Online Diamond Jewelry
Q.A friend of mine was asking about buying jewelry online. During the discussion of pros/cons, he mentioned that he had read in a forum about something to do with the "ability to have your ring tested every year" for things like settings, and how it might be hard to find someone local who would work to set a stone, etc., if he bought something online. I had never heard of such a thing nor have I had a problem with working with someone online, but I told him that I would ask. Is this a fear-inducing retail-chain sales tactic?
A.The question I took from the original post was whether it would be hard to find a local jeweler who would be willing to inspect/repair a ring purchased online. There's nothing wrong with purchasing a ring online (diamond or otherwise), providing that you are an educated consumer and working with someone reputable. That ring will be able to be sized, inspected, have prongs retipped, etc., at a local jeweler's just the same as any ring purchased at any other "brick and mortar" store. It's quite rare that a jeweler will refuse to work on goods sold by anyone other than themselves. Yes, a diamond (or any good ring with prong-set stones) should be professionally inspected and cleaned yearly (more frequently if you wear it in potentially abusive conditions). That's not hype or fear tactics. As Judy rightfully said, diamonds can abrade prongs, prongs can get caught on things and bent, exposure to chlorine can weaken gold, and metal does eventually wear away. BUT... The brick and mortar stores are, in many cases, unable to compete on price, selection, and availability with their online competitors. Simply put, they have MUCH higher overhead and are not always able to access the breadth of multi-supplier inventory that an online dealer can. Putting a fear that "you won't be able to get your ring serviced if you buy it online" out there for consumers is, indeed, a deceptive tactic.
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