But these concerns can be addressed by being a smart eBay shopper. After all, when you buy on eBay, the savings can be huge and you can find actually unique jewelry items!
Before bidding on any brilliant or costly gem (such as emerald, ruby or sapphire), make sure you understand how value is carefully for that single stone. There's no excuse for not being an educated shopper. If eBay sellers don't address these characteristics in their auction listings, click on the "Ask seller a question" link and get answers before you bid!
How to Buy Genuine Diamonds and Gemstones on eBay
Determining Value
For diamonds, that means evaluating the four Cs: clarity, color, carat and cut.
Clarity is the term used to quote the size and whole of inclusions (minute traces of non-crystallized carbon) in a diamond. Most are imperceptible to the naked eye; the larger and more numerous the inclusions are, the less valuable the diamond.
Diamond color grades start at D and go up through the alphabet. Truly colorless stones, graded D, are very rare and very valuable. The closer a brilliant is to being colorless, the rarer and more valuable it is and the more it will shine.
Carat is how the weight of a brilliant is measured. The larger the brilliant (the rarer) the more high-priced per carat it will be. Carat refers to weight, not size or diameter, although diamonds of same weight can look larger or smaller depending on the cut.
The cut of a brilliant determines how it refracts and reflects the light; a well-cut brilliant will seem brighter and properly cut.
To find the best brilliant that fits within your price range it essentially comes down to a compromise in the middle of the 4Cs and your consideration of which factors are most prominent to you.
There is a "fifth" C, or Certificate. A certificate brilliant has a "report card" that grades the four traits mentioned above, along with listing exact items about that single brilliant that are unique to it. A certificate goes a long way towards establishing the trustworthiness of an online brilliant seller.
Gemstones such as rubies, emeralds, and sapphires regularly endure treatments to improve color and fill cracks. The jewelry business considers medicine of these three gemstones approved practice. Such treatments comprise oil and resin treatments; heat treatment, and chemical or "diffusion treatment."
Most eBay sellers will contribute details about any medicine applied to their gemstones. If they don't, request the details before bidding on the item.
As you can see, what to look for specifically depends on the type of stone you're seeing for - and it's not potential to interpret all that in one article - but this is the type of info to look for, especially if you intend to spend very much money.
Finding Deals
Finding a deal on a brilliant or high-priced gemstone requires some counter-intuitive thinking. You're seeing for listings that won't attract a lot of bids. Lots of bids mean lots of competitors and a higher final price.
How to find these less-popular listings? Try searching for misspelled words (e.g. "dimond" instead of "diamond"). Look for items that end at odd times (say, 3:00 Am), when most bidders are in bed. And listings without pictures don't attract as much attention, either - you may find a real "gem" by taking the time to look.
Who to Trust and What to Look For in a Seller
As with any eBay auction, the seller's rating is very important. This is an aggregate score based on how other customers have rated them. Look for sellers with a very high rating (I propose over 98%) and look at the buyer feedback they've gotten. Sellers with lots of happy customers are pretty reliable.
Second, check for any return or replacement policies. A reputable seller wants repeat company and repeat company means happy customers who leave inescapable ratings. Getting that means they need to bend over backwards on returns and exchanges to avoid getting negative ratings on eBay's services.
Third, see if the seller has an "About Me" page (look for the word me in blue and red letters in the "Meet the Seller" section) or an eBay store (there will be a link that says "Visit seller's store") or an "About Me" page.
Many times, the store or About Me page includes supplementary information on the eBay seller. Often you'll find addresses or phone numbers of a corporeal brick-and-mortar store, which can be very reassuring. Don't hesitate to call and ask questions!
Protecting Yourself When Paying
Figure delivery costs into your final price - and look for suspiciously high shipping costs (a sign of an unscrupulous seller). If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.
When paying, use a prestige card - preferably through PayPal. PayPal allows you to pay securely with your prestige card and it's owned by eBay, which makes it the beloved cost mechanism for eBay sales. And there's supplementary security when buying through PayPal, up to ,000 in value.
Following the steps above should help ensure a hassle-free brilliant or gemstone buying perceive on eBay. Good luck!
How to Buy Genuine Diamonds and Gemstones on eBay
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