Just like Diamonds and Gemstones, Metal is the same way. The heavier the Mounting, the more Metal there is,
the more the price goes up. Which also says, Rings and Jewelry under $100 tend to be light-weight, fragile, and frail.
It all comes with a price to pay.
Something has to be sacrificed to get the cost down.
Here's a gift a lot of people over look when shopping for great inexpensive presents: Pearls! Pearl Studs, Pearl Earrings, Pearl Bracelets, Pearls are just great! Freshwater Pearls and some Cheaper Cultured Pearls Necklaces look wonderful and appear expensive! The New Chocolate Pearl Strand Necklace is HOT and Cheap! Pick it up!
Other wonderful gift ideas are Gold Hoop Earrings. You'll find tons and tons of these everywhere and they all work as great gifts. You can't go wrong with these, because Women love to change their Earrings just like they change their wardrobe. It's all about getting a New look! You have to accessorize!
Gold Bracelets and Chains may work as well. But the heavier the Chain, the more money you'll have to fork out. And if you're interested, look into 10kt Gold. 10kt is Cheaper than 14kt Gold because it contains less Gold and more Alloy. But you have to be careful at the same time, because some people are allergic to cheap alloys that are used in 10kt Gold. It could break them out in a rash. Most people tend to stick with 14kt Gold so they don't have those problems.
Watches are an awesome gift idea and one of the best. Watches are practical and everyone can use them. Seiko and Pulsar makes great Watches that sell for under $100 or less. (Plus a lot that sell for more!) And if you catch the Watches on sale... All the better!
For Men, things get a little bit trickier. Men wear bigger Rings and bigger Bracelets and Chains than Ladies do. For $100 Bucks, you ain't getting much. For a Man, Jewelry-wise, it's slim pickings.
Now, you will find some light-weight Men's Rings (Usually in 10kt Gold) for around $100. They may have Black Onyx or Cats-Eye or some cheaper Gemstones in them. But the Diamonds in these Rings are going to be very, very tiny, if not obsolete.
A better gift for a Man in a Jewelry Store would be a Watch, Cuff Links, Money Clip, Pocket Knife, (Like Swiss Army) Key Chain, Pen or Pencil Set, SwissCard (excellent), or even a Wallet!
Forget about buying a Gold Chain or Bracelet for a Man at this price range. All you'll get is a light weight, thin, hollow Necklace that will look too wimpy (Girly), or will snap and break within a couple of months!
Men's Chains need to be solid and thicker to withstand normal wear and tear. Men are rough on their Jewelry!
A couple more pointers about Jewelry Gifts under $100... Scope the Jewelry before you buy! Use a hand-held Jeweler's Loupe or Microscope and look the items over well. Cheap Jewelry is normally made cheaply. Sometimes the prongs will be bent or cracked or not even touching the stones. The Mountings may be too thin or dented. The Gems could be chipped. I've even seen some bad Jewelry that even had the stones set upside down in the mounting.
Look the Jewelry over good. $100 bucks is not much to spend on Jewelry, but it is a lot of money to throw away!
And if all else fails, you can always buy a Gift Certificate and let them have the fun of Jewelry Shopping themselves.
And if you still want better ideas... Skip Gold! Look into Sterling Silver (Pandora Bracelets are an awesome gift!), Tungsten, Titanium, Copper (Tarnishes also), or Stainless Steel instead. These other Metals work just as well, and will cost you much, much less than Gold does!
Jewelry may be expensive, but if you know what to look for, you can find some great gifts for under $100. Here are some great examples and pictures of Jewelry Items that ALL cost under $100! Enjoy and good luck hunting!
P.S. Follow Jewelry Secrets on Twitter and Facebook.
Copyright © 12-27-2008 Jewelry-Secrets.com
