Jewelry products can be tricky to evaluate for your average consumer in trying to find out its true worth. If its a branded piece of jewelry that is available in many stores like Pandora jewelry charms then it’s simply a matter of comparing prices. However if it is a diamond ring with say one large diamond and several smaller diamonds in gold then it becomes more complicated. Most jeweler shoppers with extensive shopping experience can just pick up  piece and make an educated guess as to what its price should be. Other people that are not so experienced often send their important pieces to an appraiser to get them evaluated after purchasing them and if their value is not what they expected they return the piece back to the retailer.

Discount jewelry is simply a reflection of the fact just discussed. Retailers are aware that it can be difficult to fathom whether a jewelry piece is a good deal or not, especially when it comes to important diamonds in a bridal or anniversary piece that is of high value. So jewelers and other retailers often inflate the price on the tag and then do a markdown of 10% and more. For discount diamond jewelry this is a tried and true gimmick because people would rather put their faith in a discount then take the effort to evaluate what is being offered. Others are true jewelry buffs and will crosscheck the specs on the piece with current precious metal pricing and gem pricing lists like the ones provided by Rapaport.

When it comes to discount fashion jewelry, the waters can get murky especially when trying to compare prices on products at Online stores. There is not much that you can do with an image of the jewelry piece except compare the specs on the pieces from store to store. At a physical jeweler it is much easier because you can properly see the finish on the actual piece that is being offered and can try it on. Jewelry will often look different once you put it on unless you have seen the piece physically and are now going online to purchase.

Discount gold jewelry without precious stones can be easier to evaluate if the weight and karatage of the precious metal is provided. You would simply take the karatage into consideration and do a straight forward calculation multiplying the gram weight by a dollar value to come up with a metal cost value. From that you can interpolate the level of workmanship in the piece and add an amount to account for that which would give you an approximation of the basic cost to the retailer.

Discount body jewelry is kind of a misnomer in the sense that most body jewelry is not made of precious metals or gemstones. Most are made from surgical steel so it just depends on the particular design of the piece and whether it is a branded item or not. Prices on body jewelry generally run under $50 so discounts on these types of items are not terribly important. Their safety is more important in terms of the metal being totally hypoallergenic.

Discount bridal jewelry is the trickiest of them all. There are many designers and brands represented in bridal jewelry and their pricing is usually fixed by the Manufacturer and available to the public from any number of online sources. However merchants are generally given a territory that they must stay within when it comes to high end designer bridal jewelry and are restricted from offering these products online. You have to physically go to the store in order to purchase.

Discount costume jewelry covers a wide range of products but generally excludes jewelry made from precious metals and stones although discount silver jewelry may fall into this category. Price points are generally low and for the most part may be related more to the costs of design and assembly than the materials used.

Some discount jewelry stores like Kay’s and Zales are constantly running promotions with discounted jewelry and then there are others like the jewelry departments in Costco that have everyday low prices for their paying members. Many engaged couples have reported getting good prices on big diamond engagement rings from Costco and Sam’s Club. Discount jewelry online was initially made famous by the likes of Ashford dot com and  then later on Blue Nile dot com.

Jared’s was a new format of jewelry store rolled out by the Sterling Jewelry company, parent of Kay’s Jewelers. Jared Jewelry was intended to capture that part of the retail market that liked patronising big box retailers for selection and price as opposed to going to a Kay’s, Zale’s, or small independent jeweler. Jareds jewelry is nicely laid out in a large open space. They carry a bit of everything and they have an in store repair department with the window into the jewelers bench. Jared’s gallery of jewelry is just that, a gallery that groups different jewelry categories together. They have separate areas for pearls, silver, gold and so on.

One of the nice features in a Jareds jewelry store is the diamond room. It is a glass enclosed little office where a customer can sit across the table with a diamond expert and get shown a bunch of stones with all the specs. There is a computer with a large screen that is linked to all other Jared stores so that the Jared employee can pull up an inventory of diamonds that exist in other stores so you can browse through and see which ones meet your quality and budgetary requirements.

The problem with a Jared jewelry store is the fact that they all look pretty cookie cutter and lack the kind of atmosphere that you can experience in a well designed independent store. Although the selection is vast and the stores range in size from 2500-4000 square feet, it still does not compare with some of the top independent stores that have upwards of 6000 square feet equipped with bars, staffed children’s play areas and design areas where you can sit down with a jewelry designer and design your custom jewelry piece on paper and on the computer.

Jareds fine jewelry is really all about fine jewelry. They don’t have any costume jewelry although they do have some silver jewelry and just acquired the Pandora brand for many of their stores. A Jared gallery of jewelry needs to have national brands in their core selection and I can see that they beginning to do this with the addition of Pandora, Levian, Simmons Jewelry Company, Sea Magic by Mikimoto and a couple of others. This is a development in Jared Jewelry Stores that is expected to continue because jewelry brands have a powerful attraction for jewelry shoppers that want luxury, exclusivity, and the backing of a major brand behind their purchase.

I have seen the Jared Jewelry commercial and although it speaks to a jewelry buyer’s emotion with the tag line “It’s from Jareds” it still needs to do better at informing the potential customer about the Jared fine jewelry shopping experience.