Fine Jewelry Tips & Knowledge Part Three: Gemstones and Purchasing Tips.

When I purchased this ring it was a semi mount (no stone) with a 4 prong head. I wanted more of a band than an engagement style ring so I had the jeweler bezel set a genuine yellow sapphire in it instead. I absolutely love and adore this piece because I got to help design it and the yellow is so bright in the sunlight. 

So, not everyone likes diamonds, or perhaps you have diamonds and might be wanting something else, a gemstone perhaps? Well, genuine gemstones can be very expensive as well, sometimes more so than diamonds. 

Here’s what you need to know about gemstones: there are genuine ones and created ones.

Created stones are real (some people think they’re fake) but they have been grown in a lab, and not out in nature. Because they are created in a lab, they are “perfect” meaning that they don’t have the flaws that natural stones do. Natural gemstones generally aren’t as clear or bright as a created stone but they are worth a lot more money, and I mean, a lot. Created stones are very inexpensive to make and don’t really have a lot of resale value. 

When purchasing gemstone jewelry, you want to be sure what kind of metal it is set in. Because the price of gold is so high, stores have begun to set gemstones in P4 which is a mixture of platinum, palladium, white gold, and silver (mostly silver). It’s inexpensive because it’s not very good. It tarnishes, is not strong, breaks a lot after having been sized. 


Some stones have a very high difference in price between natural and created (sapphires, rubies, etc.) but other stones(amethyst) are in such abundance that natural ones aren't very expensive. 

Random Tips Time:

If you see something you like at a jewelry store but it’s not quite what you want, ask the salesperson if it’s possible to make changes. I’ve seen someone purchase two pendants and have them made into earrings, post earrings made into dangling earrings, the top of a ring made into a pendant, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask, sometimes the changes aren’t even very expensive. 

If the store has a good extended warranty program, especially one that offers stone replacement if they fall out and are lost, seriously consider purchasing it, even if it’s $200 and especially if it’s something you’re going to wear everyday and has diamonds. Jewelry breaks, and you don’t want to have to be the one to pay to repair it.

If a salesperson is overly pushy, leave. If they say they don’t get paid on commission, they’re very likely lying (I'd say 99.9% get paid on commission). If they say it’s only on sale until the end of the week, unless it’s some kind of closeout sale, they can get you that price on it for at least a month and sometimes for a lot longer. 

Check the back of the tag. Sometimes the sale price will be on the back of the tag. It might have some symbols around it but look for a number. Each jewelry store is different but you can’t really expect the salesperson to remember the sales price for every piece in the store, they have a system. At the store I worked at, one side would have the barcode with the retail price, the back would have all the specs of the stones and the lowest price we could go written like: *1495* which would mean $1,495.

Jewelry is marked up and marked up and marked up. NEVER pay the price on the tag, ever. Here’s an example for you: I once bought a ring that is appraised/retails at $3,600, we sold it in the store for $1,800 - $2k, with my employee discount I paid $1,086 and the company still made a profit. 

Sometimes a salesperson will point out the flaws in one style and the benefits of another. While what they’re saying might be true, they may also be saying these things to get you to purchase something that will give them more commission. Do your own research and trust your gut. You don’t have to purchase that day, you can come back, if that store sold the piece, they can order it back in. 

Always have your finger professionally sized by the place that you're purchasing from. If a ring is really wide you'll need a larger size than if you were going with a ring with a thinner band.

If you get a ring stuck on your finger, go in and have a store associate help you get it off. They have experience with it and you don’t want your finger to get bigger and have the ring stuck so badly that it has to be cut off. If you want to try at home first, try soap, oil, or hand sanitizer, relax your finger, have someone help you. The best way is to have someone else try and wiggle it off of you gently while they pull the skin under the ring back toward your knuckles, so they’re pulling your skin in one direction and the ring in the other, it really helps.


Take off your rings when doing dishes or using chemicals, it can wear at the gold or the chemicals can linger between your finger and the ring, giving you a rash. Take off all jewelry before you shower or go to bed. Tips and prongs are often broken while people are sleeping from getting stuck in the threads on sheets. It's all about maintenance. 

Lastly, have your jewelry cleaned and checked often. That way any issues can be spotted and attended to before you lose a stone, your clasp breaks, etc. And please, when you go to take your ring off to hand to the sales associate to clean, do not stick it in your mouth to wet it to get it off your finger. Don’t lick it either, ask for lotion. 


This was post 3 in a 3 part series. Here are parts one and two.