Dallas, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/13/2013 -- According to industry statistics, Internet shopping has jumped 15% over the last three years, with MasterCard reporting consumers spend approximately $36 billion online in the days between Halloween and Christmas Eve. This trend is not limited to any one industry, with sales spread across all facets of the retail industry. According to Lance Shapiro, owner of Shapiro Diamonds, for those interested in purchasing diamonds online, the buyer has to be more careful than ever before.

Says Shapiro, "While the internet is booming for business, the best bet is always going to be a jewelry design studio where certified diamonds and personal attention can be had. On the Internet, many jewelry scams are completely illegal, some jewelry sites operate unethically and still others run a fine line staying just inside the lines of the law." He goes on to describe some of the scams consumers have run into as the boom in Internet buying has increased. "One of the worst scams involves jewelers who switch stones and use a genuine GIA certificate. They take a stone of the same weight and close measurements, but a lower grade is substituted for the real diamond. They will also, at times, use a laser engraver to put a number on the diamond with legal laser machines."

Another scam quite common online according to Shapiro involves photograph doctoring. "Online stores will create a specific diamond engagement rings in Dallas for the website picture, using larger, more impressive diamonds and a heavier mount than what the consumers actually receives in the mail. Getting around laws, they will give the exact diamond weights in the website description, but when the ring arrives, it bears no resemblance to the picture at all."

To keep from being taken in by these scams, Shapiro recommends consumers shop in person at the location of the retailer. "Of course the best way to make sure you're not taken in by fakes is to have custom wedding rings in Dallas made specifically for you. This way, you know the ring will look just like you order it. With a smaller, more intimate setting, you can meet the owners, and be assured you're getting the kind of ring you want and deserve."

About Shapiro Diamonds
Shapiro Diamonds is a loose diamond and jewelry design studio specializing in GIA and EGL certified diamonds. They offer a private, upstairs studio environment with world-class jewelry designers on site and unparalleled access to the world's wholesale diamond markets. Shapiro Diamonds provides consumers access to a traditionally closed wholesale purchasing environment while still providing the personal attention buyers deserve in selecting the ideal diamond. With their international diamond access, private studio environment, and custom design expertise, they deliver an unparalleled diamond and jewelry buying experience.