Our fascination with gold is about as old as the history of mankind. We are inherently captivated by the metal; just ask any infant who instinctively grabs their mother’s gold earrings or necklace. Gold flakes have been found in Paleolithic caves dated from 40,000 B.C., and the metal played an important role in ancient Egypt. Later, gold became synonymous with money and, in 1792, it was still being traded as legal tender in the U.S. Cut to modern times—well, 1971, specifically—when President Richard Nixon ended the Bretton Woods system, which allowed gold to be freely traded. Since then, the price of gold has gone up and down more times than a rollercoaster. However, gold will always be thought of as a good investment, and that will remain a constant.
Yellow gold had been trailing white gold for years but has started to gain popularity in fashion-forward regions of the country such as New York and Los Angeles. Today, a surge in sales of the metal in all regions in both the United States and Canada signifies that the hold white gold had on the industry for years has finally been upended. What’s more, yellow gold is showing no signs of slowing down, even though the price per ounce is creeping up.
The price of gold currently has been fluctuating between $1,800 and $1,900 an ounce. At press time, it’s $1,838 an ounce. The rise can be attributed to tensions between the U.S. and Iran and the coronavirus, as investors fled so-called risk assets. However, the demand for gold continues to shine. According to the World Gold Council, gold had its best performance in 2019, rising by 18.4% in U.S. dollars. Gold prices reached record highs in almost all major world currencies last year, except the U.S. dollar and Swiss franc. The investment community is one thing. Consumer demand is quite another. In the U.S., the world’s third largest gold jewelry market, the demand rose for the 12th consecutive quarter, said the WGC. That’s a 2% increase to 49.2 tonnes. The demand is largely due to strong consumer confidence and a robust economic environment.
Phillip Gabriel Maroof, vice president of the 42-year-old Royal Chain Group, credits yellow gold’s appeal to its versatility. “Yellow gold is [retailers’] bread and butter,” he says. Gold is not boxed into one or two categories either, Maroof explains. “You can offer the metal in every single category such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and with so much variety in design—something that’s harder to do in the traditional diamond category given its significantly higher price,” he says. “With current technology allowing us to produce gold more efficiently, we can now offer gold at better price points.” Gold’s status as a versatile product in the marketplace is a certain advantage for retailers.
Royal Chain Group is meeting their customers’ growing demand for gold by offering new, exciting trend items, updated chain links, vintage-inspired finds, and more. Browse the slideshow gallery to get inspired and stock up on its available inventory of more than 10,000 SKUs. Retailers with approved online accounts can order through royalchain.com or call 800-622-0960. New customers interesting in opening an account can email sales@royalchain.com.
The Paperclip chain, Royal Chain’s newest and most popular link. Available in all gold colors in several lengths and gauges, and chains can also be clasped at any link for the ultimate personalized look. Model wearing layered lengths of RC11301, PCLIP035, PCLIP055, RC11170. Explore the paperclip collection here.Cactus studs, from Royal Chain’s Spring 2020 launch of new styles, including the Southwest Themed Collection. Matching necklace and additional styles available. Style #: ER11385. Shop here.
The Yours Truly Initials collection. All in 14k gold, choose from three different necklace styles, studs, or a bolo bracelet. Explore options here.
Royal Chain’s mirrored chain collection, available in all gold colors and in several different lengths. Perfect for layering together or with other popular chain links. Explore mirrored chains.
From Royal Chain’s 2019 Gold Book came the updated Soho collection, including trendy lightweight gold items, perfect for first-time buyers. Shop them here.
The classic oval polished signet ring, available in yellow, rose, and white gold. Style #s: R7068-07, WR7068-07, PR7068-07. Shop now.
The ubiquitous Miami Cuban chain, now popular among women and men and all different age groups. Royal Chain has a vast assortment to choose from. Explore all their styles here.
The crescent necklace assortment, from Royal Chain’s Influencer collection. Perfectly priced and on-trend. See the entire collection here.
The Flora scarf necklace. No clasp, and at 38 inches long, it can be worn several different ways. Shop it here.
The shimmering bead cascading layered necklace, launched with Royal Chain’s Gold Book collection. Shop it here.