Buying Jewelery Online

Last night I couldn't sleep and turned on the TV to one of those jewelery channels, (if that don't put you to sleep, nothing will.) They were selling jewelery for "once in a lifetime" prices. It looked great on the TV, in the bright lights, showing off all of its sparkle. I thought "WOW... I can't get that stuff for cost, where are they getting it from?" Then I remembered last November, when my stock was running low in the displays and the Christmas rush was coming up. I searched the internet looking for some great deals, better than my usual vendors pricing. I found a couple of sites with pictures of beautiful jewelery, and quickly started placing my orders in the tune of a few thousand dollars. Thier sites said "Certified stones, money back guarantee, fast shipping ect." I found ruby, sapphire and diamond rings for less than $150! A ruby ring with a value of $900 for only $150!!! I can sell that for $450 and still make a good profit!!! YEAH RIGHT... The biggest shopping day after Thanksgiving came and went, and I placed numerous calls to these vendors wondering where was the order I placed, and why were they charging me this huge handling fee. I spoke to several people who didn't understand english then my order finally came. The certification of the stones they sent me was a unsigned piece of paper, really not worth anything. The stones were a very poor quality grade, the diamonds were chips usually used in tools not jewelery, and the gold, well it was gold but so thin I could probably bend it with my fingers. Ok so I'll just return it right??? Well if you speak a another language maybe, and of course there is re-stocking fees, and you don't get reimbursed for thier shipping and handling fee. So what happened to this jewelery? Embarrased to display this jewelery, I priced it at cost and sold most of it to the bargain hunter customers. Some of it I replaced the stones with a better quality. The rest of it is still "On Sale" (its been on sale for 9 months now.)
So the moral of this story is, BUYER BEWARE... When it comes to jewelry, you really do get what you pay for. Don't buy something unless there is a grade on the stones, a weight (dwt) to the setting. Does the store welcome questions about their product, better yet, do they speak english? What are the hidden fees? What is the return policy?
Each piece on my site does not have a grade for every stone or a weight for every setting, but I do have a phone number where those questions can be answered. I offer Free Shipping, with no handling fees and a 30 day no questions asked Money Back Guarantee. Compare my prices to others on the internet and there are others that offer jewelry for less than mine, but I'd rather sell quality for a bit more than sell quantity junk.