For a long time I did like everyone: piling up little fashion pieces. €15 here, €25 there, a chain that blackens after three months, a ring that turns the finger green, you throw it out, you buy again. When I added up what it had cost me over a few years, I realised I'd kept nothing — not the pieces, not the money. Whereas with the same sum, I could have had a real gold piece that would still be here.
The calculation nobody does
Costume jewellery seems cheaper because each purchase is small. But look over time, in "cost per year":
| Costume piece | 18-carat gold chain | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~€20 | ~€250 |
| Lifespan | ~1 year (tarnishes, breaks) | 30 years and more |
| Over 30 years | ~€600 (renewed) | €250 once |
| Value at the end | €0 | resellable by gold weight |
Over thirty years, costume jewellery renewed each year costs you about €600 and you're left with nothing. The real chain costs you €250 once, you wear it the whole time, you can pass it on, and the day you resell it, the gold has kept (often gained) value. Cheaper, and something remains.
"Yes but €250 in one go, I can't"
That's the real obstacle, and it's legitimate. My answer: you don't buy a big piece in one go, you set aside. I put a small sum away each month, and as soon as I have enough, I buy a bit of gold — exactly like filling a piggy bank, except the piggy bank gains value. That's how I build up gold for my daughters, without ever taking out a big sum at once.
And for the first real piece, second-hand changes everything: a second-hand 18-carat chain costs you far less than the same one new, because you don't pay the big workmanship markup. That's what makes gold accessible even on a small budget.
Beware the false friend: 9-carat and plating
In trying to "move up" without spending too much, many fall into two traps disguised as gold:
- Gold plating: a thin layer of gold on another metal. It's still upgraded costume jewellery: it wears out eventually, and has no resale value.
- 9-carat: only 37.5% gold, sold "cheaper" but often more expensive per gram of real gold — I explain the scam here.
If you take the step towards real gold, you may as well do it properly: 18-carat minimum, that's what lasts and what keeps its value.
Eleven French second-hand 18-carat gold shops, normalised per gram — for your first real piece, without paying the new markup.
To wrap up
Costume jewellery isn't a tragedy — a fun fashion piece, why not. But if you realise you're rebuying the same things on a loop without keeping anything, do the calculation: the same sum, set aside then turned into a real second-hand 18-carat piece, leaves you at the end with a piece AND a value. It's the opposite of throwing your money away.
I'm telling you what I changed for myself. Make your own choices — but look at the cost over time, not the price of the day.
Sources / to go further:
- Calculate the fair price of a second-hand piece: OrOGramme article
- Why 18-carat: OrOGramme article
- The 9-carat scam: OrOGramme article