Fine Jewelry was pretty specific, referring to such things as precious stone jewelry, diamonds, pearls, etc. Sterling silver and 14K gold were the most popular forms of metal, and if you wanted to upgrade, there was always platinum. A perfectly polished and faceted ruby, for example, was considered fine jewelry.
Costume jewelry, on the other hand, was a completely opposite concept. Costume jewelry was decidedly decorative, and nothing else. It consisted of glass or plastic components, fishing line as the wire that held everything together, and stretchy cord that lasted about four or five outfits.
Gemstone Jewelry - The New Cornerstone of the Fashion Industry
Today, there are many classifications for jewelry. Costume jewelry is still around, but more and more people are singling out specific types of jewelry in order to give it a separate category.
Take, for example, the ruby. As a simple, dirty stone that is picked up off the ground, it can appear to be rugged and plain. But once it is cut and polished, it can be sold to the highest bidder at a pretty reasonable price, and then sold at a ridiculously higher price. But what if you were to find a ruby, and instead of having it cut perfectly, then faced and then polished, you were to simply clean it up, round it out, and gently polish it to a soft luster? Then you may have a form of the ruby that is in a new league of gemstone.
Many stones are grown in labs and then sold to jewelry stores or supply stores for a smaller price than the naturally grown stones themselves. These are semi-precious stones, and are available for a less money on the market. In the generations past, if you were to purchase semi-precious, it was considered to be only because you could not afford the actual stone. In our generation, now, if you look closely, you will find that many people prefer the cultured stones to the real thing. They look the same, weigh almost the same and shine the same as the originals would have. The difference is, they cost less and the buyer can be more creative by purchasing two semi-precious necklaces for the price of one precious necklace.
