34.5 grams of gold goes for about $747 dollars - or about $350 in 2000.
Three carats of diamonds divided into 22 individual diamonds results in diamonds of approximately one-eighth of a carat apiece.
You can buy 10-karat gold earrings from Zale's with two one-seventh carat diamonds for $99.99.
So even though the Zales earrings come with more diamond and some gold thrown into the mix, let's say that each of those one-eighth carat diamonds cost $100.
22 diamonds plus $350 of gold equals $2,550 in raw cost of goods.
Add in a 57% markup for workmanship and you have $4,000.
Sounds quite plausible to me.
I agree. What a collector would pay is not at all the same thing as what a team owner would pay to buy these things by the dozens.
-ccm