Artinvest's New Branch Declares War on Internet Scams

Columbus, OH, December 12, 2012 --(PR.com)-- As the Artinvest company nears its tenth birthday, one of its new branches is working harder than ever to fulfill the Artinvest mission. While the entire company is focused on making it easier to find authentic decorative items for sale, JewelryKind, is combating internet jewelry scams. "Many online sellers use vague terms, hoping to prey on inexperienced shoppers," said the owner, Marius Popei. "Someone who doesn't know much about jewelry might order a 'real gold ring with princess-cut stone' and end up with a cheap gold-plated ring with a princess-cut cubic zirconia. There's nothing technically illegal in advertising that way, but I feel that it's unethical."

In response to these troubling advertisements, he created a website which only sells high quality jewelry. The store has also hired a third-party consultant to write unbiased guides on purchasing, appraising, and caring for various types and qualities of jewelry. All of that, however, was not enough for Mr. Popei. As of this month, he's decided to go up against the big "discount" stores that triggered his crusade by offering free shipping on orders over $100. He hopes that this latest offer will encourage price-conscious customers to reconsider what they think they can afford. "A lot of people are already paying more than my prices for low quality pieces that won't last," Mr. Popei said.

He also hopes to educate new customers, particularly young ones, in the importance of buying jewelry that will last. "A lot of people think that solid gold or silver is a racket to take money from customers," he said. "I've even heard one person compare it to buying brand name cereal over the identical generic. That's just not the case. Plating is a good option for very large products, such as statues and tea services, but items that spend a lot of time in contact with skin really need to be high quality silver or gold all the way through. Plating doesn't stay put very well when exposed to sweat and oils on a regular basis."

According to Mr. Popei, the best case scenario is that the customer's "knock-off" jewelry will lose value over time. While solid metal and real stones tend to appreciate over time, the opposite is true for cubic zirconia and plated jewelry. Unfortunately, depreciation is not the only concern. Lower quality materials can also cause skin irritation. The usual culprit is the exposed metal underneath flaked-off plating, but solid silver and gold can cause problems if they have a higher concentration of cheap metals. "I could never, in good jeweler's conscience, sell my customers anything less than solid sterling silver or 18 carat gold jewelry," Mr. Popei said. "I take authenticity very seriously, even for diamonds. I get everything inspected and certified as soon as it comes into my hands. I don't want to sell anything that will give people a rash, because I wouldn't want anyone selling that kind of stuff to me."

Although Mr. Popei's website has only been open for a few months, business is good. He currently has about 500 pieces of jewelry in stock, and he has to add more each week. "I just saw a need for transparency in the online jewelry world and tried to fill it," he said. "I didn't realize so many other people felt the same way." For all the confusion among online shoppers, it seems there are still plenty who want to know exactly what they're getting.

For more information, please contact Marius Popei at office@jewelrykind.com.