Once you have a beautiful jewelry box from Chasing Treasure, it is time to fill it with equally beautiful jewelry. It may seem like buying jewelry is an easy task, but if you do not know what you are looking for, you can easily be taken advantage of. The best thing to do before you purchase any valuable jewelry is to find a jeweler with credentials. These dedicated professionals are skilled at identifying quality pieces that will bring their customers joy for many generations.
Credentialed jewelers will have initials listed after their names. Customers are often unaware of what those initials mean. Each fall, the American Gem Society requires members to undergo recertification. Each member has to read abstracts and full articles about the latest research on gemology. Then, they have to take tests to prove their knowledge on the subject.
The exam is created by the American Gem Society’s Director of Gemology and Education. This expert writes the recertification exams and grades them, too. The director understands the importance of buying fine gemstones and jewelry from credentialed jewelers.
Because jewelry is an investment, it should be treated that way. Families use accountants to help them with tax information and wealth managers to help them with investing their money. Credentialed jewelers are like the CPA’s of the jewelry world. With their professional development and constant reading, they know what is happening in the world of jewelry so they can alert their customers to potential areas of concern. Their titles differentiate them from the typical retail employee at a shopping mall jewelry store.
Every certified jeweler has to stay up-to-date with the latest treatments and policies with jewelry. They need know about government guidelines along with marketing techniques and rules for appraising pieces. If a jeweler is credentialed, it means that person is truly dedicated to the art of buying and selling jewelry. The jewelry wants what is best for the customer and wants to help people make wise decisions. The typical question on the recertification test will ask about chemical makeup of gems or about flaws that customers might not notice. The questions could also ask about controversial topics in jewelry, like blood diamonds.
When jewelers know about the cuts, treatments, and enhancements, they can pass that information onto their customers. Most jewelry buyers are not aware that cuts can hide flaws or that some manufacturers will enhance gems to get the most fire out of them. The way that manufacturers alter the gemstones can increase or reduce the value, which can affect the investment potential of the piece. Credentialed jewelers will be able to give advice about caring for pieces of jewelry and if the pieces require too much care, customers need to know. They should also be able to tell if a gem is authentic or if it has been filled with glass. Some trends have become commonplace in the market, and an untrained jewelry might not know the difference between a glass-filled ruby and an authentic one.
When it comes to buying jewelry, knowledge is power.
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