The Top 10 Jewelry Investments for 2023
January 3, 2022 – Posted in: Jewelry BlogOver the last ten years, jewelry investments may have outperformed the US equities, New York real estate, and gold.
To explain, jewelry investing is more like fine art than real estate, for example. And if you’re in it for the long haul, there is real money to be made. It’s becoming common for serious investors to allocate some of their options toward investment-quality jewelry.
- Natural Saltwater Pearls
- Colored & Fancy Diamonds
- Rare Vintage Rings
- Signed Jewelry
- Kashmir Sapphires (Our Top Pick for 2023)
- Unheated Burma Rubies
- Gold and Platinum
- Type IIa Diamonds
- Antique Fabergé Jewelry
- Colombian Emeralds
If you want help and tips on investing in jewelry, scroll to the bottom and send a message to our jewelry investment experts.
Jewelry That’s Predicted to Perform in 2023 – The Ultimate List
Despite the movement in the markets, certain pieces of jewelry have a very promising future. The following article features the types of jewelry that should be on your radar in 2023 if you’re a serious jewelry investor.
Important Note: All investment opinions expressed in this article are based on the research and extended experience of our jewelry experts. The information here is intended as educational material and not official investment advice.
1. Natural Saltwater Pearls
One of our best investment options for 2021 and 2022 was natural saltwater pearl jewelry, and we believe that it will continue to grow in 2023.
Most of the investment value comes from the fact that these are almost impossible to find. The majority of natural saltwater pearls available to the market are more than one hundred years old. And they are usually featured in equally rare antique jewelry.
Consequently, the price of these pieces can go sky-high and will keep growing in the coming years. To put things in perspective, just 1 in 10,000 natural oysters yield a natural pearl good enough for jewelry.
What’s more, pearl diving is a dangerous craft that is almost never practiced anymore.
Ideally, you should opt for an antique natural saltwater pearl necklace, earrings, or bracelet. Ensure that it comes with the correct certification and that the specifications line up. It’s always best to consult with a jewelry expert before making the purchase.
Bonus Tip: Consider searching for an antique natural saltwater pearl piece that was created by a famous designer like Cartier or Van Cleef.
To learn more about investing in Natural Saltwater Pearls and to view our collection, click here.
2. Colored & Fancy Diamonds
To understand how color affects the price, you need to know a thing or two about color grading. According to GIA, white diamonds are graded on a scale from D to Z.
The D grading signals that the diamond is colorless “white,” and Z diamonds have a yellowish tint. The diamond’s value drops the more they appear to show color. But there is a catch.
The so-called “fancy diamonds” are colored and not graded on this scale. These are exceptionally rare and their ratios are much more similar to natural saltwater pearls.
GIA indicates that 1 in 10,000 diamonds has a desirable color. And the colors that attract the most attention are blue, red, pink, and green.
As a result, fancy diamonds have become one of the greatest jewelry investments.
For example, the famous CTF Pink Star has become the most expensive gemstone in the world in 2017. This mesmerizing pink diamond was sold in a Hong Kong auction for $71.2m.
Contact us to view our collection of investment-quality colored diamonds.
3. Rare Vintage Rings
Right off the bat, you won’t go wrong with period pieces. Rare vintage rings, as well as other types of vintage jewelry, are in high demand. At the same time, they fall into the most valuable category and the prices are growing.
“This is Money”, one of the UK’s top financial websites, draws from an Art Market Research report to reveal how much the market has gone up. As per the research, the prices of vintage jewelry have gone up 80% over the last 10 years.
But what are the things you should know when investing in a rare vintage ring?
First, Art Deco Jewelry seems to outperform other pieces. The style comes from France and appeared prior to the Great War. It prospered into the 1930s but was at its zenith between 1920 and 1930.
The pieces that fall into the golden years of Art Deco tend to be the most valuable. But you need to take this with a pinch of salt. Characteristics other than the era may drive the price up or down.
Assuming you’d like to invest in a rare diamond vintage ring, you need to pay close attention to the 4 Cs. Let’s take the Bayside ring from the Estate Diamond Jewelry collection as an example.
