It may seem counterintuitive that people would spend thousands of dollars online on a product they’ve never seen — especially jewelry. Yet it’s becoming more common than you might think. Jewelry e-commerce is taking off, with over $100 billion worth of bling purchased online in 2024.
Sure, there are plenty of scammers in the digital world, but with online giants like Blue Nile, encrypted payment processing, and credit card fraud protection, people are feeling more confident. Even if most of your customers still prefer “webrooming” — browsing online but ultimately buying in-store — you still need a well-designed e-commerce site.
E-commerce for jewelry isn’t like selling T-shirts or books. You’re dealing with high-value items and trying to build enough trust through a screen to convince someone to drop thousands of dollars.
In this blog, we’ll share 12 actionable tips to help you compete and grow your jewelry e-commerce store. Plus, we'll drop some gems about the small details that can take your site from dull to brilliant.
Let’s dive in.
The market is saturated with point of sale (POS) platforms. Sorting through the endless options is time-consuming, and in the end, it’s up to you to make the right decision rather than fall for savvy sales tactics.
To avoid getting a system that’s obsolete as soon as you open a new location, here are some features you need to look for in a jewelry-specific POS system:
Gem drop: When evaluating POS systems, ask about their e-commerce migration support. Switching systems is a pain, but a good provider can help you migrate your inventory, customer data, and product listings without losing weeks of productivity.
A customer orders a $2,700 emerald tennis bracelet from your site. Two days pass. They receive an email of what they think is their tracking info, only to find it’s actually saying the item is out of stock and you’re sorry for the inconvenience. Now you’ve got an angry customer, a refund to process, and one of those reviews that starts with, “If I could give zero stars, I would…” Yikes.
This is exactly what happens when your online and in-store inventory aren’t syncing in real time. A customer shouldn’t be able to “buy” a $6,000 ring on your website that you sold in-store just three hours earlier. You may choose not to offer online purchasing for high-value items and instead direct customers to contact you, but you still need accurate inventory data whether items can be added to a cart or not.
Gem drop: Look for a system that tracks serialized inventory for high-value pieces. Each diamond ring or custom piece should have its own unique identifier, so you know exactly where it is at all times — whether it’s in the safe, out for repair, or on hold for a customer.
There’s a reason all high-end jewelry stores have strategic lighting that makes precious stones glimmer and dance. It’s intentional, professional, and your website should be no different. The same goes for product documentation — certifications, specs, and detailed descriptions add real value to the jewelry you sell.
You spent $15,000 on inventory but used iPhone photos with poor lighting. Your pieces look dull online while a competitor’s $200 earrings look like they belong in Tiffany & Co. Or someone finds a $4,000 diamond pendant on your site with no certification, no detailed specs, and only two grainy photos. They click over to James Allen, where they can see 360-degree HD video and full GIA certification. Sale lost.
Your photos and documentation are doing the selling when customers can’t hold the jewelry in their hands. What works for jewelry e-commerce:
Gem drop: If you’re on a budget, consider a smartphone with a good camera, a $50 lightbox from Amazon, and a jewelry display bust. It’s not professional studio quality, but it’s 100 times better than photos taken on your shop counter under fluorescent lights. Plus, jewelry photography is a little more forgiving — customers are more willing to accept still photos if video is beyond your budget or time constraints.
Related Read: The What, Why, and How of Jewelry Content Marketing
The majority of your website visitors browse online but want to buy in-store. If you don’t make it as easy as possible for them to spend their money with you, they’ll find somewhere else.
When someone searches “engagement rings near me” or “jewelry store in [city],” you need to show up. Local search engine optimization (SEO) matters for jewelry stores because most customers still want to see pieces in person before buying.
How to rank higher in local searches:
Gem drop: Add customer reviews to product pages. Reviews improve SEO and build trust — two birds, one stone. If you’re just starting out, follow up with recent customers and ask them for reviews.
Someone spending a pretty penny on a sapphire halo ring from your website needs to trust you completely. Here’s how to build that trust:
Gem drop: Create a “Why Buy From Us” section that addresses the elephant in the room — why should someone buy from you instead of Blue Nile? Maybe it’s your local service, your custom design capabilities, or your family’s 50 years in the business. Own your differentiators.
A customer buys a 20-inch rope chain necklace online. After trying it on in person, it’s shorter than she expected. She wants to return it, but your website doesn’t say anything about returns. She assumes she’s stuck with it and disputes the charge with her credit card. Now you’ve got a chargeback to fight.
