Choosing From a Long List of Professional Jewelry Stores
Inform yourself on the product you are planning on buying. You probably would not buy a car or a house without knowing anything about it, and this purchase is no different. Just like cars and houses have inspections, so does jewelry. However, it is called an appraisal. This tells you the worth of your piece of jewelry and can be very helpful for insurance purposes...
Back to the original thought... Before you even set foot in a jewelry store, you need to have a solid idea of your budget, what you are looking for and a list of questions for the jeweler. Making a list is always a great idea because it helps you stay on track and remember to ask every single question you have.
Many stores have different policies on returns and other services. Make sure you fully understand their return policy before purchasing anything. If they only allow you to have a store credit, then you may not want to purchase your diamond engagement ring there. It is also very important to see what kind of other services they throw in for free. Some jewelers offer life time cleaning for big ticket items like diamond rings. This is a great perk!
The last thing you want to do before you begin your shopping journey, is to read some reviews about the company online. If the store is on a website like Angie's List, even better. Here, you can read actual accounts of real people and their experiences with the company. Not only is this helpful for you, but it also gives you a heads up for what to look for when dealing with this company.
At the end of the day, many of the jewelry stores will be able to provide you with what you are looking for. The only difference between them is their store policies and individual customer service. Make sure you are confident with your purchase.