6 Green Flags of an Online Jeweller

If you're looking to buy diamond jewellery online, it's important to buy from a reputable jeweller. Our guide explains the green flags to look out for so you know which retailers to trust and which to avoid.

1. Certificates are available online

Any reputable retailer selling high-quality diamond or gemstone jewellery should be able to provide independent grading certificates from recognised laboratories. The gold standard is a certificate from the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), which applies the most stringent testing, or the IGI (International Gemological Institute), which is best known for assessing lab-grown diamonds. These certificates verify the 4C’s. The stone's carat, cut, colour and clarity, and are issued independently by the laboratory. If a retailer does not offer you the option to choose a certificate, avoid them.

In-house certificates can be a grey area, as those not issued independently carry less weight. However, Shining Diamonds' in-house certificates are assessed by GIA-qualified gemmologists, making them far more trustworthy.

2. Check the hallmark

In the UK, any precious metal item over the legal weight threshold must be hallmarked by an assay office before it can be sold. The UK's assay offices are located in London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Sheffield, each with its own distinctive mark. Because precious metal content cannot be determined by sight alone, it is a legal requirement for items containing silver, palladium, gold or platinum to be independently tested and hallmarked. The thresholds are:

• Silver: mandatory for items above 7.78 grams

• Gold: mandatory for items above 1 gram

• Palladium: mandatory for items above 1 gram

• Platinum: mandatory for items above 0.5 grams

A reputable retailer will be clear and transparent about hallmarking.

3. Physical stores 

It is a green flag if an online jeweller also has physical stores. A bricks-and-mortar presence means a fixed address, knowledgeable staff you can speak to, and the opportunity to see jewellery up close before you buy. While online-only retailers can be perfectly legitimate, a physical store adds an extra layer of accountability.

Shining Diamonds has 14 showrooms across the country, so you are never too far from dropping in to see our range or speaking to an expert.

4. Clear on conflict diamonds

A reputable retailer should reference the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, the international framework that tracks rough diamonds from mine to market and aims to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds.

All Shining Diamonds natural diamonds are Kimberley Process compliant. We also stock lab-grown diamonds, produced in controlled environments with no mining involved.

5. Website and reviews

A well-built, functioning website reflects a retailer that invests in its business. Security features such as HTTPS in the browser bar and a clean checkout process with no hidden costs signal a trustworthy brand. Product descriptions should be detailed, covering metal type, carat weight and sizing. Other signs of a trustworthy website include clear contact options, whether via live chat, phone or physical address.

Reviews reflect real customer experiences. Trustpilot and Google Reviews carry more weight than on-site testimonials. Pay attention to volume too: a retailer with thousands of consistent reviews is far more reliable than one with only a handful.

6. Returns, complaints and warranties

A reputable jeweller should have a clear returns policy, so that you know exactly where you stand with when you make a purchase. It should outline what the conditions of return should be and how to return the item if you need to. 

A complaints process is another green flag, while no one wants to be in a position where they would have to make a compliant, clear guidelines and processes on how a company handles complaints shows that they take their customers seriously. 

Finally, a warranty is important to offer you protection in the unlikely event anything goes wrong with your jewellery. Here at Shining Diamonds, every product carries a one-year warranty.

Why choose Shining Diamonds?

We are a family business with four generations of experience in the jewellery industry. Our flagship store sits in the heart of Hatton Garden, the UK's jewellery quarter, and we have showrooms across the country so you can see pieces in person and speak to an expert before buying. 

All our diamonds are certified by GIA or IGI, or assessed by a GIA-qualified gemmologist under a Shining Diamonds Certificate. We are a member of the National Association of Jewellers and work exclusively with designers who adhere to the Kimberley Process. We also actively promote Fairtrade gold to ensure miners receive fair pay. All our jewellery is made in Britain, we hold a 4.9 rating on Trustpilot.