Top Rated Jewelry Retailers:
While jewelry should never be purchased strictly as an investment vehicle, the typical engagement ring represents a sizeable capital expenditure and its purchase should be approached with the same due diligence and caution as any other significant investment. With the growing popularity of jewelry crafted from expensive metals such as platinum, even the traditional wedding band now represents a considerable expense.
We've put together this brief buying guide to recommend our favorite online jewelry retailers and to provide you with advice and points to consider as you make your retailer selection and as you select your individual items. This report is truly a living document and we intend to update it as we back hear from you, our readers, concerning your online experiences. So, please write us!
Advantages of Buying Jewelry Online
- Speed - Search, Browse, and Click!
- Convenience - Shop from home
- Selection - No brick and mortar store could possibly offer you the selection available from any of our recommended retailers
- Value - No inventory & less overhead allow online retailers to pass along savings to their customers
- Education - Each of our retailers provides comprehensive consumer education texts
What to Look for When Selecting an Online Store
Customer Service
For high expense items like jewelry, the online store should
provide a customer service telephone number
where you can speak directly to a representative concerning your
order. Also, be sure to note their available business hours.
Return Policy
Read the site's Return Policy carefully. Some sites
claim a 30-day return policy, but then attempt to charge a
significant "re-stocking" fee on each returned
item. Understand their policy and be sure it meets your needs..
Lost/Damaged Shipments Policy
Be sure to deal only with merchants who maintain a satisfactory policy for items lost or damaged in shipment.
The store should use insured carriers and insure its shipments,
and
they should be willing to replace or refund any item
lost or damaged in shipment.
Diamond Certificates
Diamond certificates are issued from various labs and represent
a type of diamond fingerprint that uniquely identifies your
stone. We recommend
buying from sites that provide either AGS or GIA (the most
widely recognized labs) certificates.
But not every diamond purchased warrants its own individual
certificate. Keep in mind that most preset diamonds do
not come with AGS or GIA certification. A certificate speaks
solely to the individual characteristics of the diamond. It
doesn't change the quality of the diamond.
Secure Transactions
Verify that the merchant only requests your personal information
from a secure link. Most web-browsers present a visual cue to
indicate that the current page is secured via SSL encryption.
Look for a lock on your browser's status bar or refer to your
browser manual for further details.
Privacy Policy
When you choose to conduct business through any commercial
website, you should always verify that they post a privacy
policy. This policy details the promise made by the merchant
with regard to your personal information. Review the
policy to confirm that your private information will not be sold
to other companies, and that the merchant provides a means of
communication should you have any further questions or concerns.