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How to Buy Jewelry? (Part I)
The concept of jewelry implies fashion, ornamentation, and adornments. But jewelry is much more than just that. It reflects your personality and shows what you value in life. It defines your style through colorful stones and gems jewelry.
Colored precious gemstone jewelry is the latest fashion. Colored gemstones are worn in rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, and bracelets by every one. If you like to own an exceptionally beautiful and exclusive piece of jewelry, you should only consider gemstone jewelry. A piece of colored gemstone jewelry will distinguish you as a class apart from the crowed that wears gems like diamonds. The best way to go around shopping for a special kind of jewelry is to go to the Internet, look at the exquisite designs of colored gemstones or diamonds on white or yellow gold jewelry and select the one that matches your style.
· You are looking at gems and are shown, or viewed one on Internet, an evening Emerald, at a price much lower than what you would expect to pay for an Emerald of the same size. Would you buy the emerald and would you know what you are buying?
· You are admiring a piece of gold jewelry and are told it is 14 Karat gold. Do you know what marking to look for to make sure it is solid 14 Karat gold and not rolled gold, gold electroplate, or gold wash? Do you, in fact, know what 14 Karat and other terms Mean?
· You notice that brooches (or Pins) are the latest fashion in jewelry and are being shown in all fine jewelry stores as well as online jewelry stores. Do you know which you would buy and which might be the better buy, regardless of what you can afford?
· You are cleaning an opal ring, a pair of diamond earrings, and a string of pearls. Do you know the best way to clean them and would clean them together or separately? Also, how would you store them after cleaning?
· You want to buy a diamond ring. Would you look for a fine jewelry store or a fine online jewelry store where the each jewelry piece are clearly marked to show price and quality, a store offering a sale o diamonds, a store where you might be able to bargain for a lower price, or even a store offering of a packet of diamonds at a wholesale price? For that matter, do you know what the four Cs of diamonds are?
These are only a few questions about jewelry that are answered at The Jewelry Hut.
· An evening Emerald, for example, is not an Emerald but any green stone of Emerald color.
· All Karat gold jewelry in the United States and some other countries has to be marked to show its quality, according to law. The term "Karat" refers to the amount of gold used in proportion to another metal or metals.
· Another term for costume jewelry is fashion jewelry, and it can be the better buy for high fashion designs that you may tire of or may go out of fashion in a year or two.
· Certain gems and types of jewelry require special care in cleaning and should not be stored together or in the same way, since may become scratched or lose their luster or color.
· In buying fine jewelry, there are few, if any, bargains: You get what you pay for. Clarity, color, cut, and carat size are the four Cs of diamonds, determining the quality and cost of any diamond.
How to buy jewelry is only the beginning of what you need to know about jewelry.
When you buy a car, you buy the one you like and can afford. The purchase is emotional as much as it is practical, since cars in some way are extensions of ourselves. In addition, you know what you are buying, especially if you buying a well known brand luxury car. There may be features, in other cars that resemble or imitate the best of the best, but the genuine article is usually unmistakable. You know what to look for, what to expect, about what you are going to pay, and even where to go buy the car.
Fine furs have more of a mystique than the average car and they may seem more risky to buy. Yet, with time and patience, you can learn to differentiate among furs and to distinguish fine furs from inferior furs. Granted, you will never have the expertise of the experienced furrier, but you will be able to learn the difference between mink of an inferior quality. In short, you can easily learn what to look for, what to expect, about what you are going to pay, and where is the best place to buy the fur.
Both an expensive fur and a fine car are far more than purchases to keep you warm and provide transportation. They are also luxuries and status symbols. At the same time, the primary reason for the purchase is practical, you buy the car to drive and the fur to wear. You do not consider either an investment that appreciates in value. The criteria are that you like what you buy, that you have a use for it, that you can afford it, although you want to get the most for your money.
Jewelry should be bought the same way, regardless of whether it is fine jewelry of Karat gold, platinum, or silver, has precious gems or not, or whether it is costume jewelry. Even fine jewelry, which is a luxury item and can be as much as a status symbol as a sable coat or a Rolls-Royce although far more permanent and enduring should be bought because you like it, can use it, and can afford it. Jewelry after all, is a form of adornment and decoration.
One criterion you do not want to use for jewelry, any more than you would use it for buying a car or a fur, is whether the jewelry is a good investment or not. Some Jewelers, who are reputable and reliable in other respects, offer jewelry as "an investment." Fine jewelers. In general, however, prefer to point out that jewelry is not really an investment except in beauty. Jewelry, in fact, is a purchase, just like a fur coat or a car. You should appreciate it, of course, although appreciation in that sense is not the same as the appreciation of increase in value of an investment.
What you should buy in fine jewelry, particularly platinum and karat gold, depends on you, your life style, and your preferences. You may be a woman who does not feel dressed without earrings, in which case you may want gold or diamond earrings that you can wear often with enjoyment. Or you may be a man or woman whose taste runs toward rings. A necklace, pendant or a bracelet could also be indispensable.
In any case, shop around. Look at styles and prices before you buy. Get an idea of what jewelry costs and how that compares to what you have to spend. Once you see an item you like, check its price against the prices of similar items in other jewelry stores or online stores. The major purpose is to give you an idea of value and to help you be satisfied, in all respects, after you have made the purchase.
Look in jewelry stores and the boutiques and the better online jewelry stores that often carry fine jewelry. But do not look for or expect or wait for sales. The finest jewelry stores rarely discount fine jewelry. If a style does not sell, it is more profitable for them to melt down the metal and reset the gems than it is for them to sell at a big discount. In this respect, fine jewelry is like no other luxury purchases, since the components can be reused.
Stores other the finest jewelry stores (or online) may offer jewelry at a discount. It may be a style that has not sold well, or the stores may be willing to make less profit or their overhead may be less. These are legitimate reasons to discount the price of a fine jewelry. If the discount is much over 25%, however, you should ask, "80% or 50% off of what price?" Despite laws prohibiting misleading advertising and the stand of reputable jewelers' associations against it, there are still fraudulent advertising and selling practices going on.
For this reason, you want to read the part two of this article, about "How to buy fine Jewelry?" To understand what are the kinds of jewelry.
To Web Masters:
The article above can be used on your web site or newsletter.
When it is published, may I request that you include my name and resource box (the bio, contact and copyright information) that follows the article. I would also appreciate if you could send me an email of notification along with a complimentary copy of the publication.
Copyright 2005 Bijan Aziz.
Bijan Aziz is the owner and Web Master for The Jewelry Hut http://www.thejewelryhut.com The best source for fine Diamond, Gemstone, and Pearl Jewelry on the web. You can view the this article at The Jewelry Hut Jewelry Archives: http://www.thejewelryhut.com/html/newsandpressrelease.html