BeautyBlogr

When you want to buy quality gemstones you will need some help to determine what quality a gemstone is. And when you plan to purchase one online you need to know all those characteristics as there is no merchant available to help you.

Here are some tips helping you to avoid many of the common pitfalls when purchasing gemstones on the internet.

Many of the bad experiences after having bought a gemstone online include things like “color significantly different than shown online”, “forgot to read the fine print” or “didn’t understand the importance of tone, hue, clarity and saturation prior to the purchase”.

These are just some of many many similar mistakes many people made and lost money that way. Only the black sheep among the merchants are happy for those customers, moving the good guys also into a bad light.

Here are the 5 Ws of purchasing gemstones online:

• The Who and Where. Who is the one you are considering to do business with? And where is/are he/they located? Is it a domestic headquartered gemstone retailer or a foreign company with an online presence? The answer for this foreign or not foreign question is not that easy as even a foreign company can use a local mail drop for delivering their gemostones. Sometimes they seem to be willing to submit to FTC rules and regulations, but sometimes they just don’t care. It does not hurt to ask where they are from! This helps to avoid the smoke-and-mirrors game of marketing gibberish of some unserious companies. There are also some companies marketing the same inventory under different labels, making your decision of the who and where even more difficult. Searching for testimonials and opinions can help you. Just try to get as much background information about your possible business partners as possible to be sure to do serious business with serious people.
• The What. This W can be answered simply by taking a look at the whole inventory of a retailer. You should see if the retailer carries low-grade, high-grade or a broad range of quality. Many retailers carrying lower grades of quality show just the best of those online giving the illusion of selling top quality stones instead of the poor ones they in fact are. Be careful with what is said on the quality as these statements are often a bit exaggerated.
• The Why. This question should not need a real answer, should it? You want a gemstone or you don’t look for one. It’s as easy as that. You may want to ask your potential retailer for a custom order, as you want exactly the gemstone you are searching for and not anything close. That way you can also filter out people selling other peoples inventory when they are hesitating on getting a special custom order done. Why let someone earn good money for selling someone elses stuff when you can use his profit to invest in a higher quality gemstone?
• The When. You should ask when the gemstone will be shipped and by what method. Asking about extra fees is also a part of this question. Also the retailer should answer question like when his inventory is restocked with new items. This helps you to get a more personal contact and perhaps establish a long-term relationship with your gemstone dealer.

Overall you can say one of the most important part of purchasing gemstone on the internet is the knowledge about the company you are buying from. It helps you matching your expectations with their quality and price.

Remember: jewelry is not something to get in a hurry, each purchase should be a wise decision.