By Herb Brandon
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem ----- June 25, 2008 ....... Ever since the Internet transitioned to commercial use in 1994, people have hesitated to buy services and products online. However, with improved Internet security and the dramatic rise of safe online banking transactions, the fears that many had back in the 1990s have faded dramatically.

It has only been 14 years since the first secure Internet shopping transaction took place in August 1994 - the sale of a CD in the US. By the time the dotcom gold rush peaked in 2000, Internet sales had reached over one billion dollars annually. Despite fears over the future of the Internet after the dotcom bubble burst, and corresponding consumer concerns about the safety of shopping by credit card online, e-commerce sales have exploded over the past six years, growing by a whopping 3,500 percent.

James Roper, the chief executive at the Interactive Media in Retail Group or IMRG - a leading industry body for global e-retailing - noted that in much the same way that the concept of self-service transformed the way people shopped from over-the-counter style transactions, self-service online will transform the way people consume. Traditional retailers have to concentrate on the mass market as they only have the shelf space and time for best-selling products. But with the Internet, consumers have unlimited choice.

"It is a bigger marketplace and consumers can find precisely the product they want rather than just what is available in the shops," Roper said. "You can get products from anywhere in the world. The traditional retail model is not geared up for that."

As the IMRG report stated: "The Internet does not recognize boundaries and is creating a huge global shopping marketplace, one that was worth over 180 billion dollars in 2007. More than a billion people use the Internet, some 17 percent of the world's population, of which almost a third live in Europe. "Developing a thriving e-commerce sector that reaches beyond national borders will become vital for the competitiveness of every country's economy," the report continued.

So how does this relate to diamond engagement rings?

According to respected, Internet diamond engagement ring and jewerlly retailer JamesAllen.com, Internet sales have never been so high, so secure, and in such great demand.

“Because of reduced overhead, we are able to offer a wide variety of quality diamond engagement rings at much lower costs than what you would find walking into a store,” says James Allen Schultz.

"There are fewer employees, less office space (which is far below the cost of storefront property), and transactions are faster as online Internet transactions are very specific in detail. People have started to trust the Internet. This can be seen by the billions of dollars just being spent on advertising and buying at Google, eBay, Amazon, Yahoo, Craigslist.org, Facebook, Victoria's Secret, MSN, Overstock.com, SmartBargains, Shopzilla, Shopping.com, MySpace, AOL, Wal-Mart and the explosive, safe and convenient use of on-line banking.”

“According to the IMRG more people want to buy gifts via e-commerce (42 percent) compared with 28 percent of consumers who want to buy gifts from a shop.”

The National Retail Association is forecasting $204 billion in retail sales over the Internet in 2008, while the rest of the retail industry expects sluggish growth. The on-line Internet retail growth includes the following industries: travel, recreation, leisure jumping to a 82 percent growth, followed by electronic goods, household products and services, clothing, automotive, personal care, diamond rings, and health and food.

According to the NRA's Shop.org annual survey, The State of Retailing Online 2008, the expected $204 billion is a 17 percent increase over last year.

The sales categories expected to do the best include apparel at $26.6 billion, computers at $23.9 billion; and autos with $19.3 billion of volume.

"From higher shipping costs to changes in consumer shopping habits, online retailers are not immune to the current economic climate," says Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. "But the fact that online sales will increase substantially this year demonstrates the resilience of the channel and is a testament to the value and convenience most customers find when shopping online."

The study also found 53 percent of retailers surveyed allocated their marketing budgets toward customer acquisition and 21 percent of their marketing budget toward customer retention.

Other findings include: 35 percent of retailers will continue to market through search engines. 90 percent will use pay-for-performance search placement and 79 percent said they will make the latter a priority this year. 85 percent said they have used some shipping with conditions promotions in the past and 35 percent said they will focus on more of these promotions this year. 65 percent said they will increase focus on social networking advertisements and 55 percent said they will focus on Web widgets.

With all this said, buying your diamond engagement ring through an Internet shop or vendor demands the same caveat emptor and verification as does shopping with a traditional “brick and mortar” jeweler.

The James Allen Engagement Rings Website receives hundreds of questions daily in relation to buying diamonds or diamond jewelry online. Some customers are still cautious and need further reassurance before completing their purchase. Buying fine jewelry or a diamond engagement ring online is no different than any other online shopping purchase as long as you follow some basic principles.

Always check references from the online diamond engagement ring store you are considering. These should include membership in online organizations such as the Better Business Bureau and HackerSafe. In addition, make sure that the company is willing to accept credit cards so that you will have an extra level of protection if things go wrong. With a credit card, if there is a problem with the transaction, the credit card provider will go to bat for you.

