How to Buy Jewellery Online

A jewellery purchase is a big investment which cannot be taken lightly. Real jewellery is expensive and one has to be sure to be buying the real thing not only online but offline too.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. The advantage of buying jewellery online is that prices are usually very low and one gets a chance to compare prices offered by different merchants right away. Online merchants do not pay rental rents nor do they have to employ an army of staff to run their shops. All they need is a single place to store their jewellery. For these reasons their prices are usually low.
2. There is a great danger when buying jewellery of being duped into paying high prices for fakes. This can happen online or offline; but can be worse online where you will be buying without actually getting to see or touch the product. The problem is even worse for the uninformed. It is very important to do lots of research on the piece and stone that you would like to buy. Get to know the names of measurements used in the trade and what they mean. Do you know what a carat is, the diamond cut, or the difference between cultured and imitation or natural pearls?
3. A few precautionary steps can save you a lot of money. Do not get excited with your making your purchase. Okay it is an engagement ring but remember how embarrassing it will be when you offer a fake. A good online store will display its physical address on site, a telephone number to cal in case of problems. But anyone can set up a business online overnight, try to shop from well known and reputable companies. Check how long the company has been operating if it has been around long enough then a good number of people would know it. Talk to friends and find out and experts in the field.

Tips & Warnings

• It is important to check the details of the product before committing yourself and to make sure that is what you really want to buy. You could visit an offline store and try the pieces there before buying it online. It is important to make sure that the merchants return or exchange policy could work for you in case you decide not to keep your purchase; and you should ask about it before you buy anything. It is also possible to ask for a gemological grading report to accompany the purchase. You can also take your purchase to an offline store and have it valued and see if it comes close to what you paid for
• Make these additional observations: metal jewellery usually have markings on them that indicate the grade and either country of production or company. Pearls are either imitation cultured or natural. Natural pearls are more expensive and rare. Imitations pearls are the cheapest and can be bought easily offline at most everyday accessories stores. Gemstones like rubies, diamonds or sapphire can be laboratory created, imitation or natural.