Every company has a story and our customers are curious about how Apples of Gold became a main contender in the online jewelry & wedding market. Since shopping with Apples of Gold and getting to know us isn’t quite as simple as walking into a jewelry store and chatting over the glass showcases, we strive to give that personal, relational feel by telling a little of our company’s story and background, as well as being available by either phone or email to answer any questions that you may have.Apples of Gold Jewelry launched its online presence in 1999 on the premise that traditional jewelers are overpriced. Markups can range anywhere from 200-300%. Seeing the jewelry prices in high-end retail fine jewelry stores as exorbitant, Apples of Gold dared to believe there was a better way, and on that premise, Apples of Gold was launched!
We vowed not to compromise on quality, but by working directly with manufacturers and wholesalers across the United States, we were able to bring a value-based approach to our jewelry designs without ever compromising on quality or providing a "lesser than ideal" choice. In fact, as the years went on, we saw that many online jewelers compromised their quality in order to compete in a tough market, but we stayed the course at the cost of personal loss, rather than waiving the white flag and opting for something "cheaper". Our mission was intact: quality jewelry meets value and affordability.
Apples of Gold Jewelry has now been operating online for over 18 years and currently have almost 10,000 jewelry items online from diamond engagement rings to gemstone rings, gold crosses and Christian jewelry, to wedding bands and more.
Apples of Gold originally branched off of a family-owned Los Angeles jewelry wholesaler with over 30 years of experience in the jewelry industry. As such, we seek to work only with local wholesalers and get all of our jewelry from American suppliers. In fact, the vast majority of our jewelry is made right here in the U.S.A.!
We sought the most experienced and value-based manufacturers in the jewelry trade at the heart of the downtown, L.A. jewelry district and then branched into manufacturers and wholesalers in New York and Ohio and niche jewelry manufacturers across the States, including Virginia, Rhode Island, and Louisiana, while keeping our roots grounded in California. In short, we are an American brand.
Working with the same jewelry manufacturers and wholesalers that supply traditional jewelers across the United States, and by selling directly online to the consumer, Apples of Gold has been able to offer the same jewelry that brick-and-mortar stores carry, but for an average of 30%-40% below standard, traditional retail prices.
With a focus on high quality jewelry, personal customer service, affordable pricing, and business ethics beyond reproach, Apples of Gold quickly established its name within the online jewelry retail market.
And our name? Where does our name hail from? It's Biblical. We found that fitting to meet our ethical standards in business and the way that we strive to treat our customers and our employees. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (Proverbs 25:1). As such, we are also a Christian-owned company who seeks to glorify God in all that we do!
Next: Real Value: Apples of Gold Pricing
Value-Based Pricing Method
Traditional jewelers often employ what is known as keystone or triple-keystone pricing. In a keystone pricing model, jewelry is marked-up double the cost of what the jeweler originally paid for the piece. This is the most common pricing model that conventional jewelers employee. Some go as far as utilizing a triple-keystone pricing model, which means that the jewelry piece is marked-up to three times the cost of its original wholesale value.
Apples of Gold utilizes neither of these pricing models. Our standard mark-up for jewelry is an average of 40% Below Retail for the same fine quality jewelry. In fact, the wholesalers and manufacturers we work with are often the same ones that are selling to those same traditional jewelry stores.
Apples of Gold started its online presence with the singular premise that traditional jewelry companies were simply charging too much to the average jewelry consumer. With wholesale jewelry marked up anywhere from between 100%-300%, we set out to do what any ethical company would hope to do: provide real value for our customers. And we take this promise seriously; every item that is listed on Applesofgold.com is marked-up based on a strict formula that will get us within our average mark-up range, so that we may stay well within standard retail jewelry prices.
Over the past decade, many of our customers have had the jewelry they purchased from us appraised by an outside, certified jewelry appraiser. And we have not encountered a single customer who has not come back and shared with us that their jewelry appraised for higher - in many cases, substantially higher - than what they paid for it at Apples of Gold.
How do we do it? By working closely with manufacturers and wholesalers who have our orders made on the spot once they are ordered, so that we may have low inventory costs and be enabled to share that savings with you, our customer. Yes, many of the pieces that you purchase from us are individually manufactured (rather than mass-produced), so that our craftsman take time and care into producing your piece!
We hope that you value our process and our ways, as we deeply value yours.
Next: Customer Service: The Pearl of Great Price 
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