Question: Buying Gemstones Online

[Mike_Mike]

Hello guys!

I have a few questions for everyone.
Do you trust online gemstone shops?
Do you buy your stones online?
If so, for what purpose? I mean do you make your own jewellry or just to collect the stones or maye resell them?

Thanks in advance for your answer. I am looking forward to hear your opinion

 

[Siameseroo]

Hi Mike

I think most people on this forum purchase at least some, if not most, of their stones online. Some are gem collectors, some love to make beautiful jewellery, some a mix of both.

I've purchased all my stones online so far with the intention of making jewellery.

Here is a list of vendors that some people have had good experiences with:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/list-of-vendors-for-reference.208782/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/list-of-vendors-for-reference.208782/[/URL]

 

[Mike_Mike]

Thank you very much for your answer and for the list. Very helpful!

 

[Siameseroo]

No worries, to clarify I don't physically make my own jewellery, I send my stones off to Jewellers to set for me

 

[Marlow]

Why do you ask?

 

[Mike_Mike]

I ask because many of the online stores look unprofessionally and somehow not trustworthy. Other stores who look really well designed with comprehensive descriptions of gems have very high prices. So, I wondered if people bother buying stones online.
However, after browsing through the forum I realized that most of you seem to buy online to make custom jewellry.

 

[chrono]

Hello guys! I have a few questions for everyone.

Do you trust online gemstone shops?
Yes and no. It depends on the online shops. Some are trustworthy with good customer service and hassle free full return/refund whilst some photoshop the pictures to grossly misrepresent the gem with restocking fees or limited/difficult refunds.

Do you buy your stones online?
Almost all my gemstone purchases are made online.

If so, for what purpose? I mean do you make your own jewelry or just to collect the stones or maybe resell them?
Some of the gems are set, some are collected (will not set) and some have been sold. That said, I buy them because I love how they look. Although I am very price and quality conscious, I do not purchase with the purpose of investment in mind.

Thanks in advance for your answer. I am looking forward to hear your opinion

 

[T L]

Hello guys!

I have a few questions for everyone.
Do you trust online gemstone shops?
Do you buy your stones online?
If so, for what purpose? I mean do you make your own jewellry or just to collect the stones or maye resell them?

Thanks in advance for your answer. I am looking forward to hear your opinion

There are some I trust, but they have to be very good with returns, and not photoshop to death, or use so much glamour lighting, that the gem looks nothing like it does IRL. It also helps if they take additional photos of the stone for you in various light sources, and/or they're honest about the way the stone looks in various lighting, and I love when a video is also provided, as a 360 degree view is very helpful. The vendor must also be communicative and friendly.

Most of my gemstones have come from online sources because it's too hard to find what I want at a store. Regular brick and mortar stores don't carry most of the gems I'm interested in, and if they do, the selection is extremely limited. That being said, I've been collecting for over 20 years, even before the internet, so I have a lot of gems that I purchased from gem shows and elsewhere. I have to say that in my early days, those were mostly "learner" stones, and my favorite purchases were online.

I personally only buy for myself. I typically buy settings online too, but I have a brick and mortar jeweler who sets them all for me.

 

[Marlow]

I buy most gems at gems shows. I started collecting gems at a pre-internet time and live in an area with three larger shows and several smaller shows in a year.
I agree that many stores look not trustworthy. I think many have a terrible quality of their pictures. And other are overpriced.
I prefer gems shows - a direct contact to the vendors, you can compare several stones and prices.
You need a good organisation course you have only a few hours and not a 7 days / 24 hours open shop.
I would never buy emeralds and tsavorite, rubies a blue sapphire via internet. Green is a difficult color in pics.

 

[CirrusClouds]

I stress buying gems with a return/refund policy. It's much safer and you never know what the stone really looks like until you see it in person.

 

[Ouette]

Hello everybody! This is my first post on this awesome forum. Had anyone has had any experience with eBay store colorgemstone? And gemsnihar?

Ouette

 

[lilmosun]

Sorry, I can't help you Ouette as I have yet to buy any stones on ebay.

As a newbie to CS collecting but long time gem show attendee, I never even considered buying a stone on-line until I came across PS. Considered it too risky.

My first on-line purchases were from LT and DB where most sellers are very good about answering questions. I found myself making several purchases from one LT seller and soon got comfortable with her opinions and eye for quality/color. She has also introduced me to a couple of independent on-line sellers when I've been looking for something in particular.

But although I've gotten better at knowing what types of questions to ask, I still can't see things in pictures that others seem to be able to, so wouldn't trust my judgment enough to do buy on-line without someone I trust assisting me (the exception being some inexpensive ones I've bought for fun). Even with a good return policy, I its very hard for me to judge a stone without others to compare it to. That being said, I wouldn't have the collection I do without buying on-line (not sure if that's a good or bad thing haha)

I buy for my pleasure only although my collection has gotten to the point where I probably should sell a few things that I know I will never get around to setting. But I love it all too much

 

[Mike_Mike]

Thanks for all the answers guys! PS is a great community

 

[Ouette]

Limos in thanks for the response. I don't have the opportunity to go to gem shows so online is the way I will have to go but thanks to this fantastic forum I am learning some of the things to look for/ask. Enjoy your collection - you will know if a day when the time is right to prune it!

 

[deskjockey]

I'm pretty comfortable buying online, but I'm also a low-budget buyer.

I prefer it because there are so many good vendors, I can really search and find what I want, and I read a TON here (I read far more than I should, given I might buy two cheap stones per year), so I see who people are buying from and what their experience is. I look for the names that come up frequently, look at the vendor/customer pictures, and the finished product pictures, so I have developed some feel for who's good to buy from. And I think some of the "less professional" looking websites are actually the better vendors

Having walked in a few local stores, for my budget, I can get much better quality online. I know I asked at a local jeweler once if they carry any green garnets and they looked at me like I had three heads, and said there was no such thing.

So buying locally seems like it might be more of a headache depending on budget and what you're looking for.