How To Purchase Gemstones on the Internet

By Agus Rahman


So... you've been looking to purchase a quality gemstone on the internet and you need certain assist determining what characteristics you have to be looking for in a quality gem. This article is intended as a resource to help guide you through a successful gemstone purchase by avoiding a lot of of the usual pitfalls that confident consumers become entangled. These pitfalls might often leave a sour taste in your mouth and make you a little head- shy concerning purchasing gems of various types online.

I am aware that several people have had bad previous gemstone buying experiences, and several, in my opinion, were downright awful. The standard themes in their communications incorporate:

*Didn't really "know" the seller as good as I have to have before purchasing my gemstone...

*Color in hand was much different than the gemstone image shown online...

*Didn't read the "fine print" concerning my gemstone purchase...

*Wanted to return the gemstone and also the seller charged a hefty re- stocking fee...

*Didn't understand the importance of clarity, tone, hue and saturation before making my gemstone purchase...

And the list goes on and on... If you have notbeen through an experience like this, either you're a really web-savvy consumer or you have only been plain lucky. Many gemstone consumers have thrown a lot of their hard-earned dollars into gemstones that are of significantly less value than the money they have spent. This is unfortunate for them and quite disappointing to the "good guys" within the gemstone industry.

How a lot of times have you wanted to know that you are making the correct assessment of a potential acquisition? I have been asked this question frequently and I am amazed that a big percentage of consumers simply do not do the necessary homework before making a purchasing decision. Certainly not due to the lack of credible resources that are obtainable to the consumer, numerous people simply permit the "want" of an immediate purchase get ahead of their good judgment. Proceed with caution is always the best location to start.

Let's begin with a generic list of things to consider in the process of making a gemstone purchase. The "generic list" includes such products as the "5 W's, " namely, Who, What, Where, Why, When. If your inquiry protects some or even all of these questions, you have made a good begin in obtaining the necessary information you need in making a wise buying decision on your next gemstone.

The Gemstone "Who" and "Where"
Who you are considering doing business with and where they are located can tell you much concerning a gemstone retailer. Is the gemstone retailer headquartered domestically or are they a foreign company with an online presence? This fact is normally known/disclosed at the time you make payment, however , not always. The whole foreign vs. domestic issue is worthy of another discussion altogether, however you need to decide in your personal mind what you're most comfortable with. Some foreign companies use a domestic mail drop to ship their gemstones. On the surface, they might seem to be a domestic company, which would willingly submit to FTC rules and regulations, quite a few of which protect you as the consumer, though confident foreign companies couldn't care less regarding these guidelines. Therefore, it never hurts to ask the question. This will help you to avoid the smoke-and-mirrors game that many foreign sellers implement in their marketing strategy. I know of one company, in particular, marketing gemstones that has numerous concurrent reincarnations, as I like to call them, on the internet at identical time. They have quite a few websites, all with different looks, and sell essentially from the same inventory. While this type of masked marketing is not in and of itself "bad" nor "dishonest, " it some makes it difficult to get the answer to these original couple of questions and creates confusion for a lot of gemstone clients. Who am I considering doing business with and where are they located? You may want to cat around on google a bit to find available information and maybe even get confident references. Testimonials and referrals represent a major portion of our business and we willingly share our customer references/experiences on our site to make our popularity "real" for would-be clients. Good stuff! Accordingly, understanding who you are about to do business with and where they are located provides you having a foundation of encounter from which to proceed in the process of obtaining your first/next gemstone.

