The holiday season is coming fast and furious, with Christmas just a few short weeks away. Whether shopping for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice or some other winter holiday, you’re bound to be on the look out for bargains and special buys to help you stretch your hard earned dollars.

Before you begin your shopping, especially if you are looking to give the gift of sparkling jewelry this festive season, you may want to keep some things in mind. While price is certainly an important component of the gift buying experience, there are other factors which can spell the difference between a highly satisfactory or disappointing jewelry buying experience.

To that end, we’re offering to you seven smart seasonal shopping tips for your consideration:

Shop Around – Most definitely, this year will be challenging for some consumers in the light of current economic conditions. However, tough times for retailer’s means that bargains galore will be awaiting savvy shoppers. Prices of many luxury items, including jewelry haven’t been this low in years, giving the opportunistic shopper a great opportunity to get more sparkle for less money.

Compare Stores – Should you shop at the mall or should you shop online? Many consumers do both, but they’ve grown accustomed to shopping online to find the best values. Online jewelry stores offer a wide selection of distinctive diamonds, pearls, silver, gold, gemstones and other desirable gift items. However, not every shop carries a wide selection nor does every store pass along their savings to you. Online prices should be lower especially if you’re dealing directly with the jeweler instead of going through a middleman. Moreover, select online merchants operate with a lower overhead than storefront shops and pass these savings back to you, the consumer.

Examine Inventory – If money is tight, but you still want to buy your sweetheart a memorable gift, consider choosing a slightly lower grade metal or gem. Instead of a platinum band, why not go with white gold? If buying a diamond, which of the four Cs does she value the most – cut, clarity, color, or carat weight? If cut is the most important, than consider choose a diamond with a lower carat weight. Even a small size variation from what you would like to buy could provide a stunning diamond sparkler that will meet her approval.

Consider Silver – Silver prices have stabilized and are certainly much lower than gold. Silver is also in vogue and something that she may very well prefer over other precious metals. To that end, the Hot Diamonds collection is one of the trendiest and most sought after designs, offering a unique look at value prices. Special note for the ladies: Hot Diamonds also has a collection of cufflinks, necklaces, rings, and bracelets for the man in your life!

Seek Pearls – Once only affordable by royalty and the wealthy, pearls are now in abundance, thanks to modern farming techniques. As a result, cultured pearl prices have come down considerably and are still dropping especially for smaller sized pearls. Prices are determined by size, color, luster, quality, shape and surface markings. Compare various strands, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and studs to find the perfect pearl jewelry for your loved one.

Trade Gemstones – If you know that she has her eye on diamonds, but your budget is closer to topaz, why not compromise? There are plenty of designer jewelers who mix and match gemstones, adding in a ruby with a diamond and a pearl to create a fabulous, strikingly appealing design that will take her breath away. Best of all, when you buy online you’ll save money and in some cases not be charged sales tax too!

Esteem Time – The last tip is more for your emotional well being: relax! When shopping for the perfect diamond ring or exquisite pearl drop earrings or other gift item, you simply do not want to rush. An anxious buyer is a dissatisfied consumer, someone who will doubt his decision and regret his purchase. If you’re not sure what you should buy, contact a trained jewelry expert who will happily guide you through the shopping process. If you are buying diamond jewelry you can design what she wants yourself, allowing you to play an important part in gift buying experience.

Very soon the holidays will be here and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you bought just the right gift at the right price for the person who means the most in your life.