Nobody likes to purchase a product and find out they’ve spent their hard-earned cash on a fake. With the amount of fake gold jewelry on sale nowadays, finding good sources of real gold jewelry can be pretty challenging. In this article, you’ll learn some places where you can buy real gold jewelry online and offline.
Where to Buy Real Gold Jewelry Physically
While e-commerce might be all the rave right now, some people still prefer to buy gold jewelry in a physical store. For some, it’s a matter of trust; they’re about to spend thousands of dollars on a piece and would prefer to deal with people they can physically see. Whatever your reasons for preferring to shop for real gold jewelry offline, below are some excellent places to look.
1. Big Jewelry Brands
If you want to buy real gold jewelry from a source that lets you sleep easily at night, your safest bet is the big jewelry brands. Companies like Cartier, Bvlgari, Pandora, and Tiffany & Co. have spent decades building huge reputations as reliable sources of authentic jewelry.
Every sale these big brands make puts their reputation at stake, and they’ll surely not want to ruin it. Apart from their reputation, they risk legal action if they advertise real gold jewelry and sell something inferior.
Buying from big jewelry brands means you’ll probably have to pay more for your jewelry. On the other hand, there’s a degree of prestige that comes with rocking these designer brands because people know that they are expensive.
2. Local Jewelers
One disadvantage of big jewelry brands is that they only have stores in some select locations. These companies try to be strategic with their store locations since it costs them a lot to set up each location. Therefore, you might not have any of their stores within your vicinity.
Instead of spending a lot on travel fees to go to a designer store located elsewhere, you can look out for a local jeweler near you. In most cases, these jewelers are not widely known; therefore, buying real gold jewelry from them would not cost you as much as a luxury store. Also, getting a custom piece from local jewelers is easier.
Some people prefer to patronize their local jewelers because they feel “more involved” in making their pieces. Some jewelers allow their clients to watch them while they work and even walk them through the entire process (you don’t see this often). Also, you have the advantage of building a relationship with your jeweler that can last a lifetime.
3. Pawn Shops
Pawn shops are an excellent place to go if you’re not too picky about the type of jewelry you want. While you might not have the luxury of choice that a luxury brand or custom jeweler affords you, you might find some absolute keepers in pawn shops. You can find an antique piece whose value even the pawn shop owner is ignorant of at little cost.
One disadvantage of buying from these stores is that almost everything you buy isn’t new. Some gold jewelry might be so old that they no longer look good. The good part is that you’d have bought it for much less than a brand new gold piece from Tifanny & Co.
Where to Buy Real Gold Jewelry Online
Undoubtedly, e-commerce has affected nearly every industry, and jewelry is no exception. You can buy real gold jewelry online and have it delivered to your doorstep without leaving the comfort of your bed.
1. Reputed Online Jewelers
When buying jewelry online, it’s crucial to buy from trusted sources. Most global jewelry brands have online shops where you can purchase the pieces you want. All you need to do is Google your designer of choice, and you’ll have access to their online jewelry catalog, where you can order whatever you want.
Aside from your recognized names, some jewelers do not have physical stores and do all their jewelry selling online. Below is a list of some of the most recognized ones:
Source: Top10.com
Some online stores allow you to craft custom designs on their website.
2. Online Consumer-to-Consumer Websites
Consumer-to-consumer websites like eBay and Amazon work like digital pawn shops. You can find sellers of almost every type of jewelry you’re looking for on these websites. Of course, the biggest issue with buying from these sources is that they do not have the legitimacy of buying from reputable stores.
Social media is rife with many “What I ordered vs. what I got” memes, and you might fall victim to such scams if you are not careful. The key is not to buy anything too expensive on these websites and to buy only from merchants with lots of positive reviews from previous buyers.
3. Social Media
Nowadays, social media isn’t a place to connect with people for social purposes or strictly for goofing around. Sellers are trooping to social media (mainly Instagram) to sell real gold jewelry. It is telling that most social media platforms now have e-commerce features that allow people to buy and sell online.
As with consumer-to-consumer websites, there are many scammers on these platforms. One way to know the sellers’ likely authenticity is through the reviews and comments you find on their page.
Things To Note When Buying Gold
A piece of real gold jewelry will likely cost you a significant amount. There are some things to note that can help to keep you safe from fakes.
1. Ask Questions
Most reputable sellers have jewelers or salespeople to guide you as you walk through the store. They can help you know why each piece has its value, and you can make more informed choices. Even online stores have customer service representatives that would answer your questions appropriately.
It’s best to go elsewhere if you find the salesperson or customer care representative isn’t giving you satisfactory answers.
2. Understand How Gold is Evaluated
The fact that a jeweler includes gold in the jewelry you buy doesn’t make it “real gold.” According to law, anything less than ten karats is no more gold. Not all gold is worth the same, with the value measured based on the purity level, with 24-karat gold being 100% gold.
3. Check the Markings
All gold jewelry is supposed to have markings that indicate the purity, manufacturer, and other information about the jewelry. If you find markings that say “GF” or “GP,” you aren’t buying real gold. For more information on these markings, read this article that explains Gold Filled and Gold Plated.
4. Check the Price Range
One of the ways to know that you’re buying fake gold jewelry is that the price would not match the supposed value of the item. For instance, no clearance sale would give an 18-karat gold bracelet for $20; that deal is too good to be true!
5. Have it Independently Inspected
If you don’t know how to check the weight and quality of the gold jewelry you purchase, you can pay independent inspectors to do the job for you. The easiest way to get this done is to take the piece to a reputable jeweler in your area.
6. Pay Only on Secure Websites
Always safeguard your card details when you have to pay online. One of the ways you can be safe online is to only pay on secure websites. Secure websites usually have https:// in front of the domain name instead of http://. Read this article to find out more about HTTPS and web security.
7. Find Out the Return Policy
Most trustworthy jewelers have return policies on real gold jewelry. Even if it’s for 7 or 30 days, it helps to know that you can return jewelry that isn’t real. Considering how much you’ll spend to get real gold, this is something to always look out for.
8. Don’t Buy Stolen Goods
The issue with buying from pawn shops and on websites like eBay is that people sell stolen jewelry through these means a lot. You have to be careful not to buy stolen goods. If the gold jewelry you’re buying is a resell, you should always ask for the seller’s receipt to prove they’re selling their property.
9. Check for Untouched Packaging
Always ensure that your jewelry packaging is intact if you buy gold jewelry online. The merchant might ship out the correct order, only to have it switched for something inferior by the delivery company. Do not collect the product if you find a broken seal or anything else suspicious about its packaging.
10. Get the Bill
Never buy gold jewelry without collecting the bill or receipt. The bill helps to ensure that you’re getting the purity and weight of gold that the seller promised you. Also, it’s your evidence of purchase if you need to have any issues with the jewelry and need to return it.