How are Shields Priced?

Putting price, performance and value into perspective.

Before we even begin to explain the pricing, we'd like to say that we are very proud that our Shields are handcrafted - one at a time, with a great deal of skill and intention. They are made in Montana, USA - not China, not India, not South America, not any place other than Montana. We respect work done by other countries, and at the same time, we want you to know that our BioElectric Shield will always be handcrafted by conscious, loving people in rural Montana.

About our Sterling Silver Shields

Silver increased 630% since 1998, the Shield increased only 247%. In 2011 alone, silver increased by 74%!

I received an email the other day from a woman who lost her Shield. She was upset because she originally paid $140 for her Silver Shield in 1998 and wanted to purchase a replacement for the same price.

When I explained that the cost of silver had increased, it was clear that she thought we were gouging and increasing prices simply because we could.

That prompted me to do a little research.

In 1998, silver was between $4.50 and $6.50 an ounce, today silver is $41* an ounce a 630% increase!

*(the price of silver varies daily, so although the current price may not exactly match the $41 listed, that was the price the day I did the calculations. I hope you get the general idea even though exact figures will vary).

We were selling the silver with brass tab shield for $140 back then. The current price of the silver with brass shield is $347 - an increase of only 247%.

We try to keep the prices as low as possible and these statistics give a little better idea of how well we've done that. If we increased our prices at the same rate that silver increased the Brass Tab Shield would be $882!

The Shields are a bargain at any price and the protection and balancing is simply invaluable.

Why do people get all gold Shields?

Many choose to get a gold Shield regardless of cost. The performance received for a gold shield is practically beyond description. In short, the BioElectric Shield is JEWELRY WITH A PURPOSE. If you wear a gold shield, you will see the quality of a your life change. Each person who wears a gold Shield, describes this differently, but so far, everyone who has purchased one has felt the value received was well worth the cost. In fact, we’ve had some people say it was a huge bargain for them in view of the significant changes it made in their life.

Why are gold Shields more expensive than their exact weight in gold? What is gold weight in the Level 4: 14K bioelectric shield?

The short answer is that raw material costs are a fraction of a finished goods cost. Some customers over the past 21 years have felt the Shield cost should just be a straight across match to the international metal market pricing.

However, any product that involves changing a raw material into a useful object involves many more costs than the raw material cost. The price of gold quoted on www.kitco.com is based on a raw material price. We pay material costs based on certain manufactured gold products like sheets or rolls of gold wire. These costs are significantly higher than the per ounce cost of gold!

Many people who are not in the jewelry industry are unaware of the prices changes when the metal becomes a “useful object.” Once the objects are obtained, the process of creating a piece of jewelry is started, and many more steps and costs go into the finished product (whether it is a shield, a ring, a watch, etc.).

Gold jewelry isn't priced by its weight. It is a factor, but manufacturers take that cost plus their fabricating costs and their overhead, and often a markup for “design” and multiply by 100% or more...and then the jewelry store doubles or triples the price again. Our markup isn’t that high. In our case, even when we are selling to our distributors at up to a 40% discount, we need to still make a profit on that discounted price or we won't be in business. We’ve actually lowered our markup on the gold to do our best to keep the prices as reasonable as possible. We’d love it if everyone that needed one, could afford a gold Shield.

Here’s an interesting article on the subject by a jewelry store owner cliffsriffs.blogspot.com/2008/04/mark-up-at-jewelry-stores.html

Fantasy verses Reality - A little story for you....this may shock you

Now here's a shocker... we just recently explained our true material costs to a distributor who thought that he should get a larger discount on a gold tri-gem Shield, because, according to him, our raw material cost was small (incorrect assessment on his part) so we should give him a larger discount. We explained to him that with his distributor discount, his profit was approximately twice as much ours.

Every time we supply a distributor, we offer then the opportunity to make a good commission. This cuts our profit, but please understand, our mission is to get as many Shields as possible out in the world. The owners, a Chiropractic Neurologist and Occupational Therapist, are very concerned about the health effects of radiation! They want people to be protected, and assume "it takes a village" to get the word out. Rather than pay for expensive magazine ads, they have an affiliate programthat offers commissions and discount coupons.

How do we keep prices down?

We buy raw materials in bulk so that we get the lowest prices possible. Metal prices change constantly so it's our best guess when to buy. When we buy sheets of gold from our providers we pay their markup which covers their production costs their profit. To get a reasonable price we need to buy several sheets of gold at a time. Our last purchase was over $35,000. It takes several months for gold shield orders to arrive and return even our raw material cost.

What are the other costs of making a gold Shield?

Another cost factor is that we pay our master Shield maker considerably more for each gold Shield he makes. His materials are more costly and due to the extreme care he takes in making it, a gold Shield takes him a two to three times longer to make.

The Vibration of Healing and Protection vs Mass Production

We have had several offers from companies who will mass produce our Shield in India, Bali, China, an other places. However, our commitment is to provide you with the highest vibrational healing tool we can create.

Each Shield is created one at a time, with a great deal of care and intention for healing and protection. Each gem is hand-cut, hand-placed, hand-soldered, and hand-polished. Knowing this, do you really think our Shields are expensive? We don't. And, shall we say it again - they handcrafted in serene, rural Montana, USA. How often do you get to enjoy something that is made with this kind of love?

The real bottom line on a decision to purchase a gold Shield - or any Shield, is to look at the value provided over your lifetime. Does it make a valuable contribution to your life, well being, spiritual advancement or other areas of concern?

A Personal Note

All of us who are associated with the company wear either Level 3 Silver and  Gold Shields, or Level 4,all gold Shields, including the Tri-gem. For those of us who moved up to the Level 4, the results have been very obvious and rewarding. In general I would say we all feel more focused, more grounded, more compassionate, and completely protected. Many customers over the years have moved up level by level and have given Shields to family and friends as they move up to the next level.

Level 4 Shields include 14k Yellow gold, 14k White gold, 14k gold with a diamond, or a 14k gold Tri-gem Shield (sapphire, diamond, emerald).The easiest way to find out if one of the Level 4 Shields is the best choice for you, or which style is best  is to take advantage of our free photo analysis.

Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully understand a bit more about what goes into the making of a Shield. Regardless of which Shield is recommended for you, you can rest assured that you are getting the best protection available today.