Buying jewelry is a sensitive activity that requires careful consideration. You can easily get conned or buy substandard or low-quality jewelry if you are not careful. It is always good that you carry out this activity with an experienced individual that can tell fakes from genuine, high-quality products. Apart from getting a genuine piece, you may also want to get something unique and beautiful. You cannot get anything unique from a jewelry shop that is part of a chain, since they all receive similar products from their suppliers. If you want to have quality and unique jewelry, check out an independent jewelry store like The Diamond Family St. Louis. Here is how to find a reputable jewelry store that is not part of a chain.
Check the Items Sold
Chain stores tend to have a consistent appearance across all the shops or stores under a particular brand name. You will find almost the same products in-store with a little variation. It is rare to find a store that is part of a chain retailing some unique pieces considering that they source from the same place and probably have a central command from their main shop. As for independent jewelers, they will have a variety of different products in their stores that you might not find anywhere else.
Check the Store’s Staff
A jewelry store contains a staff with different responsibilities. Often, chain stores will not have specialized skilled artisans within the store. They most likely have a central plant where they have such artisans at work. In an independent jewelry store, you are likely going to find their artisans within the store. If you need to engrave your ring or any other jewelry for that matter, they simply pass it on to the backroom for that purpose, unlike chain stores where you will be asked to live the piece and come for it after a day or two for it to get scheduled and taken to their factories.
Check Online
You can browse online to find the best independent jewelry stores around your area. Most of these stores have listings on jewelry pages and have their contacts on those pages too. You can then contact them and visit a few before settling on one that you consider the best, or one with favorable reviews online. Most chain stores do not both list their stores on such pages since they already have an established market. You can also check on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. Social media sites are especially good since you are likely to find authentic reviews about these stores and their services than you would on other online pages.
Use Referrals
You probably have friends and relatives that have bought some jewelry at some point. You can always ask around for such to get genuine information regarding their sources. It would be more authentic to get your jewelry from a store you have been referred to by a trusted or close person since they would have already bought from the same store a few times.