Sell jewelry online, collection by collection

1. 01

   Organize by collection and by type

   Shoppers browse two ways: by the story of a collection and by what they need, such as rings or earrings. Set up collections for both and put them in your menu, so a bridal buyer and a gift buyer each find their way.

2. 02

   Make metal, stone and size the options

   One ring, with sterling silver, gold vermeil and solid gold as options and sizes from 4 to 10, each with its own price and stock. Shoppers compare finishes side by side instead of opening three nearly identical pages.

3. 03

   Photograph on white and on skin

   Shiny metal is hard to shoot. Use soft daylight or a light tent, a clean white background for the main photo, one photo on a hand, ear or neck for scale, and a close-up of the stone and any hallmark.

4. 04

   Describe materials precisely

   Give the metal and its purity, the plating and its thickness if plated, the stone, its size and whether it’s natural or lab-grown, and the chain length. Buyers comparing jewelry read exactly these lines.

5. 05

   Take engraving and custom pieces as requests

   List engraved and bespoke pieces with the price hidden and a form that asks for the words, the font and the piece. Requests land in your Inbox, and you reply with a quote and timing.

6. 06

   Plan for the gift calendar

   Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and the winter holidays bring the busiest weeks, and many proposals happen around the holidays too. Add gift collections ahead and post the last order date for engraved pieces.

• Words for metals and stones have rules

  In the US, the FTC’s jewelry guides cover terms like solid gold, gold filled, gold plated and vermeil, and lab-grown diamonds must be clearly described as lab-grown or similar. Use only the terms your supplier’s or assay paperwork supports.

• Disclose gemstone treatments

  Many stones are heated, filled or dyed to improve their color or clarity. The FTC’s guides expect you to disclose treatments that aren’t permanent, need special care or change the value, so ask your supplier and say it on the product page.

• Hallmarking in the UK

  In the UK, gold, silver, platinum and palladium items above small exemption weights must be hallmarked by an assay office before they’re sold as those metals, and sellers must explain hallmarks to buyers. Some EU countries have hallmarking rules of their own.

General information to help you get started, not legal advice. Rules differ by country, state and product, so check the ones that apply to you.