What You Need To Know Before You Buy Diamonds Online

As with many purchases that can be made online a lot of people are cautious or even afraid of buying diamonds online. The key to buying items on the internet is to do your research prior to attempting the purchase. Of all the reasons people have for buying diamonds online as opposed to buying from a local jewelry store price is probably the main factor. Markup in local jewelry stores is extremely high in order to pay overhead costs for the store as well as commissions to salespeople.

This is why online stores are able to offer much lower prices but you must at the same time be aware that a ridiculously low price indicates that the stone is probably not a real diamond. Another huge benefit about internet shopping is the availability of a virtually unlimited variety of stones to choose from in comparison to the small availability in your local area with normal jewelers. Still, you must do your homework and check out any retailer that you are considering doing business with. Learn everything you can about diamonds in advance to reduce the chances of getting scammed.

Some of the more important things you need to know about are carat weights, color, clarity, and the cut as well as how each of these factors affects the price of the stone. After you have educated yourself you can be more confident about shopping online. Don't ever allow yourself to be hurried into buying, rushing to buy the first diamond you find interesting can result in getting ripped off. Use the power of the internet to compare prices so that you can be sure you are getting a good deal. Okay, so far you have learned about diamonds, you have found some good deals, and even maybe a stone you are in love with, but you still need to do a couple more things to make sure that you don't get taken.

The next step you need to take is to find out what kind of credentials the online jeweler has including what associations they are members of and what their policies are regarding returns, refunds, and upgrades. Since you are buying via the internet you may also want to ask about services they may provide in the way of settings, mountings, sizing, and what their shipping prices and policies are. If you ask, you may even be able to get free shipping. Have them give you a grading report for the stone you are considering from one of the independent labs such as AGS or GIA before you complete the transaction. A final suggestion is to use an escrow service to handle the final disposition in which they will receive the diamond from the seller and appraise it then you send the money to the escrow service.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this and Diamond Jewelry at http://www.diamondjewelrynow.com