This exquisite piece sports a 4.29-carat diamond which is graded at VS2 clarity and K color. The platinum ring was handcrafted and fetches a price of $63,000 at the time of writing.
However, the pieces from the same period start at about $4,000. So there is room for novice investors who don’t have a small fortune to spend on a vintage ring.
Click here to view our entire collection of vintage rings.
4. Signed Designer Jewelry
A jewelry piece that is crafted by one of the top jewelry designers (such as Bvlgari, Van Cleef and Arpels, Buccellati, or Cartier) is a fantastic jewelry investment idea. There is, however, a few things that you’ll need to know before you invest in designer jewelry.
- Age. The vintage of the jewelry piece is one of the strongest factors when it comes to designer jewelry. The older the better. A Cartier Bracelet from the Art Deco Era will appreciate in value, year after year, like almost no other designer jewelry.
- Authenticity. You will want paperwork to prove the age and make of the designer jewelry. Alternatively, you will want a certification document from leading jewelry experts that the jewelry is as it should be.
- Level of Craftsmanship. Even the best jewelry houses have pieces that are good and pieces that aren’t. Before you invest in vintage designer jewelry, you will want to talk to an expert who can examine the piece to ensure that the craftsmanship is up to par.
- Desirability. You will want to consult with a jewelry expert to ensure that the signed vintage designer jewelry is desirable. The best investment pieces are the ones the collectors are clamoring to get their hands on.
To give you a better idea of how this works, it’s best to use Vintage VCA Alhambra necklaces as an example. About fifty years ago, VCA crafted one hundred of these necklaces. Each one has a number. Fast forward to today, if you were lucky enough to get your hands on one, you could more than ten times your money today.
Signed Art Deco Cartier Jewelry, for example, has an investment starting point of $30,000 but the value is appreciating at an extremely rapid pace each year. The finer Art Deco Cartier pieces (necklaces and bracelets) start at $250,000 for each piece, and some of these bracelets go for millions when they jump back into the market.
Contact us to view our collection of vintage designer jewelry.
5. Kashmir Sapphires
Many consider sapphires to be even more desirable than diamonds, and this is defiantely true in respect to their investment potential. Top gem-quality Kashmir sapphires have become one of the top investments in the jewelry industry this year.
Sapphires range in color from all shades of blue to orange and yellow. But the finest blue ones come from the Kashmir region in the Indian subcontinent. But this isn’t the end of the story.
There are a handful of collectors in the world that are trading in (cornflower and royal blue colored) gem-quality Kashmir Sapphires. These sapphires are considered the crème de la crème in the world of sapphire investors.
Due to their growing rarity, the investment ratio is one of the highest (if not the highest) in the jewelry world.
“The prices for Gem-Quality Kashmir Sapphires are now more than 20 times what they were in the 1980s,” says Michael Khordipour, one of the world’s leading experts on Kashmir Sapphires. “And it’s expected to continue rising.”
Michael Khordipour, of Estate Diamond Jewelry, is one of the top curators of Kashmir Sapphires in the world, and he’s watched the prices of Kashmir explode of the 40 years that he’s been in business.
Like most jewelry investments, you will want to talk with an Kashmir expert before making the purchase.
Learn more about how to invest in Kashmir Sapphires and view our private collection.
6. Unheated Burma Rubies
Similar to Kashmir Sapphires, Unheated Burmese rubies are one of the most promising investments at the moment. Of course, the rarer the ruby the higher the price.
The most valuable Burma Rubies are the vivid red, the color of which dealers dub “pigeon’s blood”. Regardless of the sinister name, color is the key factor when shopping for rubies.
These gemstones usually have inclusions. Therefore, you can get away with less clarity as long as the color fits the bill.
Additionally, you want to ensure that your Burma Ruby has not received any heat treatment. A proper certificate (or two) will help establish that as well.
So far so good, but what about the prices?
Christie’s has set the record carat rate for Burmese rubies in 2006 – more than $420,000.
