Jewelry

Jewelry, despite it’s small size, can get expensive. Here’s how i go about purchasing jewelry in a way that is economical, practical, and avoids scams. Let me explain.

A lot of the jewelry market is drop-shipping rings that cost only cents to purchase, but can be sold for $10-$200 dollars each. Just look up frog rings on etsy and see how many duplicates you find selling the same ring at various prices. However, it’s not just Etsy, I’ve found boutique sites selling drop-shipped wares that they said were handmade and unique. It’s been hard to have a lot of trust anymore, however, there are some ways you can increase your potential of buying a genuine piece that you can love for years to come.

1. Don’t buy from farmer’s markets or faires. I know. Support local. However, if they are charging $25 for a ring that is not hand made and are participating in drop-shipping, don’t purchase from them.. You can tell when something is actually handmade. To determine if it’s actually worth the price, ask the vendor if the rings are handmade, what they’re made of, where they’re from, and who made them. If they can’t answer those questions, you should try to steer clear.
2. Most artists stick to one style. If a vendor is selling gold work, bead work, braided, resin, wire, fabric, etc, i.e. they’re selling a wide variety of styles and materials. They’re likely not making that themselves. Artists typically will pick one or two materials (ex. gold & silver) and one type (ex. resin) and work with that. They might experiment with multiple types of jewelry, but there will usually be a common theme or imprint on them all (ex. chickens or wings)
3. Reverse image before purchase. Whether you’re at the farmer’s market, in a local shop, or online, just take a picture/screenshot and search up the image. If you find a lot of duplicates, if’s unlikely that the piece you’re buying is genuine. However, use common sense for this. If the vendor is selling a wall of similar key chains or jewelry, they’re likely drop-shipping. However, that’s not always the case so I suggest asking questions or searching deeper.
4. Get familiar with Shein jewelry. Alibaba, Shein, and Temu are some of the biggest, and most well known, producers for drop-shippers. About a year ago I spent awhile browsing Shein’s jewelry selection long enough that I can often recognize on sight their pieces.
5. If you like the ring, take a picture of it and find the original artist. Very rarely does Alibaba or Shein come up with their own ideas, instead, they do knock-offs or dupes of pieces they find online. This is how I’ve found some amazing rings.
6. Try the cheap version first. Before committing to the large price tags associated with good jewelry, find it’s dupe online and purchase it, but do it directly, not through the inflated prices of drop-shippers. Essentially, this is like trying it on in store. I bought about 20 rings through Shein, all of them were rings I was sure I would love. When they arrived, I hated them all. It turned out I was wrong about the style of ring I liked. So I did it again, tailoring my searches based on the last one, and I was able to find several I really liked and one I loved. So I took a picture of it and found the original artist and bought two versions of it from them, a sterling silver (which I wear everyday) and a gold plated one. Use this approach sparingly and intentionally. It can save you money if done well or cost you money if you go overboard and can’t stop.
7. Don’t buy gold plated. It almost doesn’t matter the cost, it will almost always come off. I bought a gold plated ring and after maybe 8 wears it’s almost entirely silver. So now I have two silver rings.
8. Buy silver silver, or 925. If a material is sterling silver it does not tarnish. I have had people tell me that sterling silver tarnishes over time, no, that’s either plated brass or nickel. Sterling silver stays the same color throughout it’s life. I’ve worn one sterling silver everyday, all day, I almost never take it off, for over 5 years and another for two. They look the same as when I bought them. Also, they were each only about $40 so don’t be fooled by $200 price tags.
9. Find your everyday jewelry and stick with it. I have my jewelry that I’ve worn everyday for years. I’ve worn the same rose gold thin hoops in my ears for years and I’ve only taken them all out once for a cat scan. I wear my two silver rings every day and don’t remove them. I’m trying to find a bracelet right now and I know what I want but I haven’t seen it yet, so I’m still waiting. I wear things that last decades. They’re not expensive, they’re beautiful, unique, and everyday they make me smile. I’ve also supported the local artist who made them. Cheap jewelry has a short lifespan. Don’t waste your money on it. Find your true pieces, get them in sterling silver, or another material, and wear them everyday.