Get Peace of Mind with These 10 Questions for Your Jeweler

By: Gaurav Batra In: Fashion Last Updated: 2011-05-26

Buying jewelry should be done with care as you will be spending a large part of your hard earned money. Knowing about the source of the gold, silver and gems used in the jewelry is of utmost importance in addition to knowing about the compliance of the jewelry with the quality standards like BIS and Hallmark. There are certain aspects about which you should ask from your jeweler before purchasing jewelry to ensure your peace of mind while getting the best value for money. These are:

Enquire about the fair trade practices. Many jewelers indulge in making use of 'blood diamonds' and gems obtained through slavery. This is completely illegal as the gemstones are obtained through unfair trade practices.
You should also investigate about the source of gold and silver used in the jewelry as this will remove ambiguities about the authenticity and quality of the metal as well as the credibility of the source.
Ask about the mining conditions and methods used during mining to ensure that the practices are environment friendly. Being a socially responsible person, you must show your concern towards environment by making sure that the gemstones are mined while following the environmental guidelines and no techniques are followed which may pose danger to the environment.
Another question that you should ask is "Who made this jewelry?" Most of the jewelers show reluctance in answering this question but for your peace of mind you should make sure that your piece of jewelry has not been made by child labors or underpaid labor working in factories with bad working conditions.
"Where were the gemstones mined?" This is a question that should surely be asked if you do not wish to get involved in the consequences resulting from unfair mining.
Enquire about the labor conditions of that mine.
Can the jewelry be made exactly as pr the designs provided?
Investigate about where the piece was cut and the labor standards they practice in the gem factory?
You should also make sure that the diamonds used are 'Conflict Free'.
Last but not the least, an important question to be asked is 'Do you have a fair trade gemstone available as an alternative?'

Most of the times, it is due to the buyer's demand that jewelry companies have to overstep the legal boundaries. So the next time, no matter from where and for what reason you are buying a piece of jewelry, these essential questions can surely help you in grabbing the best deal and also help in making the trade much cleaner.