5 top shopping tips to buy Jewellery this festive season

Buying jewellery can be a daunting task, especially when you are clouded with anarchic festive shopping and its many distractions. Finding the right earrings or ring for your loved one can stress you out and sap your time. With a bit of preparation though you can enjoy your search for the ultimate piece.

During the festive season, one out of every five people buy jewellery as a gift or shop one for themselves. Buying jewellery with Diamonds or gemstones or precious metals can be a complicated process. So to help you out we have shared a few important tips to guide your purchase:

1. Avoid big names

If you are looking for cheaper ways to buy jewellery, it could be better you avoid the big brand names and look for alternatives. Most of the big jewellers have large marketing and advertising budgets and spend a good amount of effort, time and money to create a reputation for themselves in the market and increase their reach to the public. This naturally increases the cost of their products to account for the spend. There are many great deals online that can help reduce your initial spend such as the M&S promo code or check out the local stores for deals and offers. Handmade items, lesser known designers and smaller brands can provide unique intersting gifts for similar if not cheaper costs to high street stores.

2. Check out Silver

With Platinum and Gold prices increasing, Silver has managed to capture the market and offers a great alternative to it’s more expensive counterparts and many designers and silversmiths have managed to create a buzz lately in this area. Sterling silver is definitely a good option as it has a minimum of 92.5% Silver content making it robust for fine jewellery pieces. Be careful with products named ‘German silver’ or ‘Nickel silver’ as these contain no inherent Silver. If you plan to buy gold jewellery, 18ct Gold is great investment as it holds it value and colour well. When buying precious metal items such as silver and gold always buy from reputed manufacturer, designers or retailers to avoid blunders.

3. Create class with pearls

If you are looking for some budget-friendly jewellery options, then better opt for pearls. You can find pearls in three forms:

Natural
Imitation
Cultured

Natural ones are the the most expensive due to their rarity. Imitation pearls are the most budget friendly and offer an elegant look but are made from treat glass. Cultured pearls however are real pearls that are formed naturally in a mollusk’s mantle but due to them being farmed they are known to be cheaper. Always buy pearls from the trustworthy jewellers that can give you advice and guidance on the correct source of your pearls and costs. There are always great budget saving ways to reduce your spend such as finding a relevant offer from Dealslands or check retailers social media feeds regularly for discount codes and offers. You’ll be surprised how often the crop up.

4. Shop right for gems

You need the right skill to identify the right diamonds or gemstones for your price and ensure it value. Like pearls, they also come in three forms – natural, synthetic and simulated diamonds otherwise known as lab grown or man-made. The natural gemstone forms over millions of years and is mined to uncover them in their raw form. Synthetic gemstones are created using materials such as glass or zirconium dioxide (CZ’s) the synthetic material is very hard, optically flawless and usually colourless, but may be made in a variety of different colours to mimic real gemstones. Lab grown diamonds are true carbon crystals formed in a lab to create a real structural diamond. They are usually have less value due to this process but can look fantastic and still command a high price.

If you are not sure what to buy, you can consider a birthstone for instance or find one based on their favourite colours.

5. Seek assistance & help

Always talk to your jewellery. They will be more than happy to help and have a wealth of knowledge. You can always ask your friend to accompany you, especially if they have past experience of buying jewellery!

Make sure you get the right certificate (if they have one) and guarantee in writing. Keep the purchase receipt for insurance purposes and go through the return policy to ensure you suffer no loss and learn your consumer rights. Lastly, beware of the “unbelievable” discounts that seem too good to be true.

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