| A Jewelry
Shopper’s Checklist
(Excerpt from
http://www.ftc.gov)
When you're in the market for a piece of jewelry for yourself or someone you
love, shop around. Compare quality, price, and service. If you're not
familiar with any jewelers in your area, ask family members, friends, and
co-workers for recommendations. You also should:
- Ask for the store's refund and return
policy before you buy.
- Check for the appropriate markings on
metal jewelry.
- Ask whether the pearls are natural,
cultured, or imitation.
- Ask whether a gemstone is natural,
laboratory-created, or imitation.
- Ask whether the gemstone has been treated.
Is the change permanent? Is special care required?
- Make sure the jeweler writes on the sales
receipt any information you relied on when making your purchase, such as
the gem's weight or size. Some jewelers also may supply a grading report
from a gemological laboratory.
In addition, these tips apply when you're
shopping for jewelry online:
- Shop with companies you know or do some
homework before buying to make sure a company is legitimate before doing
business with it.
- Get the details about the product, as well
as the merchant's refund and return policies, before you buy.
- Look for an address to write to or a phone
number to call if you have a question, a problem or need help.
For More Information
If you have a problem with the jewelry you purchased, first try to resolve
it with the jeweler. If you are dissatisfied with the response, contact your
local Better Business Bureau or local consumer protection agency. You also
may contact the Jewelers Vigilance Committee's Alternative Dispute
Resolution Service. This program assists consumers and businesses in
resolving disputes about jewelry. The Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) is
an independent, non-profit organization formed to advance ethical practices
in the jewelry industry. You may contact the JVC by mail: 25 West 45th
Street, Suite 400, New York, NY 10036-4902, or by phone: 212-997-2002.
Related Links
Federal Trade Commission - How to Buy Jewelry
A comprehensive guide on what to look for when buying jewelry and what questions to ask.
Buying Diamond Earrings
A guide and information on buying diamond earrings at moderated and discount prices
Jewelers Vigilance Committee - The Industry's Guardian of Ethics and Integrity
Click to learn more about fine jewelry and gemstones.
Established in 1931, GIA is the world’s largest and most
respected nonprofit institute of gemological research and learning.
Wholesale Sterling Silver Sales:
Sterling Silver Jewelry - Plum Island Silver Company has a wide selection of fine silver jewelry.
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Why Did My Skin
Turn Green?
Solutions to Keep Jewelry from Discoloring Your Skin
Has gold and other jewelry ever left greenish or black
marks on your skin? It's happened to most of us at least once or twice, and
even though some people are allergic to certain materials, most staining
isn't caused by an allergy--it's a reaction between our skin and the metals
used in jewelry, especially when the jewelry touches areas that perspire.
Copper Jewelry
Copper reacts to turns skin green. The piece you're
wearing might not be pure copper, but it might have enough copper in it to
cause a reaction, and some people seem to have body chemistry that's prone
to staining.
Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is 7.5 percent copper, but the most common
stains from sterling silver jewelry are black, and occur when the metal
tarnishes (darkens due to a reaction with gases in the air).
Some sterling pieces are coated with products that help
keep them from tarnishing, but the coatings will wear off in time.
Gold shouldn't cause staining, should it?
Gold itself hardly ever stains your skin, it's the other
metals that gold is mixed with that do. Copper, nickel and silver can be
used to alter the color of gold, and make it stronger and more affordable.
Any of those metals can cause discoloration on your skin.
The lower the "K" number on your gold (Karat), the less
pure gold it contains--and the more other metals. Some people never have a
reaction to the metals in even 10K gold, but others must buy 18K pieces to
stop the discoloration.
More
About Gold
Nickel Allergies
If you are allergic to nickel, you won't just have stained
skin. Jewelry that contains the metal will make your skin itchy and red
where it comes in contact with your body.
Gold Plated & Gold Filled Jewelry
The thin layer of gold in
gold
plated jewelry can wear off, exposing an inexpensive base metal that can
stain your skin
Gold filled jewelry is made with a
thicker outer layer of gold, so it doesn't wear off as quickly.
Ways to Eliminate Staining
- Switch to 18 Karat gold, a more pure metal.
- Platinum is expensive, but rarely reacts with our skin.
- Ask your jeweler if the piece can be coated with a new
layer of metal or a clear protective film along edges that touch your
skin.
- Coat the jewelry with clear nail polish where it
touches your skin.
- Choose stainless steel jewelry when possible,
especially when buying body jewelry components.
- Titanium is another metal choice, for its non-staining
qualities and for people with metal allergies.
- Watch for jewelry labeled hypo-allergenic. It's
formulated for people with hightened sensititivies to metals.
- Keep your skin dry when wearing jewelry.
- Wear offending pieces for only a short time.
- Keep your jewelry clean and tarnish-free.
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How to care for your fine
sterling silver jewelry With proper care, your
fine quality silver will last a lifetime. To minimize scratches and other
damage, store your silver jewelry either in a cloth pouch or in a separate
compartment in your jewelry box. Avoid exposing your silver to household
chemicals when cleaning with bleach or ammonia, or when swimming in
chlorinated water, as these chemicals can damage silver.
Care should also be taken to prevent silver tarnish build-up, a dulling that
naturally occurs when silver reacts with sulfur or hydrogen sulfide in the
ambient air. To clean your silver, use polishes formulated specifically to
remove tarnish. You can find fine silver polishes, solutions, or cloths
appropriate to remove tarnish at most hardware stores or specialty craft
stores. Tarnish is most easily removed when it first becomes visible.
Although wearing your silver jewelry often is the best way to prevent
tarnish from building up, regular cleanings of all your silver items will
prevent tarnish and keep your silver bright and sparkling.
Look for the fineness mark and the maker's mark on the underside of the
silver item you are considering to ensure the quality.
Jewelry will be a popular Valentine's Day gift
JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone --
2/1/2005
Though consumers will be spending less on average, more
people will be celebrating Valentine's Day this year, providing another
boost in spending to the third-largest retail holiday of the year, according
to a recent National Retail Federation (NRF) survey. Jewelry is expected to
be the fifth most popular choice for gift-giving this year.
The NRF 2005 Valentine's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey,
conducted by BIGresearch for NRF, found that the average consumer will spend
$97.27 on Valentine's Day, down slightly from $99.24 last year. However,
61.8% of consumers plan to celebrate the holiday, up two percent from the
previous year. In all, 2005 Valentine's Day spending is expected to reach
$13.19 billion.
Greeting cards remain the most popular Valentine's Day gift this year, with
nearly two-thirds (66.9%) of consumers planning to purchase at least one
card for the holiday, according to the survey. Nearly half of consumers will
celebrate by buying candy (49.4%) or treating themselves to an evening out
(47.4%). Additionally, more than half of men (57.8%) plan to buy flowers and
one in five (18.1%) plan to purchase jewelry for Valentine's Day.
Consumers will spend the majority of their Valentine's Day budget on their
sweetheart, with the average person planning to spend $58.85 on their
significant other or spouse. Consumers also plan to spend $21.49 on other
family members, $5.42 on friends, $3.76 on children's classmates and
teachers, and $2.73 on co-workers, according to the survey. Consumers will
spend an additional $5.02 on other people like neighbors and babysitters.
Consumers aged 45-54 will spend $118.11 each this year, more than any other
category and considerably higher than the $88.96 the group spent last year,
according to the survey. Young adults 18-24, who were a main factor behind
last year's Valentine's Day success, will be cutting back spending this year
from $154.65 last year to just $83.50 this year.
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