Shopping for jewelry online can be a real money saver. When people shop in person, they might be paying the cost of commissions, store rent and other operating costs. Online, those same shoppers pay reduced prices for cutting out the majority of intermediaries. The tradeoff, of course, is losing the ability to touch and hold any item that you might want to buy. As long as you check on jewelry certifications and take the time to comparison shop, fine jewelry online makes for a great purchase.
Successful comparison shopping includes:

• Be wary of retailers who will not give you information on all 4 Cs of diamonds once you have expressed an interest. They may not be knowledgeable, or they may not want you to be.
• Even if you think you already know about the 4 Cs of diamonds, check out cut. You might be surprised.
• Ask if the store has a gem lab on site. If a jeweler has not inspected the jewelry with proper equipment, he cannot know its true qualities. He is accepting the word of the gem supplier or is simply guessing. Worse yet, he is just telling you what you want to hear.
• Making sure the pieces being compared have equal value.
• Checking for certifications that verify the authenticity of the priced item.
• Looking for hidden fees or missing insurance.

Equal value between compared items necessitates that the pieces are quantitatively the same. Comparing one diamond to another means finding two stones with the same:
• Carat weight
• Cut
• Grade (based on the 4 C’s: Carat, Clarity, Color, and Cut)

A diamond may be larger but possess slight inclusions (SI₁), and sell for equal value to a stone that is smaller but internally flawless (IF). These differences are important to note. As a general rule, the purer the stone, the greater its resale value. For that reason, a flawless (FL) diamond holds the greatest value regardless of its size.

Color too plays a significant role in the price of a stone. A colorless stone is the most valuable investment, and like diamonds, comparing gold necessitates an equality of product. No one can compare two different products to one another.

If shoppers visit a gold jewellery store online, they have to keep in mind the purity and weight of the gold. Shaping plays a significant role in how gold jewelry looks. A smaller amount of gold may be pounded thinner and so it appears wider, or the piece may not have the same level of purity as another. 24K gold is the most valuable and sought after, while 18K is the most common. All platinum, gold and silver jewelry should bear the trademark of the manufacturer. Karat gold jewelry should be stamped with the karatage and silver jewelry should be stamped sterling silver.

The insurance industry has established appraisal standards to protect you. But if you don't specifically ask your jeweler to use the JISO/ ACORD appraisal form, you may not benefit from those standards.
So, before you shop for jewelry, print out the JISO forms (at www.jiso.org). After you’ve made your jewelry choice, have your appraisal completed on a JISO form. If the jeweler is a Certified Insurance Appraiser™, he can use JISO 78 Jewelry Insurance Appraisal form. If he’s not a CIA, have him complete the JISO 805 Jewelry Sales Receipt for Insurance Purposes.


Shoppers need to be careful not to make purchases based on the presentation and design of jewelry. Instead, noting the size, color, cut, weight and purity for all finery should be the goal. When comparison shopping for fine jewelry online, you must use equitable pieces.

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