The still high price of gold (in the vicinity of about $1300 US an ounce as at the time of writing) is down from its peaks of last year, but still priced stiffly enough that many jewellers have had to be inventive in their use of materials.

B. Tiff has chosen to use stainless steel and tension set cubic zirconia, and they have some striking designs.  The great thing about stainless steel is that it wears well, can be worn by people with metal allergies, and is inexpensive. This thick blackened stainless steel band is set with a 1 carat triangular cubic zirconia. It sells for a very reasonable USD $198. Just goes to show it doesn’t have to be expensive to be beautiful.