Is Yellow Gold out of style?

[kenny]

I told a friend I was thinking of getting a ring.
He said, "Whatever you do don't get yellow gold!"

This guy is a cutting edge financial planner in New York City.
Very stylish, sucessful, classy guy.
He and his wife dress to kill and have a Bosendorfer piano (which he took a year off to dedicate to play and study), and a huge apartment in NY that is very tastefully decorated, (which means mostly empty).
They are in the know.

Is yellow gold really out of style now?

If so, what is the cycle time of these things that go in and out of style?
20 years?
30 years?

When did yellow gold's popularity last peak?
1970s?
1980s?

 

[aljdewey]

It''s been far more trendy in the last 5-10 years to go platinum, but I really think it''s important to get what she will wear.

I didn''t want platinum. Everything else I have is yellow gold, and I prefer it with my skin tone. I couldn''t care less what''s "trendy" or what everyone else thinks is the "it" thing. I don''t let other people define my style.

I wanted platinum around the prongs to keep white metal next to the stones, but the shanks of my ring are 18K yellow gold, and I wouldn''t change them.

 

[portoar]

I love yellow gold. Who cares what''s in style today? How does YG look next to your skin compared to WG or Platinum? It''s what you like and how it looks on you that matters . . .

 

[kenny]

I'm with you guys; I think everyone should buy what they like.
I'm all for diversity and respecting choice.
I am not a follower of the crowd and this guy's opinion doesn't really sway me.
Actually it really took my by surprise and got me thinking.

So, I'm curious.
If you went into a typical jewelry store today what percentage of the rings are YG?
Is it a lower percentage than 10 years ago?
20 years ago?

When was the percentage of YG sales highest?

Or a vendor here can comment of how their sales of YG has changed percent-wise over the last 20 years.

 

[Lorelei]

I don''t worry about what is popular so much, but I love yellow gold and most of my jewelry has it. If you like it, try it and don''t worry about what other folk think - they might follow suit if enough people choose it again! I did read recently that it is coming back into style. I would think in England it has stayed quite popular. Funny you brought this up, we were discussing this on the how not to buy an engagement ring thread!

 

[flutterby]

Yellow gold has definately decreased in popularity. I would never want a yellow gold engagement ring. If you go into any jewelery store in any large city you will see almost 80% platinum and white gold jewelery. The same goes for bridal magazines, I''m not sure if I have ever seen a white gold ring there. HOWEVER, what is popular, and in style doesnt go along with everyones tastes. My mother for example loves yellow gold, LOVES it, doesnt wear any white gold she says it washes her out. It is definately a matter of preference. Look at the jewelry your girlfriend wears. Her earings and necklaces if they are all yellow gold, who cares what is in style, get her what she will like. Just my 2 cents....

 

[widget]

I love the lush, warm, almost organic look of yellow gold.

That being said, white metals definitely seem to be in style now...

One thing for sure: styles change. In time gold will be "hot" again!

widget

 

[AGBF]

Hi, Kenny-

Well...I am going to be the dissenting voice. Yellow gold is, in my opinion, currently on the cutting edge of jewelry fashion (as opposed to financial planning). High karat yellow gold jewelry is becoming absolutely the item to own. Gurhan and Yossi Harari are among my favorite designers. I know that on Gurhan's website one can see photos of Meryl Streep, Gwen Stefani, Katie Couric, Angelina Jolie, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera in yellow gold. Especially in hammered 24K yellow gold earrings and bangles, but also with rings to match. I will post a link to a thread about gold in Jewelry Pieces which shows some of the styles one can currently find.

Your friend is just not quite up to date. A year ago, I do not think there was this much excitement about yellow gold.

Deborah, your affianced wife

 

[VegasAngel]

For me, I won''t pay for platinum. I do prefer white gold over yellow gold because of my skin tone. Yellow gold has been around forever & I dont think it will ever go "Out of style" metal type is a preference more than anything else. Buy/wear whatever you like!

 

[E B]

I think yellow gold is beautiful. I prefer the white metals (and always have), but I''ve seen some killer YG pieces on women with beautiful skin tones. It''s just about what you prefer. Besides, things go in and out of style all the time. It''s due for a "comeback" anytime soon.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/31/2005 11:26:38 AM
Author: AGBF
I will post a link to a thread about gold in Jewelry Pieces which shows some of the styles one can currently find.

Here you go. Give this thread a whirl, then speak to your friend!

Yellow Gold

Deb

 

[widget]

Author: AGBF
Yellow gold is, in my opinion, currently on the cutting edge of jewelry fashion High karat yellow gold jewelry is becomeing absolutely the item to own.

I think you''re right, Deb...If you look at high-end international jewelry magazines (especially those Italians!) high-karat gold is all over the place.

