Important Details That You Must Know About Buying Jewelry Online
There are so many wrong ways to buy diamond jewelry online. So many awful websites with terrible jewelry images, little information and very poor customer service. It almost makes finding a nice piece of jewelry online so daunting that you break down and head to your local jeweler for help. Although there is nothing wrong with this, if you take the right approach to online ring animation, you can find some beautiful jewelry at amazing prices.
The biggest difference between shopping for a diamond and shopping for diamond jewelry is that the later of the two is much more subjective. Shopping of a diamond is simple and there are already tons or articles and how-to's out there that tell you all you need to know about the 4 C's and GIA certificates. But you don't have the luxury of looking at a certificate when shopping for diamond jewelry, because none of the stones are certified. You are at the mercy of the retailer and unfortunately, most retailers do not want you to know what exact clarity and color of the diamonds that make the jewelry they are trying to sell you.
But if you follow a few simple steps, you can find easily find exactly what you are looking for and save yourself some money in the process.
Step 1: Have an idea of what you are looking for before you start browsing online.
Just like any other shopping that you do, whether its grocery shopping, clothes shopping, etc, you should have an idea of what you are looking for before you start. Otherwise, some website will overwhelm you with so much jewelry your shopping will become very unfocused and frustrating. If you like certain styles of jewelry start with a Google, Yahoo! or Bing search and punch in those style names. Be sure to include diamond jewelry in all your style name searches, otherwise, you will get tons of results back that do not match what you are looking for.
Step 2: When you find a site that has a nice image of what you want, dig into the details.
This is very important. Don't get too excited when you see a beautiful jewelry animation that just begs you to buy it. This is only the beginning. Dig into the details and get useful information:
- Clarity and color of the diamonds used in the piece (If the don't list color and clarity, don't buy it. They could be selling you anything. If the color and clarity is too general (i.e. SI clarity, no color) don't buy it. If they give you a wide range of color and clarity (i.e. SI1 - VS2, F - H color) don't buy it. Diamond clarity and color ranges should stay within the same range (i.e. SI1-SI2, E/F color)
- Gold quality (don't buy anything less than 14k unless you absolutely have to because of budget constraints)
- Measurements (use a ruler and see if the measurements they list on the site are big enough for you)
You can also dig around the internet and see if you can find a promo code or discount code that you can use for their site. This will save you some money.
Step 3: Check site policies, gold / diamond quality guarantees and return policies before you buy.
Most sites will give you between 15 - 30 days for a return, unless you customize the jewelry, in which case you will not be eligible for a return. There are not many stores that will guarantee the quality of their diamonds in jewelry that does not use certified stones, but the few that are will say as much.
Step 4: After you place your order, make sure you inspect your jewelry before pulling off any tags or wearing it.
Most companies will not allow you to return jewelry that you have pulled the tags off of. So make sure you inspect your jewelry thoroughly before you wear it. Look for stamps that indicate the gold quality (i.e. 14k, 18k, etc.).
Step 5: If you have any questions before or after your purchase, put their customer service to the test. Call and speak to someone to see how knowledgeable they are about the jewelry they just sold you. You will be surprised to find out that many online jewelers do not have customer service representatives who actually know the ins and outs of the product. So be careful and ask lots of questions.