Table of Contents
Indian jewellery can be divided into two lines Fine Jewellery and Fashion Jewellery
Meaning of Fine Jewellery
Fine jewellery is ideally made of precious metals such as gold, silver or platinum. It even contains gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, pearls and the like.
Meaning of Fashion Jewellery
Fashion jewellery, sometimes called imitation jewellery, is typically comprised of metals and artificial stones. These sculptures are frequently constructed of brass, copper, or aluminum, that are prone to bending and tarnishing. Fashion jewellery includes items created completely of fabrics or linen, basic metallic alloys, and even metal coated with commodities such as gold or silver. Fake stones, crystal zirconia, and Swarovski crystals are examples of imitated stones.
It is also popularly referred to as artificial jewellery.
In India, the culture of mimicking fine jewellery into fashion has been popularised in recent times. Replicas of heavy real jewellery appear which makes it hard to decipher between the two. If not, their value and durability are highly different from one another.
This makes one ponder on the 7 measurable differences between fashion and real jewellery.
Durability
The first difference comes down to durability. With fine jewellery being carried forward first and foremost by gold, it is extremely long-lasting. Metals like gold and silver do not tarnish with ease and hence, prove to be durable. Even when broken, their use and chances of mending are doubled.
On the other hand, fashion jewellery stands on the opposite end of this tangent. They are highly prone to tarnishing and similar damage. Thus, marginally reducing their shelf life. Moreover, once broken, it is close to impossible to fix them. As if subjected to extreme heat then it may black the artificial stones, making them useless for wear.
This stands to be one of the biggest advantages with fine Jewelleries. If by mistake you get one of your gold or diamond jewellery tarnished or broken, you can always get it fixed. But the chances of being able to get the artificial fashion jewellery fixed is rare since most the imitation jewel pieces are made out of copper or other less expensive metals. Even if sometimes when it’s made with genuine gold and silver plating over it still contains the artificial stones set on them which if tried to melt and fix will rip off the stone settings or damage the quality.
Gold Choker Necklace and Earrings
Needs Lesser Care
With gold and silver being durable real jewellery, they require much lesser care than their counterparts. Cleaning it with warm water, baking soda or even club soda, once a year, is ideal to maintain its quality. Otherwise, you may just store it safely without needing to repeatedly tend to it.
On the other hand, fashion jewellery may chip and tear with use and is required to be worn and used with utmost care. To avoid such unforeseen circumstances, dividing your collection of artificial jewellery into separate compartments to avoid hitting against each other will also be a move towards sustainability.
Return-Value
One of the very crucial points of difference between Fine Jewellery and Fashion Jewellery is their roles as investments. India is among the top-three real jewellery markets in the world. People don’t just buy or invest in such pricey options for their appearance. Indians have come to associate with them as assets.
Investing their hard-earned money into these jewellery brings them booming returns after a few decades when their value increases. History has witnessed a steady increase in the value of diamonds and gold through time. Hence, buying fine jewellery and selling it later, will give you a good monetary value.
On the other hand, the investment returns of fashion jewellery stand to be nil. Until sold informally, you can not get much for artificial jewellery. Even if there are returns, they will be marginally low. People never consider artificial jewellery to act as their asset.
Fine Jewellery due to its quality and royalty can be considered a family asset once purchased it’s going to last decades in the same condition. If taken proper care of and preserved, this lustrous jewellery can be handed down to future generations and can even be reused by melting them or selling them away in times of emergency.
This is commonly present in the Indian culture where the jewellery in one’s household is much more than just a part of fashion and beauty, it can hold more emotional and traditional importance. But with artificial jewellery, this can’t be said since these would barely last for a few years and due to its usually lesser cost is not granted those at high special strata as the real fine jewel pieces.
A piece of artificial jewellery in a replica of fine jewellery
Price Range
The prices and the rate values of both these kinds of jewellery are also on the two sides of a pole.
While the fine jewellery rates are high up on the chart, artificial jewellery can be inexpensive due to its low making charges and usage of inexpensive metals. In most cases artificial jewellery is copies of existing fine jewellery made in gold, diamond, silver, platinum, or pearl jewellery; and due to this lack of originality of design, the artificial jewellery price is lower than the real ones.
Even though the elevated price point in which the fine pieces of jewellery can be found may seem a tough choice and intimidating decision to the buyers, in actuality the longevity guarantee and originality of the forever shinning piece of jewel, make it worth it and much more of a good deal than purchasing highly on an artificial jewellery piece which may not even last that long to be satisfied with being able to wear it as many times.
Sustainable/Long-Lasting
Similar to the durability option. Fine Jewellery is an accessory for a lifetime, once purchased these are going to last for decades. Also with time, fine pieces of jewellery have tended to become a trend in being precious for their vintage styles that go never out of fashion. These are like the fancy collections for the jewellery lovers which they might not wear often both due to their heavy making cost and styles but will be a special charm to wear during big occasions like engagement, anniversary and weddings.
While on the other hand, artificial Jewellery is something that even though available for special occasions is mostly something that comes in go-to wear for small events. It usually comes in use during everyday wear or less formal events like get-togethers, friend nights out, etc. Also, due to their lower longevity, these are more like jewellery that can be worn only for a few years before it starts to chip off from its initial shiny state.
The Skin Factor
Fine pieces of jewellery are usually made up of expensive metals like gold, silver, and platinum which don’t do any harm to the skin of the wearer. While some of the artificial jewel pieces are made up of copper which can have allergic reactions to some skin types.
Sometimes if the wearer has applied any type of lotion or cream and then copper-made imitation jewellery is worn above it, the acid in the skin or the lotion can cause the copper to corrode to form copper salts of bluish-green tint turning the skin green or bluish. Though, most times this reaction is harmless. Sometimes, the after-green stain on the skin is something that most people would not appreciate as it’s hard to remove and can be avoided instead.
Diamond Set
Unique Design
Fine pieces of jewellery of a particular design are usually not mass-produced to keep their uniqueness and specialty intact, one may find similar designs but not many of the same copy of a specific design. This makes them more original and provides the advantage of owning a one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery. While imitation jewellery or artificial jewellery as stated by their names is bulk produced as a copy of a real jewel piece and can be easily found in the same design by many people which makes it less special than fine jewellery.
CONCLUSION
The dynamics between Fine Jewellery and Fashion Jewellery are quite different. But, both have their advantages. While artificial pieces come in handy for wear at casual outings or occasions, the more formal ones suit best the real accessories.
Moreover, handing expensive wear to the kids is improbable as they might lose it and you might have to face hefty losses because of that. Hence, artificial jewellery can be a lot of help when it comes to children. On the other hand, adults showcase their stature in society by their fine jewellery pieces that are standout pieces from a larger assortment.
Lastly, if you feel you are careless and might not take care of jewellery properly, then fine jewellery is the way to go. They sustain for longer even in lesser care, while the artificial counterpart may just face wear and tear.
Our team of expert jewellers at Mahabir Danwar is here to guide you regarding any queries about jewellery and its long-term value. Book a Free Video Consultation or Contact Us with ease to know more.