Purchasing a special piece of jewelry for any occasion can be one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. When you are looking to buy a piece of jewelry to celebrate a special moment, finding an established and trustworthy jewelry store to help bring that moment to life is key. However, many consumers lack the knowledge to identify the right jewelry store to trust and to take care of their jewelry needs.
Check out the top 5 most important things Chrysella’s experts recommend you consider when looking for the perfect jewelry store.
1. Positive Reputation in the Community
When searching for a jeweler it is extremely important to find out what the stores reputation is within its community. Customers’ past experiences with the store can often give you useful insight of what your experience may be. Multi-generational jewelry stores, such as Chrysella, are special in this regard as they have been in their communities for a significant amount of time and have built strong relationships with their customers, community, and neighbors over the years. If a jewelry store has a significant amount of highly rated reviews, this may serve as an indication of the level of customer service you can expect when visiting that establishment. We suggest taking your time to research and make the most informed decision before choosing your jeweler for life.
Tip: Try browsing and finding reviews for your potential jeweler on websites like Google, yelp, and their social media pages.
2. Certified Products and Trained Staff
The road to your search for the perfect jewelry store should run through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Ideally, your jewelry store of choice should have a GIA trained staff who curate and create products as well as conduct general business practice to GIA standards. The GIA is the premiere gemological institute in the world, and in many ways is the gold standard of the jewelry industry. Through GIA’s industry pioneering diamond/gemstone grading and extensive educational programs, the GIA elevates any jewelry store to world class standards.
If your jewelry store is affiliated with GIA, you can rest assured that a higher level of legitimacy, transparency and trustworthiness will be present.
3. Ethical Business Practices
We always recommend knowing if the company you are giving your business to partakes in ethical and safe practices. Jewelers with a keen eye on carrying ethically sourced gems, products and encourage fair labor practice will almost always present a level of care that transcends into their product and the service you receive. Does your jeweler use Conflict Free Diamonds? Are the metals they use mined via sustainable processes? Do the factories they purchase from have fair labor practices? Do they treat their employees with the highest degree of respect and care? These are all questions to take into consideration before choosing your jeweler.
Most jewelers make every effort to ensure all their business practices are aligned with responsible and ethical guidelines, but one should still take the time to make sure. A quick browse of your jewelers website should give you a glimpse of their business practices, and we encourage you to inquire about any concern you may have.
4. Insurance, Safety and More.
Not only is it important to protect your valuables from damage or loss, but when leaving your jewelry with a jeweler to be repaired, you should feel confident that your jewelry is safe and protected. Does your jeweler have the proper safe to store your valuables? Do they carry a comprehensive insurance plan in case of theft, damage or loss? Do they have a strict in-take process and track your item’s status and location throughout the duration of your service? These are all questions that one should consider before leaving your jewelry to be repaired with a jeweler.
Chrysella partners with Jeweler’s Mutual to safeguard against every possible scenario when it comes to protecting your jewelry while it is in our possession. We take no short cuts as we take great care to ensure each item is fully covered in case of a worst case scenario while getting serviced.
For more on Jewelers Mutual and the steps we take to protect your valuables, visit Jewlersmutual.com
5. Is Work Done On or Off Site?
Consider asking your jewelry store how much of their work they can do onsite. Jewelry stores often vary in this regard and some can do your work in their workshop and others may require sending your piece out to a different location. But keep in mind this can depend on the nature of the work being done on your piece. The benefit of jewelry work being done in house is that you are much closer to the process and you will be waiting a significantly less amount of time for your piece to be complete.
At Chrysella, we take great pride in having all of our work done in-house at Chrysella or off-site at our dedicated Chrysella Workshop. With strict protocols, in-take process, and Quality Control, Chrysella has successfully repair thousands upon thousands of jewelry throughout 40+ years of our family business!
Conclusion
As you can see there are many things to consider, many questions to ask, and a lot to understand when deciding on what jewelry store to trust in helping you with any of your jewelry needs. It’s important to find a jewelry store that you can trust or has a reputation in their community when shopping for your jewelry. Choosing the right jeweler from the start may initially take some work from you as a consumer, but is the best way to ensure you have the best possible experience. Now that you know what to look for, do some research of your local jewelry stores to find the right one for you and to support local businesses! We’re always here for you. Feel free to contact Chrysella with any questions you may have at [email protected]
