Buy with confidence Smart advice

When considering a major purchase like a piece of jewellery, it’s best to make a few decisions before you begin shopping. How to identify a trustworthy jeweller to help you celebrate life’s precious moments is one such a decision – and a very important one

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ADRI VIVIERS

Inever exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, He would have put “ BUY WITH diamonds on the floor,” said the irrepressible Joan Rivers – a woman whose jewellery dazzled as brightly as her outrageous wit. CONFIDENCE

But the long-celebrated love affair women have with diamonds is misleading. In fact, both men and women have had a love affair with jewellery of all kinds since pre-

Biblical times.

Jewellery is one of the punctuation marks in our life stories. Almost all of us have either given or received a friendship ring, a chain or ring with a religious symbol, a piece of vintage jewellery from a grandmother’s collection, a love token from a special sweetheart or an unusual item from a trip abroad. We use jewellery to mark special milestones in our lives. The price of the item may be considerable or very modest: the point is the emotional investment made in the item and what it represents for both the giver and recipient.

A treasured piece of jewellery is a tangible, sentimental link to a precious memory, one that’s evoked each time it’s worn.

On occasion, a piece of jewellery might be bought on impulse, as it catches one’s eye in a glittering window display. At other times, it can be a wonderful gift-wrapped surprise, or a sure-fire moodchanger. It lifts the wearer’s spirits, expresses a facet of their personality and marks their individuality – something all too rare in this era of massproduction, social networking, tech overload and hashtag sentiment.

While many customers do their homework for a planned jewellery purchase, particularly more expensive ones like an engagement ring or a highend timepiece, they must still rely on the seller to be honest, provide them with the highest level of service and behave ethically at all times. Where you buy your jewellery is of the utmost importance – indeed, it's almost as important a decision as the piece you’re planning to purchase. While you can find fine jewellery in many stores

Image by mrkaushikkashish from Pixabay

Photo by Sarah Drisk on Unsplash

You can be assured that these are among the most knowledgeable and trustworthy jewellers in the industry. CONFIDENCE window or on their website. The JCSA provides jewellers with ongoing education and its members are committed to upholding the council’s Code and online, in order to ensure that the piece you choose will “You can be assured that continue delighting you (or its these are among the recipient) for years to come, most knowledgeable and follow a simple rule: buy from trustworthy jewellers in the someone you can trust. industry,” says Lorna Lloyd, Word-of-mouth remains with confidence, knowing a sound endorsement. that your piece of jewellery It’s always a good idea has a fair market price, that to ask family members, its components have been friends or colleagues for responsibly, ethically and recommendations of where sustainably sourced, and to shop. However, without a that your satisfaction with recommendation, how can your purchase is of great you distinguish the reputable importance to the seller.”from the rogues? Start by of Ethics and Conduct. the JCSA’s CEO. “You can buy finding jewellers who are When joining the members of the Jewellery JCSA, its members Council of South Africa (JCSA). pledge to maintain You can find them by looking the highest level for the JCSA logo in their store of personal and professional integrity and to earn, establish and maintain a reputation for giving fair value for money, avoiding untruthful or misleading statements in publicity and/or advertising.

Members further pledge to submit to arbitration in case of a dispute between an unhappy customer and themselves.

“We take our role as custodians of the South African jewellery industry seriously,” says Lloyd. “While we have no jurisdiction over non-members, our role as mediator and arbitrator means we’ll do our best to resolve any issues, should something go wrong with your jewellery purchase.” So next time you’re windowshopping for that very special item for a very special person, on a very special occasion, look for the JCSA logo before you enter the store. It could save you a great deal of money, time and trouble.