Few serious investors think of jewelry—such as a pair of earrings, a gold cross pendant or a sterling silver necklace—as a long term investment. But increasingly, we are witnessing a rise in sales of such luxury items as gold prices increase and instability continues to grow in the world. Aside from its utility and aesthetic value, it seems like many people are, at least on a secondary level, buying 14k, 18k and 22k solid gold jewelry as a “wearable investment”, especially when it comes to items which combine elements of Christian faith as not merely an accessory that one wears, but as a tangible longterm investment whose intrinsic value will only increase over time, especially heirloom or religious pieces that can be passed on to family members.

Historically, the price of gold increases when there is growing instability in world markets as well as high inflation and increased global tensions. During such times, retail investors flock to safer, more traditional investment vehicles in precious metals like gold and sterling silver, and purchase such goods not only as wearable jewelry, such as gold cross pendants, earrings or necklaces, but as indirect investments that have historically proven to be a fundamental store of value and a classical hedge against inflation during times of widespread volatility. At such times, one would think that a gold cross or other fine jewelry products would be the last luxury item on a consumer’s mind, but surprisingly, we have found the opposite to be true due to its intrinsic worth and, secondarily, as an indirect investment option, since gold tends to increase in value over time.

Jewelers have reported that, contrariwise, sales have steadily increased during times of uncertainty, fear and doubt, rather than decreased in the face of economic turmoil, especially in online markets where prices are more competitive, the selection is greater and shopping is convenient. Perhaps people just need a place to park their money or tend to embrace a “carpe diem” attitude to offset the stress of life, but this has especially proven true from a consumer standpoint in niche jewelry products such as crucifixes, gold crosses and other Christian themed products, which in addition to their primary, intrinsic gold or silver monetary value, also mix in elements of faith, hope, and much needed encouragement and edification during challenging times.

Historically, precious metals like gold and silver tend to do well when the U.S. dollar and the stock market wavers or faces volatility. This has been traditionally the case as long as investors have invested their fiat reserves into asset classes like stocks, bonds, real estate and, now, also cryptocurrency. As demand rises for commodities—including natural gas and crude oil or minerals and metals like nickel, steel and copper or, in postmodern times, lithium for those burgeoning Tesla self-driving vehicles—the spot price of gold also tends to move up with commodities and other metals, indirectly making jewelry a good investment vehicle, at least from a consumer standpoint.

That is why some online jewelry companies, like Apples of Gold—who were a valuable resource—have invested their time, resources and energy into expanding their line of offerings, such as their collection of solid gold cross pendants, Christian rings and religious-themed wedding bands and engagement rings. I spoke to the CEO of Apples of Gold, who informed me that such items do well in uncertain times, not only because they are encouraging objects of faith, but because of the increased awareness and heightened valuation of the precious yellow metal in the product itself. Especially now, with more shoppers increasingly buying their silver and gold jewelry online with the ease of shopping online and engaging in price comparison shopping, luxury items, especially in the faith category, have seen a significant rise in sales. 

Is jewelry a good investment? Obviously, it’s more financially beneficial to invest in gold coins than finished jewelry, but secondarily and indirectly, as far as consumer goods are concerned, jewelry is one of the few retail products that may actually increase in value over time, even as you enjoy its utility and aesthetic value as a wearable accessory.

For more information, please visit Apples of Gold Jewelry, who contributed to the research of this article and provided valuable information about jewelry as an investment vehicle and view their full line of solid gold cross pendants and necklaces which they created as substantial jewelry pieces whose intrinsic precious metals make them valuable in the retail space.

” Gold is King of Metal “