You Should Definitely Keep These Basic Principles in Mind When Buying Opal Online General knowledge of online shopping can be applied to buying opals as well. Online shopping is good for those who hate crowds and malls, and great for others who find it hard to think clearly with a salesman interfering and pressuring. Just sit back, relax, and browse the websites that offer nice opal jewelry whose beauty can be admired without any obligation. Watch, inspect, compare and, eventually, make a purchase if you really like something. Of course, you always have to keep some basic principles in mind, so to avoid being scammed.

Before making an online purchase, check the details such as contact information and the seller’s physical address and telephone number. See if the telephone number is linked to the physical address. Check the warranty, terms and conditions to make sure that you are buying an original product. Check the return policy as well - you never know whether you will be fully satisfied with product or not. Besides, protect your personal information by checking if the website is highly secured. It’s good to know that, since opal is the October birthstone, many sites offer special prices and discounts on opal jewelry during this season. If you're attracted by online auctions, you should know that many sellers will try to plant worthless fake opals. Fraudsters use many kinds of deceptions like misrepresentation (the oldest trick in the book), fake bids to increase the price, offering stolen jewelry, adding inflated fees for shipping costs, stealing money or credit card numbers on fake auctions and so on. One of the problems every internet buyer of opals is familiar with is whether or not they will receive exactly the same jewel they’ve seen in the pictures. So, it is highly recommended for all online shoppers to pay attention to colors in the photo, angle of shooting, descriptions, and customers’ feedback. Look carefully for any improvement in the picture. If the series of photographs represents someone holding an opal, check for any changes in the color of his/her skin – that will help you distinguish if the same gem is on every image. Much better way to see true colors and patterns of an opal is a video because that way it is much harder to enhance the beauty of the gemstone. Avoid opals photographed from one angle only, because some poor quality opals display colors from only one direction, while the top quality opals display strong colors whichever way you look at them. That's why the picture rotation is very important. Proper description should give you all the information about the stone, including the accurate location of the mine it was found at. Customer feedback can be of essential importance when buying opals on the internet. If you discover a high percentage of negative comments, it is time to raise the red flag. Be how it may, it is always best to buy opals from verified and reputable sellers, even online.