Black Friday
Black Friday is of course the biggest shopping day of the year because of the sales and jewelry is no exception with sales, but you should know what you are actually getting when you take advantage of these deals. I worked in retail jewelry for several years before I decided it wasn’t for me and so I know a few of their secrets.
Most jewelry deals are just better discounts on jewelry that the store carries all year. The major example of this is diamond stud earrings. Jewelry stores obviously carry diamond stud earrings every day so what is so special about the super inexpensive ones they offer for Black Friday? Quality, quality, quality. Those super cheap diamonds for $59.99 or $99.99 or whatever depending on the size are usually pretty low quality diamonds. I don’t just mean that they have a few inclusions or they are a little off color. I mean that they are HEAVILY included and are often very grey or yellow. The inclusions in the diamonds can sometimes be so bad that if you were to hit the diamond the wrong way, it could crack a piece of the diamond off. If you are buying your teenage daughter (or son) their first pair of diamond studs, these items are perfect for you. If they lose them, you aren’t out a lot of money but they still get to say that they own real diamond studs. If you are looking for an investment piece for your wife (or husband) however, these might not be the best items for you. Most jewelry stores do carry better diamond studs so be sure that you are looking at the actual diamonds you are buying and not just the price tag.
Other items that are popular at this time of year are little silver or even steel pieces of jewelry. These items are super cute without a doubt, but they are not good investments if you are looking for something that will weather the test of time. Silver does tarnish and steel, well, it’s steel, it isn’t going to shine like a precious metal and it certainly isn’t going to gain any value with time. My feeling with these door buster cute items is the same as with the cheap diamond studs–if you are buying for a child, they’re great! However, I would prefer that if someone is going to go out and spend any money on jewelry (especially if it is for me) that they think their purchase through and make sure it is what they person they are buying for really wants. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–if you spend $99.99 on a piece of jewelry and the person you are buying for won’t wear it, it is a waste of $99.99. That may not be a lot of money to some people but if you save that for a few Christmases and then pool it to buy one nice piece, imagine what you could buy that year!
Now, it you do really love the pieces that are being advertised for Black Friday sales in jewelry stores, you are going to be getting a good deal. Jewelry store compete heavily during the Holiday season for your money so their discounts are usually REALLY good. They aren’t usually marking up their price tags so that they can take a deeper discount either. Because they are competing with each other, they don’t have the luxury of being able to “lie” about their discount.
I can’t take the kind of discount that the major jewelry store chains can on the jewelry I make, but I am always happy to work with my clients to help them get what they want without breaking the bank.
Post a Comment