Buying Jewelry can be fun, and it can also be stressful. With the first step into a jewelry store, anxiety heightens, and you may feel like you are walking through a minefield. You never know when you’ll find the perfect set of earrings, a diamond pendant, or a gold band and then get caught off guard when the retail price is much higher than you ever imagined. Your spine tingles, you catch your breath, and you try to graciously move away from the counter, hoping the salesperson isn’t offended.
There are some things to consider when buying big-ticket jewelry items. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Know Your Budget
There are diamond rings, engagement rings, gold bands, silver jewelry, gold necklaces, and diamond earrings that line the shelves of a jewelry store. Fine jewelry comes in all styles, and shapes, and has different price points. Before you ever decide to buy a piece of fine jewelry, set a realistic budget. What can you afford?
If a salesperson shows you a more expensive style, you can fall back on the statement, “I’m sorry: That was more than I was planning to spend.”
2. Know Your Facts About Diamonds, Gemstones, Gold, and Precious Metals
Have you decided if you know what type of jewelry you are looking for?
Knowing a little bit about what you are hoping to find will help you hone in on the right pieces without branching out to more items you didn’t think about buying before entering the jewelry store. This will decrease the chance you will get caught up in the glam, glitter, and emotion of see all the pretty jewelry.
Take some time to understand the 4cs of diamond appraisals and what terms tell you what you need to know. Understand the difference between 24k, 18k, 14, and 10k gold and, the purity of other precious metals, and how purity affects the price of the fine jewelry you want to buy.
You may want to research what the care and durability is for each of the precious metals. Gold is softer with the higher purity it has. Sterling silver needs regular polishing. Diamonds and gems set with prongs need the prongs checked by a qualified jewelry to ensure the gems don’t come loose and fall out.
3. The Perfect Size
Ring sizes, wrist size, and necklace chain length are important to know when shopping for a piece of quality fine jewelry. Although resizing jewelry is fairly straightforward forward it is still an added cost and there will probably be some wait time for the service to be rendered.
If you are giving a piece of jewelry as a gift, you can be the best special someone if you present a wrapped box prepared as a present to surprise someone when the fine jewelry piece is the perfect fit.
You can do a little investigation and find a ring that your special someone isn’t wearing and match it to a sizing chart by tracing around the ring on a piece of paper. Take the paper with you when you go shopping and the jeweler can help you to get the correct size.
The same thing with measuring a wrist or necklace. Do a little “pre-discovery” before shopping. Obviously, if you buy jewelry for yourself you will have the jeweler help you determine the right size you need and you will know your own likes and dislikes.
4. You Know Your Own Taste But Do You Know Theirs?
You won’t go wrong buying for yourself. You know what you like and what you want. But buying for a special someone isn’t that simple. Try to remember what your special someone likes, the colors, the little remarks made about another person’s diamond necklaces, or ask a family member what they think.
Romanic-minded people tend to like heart-shaped diamonds and gems. More conservative and casual people prefer basics, classic styles, diamond stud earrings, and link gold chains.
Trendy folks will go with what is new in the world of fashion and have a flavor for a flattering in-vogue look.
In 2022 the trend is large and bold-colored gemstones set in shiny precious metals.
Your loved one may have a particular designer they follow or like such as Tiffany & Co. or Kendra Scott.
6. Choose Your Jeweler Wisely
The unfortunate reality is there are some jewelry stores in the jewelry industry that are overpriced and have fake gems that are impossible for untrained customers to spot. Wasn’t this exactly what added to the feeling of anxiety and that you were walking into a minefield when you first stepped into a jewelry store?
Remember if you aren’t comfortable, walk away.
Know what it takes to work as certified jewelers. Ask questions and if in doubt, walk away.
7. Is There a Return Policy?
Say after all your efforts the gift you purchased or the jewelry you bought for yourself just doesn’t work when you get it home. Maybe the necklace has a broken clasp or a stone falls out of the engagement ring you worked so hard to find.
Did you ask if you could return your item and get a refund or exchange when you finalized your purchase? Make sure you ask before you leave the store.
Pawn Shops Are A Safe Option
One of the best-kept secrets in the jewelry industry is a pawn shop is a great place to shop for diamond rings, diamond earrings, diamond necklaces, and gold. Pawn shops have a large inventory of high-end luxury items at a much better price than big box stores.
Why pay more money for something you want to buy when you can get a fair and reasonable price on a similar style while you save money?
Sometimes people have the image that a pawnshop and the associated pawnbroker are sleazy, dark, dishonest establishments. This is not true. Pawnbrokers provide a much-needed financial option to people who need fast cash to meet their financial commitments.
Pawnshops are in the business of buying luxury items or using the items as collateral on a short-term loan so consequently the shops get unique, expensive, and limited edition things regularly. Some people think that the customer of a pawnshop is someone who is desperate to get cash. This isn’t true. Pawn customers are everyday people across many social-economic classes who understand that pawn shops will offer a good deal on hard-to-find items. The pawn industry is filled with top-notch, reputable companies ready to support the community they are located in.
Selling to a pawn shop is easy. If you have a valuable item like a Rolex, luxury purse, musical equipment, gold, bullion, or fine jewelry take it to a pawn shop of your choice and work with the pawnbroker to understand the shop’s process and how to get the best bang for your buck.
Pawning a valuable item at a pawn shop doesn’t have to be complicated like getting a loan from a bank or similar financial institution. The pawn shops are required to obtain a copy of the borrower’s state-issued ID and a fingerprint in most states. The shops don’t do credit checks because the item being pawned secures the amount of the loan. Loan terms are reviewed including interest rates and the payment schedule and customers can leave with cash in hand.
It is a customer’s choice if they want to sell or pawn their item.
There is no hard sales or pressure into doing one or the other. The choice is the customers.
Unlike eBay, online jewelry stores, Craigslist, or other eCommerce options, going into a pawn shop or shopping on their own online store makes good sense. Pawnshops have to value their items based on current market value and authenticate the items that they are either buying or loaning against to ensure the things are genuine, otherwise, they would lose money.
There are many factors that go into determining the value of a particular piece of jewelry and pawnbrokers are experts. They know what is in demand, they have resources to give them clarity on why something is selling high or low, and they are in the business of getting appraisals and authentication correct.
Parker Pawn and Jewelry is a family-owned business with three stores in Fayetteville, NC. they pride themselves on how they treat customers and enjoy being part of the community they do business with. The stores carry a large selection of fine jewelry, bullion, coins, gold, silver, and diamonds if you are looking for loose diamonds, diamond stud earrings, name-brand electronics, musical instruments, and designer handbags.
Getting a set of diamond earrings from Parker Pawn and Jewelry won’t be “just pawn shop earrings” the gift would be exquisite and respectful and the giver would have purchased the jewelry at a great price.
Pawnshops like Parker Pawn and Jewelry specialize in appraisals and giving an accurate value to items. What this means is you won’t pay more for a special item.
