It takes many years of experience in trading sterling silver jewelry to tell whether a piece of jewelry is of high quality or not. Especially when you are buying wholesale silver jewelry, a minor difference in the quality might affect your business reputation in the long run. This article summarizes the basic metrics for anyone who is beginning to trade silver jewelry to gauge the quality of silver jewelry.
Finishing
Most of the sterling silver jewelry has some sort of plating because silver itself turns yellow over time. There are several ways of finishing a piece of silver jewelry and they will affect the cost of the jewelry substantially.
High polished sterling silver jewelry has no plating on the jewelry at all and is particularly popular with engravable items or for people who are allergic to certain metals such as nickel. The jewelry is polished by machine without additional raw material cost.
Some silver jewelry has a black antique look to cater to certain consumers. These items are processed by putting the jewelry into chemical solution to oxide the silver before polishing and the pricing is similar to that of high polished ones.
Another common way of finishing sterling silver jewelry is nickel plating. Although nickel plating is illegal in some countries, most of the Italian silver jewelry sold in the market today is plated with nickel. However, since nickel is not considered as precious metal, the price is usually not affected by the cost of plating.
The most expensive way of finishing sterling silver jewelry is using Rhodium. Rhodium is a precious metal that is even more expensive than silver. Therefore, silver jewelry with Rhodium plating is usually at least five cent more expensive per gram. Since Rhodium has the property of being highly tarnish resistant and very expensive at the same time, some manufacturers would coat the sterling silver jewelry with a thin layer of copper before plating the Rhodium to reduce the cost. It might be a good idea to ask the vendors if the Rhodium is plated directly or not because some people have skin type that would turn the copper underneath green.
Stone cutting
Sterling silver jewelry usually has natural or synthetic stones set on it. The cutting of the stones, even with the same size, might affect the cost. For instance, the synthetic diamond cubic zirconia stones would cost more if they are in princess cut as suppose to round brilliant cut. Furthermore, emerald cut and baguette cut stones are even more expensive than princess cut ones.
Stone setting
1. The way that stones are set on a piece of jewelry also affects the cost. Many pendant and bracelet styles employ an economical setting method called wax setting. The stones are not really set one by one on the jewelry. Rather, they are fixed on the mold before the jewelry is cast out from the melted silver and come out of the mold together with the silver. This lowers the cost of the silver jewelry significantly. However, the quality of the setting is not consistent and the heat of the silver in liquid form might affect the quality of the stones.
Besides wax setting, there are several hand-setting methods that are widely adopted. The most common one is prong setting, where the stones are held in place by three to eight prongs, depending on the style. More advanced settings include channel setting, bezel setting, pave setting and invisible setting. Understanding the labor costs involved in different kinds of settings is one of the keys to getting merchandize with the best prices.
Stamping and Casting
Another categorization for sterling silver jewelry is the way they manufacture the metal part. To save cost, some jewelry is made by stamping and cutting the needed shapes out from a large sheet of silver and than bend it into the desired shapes. On the other hand, a more traditional way of producing sterling silver jewelry is to cast the metal out of a mold, which is more labor intensive and hence more costly due to the polishing and filing required afterwards. The way the jewelry is made affects the durability a great deal and hence the success of your business.
Greg Peterson got his MBA from MIT business school and is now working as marketing manager for jewelry businesses featuring wholesale silver hip hop jewelry.
Recently, I met the owner of a well-known precious metals web site and I popped this question to him: “What do you think about investing in silver?”
His reply was both profound and accurate. “David,” he said, “The smart money is moving into gold, but the SMARTEST money is moving into silver!”
Investing in silver is a great way to make money, especially if you are looking to secure your future or your retirement. But of course, just like any type of investing, there are no guarantees. You need to know what you are doing and what the silver market is all about before you can get too involved. This is the only way to make sure that you give yourself every possible advantage to benefit from silver investing.
That’s the ONE and ONLY reason that I am here today. I want to share with you some tips that will give you direction when you start investing in silver so you can make the most money possible.
7 Getting Started in Silver Investing Tips That Will Make You More Money
1. Take a close look at the market before you decide that silver investing is right for you. Investing is silver is different than investing in stocks and bonds.
