Words

With a rise in handmade jewelry, fine jewelry stores had to find a way to compete.

How much would you guess this bracelet might cost? This looks like something I could throw together for you in less than an hour for $25-$40 max. Was that about the price range you were guessing?

Sorry. You can’t even get the base bracelet for that little. Try $55 for the base alone from Pandora™! Small spacer beads are $20-$25 each. Those square beads (see the green and blue up front) are at least $35 each. The lampwork glass beads are at least $60 each and go up to over $200 a pop! I can’t see every single bead on this bracelet, but my low estimate is over $1,000.  I just can’t see spending this much on this particular bracelet in the photo shown here.

These happen to be sterling silver. If I hadn’t told you that, would you know by looking at it? Don’t lie! When I show jewelry I make, I’m sometimes asked if it’s sterling silver. I can’t help but scratch my head and wonder … if you had to ask, what does it really matter. Does it make a person feel different somehow to be wearing real sterling silver? I’m being serious with that question because I can’t tell a difference.

I understand Pandora does have charms and beads that spark a memory of a special event or milestone in a person’s life and therefore are worn as a representation of that time. I completely understand how something like this is treasured. I’m sure the same people would treasure a necklace made by their preschooler from painted dry pasta and wear it just as proudly. I’m not comparing the two directly or saying one is more precious than the other. It’s so hard to express an opinion without having to over-word the entire thing to avoid offending.

There are two reasons for my rant. When I first saw a commercial for this jewelry, it surprised me a little because it reminded me of the beads I find in my local craft store. I’m sorry, but my immediate reaction was that I could make something that looked very similar for a fraction of the cost. I just didn’t get it. The second reason simply has to do with how I feel about spending money and where/how it’s spent. This is personal. At the risk of getting too far off topic, people could bring up the fact that I drive a Jag and ask how that is different. I bought that car used with 63,000 miles on it for an amount that none of you would believe. Also, I do have some expensive fine jewelry that was given to me as gifts. They are special to me because they were gifts. If they were cubic zirconias, they would be equally as special.

I published this post several minutes ago but am editing it after receiving a comment on Facebook about it being hurtful by a friend who happens to own some of this jewelry. My heart jumped when I read this. I have since deleted my blog post notification from my wall, including that comment. I’m deeply sorry that my opinion offended this friend because she has been very kind to me. That being said, my personal feelings about the jewelry being over-priced remain the same. Many things are. That’s life!