Relevance in today’s market

“Lower-karat gold absolutely has a place in today’s market,” says Amanda Gizzi, director of consumer communications for U.S.-based Jewelry Information Center (JIC). “Gold is always in demand and for those who want to buy, give, or receive gold but are on a tight budget, lower-karat jewellery is a good option.” Gizzi confides, though, she hasn’t noticed a big increase in the use of lower karats from the industry in the United States. Even with the increase of gold prices in the last decade, she has seen jewellers who typically design in 14-karat gold and above find other ways to keep their costs down. These methods include adding gold accents to sterling silver pieces and making lighter-weight designs.

As a component to two-metal fashion jewellery, though, Traimer says the lower cost appeals to those who want some gold and don’t mind that it’s in the form of nine-karat. “Silver is silver—it’s not gold,” she adds. “They say silver is the new gold and it’s very popular, but it looks different and it isn’t the same as gold.”

Sol Unger, owner of Toronto’s Act II Fine Jewellery, says he would carry nine-karat gold jewellery if he could find a supplier. Although the price of gold at the time of this article’s writing was below $1400 US an ounce (the lowest it’s been in two years), Unger doesn’t see that as a reason not to offer lower-karat jewellery. Market fluctuations are just that.

“It’s strictly a matter of price,” Unger says. “Gold prices go up and down all the time, but I know nine-karat would cost 10 per cent less than 10-karat, and that would make a difference for sales. We have no problem selling 10-karat, so we could sell nine-karat as well, as long as the two lines were different.”

Until recently, Unger presumed 10-karat gold was the lowest grade of gold available in Canada—that was until he stumbled across a nine-karat gold jewellery display at The Bay and inquired about it. He found out the line was imported from Europe, where nine-karat gold jewellery is quite common.

Traimer has noticed a different trend in the Canadian market, though. “Due to the increased price of gold, nine-karat is becoming more widely accepted, especially in high-fashion jewellery,” she says, adding a line of black diamonds set in sterling silver with nine-karat gold resonates with her clients.

Experts agree it would take a trained eye to be able to tell the difference between karats of gold just by looking at it. So if a jeweller decides to showcase beautiful designs in lower karats, can they get away with branding it in the same category as fine jewellery? Sesselmann thinks yes and echoes Smith’s words: ultimately the fineness of jewellery is in the design and the craftsmanship, not just the karat.

Could it be time for a nine-karat gold jewellery renaissance in your store? By weighing the pros and cons of showcasing this lower alloy, it’s up to you, the jeweller, to find out.

* For more information on stamping requirements, see the Precious Metal Marking Act and Precious Metal Marking Regulations.

Sara Duck has been bringing her passion for style and trends to the publishing world since 1999. Her work has graced the pages of top Canadian magazines, including Images, Weddingbells, and Fashion 18. Along with freelance writing, she is currently the managing editor of Home and Décor magazine.