2. Educate yourself. If you are not sure how investing in silver works, touch base with a professional who can help you with the buying and selling process.
3. Complete effective online research. Be careful of the information you find. There’s so much information online about silver investing, but a lot of it is misinformation. You want to learn from experts who are in the trenches tracking the silver market and making investments every day. For example, the information that you will find on http://www.silver-investor.com is based on my experiences and knowledge from following the silver market daily for more than thirty years.
4. Get familiar with the many different ways that you can invest in silver. You can invest in silver mining companies, silver ETFs, silver futures, silver bullion and silver coins. The sure-fire way to invest in silver without the worry is to invest in bullion or coins. This is the place to start– real metal for your future. You don’t have to pay for a mining company’s energy costs. And you don’t have to buy 1000 to 5000 ounces in a futures contract that carries too much risk for a beginning silver investor.
5. If you are looking to invest in silver coins and silver bars then you need to know this trick — Find sellers who are actually selling as near the spot price of silver as possible (spot plus a reasonable fee). A general rule is that the more silver you are buying the less percentage of fees you should be expected to pay. When buying coins to invest in their silver content be certain you are not buying coins for their numismatic value (the value to a collector of rare coins).
6. Before you invest in silver, make sure you calculate how much you can invest between your IRA rollover funds, cash on hand and other assets that you wish to turn into silver. Be sure to keep your emergency fund mostly in cash for unforeseen expenses. You don’t want to bite off (invest) more than you can chew (afford).
7. Stay on top of the market. There are times to buy. And, there are times to sell. Yes, at some point, it may be better to sell some or perhaps even all of your silver holdings for currency, depending on the bull market and your personal investment goals. But the only way you know when to buy or sell is if you have current silver market investing information at your fingertips.
Here’s a Bonus Silver Investing Tip For You…
Get started now. The time to invest in silver is today!
What are you waiting for?
Put my tips into action and start investing in silver right away.
Following the silver market for more than 30 years, Silver Investor David Morgan believes NOW is the time for baby boomers who want to retire comfortably and without fear to start investing in precious metals. Now you can discover his Ten Rules of Silver Investing for Baby Boomers, when you sign up for his free newsletter at: http://www.silver-investor.com/joinfreelist.html
- ISBN13: 9780446510998
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
“Throughout the ages, many things have been used as currency: livestock, grains, spices, shells, beads, and now paper. But only two things have ever been money: gold and silver. When paper money becomes too abundant, a… More >>
Rich Dad’s Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future
“Throughout the ages, many things have been used as currency: livestock, grains, spices, shells, beads, and now paper. But only two things have ever been money: gold and silver. When paper money becomes too abundant, and thus loses its value, man always turns back to precious metals. During these times there is always an enormous wealth transfer, and it is within your power to transfer that wealth away from you or toward you.” –Michael Maloney, precious metals investment expert and historian; founder and principal, Gold & Silver, Inc.The Advanced Guide to Investing Gold and Silver tells readers:The essential history of economic cycles that make gold and silver the ultimate monetary standard. How the U.S. government is driving inflation by diluting our money supply and weakening our purchasing power Why precious metals are one of the most profitable, easiest, and safest investments you can make Where, when, and how to invest your money and realize maximum returns, (more…)
Incoming search terms for the article:
Review
Over 2,000 pieces of American, Austrian, Czechoslovakian, German, Italian, Oriental, and Spanish costume jewelry are featured in this book. Besides the numerous international companies, there are over 100 American manufacturers with background information. Unmarked pieces are given coverage, as well as gold filled and silver jewelry, brass, copper, pewter, tin, plastic, and beaded jewelry. -Robert Clayton
Costume Jewelry, A Practical Handbook & Value Guide is the first book to provide information regarding the investment potential of one of today’s hottest collecting fields. The breadth of the industry is represented by different types of costume jewelry – defined as fashion jewelry – both domestic and foreign. It provides comprehensive information on a broad range of jewelry, emphasizing the more common, rather than the unique and rare, types of jewelry which most collectors are likely to encounter in the market place. Dealers as well as collec (more…)