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span class="inline inline-left">Bulgari Intarsio.Exquisite and timeless, beautiful jewelry is more than just a fashion statement — it holds an alluring investment value.

Jewelry has become a smart investment choice — you can wear it as often as you like and later you can sell it.

Jewelry has been a woman’s best friend for centuries, including for Tina, who has collected exquisite high jewelry pieces for eight years.

“I see jewelry as a heritage and my personal story that I can pass down through generations. For me it’s a priceless investment,” said the woman, who declined to reveal her personal details.

She said the most important rule when buying jewelry was to seek not only the most distinct design, but also the rarity of the gemstones as well as the story that inspired the piece.

“I love one of a kind and limited edition jewelry and of course, like any other woman, an exciting new collection that suits my style,” she says. “One of a kind jewelry with rare gemstones are really worth investing in.”

The Bulgari jewelry collector, who lost track of the number of pieces of jewelry in her collection, considered her recent high jewelry purchase from Bulgari as her most precious piece.

“I love how the precious gemstones complement the design really well. It’s now my true piece of love.”

The eyes of jewelry collectors are set on the big four — diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds — as treasured investments.

“Although other gemstones are also good for investment, many prefer to own all the big four gemstones first,” said Sumarni Paramita, director of the Adamas Gemological Laboratory of Indonesia.

Bulgari Serpenti.In a way, it’s like collecting luxurious branded bags — people start first with bag collections, black, brown or gray colors instead of fancy ones.

In the case of jewelry, it’s the big four, with diamond the most popular.

“It’s because both men and women can easily wear them. Moreover, when people get married, they tend to choose diamonds for their wedding rings. Diamonds are forever and can be worn for any occasion,” Sumarni says.

And the reason is simple: The values of diamonds remains constant and, unlike expensive handbags, will never turn into a secondhand object.

“If we get bored, we can always alter the diamond, for example, from a bracelet into a necklace.”

For investment purposes, Sumarni strongly recommends buying a solitaire diamond with a minimum of one-carat in weight. “The Solitaire is a loose diamond, but later on customers can put the diamond into an elegant piece of jewelry, be it with a classic or modern design.”

You can purchase these solitaire diamonds from well-known diamond suppliers or jewelry retail stores available in Jakarta. There are many types of solitaire diamond that suit the needs of any customer.

Sumarni advised to carefully observe the diamond’s clarity grade.

“Find a solitaire diamond that possesses a VVS1 or VVS2 [Very Very Slightly Included] clarity, which means it only has very minor inclusions. Thus, the diamond will be easier to resell in the future.”

In terms of diamond’s color, she suggested to go for F or G grade color that falls within colorless and near colorless categories, or in other words, make sure it’s not too white or too yellow. “Diamonds in the F and G color categories are affordable and high in demand, making them hot items and a lucrative investment in the long run.”

You should also check whether the diamond’s color is natural or has gone through a treatment process, especially for fancy colored diamonds.

Recently, she said fancy colored diamonds, such as pink, yellow, blue or green, had become a very good investment option, making it essential to know whether a diamond color was natural or not, as this greatly affected the price.

The price for a diamond is systematically calculated in the industry standard Rapaport Price List, which is the global benchmark for diamond prices. “This means, due to its stable price, the diamond is only beneficial for a long term investment, from at least five to ten years and above,” explained Sumarni.

The diamond certificate that is widely accepted in the global market comes from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). However, if you need to certify your diamonds, the Adamas Gemological Laboratory of Indonesia applies the exact standard test procedures from GIA.

“Most Adamas certificates for any gemstone — diamonds, colored gemstones and pearls are as valid as GIA certificates,” she says.

As the first and only independent gemological laboratory in Indonesia, Adamas Gemological Laboratory of Indonesia provides gemstones and jewelry appraisal services to help customers buy or sell high jewelry pieces. It also stays away from any gemstones or jewelry businesses.

Named as the king of gems, ruby places as the second most sought-after gemstones investment in Indonesia.

Typically for rubies and other colored gemstones, the gemstone’s place of origin can directly affect its value.

Sumarni said rubies from Myanmar were still the most prized, while those from Africa, especially Tanzania, had become increasingly popular.

“But the colored gemstone quality is still far more important than its place of origin,” she said.

Both emerald and sapphire are next on the list.

“Green emeralds from Columbia and Africa as well as blue sapphires from Sri Lanka are great preferences for most jewelry collectors,” Sumarni says.

Unlike diamonds, Sumarni pointed out it was more difficult to determine the color and clarity of colored gemstones, and that their value was based on a price range, with each gemstone type having a different range.

Today, there is hardly any natural pearl — 99 percent of the world’s pearls comprise of sea salt and freshwater cultured pearls.

Sumarni said to always go for pearls with a natural (non-treated) color with the least blemishes. Pearls do not draw their value from their place of origin. Instead, the price is rated depending on whether they are sea salt or freshwater cultured pearls as well as whether their color is natural or treated. “The most expensive type is the sea salt cultured pearl with a natural color,” she said.

An Italian jewelry powerhouse since 1884, Bulgari takes jewelry collecting seriously, offering its ultra exclusive high jewelry collection for select VVIP clienteles.

“For every jewelry piece embellished with distinctively rare gemstones, Bulgari only produces one item in the world,” said Karen Steffi Halim, operations manager of Bulgari Indonesia.

Due to its remarkable exclusivity, Bulgari’s high jewelry collection is only shown to a few privileged jewelry aficionados who are personally invited by Bulgari to attend a private viewing event.

For its annual regional high jewelry event, it invited several husband and wife couples from each country to view its newest and most precious collections. These VVIP couples are singled out based on their deep admiration and appreciation of the investment value held by a one of a kind high jewelry.

Last year, Singapore hosted the event and this year it will take place in Japan.

For the past two years, Bulgari Indonesia has flown two couples each year to the exclusive high jewelry event, which showcases up to 70 one of a kind high jewelry pieces. The selected VVIPs are given limited viewing slots to observe and reserve their most favorite jewelry.

“We don’t decide on a buyer according to the highest bidder rule, instead we choose the first client who shows the strongest commitment to purchase the preferred item,” said Karen.

Famed for its Italian passion and sense of excellence, Bulgari also offers stunning collections of medium to high jewelry in its stores, providing a good start for those interested in collecting and investing in jewelry.

“The Serpenti collection is our brand ambassador, which is inspired by the power and absolute beauty of the snake. Our newest items include the Serpenti 18 carat gold [kt] pink gold bracelet with a rubellite head and full pavé diamonds,” Karen says.

She also highlighted the Mediterranean Eden line, which she said was “inspired by Mediterranean gardens that consist of beautiful colors of nature”.

The line’s Sassi collection exudes a mixture of beautiful bold colored gemstones in pretty, feminine designs.

“The rare fancy colored sapphire is fabulously combined with other colored gemstones, such as amethyst, peridot, pink tourmaline, rubellite and topaz as well as pavé diamonds.”

The line’s Intarsio collection, with its striking design uniqueness, is inspired by Arabian archways.

“The sophisticated designs combined with top quality materials, such as the 18kt pink gold mother of pearl and pavé diamonds necklace, make the collection a great investment choice,” Karen says. “Ten years from now, they will become preferred vintage jewelry that has timeless appeal to many people.”