You’ve found a piece of jewelry you are in love with. You may be daydreaming about that diamond necklace, but before you make the purchase you need to ask this one question.

The Question:

Can you tell me a little about this piece?

It’s a simple question, or at least it should be. A good jeweler will be able to give you some hard facts about the piece of jewelry you’re thinking about buying. Information about any diamonds or gemstones in the piece and how the piece was made. If it’s a vintage piece of jewelry they should be able to give you some insight into when the piece was made as well.

Follow-Up Questions

After they tell you about the piece of jewelry you’re thinking about buying, it’s a good idea to ask a few follow-up questions. Ask about their training and find out who verifies the authenticity of the jewelry they sell. Verifying authenticity is especially important if you’re buying vintage jewelry. You want the person who is doing the verification to have some serious jewelry training, ideally, they’ll be a Certified Gemologist Appraiser.

After all of that, do a little gut check. Do you feel comfortable buying the piece of jewelry, do you trust the person you’re talking to? If you’re feeling good, go ahead, make the purchase!