Holiday Care

As summer draws to a close we often start to see customers bringing in jewellery bought on holiday for re-sizing or repair. In some instances they’ve bought something genuinely fantastic however in others they’ve bought pieces that can’t be adjusted and suffer from a lower than UK standard of worksmanship. This means they won’t last as long, and we think once you’ve invested in jewellery it ought to last. Often when we’re doing insurance valuations, we also find people are disappointed in the values we provide: they feel it ought to be worth more. We have to value based on the quality of piece in front of us and strict criteria from the Institute of Registered Valuers. Of course we’d much rather look after you however we know what it’s like on holiday if you see something special. If you’re tempted please take care over your purchase and feel free to contact us if you’d like a genuine second opinion or advice.

 

Here are do’s and don’ts for buying jewellery abroad…

 

  • Don’t be persuaded to buy after a few drinks in a shop! Sounds obvious though we have heard of this before leading to some buyer’s regret – though to be fair this is equally applicable here in the Uk: the strongest Jacobs serve is coffee!

 

  • Turn an item of jewellery over and look at it in reverse, if it looks hollow or hasn’t been finished elegantly then beware. Much like buying good furniture, the devil is in the detail and if a goldsmith doesn’t care about the back of the piece then chances are they don’t care about the length of time it’s going to last.

 

  • Middle Eastern jewellers like setting lots of diamonds together like a chessboard. It’s eye-catching, though if you have to alter a size it’s almost impossible to do. Ditto if you lose a gemstone, it’s very expensive project.

  • If you can, take a jewellers loupe or eyeglass to the ring and look for any tiny pit holes in the metalwork – it’s a sign of porosity in the alloy of metal and isn’t good for the longevity of your purchase.

  • Beware counterfeit branded goods, always choose an authorised agency.

 

  • When buying diamonds, watch out for the certificate and try to choose a credible international recognised laboratory.

 

  • If the price is too good to be true, it probably is! White gold jewellery is a classic example we see a lot. The alloy of many foreign white gold jewellery is a poor one designed to be cheap and after time shows tinges of yellow, despite looking great in a shop. Good quality white gold alloy will always stay white/ grey.

 

  • Beware a hurried re-sizing of a diamond set ring as it may weaken the settings, and make sure it isn’t funny shaped (oval) unless there’s a very good reason.

 

If you'd like to know more, or would like us to help you with an enquiry, do make contact.

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Article by Adam J

Adam J

Adam looks after the business as a whole and been working at Jacobs since 2003. He has a professional jewellers diploma from the National Association of Jewellers and a BSC Honours in Business Administration.

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