Thursday 1 March 2012

Helpful hints when buying precious jewellery


Impulse Buying
When you see something that you like so intensely that neither price nor any other practical consideration just seem to simply vanish into thin air. This feeling may render you highly vulnerable to purchasing items with little or no regard to other more worthwhile considerations, and may leave you disappointed and disheartened in the long term.                                  
Comparing Price
(a) Precious jewellery without gemstones. (gold chains, bracelets, rings, pendants etc)

There are various ways to compare “apples with apples”, it’s just knowing what to look for, and being a little bit jewellery savvy.  In most cases, the precious jewellery metal (yellow gold, white gold or platinum), is rated in either  9 karat, 14 carat or 18 karat SOLID  gold. Not rolled (RG), filled (GF)or plated gold (GP). This karat rating denotes the amount of pure gold content in the metal, and is stamped on the item as a verification of authenticity.
9 karat gold (375), contains 37.5% pure gold, 14 karat gold (585), contains 58.5% pure gold, and 18 karat gold (750), contains 75% pure gold. The rest of the precious metal is a combination or alloy comprising silver, copper or brass which determines the colour or tone of the metal.
Rose gold has more copper to provide the reddish tone, yellow gold has more brass etc. The higher the karat rating, the softer the metal, as 24 karat gold (100% pure) may be considered too soft to be made into a ring given the high probability of being knocked
around, or keeping a gemstone safely in its setting.
Although a lot of jewellery retailers don’t reveal the weight of precious jewellery that is sold, you can enquire, because it will better help you assess the value of your purchase. All solid gold items are weighed in grams. A plain solid gold 18 karat ring for example, with a price tag of $400 dollars weighing 4 grams, works out at $100 per gram weight. If you see an identical ring or similar for a cheaper price, if the weight is lighter, that may be the reason, and you may not be getting the bargain that you thought you were getting. Wherever possible, enquire about the gold weight !
(b) Precious jewellery containing precious stones
Where diamonds or other precious natural stones are involved, the stone size (carat), colour, cut (round, emerald, marquise etc) and clarity will all factor in the overall value.
The diamond colour scale, ranges from colourless (D, E & F) down to light yellow (X, Y & Z), and the clarity scale, ranges from IF (Internally Flawless) down to IL1, IL2 & I3 (With Inclusions)
The arena of gemstone & diamond evaluation is rather complex but quite a conquerable one for those that may have a genuine interest.
There is a huge amount of synthetic & fake jewellery out there, so buyers be aware ! Buying from reputable sellers is a safe bet. If it seems like an unbelievable bargain, then it is highly likely to be a cheap imitation.
I sincerely hope the advice I have offered provides you with a little more confidence and insight when buying your next item of jewellery. (It would be an added bonus if it was from my stock.) Please don’t hesitate to ask any jewellery related  questions, I am happy to be of assistance.
                                         Netstore Jewellery Website