One of the biggest jewelry trends to emerge on social media in the past few years is the “coastal grandmother” aesthetic. JCK described it as a “comfy, beachy, and classic” look. It’s khaki and linen, it’s relaxed and minimalist, and it’s not just for grandmothers. And with so many jewelry trends over the years, it is defined by one particular precious metal: yellow gold in retro styles. While it’s trendy now, it won’t be forever. What do you do when all that jewelry you loved a few years ago just isn’t doing it for you anymore?
Historical Trends in Precious Metals
Yellow gold has waxed and waned in popularity over the years, but gold is typically the standard for fine jewelry. Its value doesn’t come from its rarity but from the fact that its malleability makes it a poor choice for tools but a great choice for shaping into works of art. Add that to the fact that it doesn’t tarnish, and you have a resource that will stay beautiful and hold its value for ages. You’ll find it in vintage (20-100 years old) and antique (over 100 years old) jewelry alike. Other metals have also risen and fallen in popularity over the years.
The Victorian Era spanned the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901. Jewelry from this time often featured yellow gold and sterling silver. It was during this time that jewelry completed its transition from something exclusive to the aristocracy to a commodity that the new middle class could afford. As a result, the era brought a proliferation of styles and innovations, often featuring intricate, elegant scrollwork and other fine details.
The discovery of platinum in Russia in the 1820s marked a new era in jewelry design. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the metal exploded in popularity, finding a home in the Art Deco movement. The platinum pieces of the era, often featuring big, bright emeralds and sapphires on an icy, modern white background, offered a bold contrast to the more delicate textures of Victorian jewelry.
The jewelry of the post-World War II years (1945-1970) is often said to belong to the Retro Era. It was a time when precious metals were still rare following WWII, leading to the resurgence of yellow gold in lower-karat alloys. Rose gold, an alloy consisting of 75% gold and 25% copper that was popular in Russia in the early 19th century, entered the American market around this time.
As new industrial applications for platinum were discovered during the postwar era, supplies remained low. The price of the metal rose to over $600 per ounce in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the price plunged to nearly half that amount, as you can see in this graph, and we began to see this striking white metal everywhere, from wedding bands to Rolex watches.
The 2000s saw the rise of Millennials, whose taste for rose gold seemed insatiable. If you could associate the Millennial generation with a color, that color just might be rose gold. This metal exploded in popularity in the 2010s, but the Gen Z jewelry buyers of the present and future are bringing about a resurgence of classic yellow gold. Millennial styles won’t be “vintage” for another 15 years, so what will you do in the meantime, when it just becomes “old”?
When Styles Go Out, Refining Comes In
Jewelry trends come and go, and occasionally a new vintage trend will crop up, but what do you do when the vintage chic wears off and that old jewelry just looks old? You could keep it in your jewelry box for 20 years, hoping the style comes back around. You could sell the piece, but the metals in your old jewelry might be more valuable than the piece itself. Just look at the historical prices of platinum. As prices crept back up in the early 2000s, you had the choice of selling your old, out-of-fashion platinum jewelry or recovering the value of the metal by having it refined. Sometimes, a piece of jewelry is less than the sum of its parts.
The Sustainable Choice
Refining old jewelry brings more benefits than just monetary value, however. When you sell your old jewelry to a refinery, that metal can be recycled and used to make new jewelry. Recycling precious metals means we’re not mining new metals, which in turn means less of the environmental harm that comes with mining. David H. Fell & Co. is committed to using our planet’s finite resources responsibly, which is why we are SCS certified for 100% recycled platinum, fine gold, fine silver, and sterling silver content.
If your piece is unique or holds a special value to you, keep it and cherish its meaning and personal importance forever. But for all of those pieces you just don’t see yourself wearing anymore—or can’t find a buyer for—refining may be an appealing option. Is it time to refine your style?
