If you are visiting the jewellery shops Nottinghamshire has available, chances are you are looking to purchase something special. But there are so many options out there, and the prices can vary wildly. It can be hard to know if you have a bargain piece to snap up or an overpriced option which you should walk away from. So, what affects the value of jewellery? Here are some of the factors that affect the price.
One factor is the metal that it is made of. Silver, gold and platinum are precious metals, and so they are valuable. Of these, silver is the least valuable, platinum is the most valuable and gold is in between. This affects the prices that you will see when visiting the jewellery shops Nottinghamshire has to offer. In general terms it is affected by the quantity that is available and how easy it is to mine. There is far more silver in the earth’s crust than gold or platinum, which is why it holds a lower price. There is actually more platinum than gold in the earth’s crust, but it is a lot harder to mine than gold, which is one reason why platinum is more expensive in the jewellery shops Nottinghamshire customers can visit.
Another factor is the purity of the metal. This does not affect silver, which is usually only sold as sterling silver in Britain (92.5% pure silver) or platinum which is sold at 95% purity. The remaining percentage are other metals which are used to affect the properties of the metal and make it suited to the type of jewellery. For gold, though, this is a bigger issue. 9 carat gold is 37.5% gold, with the rest being made of metals like silver, copper, zinc or palladium. 18 carat gold is 75% gold, and 22 carat gold is 91.6% gold. The higher the percentage of gold in the metal, the more valuable it is and the more the price will rise. You may have seen this when visiting the jewellery shops Nottinghamshire has to offer.
As well as the quality and type of metal, the weight of the metal and the amount of work involved affect the price. A piece could have less metal but require a lot more work and have a higher price than a piece that weighs more but is a far simpler design.
So when visiting jewellery shops, Nottinghamshire customers need to consider the value of the jewellery, whether they are shopping for rings, bracelets or necklaces. One way to check is to look at the hallmark. This is a stamp that is legally required on all precious metal jewellery over a certain weight, provided that the hallmark will not damage the design. Each jewellery shop Nottinghamshire customers can visit is required to have information to help you to read the hallmark and check what you are buying.
Why not visit the leading jewellery shop Nottinghamshire has to offer, Xibit Jewellery? Contact them today for expert help in picking the perfect piece of jewellery for your needs.