Jewelry returns are more complicated than regular e-commerce. Customers worry about sizing, quality, and whether it looks the same in person. If your return policy is unclear or nonexistent, you’re creating anxiety that stops sales.
What your return policy should cover:
Gem drop: Add a “What To Expect After Your Purchase” section to your website. Cover insurance recommendations, maintenance tips, and how to schedule repairs. It shows you’re thinking beyond just making the sale.
A customer falls in love with a vintage Art Deco brooch on your website. Then they see the price and close the tab. They can’t afford to drop that much at once, and you just lost a sale you could have had.
Most people can’t pay for expensive jewelry outright. If you’re not offering financing, you’re leaving money on the table. For smaller purchases, options like Affirm or Klarna let customers break payments into manageable chunks. For high-value pieces, partner with financing companies that offer traditional payment plans with competitive interest rates.
How to implement financing effectively:
Gem drop: Work with your financing partners during peak engagement season (November–February) to see if they offer special promotional rates. If they do, promote it heavily — “Buy now, pay later with 0% APR through Valentine’s Day” can push hesitant shoppers over the edge.
Related Read: How To Offer Jewelry Financing at Your SMB: 5 Tips
An order comes through for a pair of Colombian emerald earrings in a bezel setting. The shipping address doesn’t match the billing address. The customer used a new email account. The IP address is from another state. Red flags everywhere — but you’re not sure what to do.
High-value jewelry is a magnet for fraud. Chargebacks on expensive pieces can devastate your cash flow, and once the jewelry is gone, it’s gone.
How to protect yourself:
Gem drop: Document everything. If you do get hit with a fraudulent chargeback, detailed records of your verification attempts and shipping confirmations strengthen your case with the credit card company.
Related Read: POS Security for High-Value Jewelry: 3 Ways To Protect Your Investment
Educational content does double duty — it builds trust and boosts your SEO. When someone searches “What’s the difference between 14K and 18K gold?” and finds your blog post, Google sends them straight to you. Once they’re on your site reading about gold, they’re just one click away from browsing your collection.
When you help people understand jewelry, they’re more confident buying from you.
Topics worth covering:
Gem drop: Answer real customer questions. Keep a running list of inquiries from in-store visits or emails, then turn them into blog posts. You’re already addressing these questions — why not get SEO value from them?
Your professional photos of a pavé tennis bracelet get 50 likes on Instagram. Then a customer posts a photo of herself wearing that same bracelet at her wedding. It gets 500 likes, and three people message you asking where to buy it.
User-generated content (UGC) is more powerful than any marketing you can create because it’s real. People trust other customers more than they trust your ads.
How to get and use UGC:
Gem drop: Create a “Customer Gallery” page on your website. It’s social proof at scale — visitors can see dozens of happy customers wearing your pieces. This is especially powerful for custom work, where every piece is unique.
Augmented reality (AR) for jewelry isn’t essential, but it’s becoming a real differentiator. A customer browsing stud earrings on your website can’t decide between styles. She closes the tab and goes to a competitor’s site with a virtual try-on feature — another sale lost.
With AR, customers can use their phone camera to see how a ring or pair of earrings looks on them before buying.
Is AR worth it for your store?
Gem drop: If AR isn’t in your budget, offer a “Try Before You Buy” program. Ship customers two to three pieces to try at home for a few days. They pay a small deposit, you ship it insured, and they return what they don’t want. It’s lower-tech but achieves the same goal — letting customers try before committing.
Cart abandonment in jewelry e-commerce is brutal — often hitting 85%, well above the industry average of 70%. But that’s not all lost business if you follow up strategically. Customers who left $7500 worth of jewelry sitting in digital carts last month aren’t necessarily gone for good.
What to do:
Gem drop: Use your POS system’s automated marketing features to schedule these follow-ups. You shouldn’t have to manually track and email every abandoned cart — that’s what software is for. Set it up once and let it run.
Jewel360 is a jewelry-specific POS and e-commerce platform built for exactly these challenges.
You get real-time inventory syncing between your online store and physical location, so you never oversell a piece. The integrated e-commerce platform lets you manage everything from one system — no juggling multiple software subscriptions or dealing with clunky integrations.
Jewel360 also includes automated follow-up systems for abandoned carts and high-value inquiries, work order management for custom pieces and repairs, and customer relationship management (CRM) tools that track important dates and purchase history.
It’s designed to help you compete with the big online retailers while maintaining the personal touch that makes your local jewelry store special. Build and Price your perfect POS system with Jewel360.