Last night I watched QVC television for about a half an hour. The program airing was “Gold Rush.” The items being sold were 14k – 18k gold and diamond bracelets, necklaces, rings, and watches. Even though some of the jewelry was pretty common looking—Byzantine chains, for example—I wanted to buy nearly one of everything because the prices were dynamite!

An item I liked was a wide concave gold band with a little bit of diamond pave for $150. That’s a small price for a big look, in 14k gold no less. Not bad. Next, 14k gold watches with crocodile-embossed leather straps were offered at prices around $300. It was made in Italy, and a representative from the manufacturer was present and discussed how the watches were made.

I think QVC offers great values and looks to people with “real-income salaries.” Last year on a private tour of the QVC Studios in Pennsylvania, I bought several hundred dollars worth of Ann King sterling and 18k gold pieces in the gift shop. I felt like I was getting a great value for the jewelry I bought. And I’ve gotten tons of compliments on the pieces.

Now I periodically cruise the QVC web site to see what other jewelry deals it has—and it has a lot! For example, a Tiger’s Eye, Citrine, and sterling bracelet from Judith Ripka is super cute, and offers a big look for a modest sum ($142). And her rings (32 of them) range in price from $36 – $168, what deals! And they’re SO cute! These items are made in Thailand, but they couldn’t be made in America for those prices.

I realize the typical independent jeweler can’t possibly offer this type of merchandise at these prices because QVC buys in such bulk, but there’s got to be a jewelry-store equivalent of QVC (or Banana Republic as Hedda says)—great merchandise and affordable prices. Perhaps this is a topic for a future article in JCK Magazine; reader, do you want us to research this topic and offer you some solutions?

JCK