But for engagement rings, and most diamond jewelry (in the US, anyway) I think white metals are way more popular. Maybe it''s because of the current popularity of Deco style...

widget

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/31/2005 11:59:37 AM
Author: widget

I think you're right, Deb...If you look at high-end international jewelry magazines (especially those Italians!) high-karat gold is all over the place.

But for engagement rings, and most diamond jewelry (in the US, anyway) I think white metals are way more popular. Maybe it's because of the current popularity of Deco style...

We'll have to wait and see about engagment rings! The more stones Gurhan and Yossi Harari put onto celebrity fingers in 24K gold, the more those rings will become what people want! Everyone now has seen the Art Deco rings. I think they have had it. By that, I mean that they have already peaked in popularity and can only become less popular.

As you know, I am planning to set a diamond in 24K yellow gold to match a Gurhan ring...and I can post more photos of diamonds set in 24K and 22K yellow settings similar to that one that are being shown by cutting edge jewelry designers.

In the meantime, take a look at Yossi Harari's website to see who is wearing yellow gold and where it is being advertized and sold! Bergdorf's and Neiman Marcus have a lot of high karat (19K-24K) yellow gold jewelry for sale!

Yossi Harari

Deb

 

[MissAva]

I dont think the color of a life long piece of jewelry should be based on trends, the hardware on your purse sure, but and e-ring or diamond studs, no.
What ever is popular at the moment if five to ten years will be out. That way designers can say they have a new a diffrent outlook and even remake the same things in a diffrent color and charge more. You would think someone with an economic background would get that.... jewelry is a business just like any other.

 

[Daniel B]

It is def. a trend today with the younger crowd. I WANTED to get my GF a yellow gold ring, but she insists on a white gold one. After some time, she has convinced me that it looks better. Oh well

. I dont recall if it was said on here or not, but somebody said '' The only people who wear yellow gold are either 40 year old Jersey women and trailer trash??? Pretty offensive- but there you have it.

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 10/31/2005 11:59:37 AM
Author: widget

Author: AGBF
Yellow gold is, in my opinion, currently on the cutting edge of jewelry fashion High karat yellow gold jewelry is becomeing absolutely the item to own.

I think you''re right, Deb...If you look at high-end international jewelry magazines (especially those Italians!) high-karat gold is all over the place.

But for engagement rings, and most diamond jewelry (in the US, anyway) I think white metals are way more popular. Maybe it''s because of the current popularity of Deco style...

widget

I agree. In other parts of the world, yellow gold is the ONLY thing to wear. My parents travel often to the middle east--places like Syria and Lebanon--and in those places, all the jewelers and artisans are working with only 18 or 24 karat gold. The pieces they are making are beautiful. They can do some amazing stuff with filigree and for me, it seems like it looks like it SHOULD be in yellow gold rather than other metals.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/31/2005 12:45:29 PM
Author: Daniel B
I dont recall if it was said on here or not, but somebody said ' The only people who wear yellow gold are either 40 year old Jersey women and trailer trash??? Pretty offensive- but there you have it.

The question is: what do you have there? An informed opinion by someone following jewelry trends or the opinion of someone who is...uh...somewhat less informed?

Deb

 

[valeria101]

There seems to be more yellow gold with diamonds in modernistic designs (tension settings and the like). And even more in fashion jewelry - like Windowshopper says.

But diamonds have been set in white metal (thinking of whatever part of the setting gets next to them - prongs, bezels...) for even longer than the use of platinum and white gold in jewelry. I really don''t think this part of the equation is going to change.

Otherwise, well, it may be easier to find nicer designs in white juts because platinum is more expensive and has acquired this reputation etc. But there isn''t any shortage of beautiful things in gold, either white of yellow. They''ve never been ''out''.

If someone has only 5 minutes to find out what jewelry is fashionable and looks at the overall color of the stands in a jewelry shop - they could conclude ''white''. But that''s the only excuse, IMO.

 

[mepearl53]

Date: 10/31/2005 11:10:02 AM
Author: kenny
I''m with you guys; I think everyone should buy what they like.
I''m all for diversity and respecting choice.
I am not a follower of the crowd and this guy''s opinion doesn''t really sway me.
Actually it really took my by surprise and got me thinking.

So, I''m curious.
If you went into a typical jewelry store today what percentage of the rings are YG?
Is it a lower percentage than 10 years ago?
20 years ago?

When was the percentage of YG sales highest?

Or a vendor here can comment of how their sales of YG has changed percent-wise over the last 20 years.

I also agree that one should wear what one likes best. Going back 100 years white metals were the metal of choice up until the late 1930''s. Then yellow and rose gold became strong and platinum became a strategic metal to the government. Then in the 50''s white metal came back then died again in the mid 70''s. Gold dominated until the mid 90''s then white took over. Seems like a generational phenonium. Mom had yellow daughter had white. Same thing with diamond shapes.