In the last ten years, the prices for classic rubies have gone up dramatically.
Learn more about investing in Burma Rubies.
7. Precious Metals. Gold and Platinum Jewelry
At the onset of the new millennia, the price of gold was quite low – a bit more than $320 per ounce. In 2011, it had reached $1,802 per ounce and in August of 2020, it broke past $2000. Although there have been some ups and downs, the prices are now (January 2023) resting at approx $1,800.
However, platinum is much more volatile and currently follows bearish trends. With this in mind, this precious metal is prone to extreme spikes. Therefore, now might be the time to invest in this commodity or, at least, hold your position.
The main question is if these fluctuations affect the jewelry market.
Of course, they do, but the price of precious metal isn’t the only factor that dictates the value of the jewelry. And there are certain pointers that indicate platinum jewelry might be better than gold.
Take Art Deco pieces as an example. One of the signature features of this era is a combination of platinum and diamonds. And more importantly, sales show that this style has stood the test of time.
In conclusion, it’s hard to predict how the commodity is going to do as a whole, but ensuring that there is either platinum and gold in whatever jewelry you choose to invest in is always a very good idea.
Contact us to learn more about investing in Gold and Platinum jewelry.
8. Type IIa Diamonds
Aside from colorless and fancy color diamonds, the diamonds that have a Type IIa rating are likely to make you a profit. The reason for this is their rarity and purity.
About 2% of the world’s diamonds fall into this category and they are the most chemically pure. To be exact, they contain no or very little nitrogen, making them superior to other types. What’s more, it’s not uncommon for these gems to come with an interesting provenance.
Combine that with rarity and purity and you get the perfect investment opportunity. But there are some things you should know about Type II diamonds. They’re usually bigger than 1.0 carat which makes them even more expensive.
In addition, their estimated value is between 2% and 3% higher than other diamonds. Plus, GIA issues a separate certificate that attests to their exceptional purity. But what about the actual price?
For example, a diamond that weighs 5.50 carats and is of color D and IF clarity costs about $800,000. Add a Type II specification to that and you’ll be paying $25,000 more.
This puts the price of such a diamond at about $150,000 per carat. But then, when you factor in the cut and the maker’s mark, the valuation is likely to spike further.
Contact us to view our private collection of Type IIa Diamonds.
9. Antique Fabergé Jewelry
Fabergé is one of the most important names in European jewelry, and it’s been that way for close to 200 years. The most important families in Russia purchased from Fabergé.
Today, Fabergé remains one of the top jewelry investments, and like the Kashmir sapphire, appreciates in value year-to-year.
The catch with Fabergé, is unfortunetly, the number of forgeries that have saturated the market. The uncertainty in the market has made this investment way too risky of a venture for the average investor.
It is very important to invest in Fabergé only at the advice of a trusted and knowledgable jeweler.
Contact us to learn more about antique Fabergé jewelry.
10. No-Oil Colombian Emeralds
Natural untreated emeralds are one of the best investments of the year. Their prices are climbing and are expected to keep on growing.
This allows smaller investors to get in on the game, but there are a few things you should know before purchasing an emerald. Bigger stones sell better and can be much more valuable than smaller pieces.
For example, one 3-carat Colombian emerald can be 6 times more expensive than three 1-carat stones of the same quality and provenance. Speaking of which, Colombian emeralds are the most valuable, and they are a much better investment than stones from Brazil and Zambia.
In addition to size, color is the key factor that adds to the price. Also, tiny discrepancies in hue and saturation can add thousands to the price per carat. The color you should aim for is Colombian green with deep saturation and a faint dark tone.
Another very important factor is oil treatment. For a gem-quality emerald to truly be a proper investment, it needs to not have any oil treatments that artificially improve its appearance. In fact, you will want to make sure that you have a certificate certifying that the emerald has no oil treatment and that it comes from Colombia.
Learn more about investing in No Oil Colombian Emeralds.
Tips for Jewelry Investing
Every investment is a risk. There is no such thing as a 100% guarantee in the world of investing. However, there are ways to mitigate risk and keep your returns high. Here are the steps you should take.
