Some homework you should do before you venture out shopping for jewellery. This only intends to make you more informed. Asking the right question will save heart burns later on.1) 'Extra Charges' to get your jewellery hallmarked.
This is a little more complicated than other myths mentioned here. For jewellers following the BIS standard of hallmarking( you can identify them if they advertise 'hallmark jewellery available here'). After the ornament is manufactured its sent to a BIS certified assay centre to verify its purity( BIS only certifies purity of gold and not the grade of diamonds). This service costs the jeweller a nominal amount of money which is passed on to the consumer as making charges. The assay centre charges a minimum fee whether a jeweller sends 1 item or multiple items. Now if the jeweller only stocks hallmark jewellery then they will send multiple items to the assay centre for verification and subsequent hallmarking stamp. This in effect distributes the charges over multiple items, making it very nominal per item hallmarked.
On the other hand if a jeweller does selective hallmarking or hallmarking on-demand. At this point the jeweller has to pay a minimum charge for a single item of gold/diamond jewellery hallmarked. This is passed on to the consumer. Now when the consumer notices these 'extra hallmarking charges' it is bound to raise suspicion.
Their are 2 ways for consumers here. If its the only jeweller in town who can guarantee a hallmarked item, its better you pay up the extra charges and ensure hallmarked jewellery. If you are in a town/city where you have a choice of other jewellers you should exercise that.
2) After repeated use gold and diamond turns black
A gold/diamond ornament will lose it shine over the years due to dirt, grime, moisture etc. but a normal wash with soap water should bring back the shine on your diamonds and make your gold look almost as good as new. If you see black marks which cannot be removed even after repeated washing. Its an indication that the gold is impure.
3) 100% Lifetime buy back is a trust guarantee.
Though 100% lifetime buy back can be a good thing, it not a guarantee of purity or quality of craftsmanship. Infact it only indicates that the retailer will buy it back for sure. One should always ask how much of your money will you lose on returning. We offer a unique buy back program called 30-Day 100% Money back guarantee. This is very different from 100% lifetime Buy Back Guarantee. Please visit the difference here.
4) (Super)Deluxe Quality Diamonds.
Diamonds are characterized by their 4Cs no matter where you buy them from. They are cut, colour, clarity and carat. But unscrupulous elements will try to sell you home grown names like deluxe quality diamonds, eye clean diamonds etc. Always ask how these (super) deluxe quality diamonds fare against globally recognized 4Cs.
5) No wastage, No Polish:
The simple fact is that manufacture of gold ornament results in wastage and polishing charges. Now most of the time it is clubbed into making charges or price of gold to avoid the consumer knowing it. Any jeweller advertising int he above format could actually make up for it by selling non hallmarked jewellery.
Phot Credit: Davepatten via flickr.com
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