How To Choose A Jewelry Store

Choosing a jewelry store from which you can purchase gems and jewelry with peace of mind is a matter of careful planning.

Location
Is it in a good location, such as a modern shopping plaza, five-star hotel or popular street? Are the jewelry displays and interior decorating of high standard? These factors would indicate that the store has a good reputation.

Product
Does the store sell only gemstones and jewelry or other items such as souvenirs? A store selling exclusively gems and jewelry is more likely to have better selection of merchandise.

Professionalism
Is the sales staff well trained? Are they knowledgeable, honest and trustworthy? Are they proficient with any technical matters that may arise? If there were qualified gemologist among the staff, this would tend to indicate professionalism and a high standard of excellence.

Pricing
A jewelry store that has marked prices is preferable. This means that the store does not set the price according to the appearance of the client. Be aware, however, that stores with marked price tags sometimes mark up their prices in order to be able to give discounts while bargaining.

Trust
Trust is possibly the most important factor when deciding where to purchase gemstones or jewelry. If you do not feel you can trust the person you are dealing with or feel uncomfortable for some reason, simply leave the store and find somewhere else where you will feel more at ease.

If you give the impression that you know what you are looking for then you are shown better quality merchandise. Examine the stone from all different angles and different lighting. The easiest way to do this is by placing the stone table-up on the back of your hand in between your fingers. After examining the gemstone with the naked eye, ask to see it with a 10x magnification loupe. The things you should be looking for are surface blemishes and inclusions. Blemishes consist of scratches, chips, irregular facets and facet junctions. Internally, the stone should be relatively free of inclusions such as cloudiness, dark objects, needle-like inclusions and so forth.

If you are a Bangkok resident and not a tourist it may improve your chances of a good deal. And finally, walking into a jewelry store well dressed will do wonders for the service you will receive. If you dress in dirty jeans and sneakers with a T-shirt and dangling cell-phone, you won’t be doing yourself any favors. Pay close attention to lighting when examining gems and jewelry. You should examine the stone under as many different light sources as possible, as the color will change depending on the type of light the stone is exposed to. A ruby in Bangkok is a ruby in London. A gem is a gem anywhere. Try to imagine the conditions where you will be wearing the stones and buy accordingly.