Question about jewelry

[CMike11]

I can use some help.

I would like to get my wife some nice jewelry.

However, I am jewish, and paying normal retail prices for jewelry is against my religion :))

Can anyone suggest perhaps an online or other source to get jewelry for good prices please?

Thank you,

[bella-day]

I can use some help.

I would like to get my wife some nice jewelry.

However, I am jewish, and paying normal retail prices for jewelry is against my religion :))

Can anyone suggest perhaps an online or other source to get jewelry for good prices please?

Thank you,


Pawn shops! You can get some outstanding deals.

Police auctions is another idea. But you have to know your stuff. The best find my husband has had at a police auction is a bracelet he purchased.

He was the only bidder. It has a total carat weight of 4...diamonds...set in platinum.

He got it for $150!

Get thee a jeweler's loop and hit the pawn shops. You will be amazed as the bargains.

[ThrowCop]

Pawn shops get you a good deal but they charge more than what you would pay for the same item on eBay from a reputable seller.

[bella-day]

Pawn shops get you a good deal but they charge more than what you would pay for the same item on eBay from a reputable seller.

I've never done the ebay thing.

I have ordered some nice stuff from Overstock.

You know you should never pay the ticketed price at a pawn shop. The ticketed price is a starting point for the wheeling and dealing.

My husband was part owner in a pawn shop years ago. So he knows the formula they use when they buy items. He uses that to figure out what he should offer for the merchandise.

He never pays full price.

[ThrowCop]

I've never done the ebay thing.

I have ordered some nice stuff from Overstock.

You know you should never pay the ticketed price at a pawn shop. The ticketed price is a starting point for the wheeling and dealing.

My husband was part owner in a pawn shop years ago. So he knows the formula they use when they buy items. He uses that to figure out what he should offer for the merchandise.

He never pays full price.I've never actually purchased anything from a pawn shop that I can remember.

I knew I could get it from eBay for less. :lol:

[jimjames418]

I've never actually purchased anything from a pawn shop that I can remember.

I knew I could get it from eBay for less. :lol:
I have never bought anything from eBay, but I have sold quite a bit of stuff I have purchased at pawn shops. Made money off of them too. :razz:

I picked up a nice ring and ear ring set at a yard sale a few years back. Paid $6 for the set. It was appravised at the jewelery store at $750. I sold it to him for $400. :lol:

[Gabby]

A lot of the better jewelry stores have what they call 'estate' jewelry for sale. Basically they offer a service of selling pieces for people.

I have bought several good pieces like this. They are aften about half the price of the same thing 'new'.

One of the reasons I always check estate cases in jewelry stores is because they often have very interesting, old, one of a kind jewelry.

I've also sold jewelry this way.

[CMike11]

I would be scared about buying jewelry via ebay? How do you know what you are really getting?

Same question about pawn shops? How do you know what is real and what isn't?

[ThrowCop]

I dunno about making sure you get what you pay for on eBay. Looking at the sellers reputation is always a good idea. You can read all of their feedback.

And most pawn shops, while they have a seedy reputation are actually quite honest. They know what they are talking about.

[captusa]

I can use some help.

I would like to get my wife some nice jewelry.

However, I am jewish, and paying normal retail prices for jewelry is against my religion :))

Can anyone suggest perhaps an online or other source to get jewelry for good prices please?

Thank you,

As in
Why did God make WASPs ?

















Somebody's got to buy retail.

[CMike11]

I believe I found a place to buy my wife jewelry.

It's a place that buys and sells.

Actually the saleslady said that there have been a lot of women selling their jewelry. It's really quite sad. They are usually crying when they sell their jewelry because they need it for living expenses.

In any case, I saw some great deals. I am also a good negotiatior. The only problem is usually my wife takes the other person's side when I am negotiating :)).

I love my wife very much but her negotiating skills are lacking.

[CMike11]

As in
Why did God make WASPs ?

Somebody's got to buy retail.

:))

Good point. How would the stores make profit if some people weren't buying their stuff at normal retail prices?

Just kidding everyone.

[TCUFan]

The best thing to do is walk in to a jewelry store that is not a chain and ask to see someone who is a certified gemologist with the Gemological Institute of America. These are the guys who hand out the certs for gemstones that dictate their worth, they are also the ones who insure the stones bought and sold have been laser-etched so as to prevent the sale of conflict, as dictated by the Kimberley Process.

Ask to see loose stones. Nothing in a fitting. The minute they put it in a fitting, you get hosed, because the markup rises exponentially. Then ask him if he has a Stuller catalog so you can pick out the appropriate fitting. Then you know EXACTLY what you're buying.

Chain stores and pawn shops will not know what the hell you're talking about, so avoid them. They're going to mug you and not even use a gun.

Now, whenever possible, ask about synthetics. No, not cubic zirconia, which can sell for as much as $300/ct. when cut correctly, I'm talking about synthetic gemstones. They are chemically identical to their naturally-mined brethren, a diamond is a diamond is a diamond. It's just that with a synthetic stone, three throats weren't cut to get it on your wife's hand. It's the same process mother nature uses to make the stone, the same raw materials, they just accelerate it. They cost about 60%-70% percent of what you'd pay for a natural stone and a gemologist or a jeweler would never know the difference. As a matter of fact, they are generally of better clarity and color because the process is carefully monitored. Mother Nature's kitchen is a little more sloppy.

TCUFan