I am not averse to wandering around Hatton Garden to admire the beautiful jewellery on display. I couldn’t afford most of what is on offer because gemstones are so costly and the price of gold is not to be sneezed at either. In any case I often feel that most of the pieces I see are rather dated in style and would not be good partners for most of my clothes.

The Heist

Prices may even rise further, at least in Hatton Garden, as so many of the traders there lost a small fortune in the recent robbery at the safe deposit box vault. They will have to recover their losses somehow and you have to know that the customer will pay in the end.

Costume Jewellery

Actually I did have quite a lot of gold jewellery but when the gold prices reached record levels I thought that it was time to cash in as I rarely wore any of it. I turned instead to costume jewellery as I now prefer the more contemporary styling and artistic qualities offered by many of the ranges on the market. I remain fascinated by diamonds but for everyday wear crystal is a good substitute and still gives me plenty of sparkle.

I enjoy the range of colours and quirky designs in costume pieces and the affordable prices mean that it is possible to assemble a really good collection without breaking the bank. It isn’t such a disaster if I lose a piece either, which I do from time to time. I really struggle with earrings which seem to drop out of my ears with alarming regularity and I have a box full of odd ones which are no use to man or beast.

Carrie Elspeth

I have just invested in a few pieces from the Carrie Elspeth collection. Carrie and her team of talented craftsmen hand make every piece in their workshop in Wales. The necklaces and bracelets feature exciting and colourful beads sourced from across the world and there are some very striking and quirky pieces to choose from that are really fun to wear.

Amaro

For dramatic pieces you really can’t beat Amaro Jewellery which hails from Israel. It is a fabulous blend of exotic designs and colourful combinations of stones. There are several themed collections including Ocean and Pearl Jam which offer truly amazing pieces. The Amaro range is quite pricey but does feature natural and semi-precious stones and is nowhere near as costly as trying to achieve the same level of drama with rubies and emeralds. In fact it is probably possible to buy 10 pieces for the same price as just one gold and ruby necklace.

Jewellery is a very personal thing and everyone has different tastes but I can’t help thinking that most people could avoid the costly investment in precious metals and gems and find exactly what they are looking for in fashion ranges that won’t break the bank.  I for one would still like an enormous diamond though!

Article by Sally Stacey