Now, more than ever, it’s incredibly easy to get jewelry online. But what about that local jeweler just down the street from you? What makes buying your designer jewelry and diamond engagement rings from a large, anonymous company preferable to driving to your local jewelry store and interacting with an expert that can help you pick out something that’s just right?

In light of the growing trend towards making major jewelry purchases online, here are some things to remember about what a local jeweler can offer you in a face to face meeting that a large, online jewelry store can’t.

Get That Personal Service There is certainly something to be said for being able to interact with the person you’re buying your jewelry from. While many customers claim that the reason they shop online for their jewelry is to avoid the pressure, a quality local jeweler won’t pressure you, and will actually encourage you to take your time. They understand that this is a major purchase and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Working with a jeweler face to face can ensure that you get the jewelry that you want and can allow you to build a rapport that can last for years.

See It In Person Sure, that ring looks great on the website. The lighting is perfect, the metal is perfectly polished, the stone looks flawless – it’s everything you’ve been looking for. The only problem is that the ring you’re looking at very well may not exist. Many online jewelry stores will use digital recreations of their rings to post online in an effort to show the best possible ring. By going to your local jewelry store, you can ensure that you’ll know exactly what you’re getting. The same ring that looks spectacular online may be less than impressive in person, whereas the one you weren’t sure about on the website can dazzle the eye when you actually see it on your hand.

Sizing Matters If you’ve ever purchased a ring online then you know the moment of hesitation that comes with having to choose a size. The rings you have on now may fit perfectly, but do you really know what size they are? You may have worn a size 6.5 two years ago, but that may not be the case now. If you purchase your ring from an online jewelry store they will more than likely promise to resize your ring for you…providing you mail it back to them to have it done. By shopping at a local jewelry store you can be sized in person by an expert that will make sure that the ring you buy fits right the first time, and if you ever need to get it resized you can simply walk back into the store and find out your new size without having to mail your jewelry away.

Experts Are There To Help No matter if you’re talking to a Hollywood jeweler or a Virginia jeweler, the odds are pretty good that they know what they’re talking about. If you don’t know what you want, visiting a website probably isn’t going to help you find what you want. By going to your local jewelry store you can let the experts there know about the person that you’re designer jewelry or diamond engagement rings for, be that yourself or somebody in your life. With the information that you provide the person that you interact with, they can help you find the perfect piece of jewelry for your needs. The internet is not going to do that for you. Unless you already know what you want, a website can only show you what it offers, not make suggestions based on information that you provide it. Telling the experts at a store what you want can lead to numerous jewelry and diamond buying tips, care tips, and even suggestions on how to present the gift to the recipient. Are there advantages to purchasing your jewelry from a giant, anonymous online store? Sure – you don’t have to interact with a salesperson, you can pay for shipping, and you can wait between 2 and 4 weeks to receive your purchase. Fortunately you can also go down to your local jewelry store and make a purchase today that you can probably receive in 2 to 3 days instead of weeks.

It is hard to believe that the rarity and the value of the pearl have been recognized for many centuries. The ancient Egyptians understood this value, therefore they used pearls in the making of their own jewelry. Perhaps the ancient Egyptians didn’t understand the rarity of the pearl, but they obviously understood its beauty.

We all know that pearls are a natural occurrence via the oyster and although there are approximately 8,000 species of oysters, only about 20 of those species can produce a pearl. Yet not all of the pearls that are produced contain the required spherical shape, so this explains why pearls hold a very significant value and also explains why one strand of pearls can cost you hundreds of dollars.

But what about those strands of pearls that usually cost around $50? Those particular pearls are called ‘cultured pearls.’ These cultured pearls are synthetically produced and are the primary method of production of today’s pearl jewelry. This method was actually discovered in the 1800′s and involves the surgical implantation of a synthetic agent into an oyster that promotes pearl growth. Depending on the type of Oyster used it will determine the type of pearl produced, but, despite the type of pearl Oyster, that spherical shape that is desired by pearl lovers can be achieved via this method.

Even an experienced jeweler is going to have difficulty telling the difference between an authentic pearl and a cultured pearl. Chances are the jeweler will not know at all unless he can give the pearl an x-ray and you can rest assured that he is probably not going to have an x-ray machine in his store. Yet, if you’re shopping for pearls, you can most likely tell the difference in the pearls based on their prices. The size of the pearl can make a difference, but if you compare a natural pearl and a cultured pearl of the same size, you are going to see a huge price variation.

So when shopping for pearls, you now know why some are affordable and some are not. If you want rare pearl jewelry, then perhaps you should seek out a natural pearl, but if you just want a pearl without the expense, maybe a cultured pearl is the way to go. Just think of it, that in a way, that no one will ever know the difference when looking at it and will believe your pearls to be as natural as you are.