Looking for something unique and uncommon? The mall is probably not going to have as much to offer. Most of the big chains work with large quantities, which means more common gem material and most marketable designs. Of course there are exceptions to this!
There are just a few main corporations I know of that tend to own most of the mall chain retail stores. They offer basic training to their sales associates. A sales associate is most typically NOT a gemologist, and not a jeweler. Simply “GIA certified” or other intro to gem and jewelry certifications do not make a sales associate an expert. They are paid to know what products are on hand and to help you make an informed decision based on information at their disposal.
Because there is so often a lack of disclosure on treatments (this is changing, by the way), many sales associates may describe an item in good faith, but you might be getting something different than you think.
Here are some examples:
—You’re looking for a natural ruby ring. You want to be able to later reset the stone into something more substantial. You find a vivid pigeon-blood red stone with a soft sleepy glow and the sales associate assures you it is in fact natural ruby. Until recently, what they may not have known is the weight of that ruby, and the clarity may be disrupted due to fissure filling. This is where a natural stone is taken and molten glass (sometimes colored) is vacuum absorbed into the gem, filling the fractures to improve the clarity. There is nothing wrong with this process, so long as it’s priced accordingly and disclosed. The reason it’s important to know this is, if you would like one day to reset the stone, a jeweler may not want to mess with it. Fracture filled (fissure-filled) rubies and other gems are not always as stable. Sometimes the glass can melt out during heating processes.
—You have a love for sapphires and are admiring a color spectrum in a bracelet. You have not typically seen sapphires so lovely in color in typical stores and you ask if the gems are real or created. The sales associate assures you they are natural sapphires. The problem is, these sapphires, while “real” may be adulterated for their color by way of lattice diffusion. This is a process where they take a less desirable natural stone and heat it with another element like beryllium or titanium (depending on the desired affect), to almost a melting point. What this does is allow the other elements to seep into the crystal lattice changing the color of the stone from the outside-in. This process can also create synthetic crystals off the same gem. They often need to be recut to remove the new growth. With titanium, bright blues, treatment can be detected on the back side of the gem where color is concentrated at the facet junctions. Treatment with beryllium can be harder to detect. This often produces the bright orange and yellows we see, but can produce other colors. A gemologist can tell sometimes by visual inspection. So, while these stones may be “natural” in origin, they are not natural in color—which definitely impacts the value compared to a naturally colored one that looks the same. A problem can arise if you should chip your sapphire, and it require recutting. Because the lattice diffusion is more concentrated on the surface of the gem, cutting this away may leave you with a more pale gem.
There is nothing wrong with mall store sellers. They buy in large quantities to bring fair market prices. If you want something more valuable and unadulterated, contact a gemologist or go to the dealers at the gem source.
The diamonds offered in chain stores are most often in the lower clarity and near-colorless range. Don’t be afraid to ask to see it under magnification and ask if there is another one on hand to compare, to ensure you’re getting the stone you want. Often times, you can go through a gemologist and get a higher quality gem for the same price. It’s not as convenient as a trip to the mall, but in the end you will probably save yourself a lot of money.