What jewelry, demi-fine and costume jewelry really mean
When a client at the atelier counter asks me "Patricia, is this jewelry?", I never just say yes or no. I answer with what actually defines each category, because the market confusion is huge — and that is exactly where you, as a reseller, will stand out.
Jewelry
Jewelry, in the technical sense, is a piece made of solid noble metal: 18k gold, solid 925 silver, platinum. The metal is the same from the surface to the core. That is why jewelry has an eternal guarantee: there is no layer to peel off, because there is no layer — it is all the same material.
Price? High. A pair of solid 18k gold earrings starts around two hundred dollars and goes up to tens of thousands. This is the world of fine jewelry.
Demi-fine (semijoia)
Demi-fine is what Herreira has been making since 2008. It is a piece with a non-noble base metal (usually brass or a hypoallergenic alloy) that receives a noble-metal bath through electrodeposition — typically 18k gold, rose gold, white gold or rhodium.
Three things every reseller needs to lock in:
- The base is an accessible metal, but the surface is real noble metal.
- The plating thickness defines durability. Thin plating lasts months; Herreira-grade plating lasts years.
- The finishing, design and manufacturing technique are the same as fine jewelry. Only the core of the piece is different.
That is why we call it "accessible luxury": jewelry aesthetics at a price the everyday Brazilian woman can afford.
Costume jewelry (bijuteria)
Costume jewelry is made of common metal with no noble plating — or with such thin plating that it tarnishes within weeks. Prices are low, lifespan is short, and the finish is usually visibly different.
Costume jewelry is not wrong. It has its place. It is just not what you sell.
Why this difference matters when you sell
Most of your clients have never stopped to think about this difference. They call everything "costume" because that is what they learned. When you explain, calmly, that demi-fine has real 18k gold on the surface and that is why it lasts years, you shift how they perceive the value of the piece in their hand.
I usually put it this way: "Jewelry is heritage. Costume is the adornment of the month. Demi-fine is the jewelry you wear every day." That sentence resolves ninety percent of the doubts.
What to practice this week
Take three Herreira pieces from your kit and rehearse, out loud, explaining to a friend (real or imagined) the difference between jewelry, demi-fine and costume — using the piece as an example. Time yourself: it should take less than two minutes. If it takes longer, simplify.