March 15, 2023

Buying Luxury Jewelry Online: A How to Guide

Written By: Vahid Moradi

From online vendors to eBay, there have never been more ways to shop for luxury jewelry without leaving your couch. However, it’s hard to evaluate the legitimacy of a diamond necklace or jewelry online through a screen. How can you navigate your online jewelry store search to find a piece that truly shines?

Buying jewelry online and luxury jewelry shopping takes more than clicking on what sparkles. To ensure the best experience and value for your money when buying jewelry online, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Keep reading to learn the top tips for buying luxury jewelry online.

#1 Look for Certification

One of the easiest ways for a website to earn your stamp of trust? Becoming a certified online jewelry vendor.

A jewelry vendor certification indicates that a vendor has met certain quality standards as verified by a third party. This guarantees a level of trust and quality to customers so that you can count on receiving what you ordered. Typically, certifications are granted by esteemed regulatory bodies, such as:

Gemological Institute of America (GIA) – Established in 1931, the GIA is a nonprofit organization that provides education, research, and verification in the field of gemology.¹ Their team of jewelry experts assess gemstones (particularly diamonds) for their quality and authenticity, using the International Diamond Grading System to do so.

Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) – A leader in sustainable jewelry, the RJC certifies vendors that meet a set of strict ethical and environmental standards for sourcing and selling their jewelry.²

American Gem Society (AGS) – The AGS’s code of ethics requires that all certified vendors meet ethical practices. This includes refusing conflict diamonds, maintaining their gemology education, and adhering to anti-money laundering laws.³

Better Business Bureau (BBB) – The BBB certifies businesses that meet high standards of trustworthiness and ethical practices, such as honest advertising and truthful product descriptions.⁴ While not technically a jeweler certification, any jewelry vendors with a BBB accreditation are relatively trustworthy.

#2 Check the Return Policy

No one wants to risk spending a great deal of money on something they may not even love, especially if it’s something as important as buying a graduation jewelry gift or mother’s day jewelry gifts. If a piece of jewelry doesn’t fit right or simply doesn’t sparkle the way you’d like, then you should be able to return it to its respective jewelry online store.

Typically, a credible online jewelry store vendor will offer a 100% money-back guarantee or risk-free return policy. Most luxury jewelry vendors will also offer warranties on their collections so that you can trust in their product quality. If a vendor does not clearly list these policies, then move on.

Explore our diamond jewelry collection today!

#3 Seek Security Measures

Luxury jewelry is rarely a low-budget expense. That’s why evaluating a vendor’s website security is crucial—not only for receiving your jewelry but also for protecting you from identity theft or phishing.

No matter the product, every online purchase requires you to enter some personal information. To ensure that a website won’t steal your information, check for these signs that a jewelry vendor’s website is secure:⁵

Encryption – Every secure website will be encrypted—i.e., their data is protected. You can check if a website is encrypted by evaluating the browser bar. If there’s a padlock symbol next to the URL or the URL starts with “https://”, then it’s an encrypted website.

SSL/TLS certification – Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TSL) are two more online security protocols that guarantee a trusted third party verified the website. A padlock symbol in the browser bar indicates that a website has SSL/TLS certification.

Security seals – If you’ve ever seen a small security badge image at the bottom corner of a website, it was likely the logo of a third-party online security company. Certification badges from security providers like McAfee or Norton support that a website is trustworthy.

Safe payment options – Can only pay with a debit card? Then you may want to empty your cart. Legitimate online vendors will offer secure payment gateways like credit cards, PayPal, or other verified sources. And if the website asks for payment information while shopping? Red flag—time to go find another store.

#4 Make Contact

Does the customer service email bounce back? Does that 1-800 number lead to a dial tone? If a jewelry website doesn’t provide accurate contact information, then it’s likely a bust. Make sure that a website provides multiple points of contact that lead to real people and places, including:

Physical addresses
Emails
Phone numbers
Customer support chats

#5 Analyze Their Website Design

Trustworthy web design may be the easiest standard to fake, but it’s still an important quality. A legitimate business website will be readable, searchable, and offer contact information. Look for these “green light” signs when considering an online jewelry vendor:⁶

Proper grammarand legible writing
Professional-grade layout and images
Multiple photos of each product
A privacy policy listed or provided upfront
An “About Us” page with the company’s history

Not sure if those ring photos are grainy or just have a filter? There are a few more steps you can take to verify a website’s legitimacy. If you notice considerable pop-ups, consider running a virus scan. You can also look up the website domain age to evaluate the lifespan of the website (very new websites tend to be fake) or pass the URL through Google’s Safe Browsing Transparency Report.

