Fine Vs High jewellery

[Ceri]

I just wanted to ask other jewellers their opinion on the classing of high jewellery vs Fine jewellery. Increasingly I am frustrated when looking at comparisons in order to price work. A number of websites list Jewellery as fine if it is made with pure precious metals, some if it is 18ct gold or above and others seem to consider jewellery to be fine if it is made of vermeil or even plated (undescribed so probably base) metal.

I am also confused as to how these two terms are applied to gemstones. If a ruby or sapphire is diffusion heated and glass or borax filled, should it really be presented as 'a natural ruby' alongside natural rubies that show their flaws? Is there a particular standard of treatment (or lack thereof) that makes the difference between a commercial gem and a fine one? Does high jewellery or fine jewellery always sell with a certificate of providence or GIA or Anchorcert paperwork in order to prove it's credentials and do you as jewellers believe that it should? I am asking because I want to know if I am the only one who often feels like they are selling on an uneven playing field because I want to be completely honest with my customers. In an ideal world I would pay to have every gemstone I use certified in the same way that we hallmark metals but would customers pay the premium for that?

The final part of the question is, does design make a piece fine or high jewellery or manufacture? Is it still fine jewellery if it is mass produced or as a limited run as opposed to an individual piece?

Let me know if my thoughts are way off base or if there is any agreement because at the moment I feel like I'm on unstable ground!
Ceri.

[china]

Personally I don't believe there to be any classification that can determine a piece of jewellery to be fine or high or any thing else you want to call it I see it as a marketing tool to make claim that something is better than the opposition, re treated stones, I simply do not use them as I claim my items to be natural in my opinion treated is not natural, I do use doublets and always state this on the certificate which I supply with every piece I give away or sell.
I only supply a GIA or similar at a customer request and cost. I hope this has answered your query to some extent, would not be surprised if you receive a few different opinions.

[Aurarius]

I just wanted to ask other jewellers their opinion on the classing of high jewellery vs Fine jewellery.

I'm with china on that one. Fine, high - they're just words. You're free to call yours either or both or neither. No-one can legislate on the matter.

The final part of the question is, does design make a piece fine or high jewellery or manufacture?

Both, I'd say.

Is it still fine jewellery if it is mass produced or as a limited run as opposed to an individual piece?

Is a Rolls Royce mass produced/limited in its production or an individual piece? Is a Rolls Royce a fine car?

[Dennis]

It's up to the buyer to mistrust hype and find reliable sellers. I think the issue is dealt with exhaustively in these pages, particularly those from Jeweller Magazine: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Wh...MLGn8wf7jYGoDQ

Of course the seller can go too far. See the story of Ratners: https://www.businessblogshub.com/201...in-10-seconds/

Dennis.

[josef1]

I always think of fine jewellery as using 18ct gold and Platinum and higher quality stones and high jewellery as specially commissioned peices using the finest stones and materials.

[Ceri]

Thank you for your replies. I think that personally I have always thought of Fine and High jewellery in the same way as Josef1 so was a little perplexed by the multi jeweller sales websites that used a much wider definition. Having read the articles that Dennis linked, I can begin to see why there are differing opinions and how the definition became diluted, especially in times of financial hardship when gold prices rocketed so I can see now that (as China and Aurarius both make the point) the definitions have become almost meaningless and are now merely marketing ploys to raise prices. I had become fixated and was spiralling in confusion as to where my work fell in the scheme of things...Thanks again.

[metalsmith]

Natural stones are not synthetic, but found or mined from the groundd. They may then go on to be treated, heated, filled.
There is a trade-off between gems that are imperfect and unenhanced in anyway v enhanced and apparently perfect.

When I came to examine possibly treating some ruby that was imperfect but untreated I found that filling would render the gem significantly lower in value.

[Gemsetterchris]

High end work as James points out is the very best materials & workmanship, fine is good quality materials but not necessarily made all that we'll such as a lot of high St stuff...which also sell not so fine stuff followed by junk.
Just do your things best you can & let customers gush over them if they want to....forget everything else.

[Goldsmith]

Here is a piece of what I regard as high end jewellery, I made this 18ct. gold brooch set with diamonds, 20 years ago for Kutchinsky, not my stone setting though.



James

[Gemsetterchris]

Here is a piece of what I regard as high end jewellery, I made this 18ct. gold brooch set with diamonds, 20 years ago for Kutchinsky, not my stone setting though.



James

Nice to see "old school" pave for a change...just did these this morning and they required zero skill in comparison.