Look at the information provided by the Website relating to the diamonds, gold and other materials, etc. Are you getting good quality pictures of the merchandise? Are the descriptions helpful and accurate? If possible seek feedback on the Website or make contact via the email address provided.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions. If you don’t get helpful answers, or your question isn’t answered to your satisfaction, then ask more questions. Reputable sellers will only be too glad to answer your questions, as it provides an opportunity to build a customer service relationship experience with you, the customer.

Look for a full money back guarantee for diamond engagement rings and make sure there are no restocking or other return fees. You want to make sure that if you not happy with the diamonds or item of jewelry you can return them for a refund without penalty.

JamesAllen.com has provided a list of other common questions that will help you prepare to make a safe, secure and wise online purchase as you shop online for diamond engagement rings and jewelry.

How can one be assured that the value of the diamond ring is as stated?
After your purchase you can take your jewelry to your local jeweler or independent appraiser and ask for an independent valuation. This will give you further reassurance of the value of your purchase. While there will be a small fee for this service, James Allen recommends you have this done if you feel any uncertainty about the item.

How can one buy a diamond engagement ring on the Internet if I can’t see it?
There are many honest and professional online diamond ring companies offering diamonds and fine jewelry at prices that are substantially less than traditional brick and mortar organizations. Find a Website you can trust by checking credentials, asking questions and seeking information. Avoid auction sites or sellers with little to no sales history. Pay with a credit card and get your jewelry independently examined after receipt. By following a few simple rules you can safeguard yourself against fraud and save hundreds to thousands of dollars on your purchase.

How can one be assured that I’m buying a good quality diamond engagement ring?

Certified Diamonds from GIA or AGS give you the strongest guarantee of quality and are measured against worldwide standards. GIA and AGS certified diamonds will cost more than diamonds without certification, but the guarantee of quality is worth the premium. Uncertified diamonds are often graded too high, so what you purchase and expect to be a particular color or clarity may actually be one, two, or even three grades lower when compared to the GIA or AGS standards. In short, stick to laboratory graded diamonds to ensure quality and consistency in grading.

Does the size of a diamond engagement ring matter?

As a general rule of thumb you should try to purchase the largest diamond you can afford without sacrificing the cut, color or clarity of the diamond. A large diamond that is brown in color, extremely hazy or poorly cut is far less desirable than a smaller diamond that sizzles with fire and brilliance. The average diamond engagement ring sold in the US is about half carat in size, so in reality anything over one half carat is considered large in the United States!

How does one determine the right finger size for my diamond engagement ring?
There are four basic methods you can use to determine ring size. Measure her finger. James Allen will mail you a free ring sizer by visiting their Website. Measure her ring. Ask a friend or relative. Guess. The average diamond engagement ring sold by JamesAllen.com is a 6.5.

What are the 4c’s?
The four C’s are Color, Clarity, Carat and Cut. Detailed information about each of these subjects can be found on the James Allen Website.

Some people ask: "I’ve heard that there are such things as fake diamonds, is this true?"
JamesAllen.com states that there are such things as synthetic moissanite diamonds. These diamonds are made from silicon carbide and gained widespread use beginning in 1999. These fakes are so good that standard thermal conduction testers used by jewelers cannot detect them. They also sell for nearly as much as the real thing. However, when you look through a 10x loupe, you see double facets or a doubled table reflection; this is the key to identifying a moissanite synthetic diamond. There is one further key indicator, this being that synthetic moissanite diamonds have a greater density, weighing more than a comparable diamond.

According to James Allen there are 4c’s to the quality of diamond engagement rings, but an important 5th C: the Confidence you have in your supplier.

Make the seller earn your trust by following some or all of the tips has provided. This will ensure that the 5th C enables you to make a wise and long lasting purchase for that special and endeared diamond engagement ring.

James Allen Diamond Engagement Rings also warns retailers of five tell-tale signs that could alert online diamond engagement ring retailers to an attempted fraud in progress.

Through its online forum used by fraud managers at online businesses in the UK, 192.com Business Services has compiled a list of behaviors it claims can help companies spot when they might be about to transact with a fraudster.

The signs highlighted include changes to the delivery address between the order being placed and delivery. The London postcode SE28 is the "most troublesome" for fraud and chargeback within the UK, alongside overseas destinations such as Estonia and Nigeria.

Testing of card details on low value orders, followed by much larger orders, could also be another warning sign.

If the billing address is more than 50 miles from the delivery address it might be worth taking a closer look at the order, and 192.com Business Services said retailers it worked with also cite orders from the London postcode range SE28 as being ones they would treat with more care before they send out goods.

The final suspicious action flagged by James Allen Diamond Engagement Rings is the use of free email addresses with little resemblance to the customer's name.

James Allen Diamond Engagement Rings said: "We're putting hurdles in front of the fraudster - the more hurdles, the more likely they are to be tripped up."

