an entirely unique piece, you’ll love it forever and be able to wear it all the time.