Gold Jewelry

King Midas learned the hard way that the sight of own daughter immortalized in gold did little to sustain

the initial burst of happiness he experienced when he discovered everything he touched turned to gold.

But his story has done little, if not nil, to dampen the popularity of the precious metal.

The biggest threat to gold jewelry sprung during the early nineties. The world was obsessed with grunge music and Chuck Taylors. Silver and platinum became d' rigueur of the fashion elite and gold jewelry – like God and punks – was declared dead.

Gold jewelry has made a comeback since then. Blame it on hiphop and JLo but gold is back with the vengeance! The once considered fashion don't has reclaimed its throne and stands at the top of the fashion do list.

The clamor for gold has not been limited to jewelry. It's as if King Midas has risen from the pages of his fairytale books and relocated to China. Currently the markets of all corners of the world are drowning from

a flood of mass produced metallic/golden bags, belts, cloths and even makeup.

The allure of gold jewelry is very obvious. Its primary appeal stems from what it represents – wealth, luxury, power. Gold jewelry screams "I have arrived" or "I eat sushi at Sushi Roku". Never mind if the 24K necklace with the 12" inch pendant looks more appropriate on the wheels of your car than your neck, it’s gold!

Another reason for the popularity of gold jewelry is its beauty. Let's face it, we love shiny things. If it glitters we cannot help but go oooh and ahhh. To be fair, skilled artisans famous and unknown have crafted through the ages exquisite pieces of gold jewelry worthy of the necks and fingers of gods and goddesses. Yet it is undeniable that the initial burst of gleam from a gold piece in any form is enough to momentarily tantalize any person.

Gold jewelry is a legitimate investment. Regardless if the piece was bought from Tiffany's or an aunt who moonlights as a direct seller of jewelry, it does not decrease in value over time like electronic appliances which are rendered obsolete every six months. It serves as a ready source of cash in times of financial hardship. Gold jewelry can be easily pawned and converted to cash, no time is lost looking for a buyer and the hopes of redeeming the precious item and the memories attached to it remain alive as long as the item is under the custody of a legitimate pawnshop.

Gold jewelry is a status symbol. It is a thing of beauty, timeless and infinite. It is a thing of great value.

It is valuable in itself because of the metal's monetary value. It is valuable because it is the product of human labor; labor from the artisan who crafted it; labor from the person who worked hard to be able to afford it.