Card-not-present fraud grew by 41 per cent between 2004 and 2006 according to recent Apacs figures.

But a James Allen Diamond Engagement Rings spokesman added: "We don't and we can't generalize - we're just highlighting statistics based on our online forum."

De Beers, the world's biggest diamond producer, who supplies about 40 percent of the world's rough diamonds, believes that there may be challenges ahead. These challenges are not at all related to safe Internet buying, rather the company is concerned about the US market which has become the world's largest buyer for diamond engagement rings. But Varda Shine, the company's managing director, expects demand from emerging countries to take up the slack, driving prices for rare stones ever higher.

"If you look at the new consumer markets in China and India, there is a huge new demand pool that is coming into place," Shine said.

But even given an occasional bump in the market place, Internet retailers will always pay less overhead, so that those wishing to purchase diamond engagement rings will always find better, more competitive prices on the Internet,” says JamesAllen.com.

"We are expanding our on-line operations from New York, Houston, Los Angeles to Chicago, Texas and Miami. In addition to these large US cities, we have thousands of consumers reaching us from rural areas, where they do not have the opportunity and convenience to shop for diamond engagement rings and jewelry. Today one needs not drive for hours through searing heat or pouring rain to find a jewelry store to buy a diamond engagement ring. All that is needed is a computer and a modem. Perhaps a warm cup of coffee, a glass of chilled red wine or a loving hug from your future husband or wife will enhance the experience."

“It is an established fact that buying on-line will always benefit the buyer. And a diamond never loses its value. Buying a diamond engagement ring online is one of the best investments one can ever make.”

Many of the today's celebrities including Madonna, Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Beyonce, Paris Hilton, Fergie, Shakira, Hillary Duff, Justin Timberlake, Lindsay Lohan, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Jessica Alba, Scarlet Johansson, Brad Pitt, Avril Lavigne, Howard Stern, Ginger Lynn, JayZ, Jennifer Aniston, Richard Greer, Kate Moss, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen, Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Michelle Pfeiffer (who wore the Hope Diamond on the cover of Life Magazine) and Carla Bruni are all said to have searched for diamonds on-line. But where did it all start?

The history of diamond engagement rings is more about myth and fantasy than actual fact until you enter the 20th Century when a marked turn of events shapes public opinion beyond all doubt.

Today almost everyone's interpretation of the diamond engagement ring is something along these lines: "A symbol of ever lasting purity, love, devotion and commitment between two people".

The earliest surviving records have shown that Archduke Maximillian of Hamburg may have started the trend among the European wealthy and royalty of giving diamond engagement rings in 1477 by giving Mary of Burgundy a diamond betrothal ring.

It more about myth and fantasy than actual fact until you enter the 20th Century when a marked turn of events shapes public opinion beyond all doubt.

The ancient Roman's called their engagement ring the betrothal (Truth) ring. The Romans were the first to wear the ring on the third finger of the left hand.

This surviving tradition seems to stem from the Egyptian belief that the vein from this finger leads straight to the heart. It's thought that the Romans were the first to start inscribing or engraving their rings.
The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages and the Gimmal or "bond" ring was invented, but it's doubtful that this was an engagement ring design. However, sapphires, emeralds and rubies would have been the norm for those who could afford them.

Because diamond is the hardest and strongest mineral on earth it was seen to resist fire and steel and thus symbolize the unbending union of a man and woman in wedlock. So it became more commonplace for the European super wealthy and royalty to give a diamond engagement ring at this time.

Less wealthy citizens would have given a Fede (faith) ring in the form of two clasped hands more akin to the more modern claddagh (clasped hands) engagement rings.

And today one can easily find bride, groom and diamond engagement rings on the Internet. Internet dating sites are visited by millions every day. Many of these on-line dating matches move right into engagement and marriage with James Allen tying the knot with a quality diamond engagement ring. A far cry from prehistoric man who are supposed to have tied the woman's arms and legs together so she could not escape.

Eventually the "bride's" legs would have been released and if she made no attempt to run away then she would just have worn a tied cord with a trailing end around one of her little fingers.

James Allen will not sell you a tied cord with a trailing end, but they will guide you with unlimited patience and professionalism in how to buy an on-line, quality diamond engagement ring in the safest and most secure manner.

JamesAllen.com was founded in 1998 by James Allen Schultz.

The retail concept behind James Allen was simple: offer the world's most beautiful diamond engagement rings coupled with the finest laboratory graded diamonds, all at an extraordinary value.

While the idea of selling fine engagement jewelry over the Internet once seemed strange back in 1998, James Allen has now grown to become one of the largest and most successful of all online diamond retailers.

The company is regularly featured in trade magazines such as National Jeweler and has been profiled by The Washington Post, NBC News, US News and World Report and National Public Radio.

The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in New York for the Internet by the Leyden Communications Group.

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