How to buy jewelry from online jewelry stores?

Buying jewelry from online jewelry stores is quite easy nowadays. However, certain precautions must be taken while making such purchases. Directories of online jewelry stores classified according to type of items sold and price ranges are available on the Internet. Online jewelry stores that sell jewelry costing less than %50, those that have prices in the range of $50 to $125, $125 to $600, etc. are listed in such directories.

Most of the online jewelry stores deliver the jewelry properly boxed within a week. Many of them have special discount offers that could be utilized. Online jewelry shops relieve of purchasing in a crowded atmosphere and tiresome driving to shopping malls. Further, you would be able to browse through various jewelry items, compare prices that different online jewelry shops offer, and then make your purchase decision. Further, you are most likely to come across several online jewelry shops in your own city that you never knew existed. With online jewelry shops, you would be able to compare quality, variety, price, shipping costs, insurance costs, etc. Online jewelry shops are the best options to get full value for your hard earned money.

However, certain precautions are must while buying jewelry from online jewelry shops. In particular, buyers should be vary of several diamond scams that had surfaced, simply because many people do not know much about diamonds. You should insist that the shop provide you the carat weight of each diamond in the necklace or the ring and not the total weight of all the diamonds. Further, they would tell you that blue-white diamond is very special, showing it under a bright light, but in reality it is of lesser quality. A few of them change the gem from the one you originally selected, while shipping it to you. Using synthetic diamonds instead of mined diamonds is also another method of cheating you. A 3-carat mined diamond might cost up to $45,000, while a synthetic 3-carat diamond would cost only around $240. A 1-carat mined diamond would be available for $3,000, while a 1-carat synthetic diamond would come for $80. Flaws in the diamond would usually go unrevealed to you and that would lead to your buying a defective diamond, paying more money than what it is actually worth. As such scams could beat you even when you are visiting a jewelry shop in person, you should take extra care while buying jewelry from online jewelry shops. Any jewelry should be taken to a reputed jeweler or a gemologist for proper appraisal. If the jewelry is found to be inferior, it should be returned immediately and the money paid should be claimed back. Most online jewelry shops do guarantee full repayment less shipping costs, if the purchased item is returned within 15 days.

However, online jewelry shops do have some advantages that allow them to offer jewelry at prices lower than the shops in your city. Online jewelry shops need not invest too much in stock. Once you have placed your order, they would be able to place the same order with the manufacturer, get it and ship it to you. All items are only in catalogues and physical storing is not needed. This main advantage allows the online jewelry shops to offer highly discounted prices when compared to your neighborhood shops. As such, the cost competitiveness of online jewelry shops could well be taken advantage of, after taking due precautions.

Richard Hedley is the author of this article on online jewelry stores.
By Isabel Rodrigues