How to Buy Silver Jewellery Online Without Getting Caught Out

Buying jewellery online is not risky because the internet is risky. It is risky because three specific things are easy to misrepresent in a photograph: the metal, the stone, and the weight. Here is what to check before you pay.

The seven checks

1. The metal is named, not described

"S925", "sterling silver", "hallmarked" — these are commitments. "Silver tone", "platinum colour", "925 electroplated" and "fine silver finish" are descriptions of appearance, and they usually mean plating over base metal.

2. The stone has a certificate from a third party

A real graded stone comes with a report from an independent gemmological laboratory. A certificate produced by the seller is a receipt with nicer paper. If the listing says "lab diamond" but no laboratory is named, ask which one.

3. The weight is stated

Grams tell you more about a piece than any photograph. A 2.1 g sterling ring and an 8 g sterling ring are different objects at the same price point. Sellers who publish weight are usually sellers who are not hiding it.

4. There is a returns window long enough to be real

Fourteen days from delivery is the practical minimum, because shipping eats three of them. Thirty is comfortable. "Returns accepted within 7 days of dispatch" is not a returns policy.

5. The pieces are numbered or otherwise identifiable

This matters more than it sounds. A numbered piece can be re-identified years later — by you, by a buyer, by the maker — without a receipt. An unnumbered piece depends on paperwork you will lose.

6. Shipping is insured and tracked

Jewellery goes missing. Insured, tracked delivery is the difference between an annoyance and a loss. Check whether the seller insures to the value of the piece or to a flat default.

7. Someone answers a specific question

Send one question that requires reading the product — "what is the band width at the back?" — before you buy. A shop that answers precisely is a shop that has handled the piece.

Three things that do not mean what people think

• "Hypoallergenic" is not regulated. Solid sterling is fine for most people; the reactions usually come from nickel in plated base metal.
• "Lifetime warranty" usually covers manufacturing defects, not wear, not loss, and not stones lost from an open setting. Read what is excluded — ours is on the warranty page.
• "Real silver" can legally describe silver plate in some markets. The word you want is sterling.

What we do about each of them

Every piece is hallmarked S925 with the stamp stated on the product page; every stone above the smallest accents is certified by an independent laboratory; every piece is numbered and verifiable at Verify Your Piece without an account; delivery is insured and tracked (see shipping); returns run 30 days (returns); and the buy-back formula is published rather than negotiated (transparency).

Common questions

Is it safe to give a ring size from a home measurement?

Yes, if you measure in the evening and check the band width. Our ring size guide covers both.

What if the piece arrives and it is not what I pictured?

That is what the returns window is for — see returns for the condition we need it back in.

How do I know the certificate is real?

Laboratory reports carry a report number that can be checked with the laboratory that issued it. If a number does not resolve, that is your answer.

Start with the First Promise, or browse everything in the Promise Line.