Three Qualities of a Good Jewelry Retailer

There are three qualities that your jeweler should possess. If any one of these qualities are missing in your jeweler (or gem dealer), you may end up with unanticipated and very unpleasant problems.

  1. KNOWLEDGABLE– If a jeweler or gem dealer has not taken the time to learn the trade or is not experienced enough to have all of the specialized knowledge needed to detect misrepresented goods, they will eventually be taken advantage of by unscrupulous dealers. If a person does not have enough knowledge to protect himself (or herself), he cannot protect his customers, even if he is honest.

  2. CAREFUL ATTENTION TO DETAIL – On the other hand it doesn’t matter how knowledgeable a person is if they are not careful in their evaluation of gemstones. Are the grades and data on your diamond certificate accurate? If the diamond is uncertified, is it laser drilled? Is it filled? And what about the cutting quality? If it is a colored stone, is it treated, and if so, how? And you had better look at the jewelry as well. Most jewelry today is mass manufactured overseas, and I am being charitable when I say the craftsmanship leaves something to be desired. You need a knowledgeable perfectionist to examine your ring for quality craftsmanship so you don’t have to suffer the heartbreak of a lost gemstone. Warning! Most sales and business people are by their very nature not perfectionists. Even if there was something wrong, they could not see it. They are not wired for it. Don’t get stuck with leftover diamonds in a poorly crafted ring. Buy it from a nitpicker.

  3. HONESTY – You may have heard the old saying; “10% of the people will steal from you all of the time. 10% of the people will never steal from you, and for the rest it depends on the circumstances." You want to get your jewelry from people that are in that 10% that will never steal. Gemstones and jewelry manufacturing are highly technical fields, and average folks are just not prepared to protect themselves from misrepresentation, fraud, or faulty craftsmanship. Most of the problems are microscopic and the average person is simply not prepared to do those kinds of examinations. Needless to say, “gems and jewelry” is a field that can be attractive to con artists and unscrupulous businessmen. And with the intense price competition that currently exists, there is a lot of pressure for even the honest person to be generous on a clarity grade, ignore a transparency problem, or to overlook a poorly set prong. It is obvious that being knowledgeable and being careful are worthless if one is not also 110% honest. In fact, it is conceivable, that without absolute integrity a person could use his specialized knowledge to take advantage of his customers.




Jewelers Vigilance Committee
Jewelers of America
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