Regular readers of the blog will know that we’ve spoken about buying jewellery before. The actual process of going out and buying the items can be harder than you think, which is why we’ve spoken about tips to help you out in previous posts.
However, today’s post will focus on something slightly different. Instead of tips to help you buy jewellery, we’re going to look at ways to help you cut down on buying these items. Why? Well, let’s answer that question first, before jumping into the tips!
Why should you buy less jewellery?
Firstly, it can help you save a load of money if you cut down on the jewellery pieces you buy! Rings and necklaces can be expensive, particularly if you want to get good quality ones. In fact, it’s worse when you buy the cheap stuff because it’s so cheap you don’t think twice about buying loads. In the end, you’ve spent a mini fortune on small items that really don’t need to be purchased.
Nevertheless, the main reason to cut down on your jewellery purchases is the environment. It costs a lot of natural resources to make jewellery, so if everyone keeps buying loads of the stuff, it increases the demand to mine for precious gems and stones. Overall, this harms the environment and we should try to cut down – just like we should cut down on fast fashion.
How can you buy less jewellery?
You’ve seen the why, now for the how. How can you start buying fewer jewellery items? Well, it requires a great deal of mental fortitude, but it can be done. Here are some tips:
Focus on meaningful items
Instead of just buying anything to go with any outfit, focus on only buying a small handful of meaningful items of jewellery. Something like a pendant with a special stone in it or someone’s picture can mean so much to you. You can get some of the best Claddagh rings that symbolise love and togetherness, adding more sentimental value to the item. The idea is to purchase things that actually mean something to you. This way, you stop buying loads of small pieces that end up discarded in your jewellery box after wearing them once. Your meaningful items will stay with you for a long time!
Take care of your current items
A big reason people keep buying the same jewellery is that their old stuff breaks. You had a nice ring or set of earrings, but they slowly started becoming chipped and damaged. The earrings had pieces breaking, so you couldn’t wear them anymore. This type of thing happens all the time, meaning you have to go out and spend more money replacing the items.
Instead, you could just take better care of everything. As a general rule, stop wearing your jewellery in the shower. Even if it is technically safe to do so, water can damage most metals – especially cheap jewellery. The metal starts to corrode and peel off, leaving you with a damaged piece that needs to be replaced. Similarly, stop wearing things to bed. Earrings can definitely break while you sleep, so ensure you take things off and leave them in a safe place to avoid any damage. Therefore, everything lasts for longer and you don’t require constant replacements!
Invest in high-quality pieces
As with most fashion items you buy, it is often better to get expensive things than cheap things. Why? Well, as mentioned earlier, cheap things don’t last for a very long time. They’re easy to break and can deteriorate quicker than it takes you to recite the alphabet. So, what seems like a money-saving purchase ends up costing more because you’re constantly rebuying the same thing again and again.
You bought a £20 ring, but it barely lasts a few months of regular wear, so you end up buying another after half a year, then replacing it again after six more months. In five years, you may have spent close to £300 on cheap rings. If you spent this much on a good ring initially, you can almost guarantee it would last for years, possibly even decades. It can be daunting to buy expensive jewellery, but if the quality is there, it is definitely worth it.
We should all make more conscious decisions to reduce the jewellery we buy, slowing down the industry and saving the planet. It can be difficult, but these three tips show that it isn’t that hard to do if you are strong enough!