Buying jewelry online? A San Diego jeweler explains what to check before spending hundreds or thousands of dollars.

A City Heights man who bought a ring from a third-party vendor on Amazon says testing later showed it contained no trace of gold, despite being advertised as 14-karat white gold and bearing a 14K stamp.

Ismail Morgan from City Heights smiles as he shows the copper ring sold to him online as 14K white gold.

The experience highlights some of the risks shoppers can face when buying jewelry online, where competitive prices and a broad selection can be attractive but the item delivered may not always be what a buyer expects.

Not all that glitters is gold

Ismail Morgan said he recently bought a ring that was listed for $417.

“It was branded as a 14-karat white gold Moissanite diamond one-carat ring. The list price was $417,” Morgan said.

Morgan is not a jeweler, but when the ring arrived, he said something did not seem right. On a whim, he took it to a jewelry store to have it tested.

“I just kind of walked over here and got it tested. Turns out, no trace of gold whatsoever,” Morgan said.

Morgan said he took a picture of the test results. The gold detector showed 0.00 karats, and the ring was mostly copper despite its 14K stamp.

“I actually laughed. I definitely laughed. Part of me anticipated it being silver maybe, not copper. I definitely didn’t expect a majority copper,” Morgan said. “We shouldn’t have to gamble when it comes to shopping online.”

Amazon provided a statement to NBC 7 Responds regarding what happened to Morgan –

“We strictly prohibit the sale of counterfeit or falsely marketed products in our store. We have robust seller verification processes and comprehensive proactive controls to prevent counterfeit products from being listed. This is coupled with automated technology that continuously scans products in our store, leveraging advanced machine learning and expert human investigators to proactively identify risks. In 2025, Amazon’s proactive controls blocked more than 99.9% of suspected infringing listings before a brand ever had to find and report them. If we become aware of a counterfeit product in our store, we take action immediately and remove the product. In this case, we removed the product and are working with the customer to make this right.”

The good and bad of buying online

Arturo Carrera, owner of Eclipse Jewelry in City Heights, has nearly 30 years of experience in the jewelry business. He said Morgan’s ring is not the first piece of jewelry he has tested that turned out to be different from what an online buyer thought they had purchased.

Arturo Carrera uses a diamond tester to check various stones set on a ring.

Carrera said there are also benefits to shopping for jewelry online, including competitive pricing. Online sellers may not have the same expenses associated with operating a brick-and-mortar store and employing staff. Shoppers can also choose from a broader selection because they have access to more vendors.

Before clicking the buy button, however, Carrera recommends carefully reading the item’s description and understanding jewelry terminology. For example, gold-plated and gold-filled jewelry are different products.

Online shoppers should also be cautious about relying solely on product photos. Images can be altered, and the piece shown may not be the exact item ultimately delivered.

Shoppers should also research the seller, read reviews and understand the return policy before purchasing.

Of course, Carrera says there is a key advantage physical stores will always have over their online counterparts.

“The feeling for anybody is to see the jewelry piece alive, touch, feel it,” Carrera said, pointing to a necklace a client could try on and see how it looks on them before buying.

That ability to see and feel jewelry before making a purchase is one reason Carrera believes physical jewelry stores will continue to have a place despite the growing popularity of online shopping.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.