| Page 2 of 2 < |
For Shoppers, Price of Gold Not Worth Its Weight
TOOLBOX   Resize
 Save/Share +
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
|
I. Gorman has carried stainless steel jewelry by Austrian designer Humphrey for several years. But customers have expressed more interest in the collection recently because of the rising cost of metal, said Adam Gorman, one of the store's owners.
The clients most affected tend to be young couples seeking engagement rings or wedding bands, he said. Platinum and gold remain the most requested metals -- until they see the price.
Gorman said he gently suggests alternatives such as palladium and titanium for significant cost savings. A $3,000 platinum wedding band would cost about $2,000 in white gold. In palladium, it would run about $1,500, and titanium would set a customer back only a few hundred dollars.
"They can see there's very little difference" between some of the metals, Gorman said. "You're not really sacrificing quality."
For some people, however, no compromise is acceptable. Take Noah Cuttler, 29, of the District. He met his true love, Garen Singer, 28, about a year and a half ago during Yom Kippur service at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Cleveland Park. They have dated ever since, and Cuttler decided two months ago he was ready to pop the question.
Through his friends, he found an independent dealer in Maryland who helped school him in the four C's of diamond buying -- cut, clarity, color and, of course, carat. But Cuttler had little idea that the band would be just as important.
He knew platinum was the metal of choice, but there were white gold and yellow gold to consider. His dealer urged him not to go down that road.
"He wouldn't even show me gold because of the pricing on it now," Cuttler said.
He thought about buying a loose diamond and getting the band elsewhere to save money. He even walked into Tiny Jewel Box, but walked out after seeing the prices.
The bands "were so small, I couldn't imagine what would sit on it," Cuttler said. "And they were more than I ever wanted to spend."
Finally, he pulled out his credit card and charged $1,000 for a platinum band from his dealer and several thousand dollars more for a 1.3-carat diamond. He plans to propose after she reads this article.
"I know she'll be happy with whatever, but at the same time . . . it's supposed to be for a lifetime," he said.
