Why Invest in Antique Jewellery? Quick Answer
Antique & vintage jewellery are not only a beautiful and unique addition to any collection, but they also hold its value well. Unlike new jewellery, which depreciates as soon as it's purchased, antique & vintage pieces maintain their worth over time. This is due to their rarity, craftsmanship, and the historical significance they carry. Investing in antique and vintage jewellery can therefore be a wise financial decision.
Table of Contents
There are many reasons people buy antique jewellery, often for very personal reasons or simply just because they love it. We believe there are many reasons why you should be collecting Antique and Vintage jewellery, here are just a few.
History
When you buy an antique or vintage piece you are buying a piece of history. You are becoming the ‘care-taker’ of a piece which has probably seen more than we could even imagine. I often get pieces and just wish they could talk, whether they told the story of a romantic engagement, a heart-breaking time of mourning or a sentimental gift from a loved one, each piece has a unique story and tale to tell.
Value for money
Antique Jewellery provides excellent value for money. With modern pieces of jewellery, you are paying for the manufacturing process, along with materials, plus VAT at 20%. Antique Jewellery is exempt from VAT as they are second hand, often meaning you are automatically paying 20% less than you would in a modern retail store.
Investment
Antique Jewellery is a superb investment. Each year you are in possession of an antique piece of jewellery it becomes a year older, this means it is also becoming more and more scarse. As pieces are sold and collected, there then becomes even less of them available on the market and therefore they are much more desirable and sought after.
Not only do items go up in value due to age but also gold prices have increased 684.37% in the last 20 years. This means if you bought 1 gram of gold in the year 2000 for £6 it is now worth approximately £47 per gram. Although, they can go down as well but overall Gold prices have increased 9,346.25 % over the last 50 years!
(figures from https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk)
Beauty & Quality
Not only is antique jewellery a good investment but is also a wearable piece of luxury high fashion. It allows you to wear your unique investments and look super stylish while doing so!
Antique jewellery is also a kind of quality we just don’t see anymore. Manufacture was always done by hand by highly skilled craftsmen, often made on a bespoke basis rather than mass-production. The intricacy and high-craftmanship of antique jewellery is hard to beat. Similar to architecture, many would argue things just aren’t done the same anymore due to mass-production and machinery.
Sustainability
It takes significant resources to mine gemstones and precious metals which makes it hard to produce jewellery in a truly environmentally friendly way. When buying an antique or vintage piece of jewellery it makes you a conservator rather than a consumer.
Similar to up-cycling or buying ‘pre-loved’ items, antique jewellery was manufactured years ago and therefore is significantly more environmentally friendly than buying new.
Antique jewellery stores are also often small independently run family businesses and therefore you are also supporting a small business as opposed to a corporate firm.
Jewellery is a very personal choice and above all you should buy something because you love it, it makes you happy and brings you joy!
Further Reading:
If you'd like to expand your knowledge on reasons to invest in buying antique and vintage jewellery even further, we recommend taking look at the links below.