The Gemstone "What"

The What question might be answered by simply taking a look at the altogether quality range of gemstones the retailer is offering on their site. Does the gemstone retailer carry low-grade gemstones, high-grade, or a broad range of quality? This should speak volumes to you. There are several shops that simply take the lower grades of gemstones for a cheap price and show out the best of these grades as top-quality stones. When you view the pictures of these gems, you might think you are looking at top color, relative to other gemstones listed, when in truth you could still looking at run-of-the-mill, poorly colored gems that may be slotted a bit higher in the color range than the others. And yes, there are numerous these types of stones obtainable for around $300/ct by a growing number of vendors. The statements regarding the quality of this material are generally exaggerated and the pictures on these stones might not even be all around representing the true item. Caveat Emptor, which is a Latin phrase explanation: "Buyer Beware! " Good advice for us all. Other considerations about What include a thorough understanding of the retailer's "fine print. "

The Gemstone "Why"

The Why question is really self- explanatory.... simply because you want to own a quality gemstone. Right? In addition, you probably want to attempt to understand why the company, whose gemstone you are viewing, is in the gemstone business. What I mean by this is... other than the obvious reason, to sell their product for a profit, do they feel to have a good business interest in the type of gemstone you are considering or does the seller only offer it as another line of gemstones on their site. Your interests would be best served by shopping with a retailer that has a good stake and big general emphasis in the type of material in which you have an interest. This will provide you with your best opportunity at viewing a nice collection of gems from which to select and competitive pricing. Additionally, I recommend that you purchase from sellers that are more than happy to work with you on a custom order. If they are hesitant to do this, it might indicate that they are bringing their gemstones from other merchants and don't want to bother with an order like yours because they simply can't turn it around quickly. It is after that possible for you to find yourself purchasing a stone which is only near to what you really desire. Why settle for something "close" when you are bringing ready to drop a chunk of hard-earned change on a fancy gemstone for yourself?

The Gemstone "When"

And finally, the When question deals with such inquiries as: When will my gemstone order ship and by what method
The What question might be answered by simply taking a look at the altogether quality range of gemstones the retailer is offering on their site. Does the gemstone retailer carry low-grade gemstones, high-grade, or a broad range of quality? This should speak volumes to you. There are several shops that simply take the lower grades of gemstones for a cheap price and show out the best of these grades as top-quality stones. When you view the pictures of these gems, you might think you are looking at top color, relative to other gemstones listed, when in truth you could still looking at run-of-the-mill, poorly colored gems that may be slotted a bit higher in the color range than the others. And yes, there are numerous these types of stones obtainable for around $300/ct by a growing number of vendors. The statements regarding the quality of this material are generally exaggerated and the pictures on these stones might not even be all around representing the true item. Caveat Emptor, which is a Latin phrase explanation: "Buyer Beware! " Good advice for us all. Other considerations about What include a thorough understanding of the retailer's "fine print. "

The Gemstone "Why"

The Why question is really self- explanatory.... simply because you want to own a quality gemstone. Right? In addition, you probably want to attempt to understand why the company, whose gemstone you are viewing, is in the gemstone business. What I mean by this is... other than the obvious reason, to sell their product for a profit, do they feel to have a good business interest in the type of gemstone you are considering or does the seller only offer it as another line of gemstones on their site. Your interests would be best served by shopping with a retailer that has a good stake and big general emphasis in the type of material in which you have an interest. This will provide you with your best opportunity at viewing a nice collection of gems from which to select and competitive pricing. Additionally, I recommend that you purchase from sellers that are more than happy to work with you on a custom order. If they are hesitant to do this, it might indicate that they are bringing their gemstones from other merchants and don't want to bother with an order like yours because they simply can't turn it around quickly. It is after that possible for you to find yourself purchasing a stone which is only near to what you really desire. Why settle for something "close" when you are bringing ready to drop a chunk of hard-earned change on a fancy gemstone for yourself?

The Gemstone "When"

And finally, the When question deals with such inquiries as: When will my gemstone order ship and by what method (carrier)? Are there any extra fees when shipping gemstones? When do you restock your gemstone inventory? When is the best time of year to purchase a quality gemstone? You get the idea. By asking these types of questions, you get to know your gemstone retailer better and may pave the way for a long-term, successful relationship with your gemstone dealer.

In summary, it's significant that you have got a good understanding of the company from which you wish to make a gemstone purchase AND their quality and price are in keeping with your all in all expectations. In our company's experience, we have found it magnificent how much repeat business we have done with our valued clients throughout the years by simply bringing answers to these basic questions.




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