Malls are a great place where people can go and socialize with their friends while window shopping. The idea of malls are great and provide shoppers with the ability of visiting multiple stores without the hassle of driving from store to store. However, there is one location every shopper should avoid for multiple reasons. No, we are not talking about the holiday kiosk sales people...actually add that to the list of places to avoid. In all seriousness, the place all shoppers should avoid buying from are mall jewelry stores. These big name franchise stores have taken over the mall jewelry scene and have populated the industry with pieces that any jeweler would not go near. We created a guide to help any shopper from making a purchase that they will regret. We are sure that after you are aware of these secrets, you will never want to buy mall rings again.

Low Quality:

One of the most important points that needs to be brought up is the fact that mall rings are low quality. The diamonds they use are cheap and grade low on the color scale. These rings do not live up to the price tag and instead consumers are given a false perception of them. This results in consumers overpaying for a product that they are not educated on, and this is exactly what they want. Why would they do this you ask? Commission.

Salespeople, Not Gemologists:

The people that are working at these locations are salespeople and not trained gemologists. Their main goal is to complete a sale. They are not trained professionals in the field and therefore tend to provide information on products that are not true. Is it their fault? No of course not. These people signed up to be a sales representative and not a gemologist. The companies should employ a gemologist in order to educate the customers on the products correctly. Also, they companies pay their sales people with commission and set goals that are very hard to achieve. This causes salespeople to value the sale over the customer.

Non-GIA Certified Diamonds:

Everyone in the jewelry industry will vouch for me when I say that if a diamond is not GIA certified, then you should not purchase it. Why do you ask? It is because GIA is the premier standard for diamond grading. It is important to have a diamond graded by GIA in order to have an idea of how much the diamond is worth and how much you should pay for it. In many cases, these mall jewelry stores use diamonds that are graded from other companies that do not have the same reputation as GIA. GIA has very strict standards when it comes to the grading process in order to assure that the price of the stone is valued correctly. This is not the same for the other small name graders, who have shown in the past to be more lenient with their diamonds.

Typical Designs and Lack of Customization:

One aspect of mall rings that we feel you should know is that they use the typical, “cookie-cutter” designs for all the rings. Everything looks the same from store to store. To some this might not be the factor that turns them away, but for others the idea of wanting a one-of-a-kind ring is something they look for in a ring. These franchise stores have limited customization options and limit what the customer can get. If you are looking to create a truly special ring with a idea in mind, you will not get the same attention and freedom to design at a mall store compared to if you went to a Jeweler.

Inflated Prices and High Overhead:

For those of you who do not know already, mall spaces are extremely expensive when it comes to rent. The rent for these locations are far more than other locations and are just a portion of the cost of owning a store inside a mall. The overhead cost to the businesses result in the stores inflating prices in order to make up for the extra cost. In other words, the customer pays extra to fund the additional expense the store must pay. For these reasons, when you buy jewelry at the mall, you tend to over pay for a product of lesser quality. The use of "huge sales" are used as a way to trick the customer into thinking they are getting a great deal when in reality, you are still over paying.

Final Thoughts:

If shopping at the malls is your favorite place to go, do not stop. There are many benefits to shopping at the mall and many stores that provide customers with great deals. However, when it comes to buying rings and other forms of jewelry, we recommend visiting a jewelry store that has trained professionals who can assist you properly. We at Bellman’s Jewelers are a family owned independent jeweler that makes it our mission to build long-term relationships over a maximum profit sale. We have professionally trained gemologists as a part of our staff to ensure that you not only get the highest quality products that are certified by trusted organizations at a fair price, but also leave feeling that you made the right decision. If you are looking to find the perfect ring, come visit us in-store or schedule an appointment today and learn more!

-Colin McBride

-Alex Bellman