Buying Fine Jewellery Online? Follow Aenea’s Need-to-Know Tips
We love the excitement and anticipation that comes with shopping online, and even more so when it’s a luxurious little parcel containing new jewellery.
For those who are confident buying fashion, shoes and accessories from their favourite designers, diamond jewellery and fine gold creations are the latest treats landing in their shopping carts.
But what about those shoppers who are new to buying fine jewellery online? Aenea’s dedicated round-up of tips will help you choose not only the perfect piece of jewellery, but how to shop from the finest jewellers.
Get to Know Your Jeweller
If you find a gorgeous piece of jewellery online but don’t know the history of the company, don’t hesitate to do your research. High-quality jewellers will always offer their history or an ‘about’ section on their website, giving detailed and often inspiring insight into their credentials, design style and quality of products. You may also find independent reviews online from customers who have previously shopped with them. If you are still unsure, take a look at their contact details. The best jewellers will be happy for you to call, and will enjoy the opportunity to take you carefully through their collection of fine jewellery.
The Finest Ingredients
Before you click ‘add to cart’, have you spent time getting to know the piece of jewellery you’ve fallen for? Put simply, does the website offer information about the precious metals and gemstones featured in the design? Take time to read the company’s product descriptions and design manifesto carefully. Just five minutes of reading will give you a better understanding of the quality of gemstones, diamonds and precious metals they use, and may even give insight into the provenance of their stones and metals — where they are sourced or where they were mined.
Candy Ring Champagne Diamonds Sarpa Ring Teal Turmaline
Hunt down the Hallmark
Hallmarks are the tiny letters, symbols or numbers often stamped inside rings or on the back of a piece of fine jewellery. In their simplest form, these marks provide information about the precious metal your jewellery is made from, whether it is silver, palladium, gold or platinum. Hallmarks are applied by an independent business known as an ‘assay office’, who will test the piece to determine what it is made from before stamping it.
All fine jewellery, including cufflinks and earrings over a certain weight, are hallmarked by law. This not only ensures the customer is buying real precious metals, but also allows a design to be identified to a particular jeweller or design house. Here at Aenea our jewellery is proudly marked with our own maker’s mark, alongside a number that signifies the type of precious metal. If you are unsure whether your jewellery should bear a hallmark, simply ask your jeweller.
Wearing and Caring
Once you know more about the beautiful piece you’d like to buy online, consider the design and any gemstones set into it. Diamonds, sapphires and rubies are hardwearing, and are ideal to wear every day in rings, pendants and earrings. However, be a little more careful with pearls, opals, emeralds and tanzanites. While truly beautiful and dazzling in their variety, these gemstones can be delicate and should be worn with care.
Buying a new string of pearls? Be sure to purchase a lint-free cloth (for just a few euros) and gently clean your pearls after each wear to keep their surface lustrous. Avoid spraying perfumes directly onto opal or pearl jewellery, especially necklaces, and avoid using hand creams or cleaning fluids when wearing delicate gemstones. Some jewellers provide information about caring for gemstones on their website, but if you are worried, your jeweller will be happy to advise how best to wear and care for your fine jewellery purchase.
Jewellery Valuations and Check-Ups
Once your beautiful piece of jewellery has arrived, it’s likely you will want to wear it right way. Play it safe, however, by requesting a valuation for insurance either from the online jeweller you are purchasing from, or by taking the piece to a local, trusted valuer. The valuation should be approximately 10-15% more than the amount you paid for the piece, to allow for price fluctuations, and should be carried out by a goldsmith or independent registered valuer who has an understanding of the design, metals and gemstones in the piece. Once insured, you can wear your jewellery to your heart’s content!
Finally, talk to your online jeweller about annual ‘check-ups’ for your jewellery, especially any pieces you wear every day. Your fine jewellery should be checked over and tidied up, while diamonds and hardwearing gemstones always enjoy a
deep clean to bring them back to their superior sparkle. A trusted jeweller will be happy to accept items for a check-up, repair or cleaning, or will be able to recommend a local jeweller closer to you.
With clients based around the world, Aenea is pleased to offer a beautifully edited selection of fine jewellery to shop from the comfort of your favourite armchair — no matter where you are. We also provide our unique Travelling Atelier, where we can visit clients in person with a selection of our stunning fine jewellery.
Contact our experts for more information about buying fine jewellery online, or about our Travelling Atelier service: atelier@aenea.com
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