How to buy the perfect engagement ring and save $1000s

Peter Vine

Buying a diamond engagement ring can be a risky business! For most of us an engagement ring is the third most expensive purchase we are likely to make, after our home and car. However I can guarantee you know much more about buying a house, or a car than you do about buying a diamond ring! This lack of knowledge opens up the opportunity for dishonest people to take advantage of you.

This generally takes the form of selling you a poor quality diamond ring for a higly inflated price.

How can you avoid the pitfalls?

There are some basic precautions you can take, which will significantly reduce the risk. Some of these include:

Get Educated - Research the subject of buying diamonds, in exactly the same way you would if you were buying a car. There is no substituted for this, and if you are willing to make the effort you can have more knowledge of the subject in 2 hours, than 95% of your fellow consumers.

Buy from a reputable source - Whether you decide to make your purchase online or at a Jewelry store, make sure you have some background on the store. Visit the store and ask the salesman questions to gauge his level of knowledge. I would suggest you avoid the Jewelry districts, simply because the competition is so fierce that it breeds questionable practices and half truths amongst the occupants.

Never buy a diamond without a certificate - Without a certificate you could quite easily buy a piece of glass set into an engagement ring setting and be non the wiser, but up to $5000 poorer. However a certificate alone does not guarantee a better deal, you need to be proficient in understanding exactly what it is telling you, and how each factor that is covered affects the price and quality of the ring.

Understand the 4 C's of diamonds - Most people know something about the 4 C's of diamond buying including, Cut, Clarity, Carat and Color. However very few people know how to each of the 4 factors interact to determine the price and quality of a diamond.

If you follow this advice you significantly reduce your chance of being fleeced by a dishonest salesman. Treat your purchase as a significant financial purchase. Set your budget up-front and do not go too much above or below the price you've set yourself. Try not to get to emotionally involved in the purchase and the outcome should be favorable.


Peter Vine is the author of "Diamond Ring Secrets" the first easy to read guide to buying the perfect diamond engagement ring. Get a free chapter from the book at:

http://www.diamond-ring-secrets.com

Buying Gold Jewelry Without Being Ripped-Off
Sam Serio

Buying gold jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of gold jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality gold jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.

Gold
The word gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it's usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry
is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold.

The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry.

Most jewelry is marked with its karat quality, although marking is not required by law. Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name of the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you don't see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece.

Solid gold refers to an item made of any karat gold, if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark.

Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items that are either mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is.

Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as 1/40 14K Gold Overlay.

Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate.



The Authors of the above Article, Sam and Tami Serio have been passionately involved with Jewelry and Gemstones for over fifteen-years. You are cordially invited to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com for a wealth of information about the fascinating world of Jewelry and Gemstones. Together they also shelter 20 abandoned and abused dogs & cats. A portion of their profits goes to the care and feeding of the animals.