Battle Royale : Semiprecious vs Precious

Lately something has been niggling away at me. I hear so many women say 'It's not as if it's a diamond, why would you spend that kind of money' or 'this is just fun jewellery, get the expensive stuff when it matters'. Arrgghhhh!!!

It got me thinking, other than the price tag, why do people view semiprecious jewellery in a less favourable light to precious jewellery?

All stones are created equally. Well, technically that's not entirely true. Of course a stones rarity will make it more valuable, but thats just a price tag. I choose to see the work that goes in to making something. The time it takes to come up with the design from the first spark of an idea in the artists mind to complete fruition. Of course, it goes without saying that the materials a jewellery designer chooses to help bring their creations to life can give it a real wow factor. BUT that doesn't mean they all have to sparkle and shine or be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I am the first to appreciate high end one of a kind works of art in the jewellery world. I have endless amounts of books and clipped images of iconic pieces that inspire me. This is not about not having appreciation for those indisputable  beauties, but rather having as much appreciation for the equally as stunning cousins of these pieces of jewellery, those made with semiprecious stones and other materials such as vintage glass, recycled eco materials, fabrics etc.

When somebody can discuss what inspired them to create and their process of creating, I find it priceless. Of course that is not to say that fine jewellery does not have the same creative process, of course it does. But that is just my point, creativity is a beautiful art form from idea to final product, and it should be valued equally irregardless of the medium it is in.

Perhaps this will remain a dream, but I do hope people get on board one day and value a piece of jewellery for more than just what it is made in. Diamonds are valuable but so is a story, so is history.

(Featured image by Bulbul Ahmed on Unsplash)