Buying jewelry is usually a fun prospect and buying online presents a choice of jewelry styles and types that you may not be able to find at a local retailer. Shopping online is easy, the only thing you really need to do is know what you are buying and buy from a respected site you trust.

Know The Terms When Buying Jewelry Online

What is the difference between 10k gold and 14k gold? Is solid gold the same as 100% pure gold? What is gold plated? Those and other terms will appear anytime you are shopping for jewelry online or at a retailers. Knowing the difference will help you decide if that piece of jewelry is what you wanted or if it won’t do at all.

• Gold plated is a base metal coated by chemical means with gold covering at least .175 microns. The bad side is that the covering is usually thin and will wear off leaving the dull base metal showing, but gold plated jewelry will usually be significantly less expensive than other gold jewelry.

• 24k gold is the purest gold available it is also soft and can lose shape or be smashed and often it is mixed with other metals to make it harder and more durable.

• 14k gold has a 14/10 ratio of gold to the metal used for hardening.

• 10K gold has a lower percentage of gold with a 10/10 ratio

• Solid gold means the jewelry is not hollow it is gold throughout but could be any karat from 24 to 10k.

• Natural stones vs manmade stones. Natural stones are precious and semi precious stones found or mined from rock. Manmade stones are artificial stones though some are excellent copies and it can be hard to tell the difference unless you are a jeweler. The prices on manmade stones are usually significantly lower than rarer natural stones of the same type.

• Cultured pearls are pearls where the oyster has been seeded with a nucleus often a fish scale or piece of shell or other material and around which the oyster forms a protective covering as a defense against an irritant this results in a pearl. Natural pearls are rare and the result of an irritant lodging within the oyster’s shell  accidentally, and hence will be more expensive, and there is a very subtle difference in appearance which may make cultured pearls more attractive to some and less to others.

Is The Jewelry A Gift Or Is It For Yourself?

Whether you are buying jewelry online for yourself or as a gift there are a couple of vital pieces of information you will need before deciding on a necklace or a ring. Sizes of course are important. Everyone thinks about ring sizes but what about necklaces?  Why would you want to know sizes in a necklace you are buying online?

Well, necklaces come in many sizes and a child or a petite woman might not be able to wear a large necklace which looks gorgeous on a larger woman.  An adjustable bracelet is sometimes the best choice if you are buying for a woman who’s size you don’t know well. Children’s bracelets will usually be labeled for children or petite. Be aware of the sizes or be prepared to have the jewelry resized.

Getting Real Jewelry Online

You know fairly well what you want now, you know approximately what sizes you want, now you should also decide on a budget. Online shopping can’t be matched in terms of variety and sale prices. It is easy and avoids any pressure from salespersons on commission. However to make it easier on yourself you should choose the site you shop from carefully.

Find out what the return policy is when buying jewelry online. Read customer reviews as well to see what others who purchased a particular ring or earring set or necklace thought about it, if you are unsure.  You can browse to your heart’s content when considering buying jewelry online and mix and match. Just select a reputable site so you can be sure what you ordered is what you get. 

Finding the Jewelry You Want Online

Now, even though shopping for jewelry online can be fun, try to choose a site that will help you find what you are looking for, size, style, gem, cut, price range. The more flexible the search engine the more time you spend looking at jewelry you like, rather than riffling through 100 web pages on men’s orange cut bowties.

Take into consideration the reputation of the site you are considering buying jewelry online from. Reputation means a lot on the internet.

Consider the site search engine. If a merchant offers 1000s of products you will want to be sure you can navigate to the product you want easily without going through a lot of stuff you don’t want. 

Customer reviews can be valuable when buying jewelry online. Not every website offers them but they are great when you are on the fence with a decision. Not everyone has the same tastes in jewelry or anything as you do but if they point out something you had not considered, it can certainly assist.

 To sum it all up, when buying jewelry online you should have a good knowledge of what size you need if you are buying rings, necklaces or bracelets.

You should understand the differences in types of precious metals and different types of gemstones, such as manmade and natural. One might not be better than the other for you but if you know what they really mean, you can purchase not only on the basis of price but on what you like.

Use other customer experiences when on the fence on a buying decision. Avoid impulse buying, and simply save the item to a wish list if you are not sure.

Know the merchant’s return policy when buying jewelry online just in case.

Know the shipping options and factor them into the price of the jewelry. Buying jewelry online can be great, the selection absolutely incredible, and your satisfaction guaranteed if choose carefully.