How to walk out of a La Jolla jewelry store with what you want

You have decided to purchase some kind of jewelry for your wife. It’s your anniversary and you intend to give her a luxurious gift to remind her how special she is to you. You walk into one of the jewelry stores in La Jolla, but the sheer display of the shiny pieces overwhelms you entirely. For a moment, you do not know exactly what to pick. Everything looks good and the variety is just immense. In such a scenario, you may lose sight of actually what you want and settle for less or overdraw your budget. Below are some ways to ensure you leave a jewelry store with exactly what you want.


A good jeweler will help you make the right selection

Very few people know exactly what piece of jewelry they want to buy as a gift for their loved one. That’s where an expert salesperson can be of tremendous service. With your permission, she can ask you questions designed to uncover what kind of jewelry is the most appropriate for your gift. Some helpful information may include:

Your budget - How much you are willing to spend on this gift? This will narrow down the selection you should look at.

Metal type – If you know whether your wife tends to wear silver or gold colored jewelry, that also helps to narrow down the selection and ensure that the new piece will be compatible with her existing jewelry wardrobe. If she wears silver colored jewelry, you’ll be looking at jewelry set in platinum, white gold, palladium, and other “white” metals. If she wears gold colored jewelry, then 14 or 18 karat yellow gold is suitable. There’s also the choice of rose gold, which has become very popular in recent years. 

Gemstones – Does she prefer diamonds over colored gemstones? If she likes colored gemstones, do you know which ones or what color they are? She might also appreciate receiving a different gemstone than the ones that she already owns.

Size and proportions of the jewelry – Is she a petite woman, or does she prefer bold statement jewelry? Does she spend a lot of time in dress clothes, or is she more the outdoorsy type? The more information about her lifestyle that you can share, the better the expert salesperson can narrow the selection to jewelry pieces that are likely to delight.


Be open to your salesperson’s suggestions

In an established, reputable jewelry store, your salesperson is likely a professional who has invested a great deal of time learning about jewelry, and has advised thousands of customers who are searching for wonderful gifts for their loved ones. She may suggest something you hadn’t considered. Trust her advice! She has the experience to make wise recommendations given the information that you’ve shared with her about your wife’s preferences.


Be sure there is a return policy

Unless she’s circled pictures in catalogs for you, it’s difficult to always choose just the right piece of jewelry for her gift. Jewelry is such a personal choice that she may not always completely adore your selection. Don’t worry, it is the effort that counts! But to protect against such an eventuality, ensure that your La Jolla jeweler has a return or exchange policy so that the two of you can come back to select something that she is going to enjoy and wear.


Doesn’t hurt to research and gain some technical knowledge

This will help you ask the right questions that will guide your purchase. You don’t have to know everything, but you can learn some information that will help you make a knowledgeable purchase. Each type of jewelry has a few basic elements that can guide you.

Gold comes in different karats, or measures of purity. Gold used in jewelry is mixed with other metals to make it stronger, as pure gold is too soft to most jewelry applications. The other metals also change the color of gold, from yellow, to white, to rose. The higher the karat, the higher the pure gold content. In the US, the most common karats used in jewelry are 14k and 18k. A hallmark is typically stamped somewhere on the piece to indicate the karat of gold used.

For diamonds and precious stones, you may ask about the “4Cs,” which are cut, carat, clarity and color. Carat (spelled with a “c” indicating it is in reference to precious stones and not metals) indicates the weight of the stone. Cut refers to not only how the diamond was shaped (heart, pear, emerald, round), but also how precisely the facets were cut, as rated by the terms Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good and Ideal. The color of natural diamonds ranges from colorless to slight yellow all the way to fancy yellow. Rarely diamonds appear in other colors of the rainbow such as pink, blue, and even violet. Lastly, clarity describes any imperfections contained in the gemstone. Almost all natural gemstones, including diamonds, contain some imperfections or “flaws.” Generally, the fewer the imperfections, the higher the quality, and the higher the value. 

Jewelry has a lot of value attached to it and the La Jolla and greater San Diego area have a variety of jewelry stores and merchants. Look for one whose salespersons are professionals in their chose career, and not just part-time students whose knowledge will be sparse. A true professional can give you priceless advice when you’re shopping for a gift for a loved one, and steer you clear of making mistakes. Check out the Personal Shopper service at Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers – you’ll be glad you did.