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By CAROLYN SUSMAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
When the sterling silver necklace flashed across the television screen, Kim Ciklin could barely contain herself.
"I was just wowed by it!" she says.
"It was so unique. It looked very different from anything I'd seen before,"
The chunky Judith Ripka chain was one of the first pieces of jewelry Ciklin ever bought from the popular TV shopping channel, QVC.
And she was hooked.
Once, buying a piece of jewelry almost always meant gazing at a cornucopia of gems beckoning the buyer into a jewelry store.
Today, for many like Ciklin, jewelry buying has become more like a video game.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
From QVC to Home Shopping Network to the Jewelry Channel. Buyers are flipping the dial in search of the best deals - or calling up the many jewelry sites available via computer. From the stores that post their Web sites to catch customers online or drive them into their shops, to the eBay places that auction off prime pieces.
You don't have to be cajoled by a real salesperson anymore.
And, for many who buy this way, that's the point.
"When you go in a store, you're kind of under pressure. It's hard to walk out," says Ciklin, of Jupiter, who became a fan of QVC after she admired some pieces a co-worker bought from the network.
"It's easy shopping. It keeps you out of the mall," she says with a laugh.
She still favors silver necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings and rarely goes over her $100 spending limit, even for her desired designer, Ripka.
"I have bought for family members and friends from a number of different lines they show," she says.
She's added Ripka-designed charms to that chain she bought, and friends know just where to look for her gifts.
But if she doesn't like what shows up in the mail?
"Normally, you can return it in the same packaging it came in, so your only hassle is going to the post office."
Fun shopping at a reasonable price. What's not to love?
Exactly, says Nancy Ballenger of West Palm Beach, who has developed a passion for QVC, the Home Shopping Network, and ebay.com.
"It's so cheap. There's a better price (than stores,) a bigger variety. And they're good quality. I'm very happy with everything I bought. Nothing's turning (green) or going bad. I never sent anything back."
Checks out store prices
She comparison shops at stores to get an idea of price ranges and availability. But she's convinced that buying on TV is a good deal.
"It's a much better price than the mall. I bought a sterling silver necklace for my daughter. At the mall, it was $70, I got it for $20 dollars, and it was heavy, good quality."
For herself, she likes the diamonique-style rings and necklaces and will pay up to $150 for an item, although she might go up to $500 for a "good" piece "as long as I could send it back."
But for real diamonds, she'd head to a store.
"I would want to see it and know the quality those have. I'd want a jeweler for that," she says.
Being cautious when buying diamonds is good, says Carson Glover, spokesman for the Diamond Information Center in New York.
But he isn't against buying online. To the contrary.
"Online sales of diamond jewelry have tripled since 2001 and accounted for 2 percent of overall diamond sales last year," he says.
"We stress that when buying diamonds online go to a reputable Web site, like www.diamond.com, www. jewelry.com. There's also many well- known retailers, (with Web sites) such as Bailey Banks & Biddle, Zales, and Fortunoff.
"What's important to note is that buying online is a great alternative for last-minute buying and when you have no time to visit a store. But the service is not the same.
"A lot of people will expect (in a store) the same price online and the service. When you buy in a store, you're paying for customer service and everything that comes along with that."
Service is goal
And service is something that Fred Rieger and his wife, Terry, of Diamonds by Terry in Stuart, say is crucial to what they offer customers.
Through both a store and a Web site - www.diamondsbyterry.com - the Riegers have fulfilled the need for some customers to buy via computer, for reasons of distance or of preference.
"We do get these people who come in because of the Web site," Rieger says. "It complements what we have in the store. It gives us entree to customers in Palm Beach and St. Lucie (counties). We just don't have returns. We have a satisfied customer."
And because they are a small business, customers can talk directly to Terry or Fred if they have questions about jewelry on the Web site.
"A customer in Virginia buys antique pieces (online) and she trusts us because Terry tells her all about it."
He doesn't have, nor does he want, the glitz and glitter of a QVC - "look at the lighting. There's nothing that won't sparkle." And suggests that people be careful of fancy names that sound too exotic, like "mystic topaz." In those cases, you might not be getting a quality gem, since even suppliers of this enhanced gemstone warn of those who produce counterfeits.
"One thing you have to be careful with, sometimes you get an unrealistic idea of what it looks like," agrees Diane Horvath of Durham, N.C., who buys through QVC, online and on TV.
Size can be deceiving.
"It may look big so pay attention to the measurements they give you."
Doesn't miss it
She doesn't feel at all cheated substituting the computer mouse for a real live salesperson.
"I don't miss buying in person. (The selection) is all under glass, anyway, and a little bit overwhelming. And there's not as much to choose from in a store. It's very rare that there's much choice in a jewelry store."
She has gone as high as $500 for a piece she's purchased remotely, but she researched it first in her local library. And she has never been dissatisfied with QVC's customer service.
"In person, I feel pressured, there's a limited amount of items, and online you can look at your leisure and they have excellent pictures of the items. If you do decide to buy, you just click on and buy. You can look up your receipt from QVC. They're very customer oriented. No problem."
Low prices. The thrill of buying quickly. And the excitement of having it arrive at your door. All those reasons motivate people - especially women - to buy online or on TV.
"Jewelry is the ultimate luxury and today's jewelry shopper is driven by an experiential passion that goes far beyond the item's features and benefits," says Jewelry Report, 2005 Update: The Who, What, Where, How Much and Why of Jewelry Shopping.
"They buy jewelry based upon emotion, not reason."
And that's what buying online and on television is all about.
BLING IT ON!
Facts about jewelry buying:
In 2003, American consumers spent $53.6 billion buying jewelry and watches, a 5.1 percent increase over the previous year.
Discounter Wal-Mart has been the nation's No. 1 retailer of jewelry, despite the fact that the prime target market for jewelry - high-income women from 25 to 54 years - are the least likely of all consumers to shop for jewelry in discount stores.
14 percent of jewelry sales are expected to be moving online by 2010; in 2004, it was estimated that 5 percent of jewelry sales were occurring online.
Source: Jewelry Report, 2005 Update: The Who, What, Where, How Much and Why of Jewelry Shopping; www.forrester.com
Tips for buying a diamond online:
1 Request a Gemological Institute of America diamond grading report from the seller. If the seller doesn't have one for the diamond, there may be a problem.
2 Call (800) 421-7250 to verify a GIA report number.
3 Check out the seller. How long has the business been operating? Do they have anything on the site to show it's established or to verify its reputation?
4 Be sure to get a warranty/receipt so you can return the purchase.
Source: Alexander Angelle, senior manager, public relations for Gemological Institute of America
Web sites for buyer protection:
American Gem Trade Association: www.agta.org/consumer/gemstones/ index.htm
The Gemological Institute of America: www.gia.edu
Jewelers of America: www.jewelers.org:8080/3.consumers/ index.shtml
Source: National Jeweler magazine
