Playing games and having gimmicks is a time-honored jewellery store tradition, dating back to probably as long as gold has existed. Here at Polished Diamonds we HATE them, which is why if you’ve ever came into our store, you know we don’t do this. We’ve decided enough is enough and are now going to Break the Magicians Jewelers Code by going through some of the games, gimmicks, and pitfalls other jewellery stores play. You’ll want to pay attention…
The Game: “You’re getting a great deal!”
Have you ever found it annoying to have to haggle? Yea, us too. Almost all other retail categories don’t make you play this game, so why jewellery? Well, it’s because most jewellery stores want to get as much out of you as they can. It is a common practice for jewellery stores once an item is made to mark it up around 70%-100%. Then you go in, have a yarn, and if you play the game, they’ll cut 10% off it. Then you walk away (if you can) come back, and they’ll knock off another 10% because they know you’re not playing around. Lastly, you happen to come in on the third Thursday or their [insert random holiday sale] and get another 10% off. The thing is, you’re still paying a 50%-70% mark-up on that item. You just don’t recognize this gimmick because you’re getting “such a great deal”
Polished Diamonds does not do that. We buy diamonds directly from our diamond cutters, we manufacture all our jewellery in New Zealand using New Zealand metal, and have our expert diamond setters finish our rings. This is how we can provide amazing quality jewellery, at better prices then the other store, without having to play games with our customers. We constantly get asked “is this the best price you can do?” We understand it’s a conditioned response, but our answer is always “Yes, it is” not because we want to be rude, it’s because we don’t play the jewellery store games and always offer our customers the best price available. This is also why Polished Diamonds jewellery always gets valued for MORE than what our customers paid. Which brings me to my next point…
Valuations & Certifications – A must!
We only sell independently certified gems at Polished Diamonds, which we feel is a must, but not all jewellery stores believe in being 100% upfront about the diamond you’re purchasing. Certifications from GIA, IGI, and HRD are global certification companies that will state exactly the specifications of your stone. They even lazer escribe a serial number on your diamond that traces it back to your certification. If they say it is a G-SI2, then that is exactly what it is, and will be independently valued as such. By the way, if “G-SI2” makes no sense to you, I’ll refer you to our blog about Diamond Education Here.
Beware of jewellery stores who just say what the diamond is, without showing you an independent certification. This goes the same with valuations. After a jewellery item is completed at Polished Diamonds, we send it to the Jewellery Valuation Centre (JVC) to be independently valued. They have no affiliation with us, and are not persuaded or owned by Polished Diamonds, which is how we prefer it. We only provide honest, unbiased, certifications and valuations to our customers. If a jewellery store won’t provide this or gives you a valuation created by them and prefers you “just trust them” personally, I would walk away or get it independently valued yourself.
Know What’s in Your Metal
We’ve touched on this a bit in our other blog: I Want Platinum, but it’s worth going into detail in this, due to being a common pitfall of other jewellery stores. It is true no matter if you’re in a high-end boutique store, our design studio, or a chain store at the mall that 14K Gold is 14K Gold. It’s a major no-no to, for instance, put a 14K stamp on a 9K gold ring, which is why 99.9% of jewellery store would never do this, but what isn’t commonly understood is what ELSE is in the metal.
9K, 14K, 18K, just refers to the amount of gold that is in the metal alloy. No matter where you go 14K Gold will have the same amount of gold in the alloy. But there are other stores who cheap out by putting other junk metals in their metal alloys. We do not do this. We leave out cheap, bad metals like Zinc or Nickel, but some other stores will do this, which is why you can have a reaction to their jewellery. Despite both our rings being 14K Gold they ARE NOT the same. Any jewellery store should know what is in their metal alloy, and if they don’t then they don’t know who made their ring.
The Hard Sell Game
Ever been in a store and feel like you’re not allowed to leave until you buy something? This is a notorious game of the jewellery industry and we at Polished Diamonds despise it. It seems even silly to say, but you have the right to walk away! Buying an engagement ring is likely one of the biggest decisions you’re ever going to make, and if someone is insisting you do it right then and there, they don’t understand the significance of this decision. Most jewellery store representatives work on a commission-based salary, which means their goal is to sell you a ring, not necessarily the right ring. Even better for them, a ring that is more than what you were wanting to pay. Budget means nothing to them, and sorry to say, neither do you after you walk away with a ring.
We at Polished Diamonds understand how important it is to have the perfect ring. Our owners and staff are on first name basis with our customers, and we enjoy seeing them come back for their free ultra-sonic cleanings and inspections. You’ll never get a “hard sell” at Polished Diamonds. We’re allergic to it like bad metal alloys.
Not All Inclusions Are the Same
First, if you need to know what exactly an inclusion is, I’ll again refer you to our blog about Diamond Education Here, but essentially this is “stuff” in your diamond, other than diamond. When people usually think of inclusions, they think big black coal spots. Although this is true, it’s not the only inclusions that exist and knowing the difference can save you from buying a bad looking diamond.
Here at Polished Diamonds the inclusions we search for and hand select are translucent ones like: Feathering, needling, pinpoints, indented naturals, etc. These inclusions despite being in the diamond, and affecting their clarity grade, can not usually be seen by the naked eye. So, if you’re shopping around it’s good to know that an SI2 diamond can be very different depending on where you go, and who’s selected your stone. You don’t have to settle for a black spotted or milky looking diamond.
Rhodium Plating Pitfall – Understand What It Is
White gold to keep its shine will always have what is called rhodium plating. This is a plating put on the metal and will always be at it’s best when the ring is brand new. But when you really consider that it is a “plating” you can understand that you can plate something well or not so well. Some stores will cheap out on the plating to save a couple of bucks, and only put a thin layer to make the gold look as good as it can then and there. Unfortunately, if they don’t plate it as they should this plating can come off soon with normal wearing of the ring, leaving you wondering 6 months later why your ring just doesn’t look as shiny and nice as it did when you once got it.
Que going back to the jewellery store and them telling you “Oh your ring just needs rhodium plating” which, of course, they don’t do for free and you spend $100 or more trying to get your ring looking nice again. They add a thin layer of rhodium plating to it and the circle then continues. You become an endless revenue stream for a jewellery store you already spent your hard-earned money buying a ring from. You can avoid this by either buying platinum and/or going to a credible jewellery store like Polished Diamonds. In all honesty rhodium plating should last between 3-5 years, and so should the shine of your white gold.
Buying “The Set” Game
Another common trick of the jewellery trade is convincing you that you need the “trifecta” (engagement ring and two wedding bands) all in the same purchase. I’ll be blunt, this is just because they want more out of you right away. They’ll convince you that the matching wedding band might not be in stock or made when you’re ready for it, giving you a bit of FOMO. A much better solution to this: have your ring CAD designed. This way you can create your matching wedding band when you’re ready for it.
Here at Polished Diamonds, we use Computer-Aided Design to create your ring, which means we’ll always have it in our database. You can come in a year or 10 years and we’ll always be able to create your matching wedding band, however you want to design it. You don’t have to worry about getting something else “off the shelf” and risk the rings rubbing against each other and ruining your beloved jewellery. Our clients are our customers for life, not the moment, so they can get their matching wedding band whenever they chose.
Hopefully, this has served a good purpose, despite us probably annoying our own industry. But at Polished Diamonds our loyalty is to our customers, so helping any way possible is what we aim to do. If there are any further questions or pitfalls that we’ve missed but you would like to know about feel free to contact us. Our experienced (and honest) staff are here to assist.