#6 Read the Reviews

Sure, reviews aren’t everything. One man’s jewelry faux pas is another man’s treasured piece of a lifetime. However, reviews can hint at the quality of a vendor’s collection—and even signal whether a website is legitimate.

Experts currently estimate that up to 4% of online reviews are fake, costing the world economy $152 billion each year.⁷ When an extra star can make the difference between someone checking out or abandoning a cart, online sellers may be eager to fake high reviews. Additionally, low-quality sellers may rack up well-deserved criticism in their reviews or even block reviews altogether. Beware of luxury jewelry websites that may have:

No review sections
Bad reviews on multiple products
Nonsensical reviews (such as reviews listed under the wrong products)
Exclusively glowing reviews
Reviews from generated usernames (usually a string of numbers and letters)

#7 Consider the 4 C’s

Buying any pieces with gemstones? A good way to distinguish educated jewelers from less-than-brilliant jewelers is the “4 C’s” system—cut, color, clarity, and carat.

Established by the Gemological Institute of America, the 4 C’s are a grading system used to evaluate the quality of diamonds and other gemstones.¹ Reputable jewelers will use the 4 C’s for their gemstones, providing these notes of quality for each piece:⁸

Color – Gemologists will often separate color into three subcategories—hue (color category), tone (lightness or darkness), and saturation (intensity of the hue). For diamonds, color is rated on an A-to-Z scale. The clearer the diamond, the higher the rating. For colored gemstones, there is no technical rating. However, every high-value gemstone has its preferred color—i.e., pure red for rubies, deep blue for sapphires, etc.

Clarity – The clarity of a gemstone evaluates how much light can pass through it. Flaws like minerals, hollow areas, and fractures can interfere with clarity. Diamond clarity can fall under six ratings (from flawless to included), while colored stones can fall under three ratings (Type I to Type III).

Cut – Pear cut? Oval? Square? The cut of a gem can change its entire vibrancy and look. Quality jewelers will know which cuts will look best for each gemstone. A well-cut gemstone will be symmetrical and reflect light easily for its color, no matter the shape.

Carat –While most associated with diamonds, all gemstones can be measured in carats. As a unit of weight, a carat equals one fifth of a gram. The more carats, the more expensive the gemstone. If a jeweler is selling you a piece with any gemstones, they should be able to provide their carat value.

Don’t forget—precious metals should have quality ratings, too. Solid gold is rated on a karat scale, ranging from zero karats to 24 karats.⁹ These karats measure what percent of the metal is actual gold, with 24 karats being 100% gold. Meanwhile, solid silver should be described as sterling (92.5% silver), argentium (92.5% to 99.9% silver), or fine (99.9% silver).¹¹

#8 Compare Prices

Seeing the price tag “$800” for a 5-carat diamond ring? Don’t put your card down yet. If a price sounds too good to be true, then it likely is.

Luxury jewelry isn’t meant to be a bargain deal. A quality piece with high-value precious metals and gemstones will be worth its cost. However, a scammy seller may try to lure you in with low prices and fishy sales. For example, you can expect a 1-carat diamond to cost around $4,500 to $6,000.¹¹ While quality factors may push this number slightly up or down, it would be suspicious if a 1-carat diamond only cost $500.

Feel Confident in Your Luxury Jewelry with CJ Charles

In a sea of luxury jewelry vendors, it can be hard to pick a seller that feels right. Luckily, CJ Charles Jewelers is the best place that can make your choice an easy one.

From full-price refunds to data encryption, our online store makes luxury jewelry shopping not only enjoyable but also smart. We are authorized to sell the finest of watches and fine jewelry. Even better, our team is ready to provide real-life support for any questions or concerns you may have.

Find your luxury, right from your home. View our online collection today to start your luxury jewelry search in style.