Edmonton Jewellery Shopping and Repair Guide: Part Two

Let’s step away from jewellery for a minute and talk about food. When you think of a food court in a mall, that thought probably isn’t synonymous with quality, or good value. When you are buying food in a malls food court, what you are getting is something quick and cheap, two qualities you probably don’t want your piece of jewellery to share. While we’re on the topic of food, even though it’s “cheap” an average meal is still going to cost you somewhere around $10 and what you’re getting probably won’t be the last word in taste, or quality and won’t be very good for you. If you were to take that same $10 and spend it at an independent’s deli sandwich shop, you could very easily get something tasty and much better for you. Of course, we can excuse eating in a food court because we eat many meals a day and sometimes you just need to eat something and you have little options, but you don’t buy jewellery everyday.

Back on the topic of jewellery, just like a fast food joint in a mall food court, mall jewellers are cornered into focusing on items that are easily accessible and cheap. Being in a mall is expensive, and with gold and silver prices being much higher than what the market can handle, the cost of jewellery is at a relative high. So in order to give the average mall client what they want at the price they want, most stores have focused on finding ways of using less material and making use of lower quality gems, ultimately giving you something that is built worse and has gems that don’t sparkle as they should. I’m not saying that this is true in all jewellery stores and for every item in those stores, but again if you take the comparison of the deli sandwich shop into perspective, you can probably find something better for the same price somewhere else.

You don’t buy jewellery everyday, so take your time and find the right piece.

Edmonton Jewellery Shopping and Repair Guide

Avoid Stores that Discount Heavily

You’ve probably heard the old rule “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” – this is definitely true in the jewellry industry. If someone has a sign up advertising that they are discounting their products at a rate of 50%-75% off, more often than not they’re selling you a product that shouldn’t have been priced that high to begin with. Upon my travels to major industry shows, I come across countless manufacturers who price their products with massive markups so the dealer can then “discount” the product and make you think you are getting the deal of a century. Not only is this tactic the sign of an unethical dealer, the items it applies to are generally items of lower quality.

Don’t Forget About Repair and Servicing

Nothing in the jewellry industry is ever 100%. What separates great jewellry stores from the rest is their commitment to service and maintenance of the pieces you have bought. Many jewellry stores have shifted away from the servicing aspect and have become simply retailers, focused on sales alone. The rings you buy will often have to be sized, any diamond jewelry you have will eventually need reinforcing of settings, clasps on chains and bracelets will need adjusting, these are just a few things that these retail stores can not do for you and will have to send your items away for weeks, if not months. Find a jeweller who has an on-sight bench jeweller, somebody who can clean and inspect your jewellry at any time and should something need adjustment, can do it with minimal downtime.