Whats normal: How often do you commission a piece?

[theredspinel]

Or buy a ready made piece of jewellry? Is there any normal?

I know ps'ers are obviously more into jewellery then the general public (that's why we're all here) but even amongst us here I wonder what's the "norm"?

Is comissioning 3 or 4 pieces of solid gold jewellry (say 18k) per year, ott? By any moral standards??

I know it's all dependant upon our incomes and dsposable cash and it's really no one elses business how we spend our money lol but just for discussions sake... anyone have any opinions?

Do you feel bad? Do you judge yourself? Do you judge others? Do you not care?

If I could... I would have no limit on the number of pieces I commission at any given time.... does that make me selfish to an extent? Extravegant? Greedy? Bad??

 

[chrono]

I only buy ready-made gold pieces, but I typically get these in Asia because high karat gold is inexpensive there, paying mostly the current gold price with a token sum for the labour. The only items I commission are custom settings for very special coloured gemstones, otherwise I don't mind buying a secondhand setting.

I don't judge others because it's their money and they can choose to spend it however they like. I usually commission 1 piece per year, if I am able to find the right design.

 

[Arcadian]

When gold was cheap, plenty! Nowadays not so much and possibly not a while considering we're buying and selling another house (at the same time...gahhhhh~~ )

No judgement on the people that buy pieces more than a few times a year as they have different priorities than mine. Whatever the case is that they can or can't, its not really my business unless they choose to air it. I just sit back and enjoy the pretty pictures when they do

 

[theredspinel]

Arcadian was gold ever cheap? Wow wish I'd seen that

Chrono, I hear you on the high karet gold buying abroad. I still have some internal.. let's say unrest at buying gemstones (and having them set) when I think of the amount of 22k+ gold I could have gotten with the same money.... and the fact that you know you can sell gold at decent value whenever you'd need to... bit of an internal dilemma for me.

Anyone else feel the guilt of wanting to or following through with getting multiple pieces?

 

[Arcadian]

Yeah it was probably 2009 +/- a few years. During that time you could get some pretty nice ready made settings for under 200 bucks. But of course good things must come to an end..... The last cast piece I purchased before BE set my anniversary ring cost me around 300 dollars. I had it made in 18K about 1/2 ct diamonds in there, double halo. These days you would be hard pressed to find that price anywhere on the same piece.

Good times

 

[OTL]

I buy ready to wear jewelry all the time with no guilt! And I commission several pieces at once not per year :p
Probably because I've spent a few years collecting so now mainly focusing on setting them. Unless it's a stone I must have! (Although still a lot of items on the list) but it's not easy to find them so setting the ones I have is an easier job!
Sometimes the best stone comes with a setting, so why not ready to wear?

 

[OTL]

This fire opal is a pre loved piece from Japan. I had the ring repolished resized and cleaned. Looks new! I can never find another loose opal like this.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I don`t care much about "normal". If it makes you happy, hurts no one and you can afford it, why not? So, no, it doesn't make you greedy, immoral or bad.

If you were spending money on travel, books or fine restaurants and wines, would you be questioning yourself? Or is it only because jewelry is seen as frivolous and useless?

 

[theredspinel]

If you were spending money on travel, books or fine restaurants and wines, would you be questioning yourself? Or is it only because jewelry is seen as frivolous and useless?

It's exactly that. I don't like feeling this way I just.... can't help it!

OTL what a gorgeous fire opal! And with poc!

 

[royalstarrynight]

I don't think there is a norm even on PS. We all take hiatuses. We all have binges!

I haven't set anything in 3 years and the last setting was $150 in argentium silver.

There is nothing amoral as long as you're financially responsible. aka not going into debt or putting yourself at risk. Do whatever makes you happy!

My next setting will def exceed $150 and I don't feel guilty about it. I've saved 3 years for it. I don't judge people for what they spend. It's more eye candy for me anyways. We all have different walks in life.

In some ways, I'd like to be able to set an unlimited number of items. In others, I like being thoughtful about what I set. It makes the piece more meaningful. I only have so many fingers, wrists, neck and ears to adorn.

 

[kenny]

Normal?

The most normal restaurant to go to is McDonald's.
The most normal amount to watch TV is 5 hours a day.
The most normal body size is obese.

Why ask what's normal?
Ask what's better, and why.

 

[lilmosun]

My guilt isn't how often/much so much as how many rings I can justify owning. I often want to start a survey on how many rings PSers own but I'm afraid the results would suggest I have waaaay tooo many (especially since I primarily only wear them on my ring fingers -- although I do change them up daily).

Before PS, I only bought finished pieces. Then PS got me hooked on colored stones. I mostly bought small ones and set them in inexpensive settings -- bought a bunch of 18kt gold settings from a jeweler that was retiring, bought some preloved and would rummage through my jewelers scrap gold box. Then just over a year ago, I started my first custom piece with Yvonne which resulted in a paraiba cab with hauynites in her camellia setting. Since then, I've been hooked on coming up with projects with her...we'll line up a few and then spread them out to keep it budget friendly.

Sometimes I think I stop feeding my habit in small continuous doses and instead occasionally save to splurge on something big. But I feel withdrawal pains when I don't have something new or on its way (seeing posts here don't help). On a similar note, I was never any good at dieting either.

 

[mochiko42]

I definitely go through phases. Usually I like to cluster projects together then go for a while without purchasing anything. At the moment I'm mostly buying finished pearl pieces (winding down now after six months of continuous acquisitions) and working on one final project (2ct emerald!) with Yvonne. Then I'm really, really done for the year. Although in the past year or so I feel I've become more thoughtful in my projects and narrowed them to classic items that are on my dream wishlist.

So it seems like a lot but over the long run I think it's averages. I didn't really wear any jewelry at all for the first 10 years I was working so now I'm making up for lost time. PS definitely doesn't help if you're trying to slow down!

It helps that my husband and I are DINKs and our only debt is a home loan. Most of our discretionary spending money goes to eating out (can easily spend $100 on a weeknight dinner for two, we also like to try Michelin-starred places), (a lot of) travel, investing in startups that interest us (my husband's hobby), and my jewelry projects. I think we are typical Millennials in that happiness and enjoyment of life is as important to us as having a solid financial cushion. We try our best to balance both.