The adventure began over a decade ago. Before that, the only accessories I wore were gold. Not only was this possibly wrong for my skin tone, but buying gold was a very expensive way to make a fashion statement! Finally forgoing the sometimes painful activity of looking for something in 14K gold that I could actually afford was very freeing!

Since that time, accessorizing in silver has become a real pleasure. No matter my current economic status I can always pick up a beautiful pair of silver cufflinks, a smart-looking tie tack or an attractive chain. Cost isn’t much of a factor, at least not yet. There are predictions that silver prices will someday go sky high, but I don’t think anyone really knows for sure. My advice? Buy as much of it as you can now just in case!

In these challenging economic times, I’ve noticed a profusion of ads professing to “turn your gold jewelry into cash.” How good an idea is this anyway? Well, when you sell gold jewelry for its scrap value, you will get quite a bit less than if you sell it as jewelry. When you think about it, your jewelry has aesthetic value far beyond the value of the gold it contains.

On the other hand, gold is continuing to go up in value, and I believe we will see some real surges upward in the months and years ahead. If you can, hold onto unwanted pieces of gold jewelry and wait for the moment when it may really be worth something.

I hate to see people forced into selling their heirloom pieces just to pay the bills. And when you think about it, that is a very short-term solution. Once all the jewelry is gone, then what? How much better to come up with a way to support your family and yourself without resorting to parting with beloved jewelry pieces.

If you haven’t been collecting gold jewelry in recent years, this may be one of your last chances to do so. It’s not in my nature to be an alarmist, but I want as many people as possible to own gold, and this is one of the ways to do it. This is my opinion, but I believe you should not, unless it is imperative for your very survival, turn in your gold jewelry for money right now.

There are predictions that gold will be out the roof, price-wise within a few more years, so hold onto it if you can! It may be a bit of a bumpy ride ahead, and gold and silver can be a buffer for possible hard times.

What do you think about wearing gold and silver jewelry at the same time? For a long time that was considered taboo, but in recent years more and more women have not only been wearing them side by side, but individual creations often combine the attributes of these two precious metals.

Although untraditional, I personally see nothing wrong with this trend. Since ancient times gold jewelry was enhanced by enamels and various gemstones. Why not use its “sister metal,” sterling silver, to add drama and depth to the design? Plus there’s that old adage of rules being created to be broken. In the world of jewelry making, there’s certainly a lot of that.

If you’re not comfortable with this, then stick to the “either or” rule, but be open-minded and observe what others may be wearing. I think you’ll be surprised by the number of women wearing them both.

It sounds crazy to think that one day sterling silver will more highly coveted than gold . Just a few years ago a friend of mine talked deprecatingly about this precious metal. There was so much of it, so many cheaply made silver earrings and pendants from overseas flooding the marketplace.

That may change someday. Why is gold more expensive? Like other commodities, the prices of precious metals are driven by supply and demand. If silver supplies run low, the price will have to increase. It sounds like an upside down proposition, but only because gold has always been the rarer of the two.

I think they are both beautiful, from an aesthetic point of view. In fact, many people prefer silver jewelry over gold. But value is a result of how much is around, and how good the marketing of it is.

Gold has long been reminiscent of the glory of the sun. It was a natural fit for the Incan ancients that worked with this lustrous metal, as well as the ancient Egyptians goldsmiths who created the stunning work that is still being unearthed.

It is so soft a metal and so malleable that it’s been said that one ounce of gold could be stretched to a thin wire 50 miles long. This must have been so inviting to primitive people with few tools. Much early gold work was hammered out, creating wonderful pieces of gold jewelry that astound us to this very day with their beauty.

The basic gold jewelry casting methods developed in ancient Egypt are still being used today!