Purchasing Your Jewelry

Ask about a warranty. Reputable jewelers typically offer warranties and some kind of return policy. Warranties will add to the cost but may be a good idea for an expensive piece or one that is made of highly pure gold, because of the risk of damage. Make sure to ask about this before your purchase.

Check the markings. Gold jewelry will have a hallmark signifying that it is real gold and other aspects of the quality. The marking is usually in an inconspicuous place like the inside of a ring or on the ear-facing side of an earring. Ask your jeweler where the hallmarks are if you’re having trouble finding them. The markings will demonstrate purity in one of two ways. Some will show the number of karats with the letter ‘K’ after it. For example, ‘24K’ means 24 karat pure gold. Some gold pieces will instead have a three digit number that expresses the percentage of purity to the tenth decimal point. For example, 14 karat gold might say ‘585,’ which means that it’s 58.5 percent pure and 8 karat gold might say ‘333,’ which means it’s one-third pure.Beyond the purity, there should also be a marking to indicate the additive metal for impure alloyed gold. ‘GF’ means gold filled, ‘GP’ means gold plated. To express the base metal, ‘Pd’ means Palladium, ‘PT’ or ‘PLAT’ means platinum and ‘SS’ or ‘STEEL’ means stainless steel.There may also be a single or double-digit marking for the ring size if it’s a ring.Have it independently inspected. If it’s an exceptionally expensive purchase or if you have any doubts about the quality, you may want to have the jewelry independently verified. Take the jewelry to a different store and pay a certified jeweler to examine and appraise the piece.