Learn About the Jewelry Before Investing
The two most important steps for investing in jewelry are educating yourself on the topic and making trustworthy connections.
The internet is full of information on any jewelry topic. Read and keep reading. There is so much to learn about each jewelry topic. Of course, ensure you’re only reading information from reliable sources, written by certified jewelry experts.
Additionally, find a professional. It will be tough to navigate through all information and then determine what is worthwhile. A professional will help you.
There are two things that you want to ensure when looking for a professional:
- Knowledge. Make sure that they know the topic very well and that they’ve been in the industry long enough to understand the long-term fluctuations of the market.
- Trustworthiness. It is critical that your jewelry expert is trustworthy. Jewelry investments, like all investments, are a big decision. You will want to ensure that the jewelry expert is someone that you can rely on.
Use Patience and Time. Never Rush an Investment.
Yes, it’s easy to get emotionally involved and lose sight of the key features to look for. Jewelry is beautiful and a lot of pieces have a cool story that might drive up the price.
The rule is, you should never make an impulse purchase unless the piece checks out 100%. This means that you’ve determined that it is exactly what you think it is, comes from a reputable dealer, has verifying paperwork, and has a proper return policy.
Unless it ticks all the right boxes, it’s best to step back and do due diligence to ensure you’re making the right decision.
Secure Your Investment
Investment jewelry can’t be stored on your kitchen table. It should be stored in a bank safety deposit box, or at least in a home secure-safe. This is something you should especially consider if your jewelry portfolio exceeds five or six figures.
Also, ensure if you plan on wearing the jewelry piece, that it is securely connected to you, and that all the stones are secure.
You don’t want to lose your investment. This directly leads to the next tip on our list: Insurance!
Insurance. Very Important Tip.
Most insurance companies will be more than happy to offer you a policy against theft and damage. But things are a bit different when you want to protect your collection as an investment.
You might need to shop around a little before you find insurance to cover your jewelry portfolio. Plus, you need to figure out if future profits justify the price of the insurance.
Be that as it may, you’ll do just fine with theft and damage coverage. And you may lease a safety deposit box for further protection when your collection grows big enough.
Click here to learn more about jewelry insurance.
Find an Expert Jeweler
It’s safe to say that your jeweler is the key to mitigating risk. When your money and passion is in the right hands, it’s possible to make a significant chunk of change. But what makes a jeweler trustworthy?
Although there are no exact rules, certain factors make the jeweler outstanding.
Good Reviews. A trustworthy jeweler should have a clean online record. Type their name and do research. See what their previous customers have to say. Watch for mentions or shoutouts on high-profile websites. A genuine jeweler will have a solid reputation.
Transparency. A reputable jeweler doesn’t try to force you to buy based on emotion or personal guarantees. But rather, he or she presents you with hard evidence regarding a ring, necklace, or loose stone. And all this is supported by documents, certificates, and market data.
Services. A trustworthy jeweler offers a host of auxiliary services. The company usually provides yearly upkeep free of charge or with a minimal fee. If need be, the jeweler can offer secure shipping for your items and basic insurance.
But the biggest perk is that a trustworthy jeweler builds a long-standing relationship with you. The company becomes the go-to place whenever you want to invest, without thinking too much about it.
If you would like to develop a relationship with us (Estate Diamond Jewelry), please make an appointment to visit our New York Showroom. You can meet us and decide if we are the right fit for your jewelry investment needs. Alternatively, you can give us a phone call at (212) 265 3868.
Final Thoughts
When all is said and done, jewelry investing is complex because there are more than a few parameters that affect the value. But it’s possible to make substantial profits as long as you know what you’re doing.
And don’t forget; you’re not in it alone. Your jeweler is there to offer guidance, support, and insider tips to boost your portfolio.
Contact Us
If you want to invest in jewelry, please let us know, and we can help you get started.
You can also contact us and let us know if you would like to schedule a meeting at our New York showroom or a remote video meeting.