Our inventory is 90% white but rose and yellow are starting to some what come back but not much. 10 to 20 years ago the inventory was primarily yellow. The 80''s were the best years for yellow gold sales.

 

[Brando]

Thought I'd mention something funny. When I went in to get the setting made for my Girlfriend I told them yellow gold. Then I stood there and watched the lady write down WHITE gold on the order form. When I pointed it out she laughed and said that she is so used to writting white gold that she doesn't even think about it. Everything I see is white or platinum so I'm lucky my girlfriend likes yellow gold. I think it's more traditional and well honestly it's cheaper because it's not so popular right now. I got to spend more on the rock.

Also on a side note there's a whole cultural thing about gold too. My girlfriend was showing her ring to ladies at work and everyone thought it was beautiful.... except for one lady who was from India. She just wanted to know how many karats the gold was. My fiance went and asked her about it later and was told that in their culture, it's the gold that's important so she was more interested in that.

 

[E B]

Oh, and another thing: my boyfriend only wants yellow gold for his wedding ring. No platinum, no white gold, no diamonds. It''s classic.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/31/2005 1:03:56 PM
Author: mepearl53
Going back 100 years white metals were the metal of choice up until the late 1930's. Then yellow and rose gold became strong and platinum became a strategic metal to the government. Then in the 50's white metal came back then died again in the mid 70's. Gold dominated until the mid 90's then white took over. Seems like a generational phenonium. Mom had yellow daughter had white. Same thing with diamond shapes.

In other words, whatever you buy now because it is fashionable will be unfashionable (and possibly worn only by women in their 40's-like YOU) in 10-15 years!

Deb

 

[recran]

I swear I remember reading recently that well over 50% of ering setting sales were still YG. A friend of mine who got engaged last year and married this year got a YG ering and band. Looks great!

Personally, I think that the metal of choice depends on the stone and the setting. I think emeralds look best in YG and diamonds generally look better in WG/P.

That said, here''s an article I dug up about the "comeback" of YG:
http://www.themonitor.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=9657&Section=Valley%20Life

 

[NorthFace51]

Back on-line due to popular demand. Coming up with the metal for the ring, like anything apparently, relies on a variety of factors: what she wants, what you are willing to pay, and I don''t think this was mentioned, but the way it looks with your particular diamond, namely the cut. My mother''s ring, as well as other women her age generally have yellow gold rings while most of my friends and I have platinum. My fiancee wanted platinum and it was platinum she was going to get. It is trendy right now but I like the weight that goes with it as well as platinum being more rare than gold (not in rings but in world supply). Also, I have seen different cuts that look better with different metals. Just something to consider.

 

[Kaleigh]

I think it''s coming back big time. I used to wear yellow gold but prefer white gold with my skin tone. I say wear what you like.

 

[widget]

Hee hee...I have some yg pieces that I was thinking about having rhodium plated.

After reading this, I think I''ll just wait. They''ll be PERFECT for my grandchildren!

widget

 

[JohnQuixote]

We get much more call for plat/white than we do for yellow at this time. Rhodium plating is common (not for yellow gold - the point is to prevent nickel allergy by plating white gold). We make palladium WG too - we started doing this recently and are having good experience with the results.

Here's another angle. Lesley, our Director of Sales, has a gorgeous yellow setting with a platinum mount. Bob, who has been in the business for several decades, wears a two-tone mens band that remains his favorite. I wanted to ask what people here think of two-tone settings and bands.

If Ana is reading this, perhaps she has examples of two-tone pieces that are classy/elegant she can post?

As some have commented, it would be funny in 20 or 30 years to dig up this thread and compare it to what's popular then. By then we may have 'VR Pricescope...' We'll put on goggles and gloves, have virtual lunch with each other and compare our fully-rendered bling.

 

[jcrow]

like someone wrote previously, i think it all goes in stages. rose gold was once the it metal, so was platinum...and then YG. now it seems everyone has platinum or WG.

i find this as a dilema myself. all of the real jewelry i have used to be my mom''s. it''s all yellow gold. i think i am planning to get WG for an e-ring, but then i won''t really have any other real stuff to wear with it- unless i want to mix colors...

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/31/2005 1:43:13 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
If Ana is reading this, perhaps she has examples of two-tone pieces that are classy/elegant she can post?

...and is Ana the only person who might own two-toned jewelry?

Deb, deeply offended

(Make that, "gravely offended and deeply wounded". I like that better.)

 

[dimonbob]

My ring is a platinum band with 18kt yellow gold accents. I also have an 18kt "royal yellow" gold ring with a one carat ruby, matching half carat Tsavorites and several little ideal cut diamonds.

Back in the 50''s pink or rose gold was very "in". I few years ago WF made a platinum and pink gold ring for a customer to match his pink gold Rolex watch.

Wear what you like and if someone else does not like it, that is their problem.