[Jewelry making - Article 00304] - Re: [Orchid] Tanzanite mis-information

[Don Rogers]

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>         Don, you sound really angry! I don't think it is a marketing
>     ploy. 


    I don't think I'm angry, just disappointed in the business.  There
    are to many people who are telling customers anything to make a
    sale.  I had a customer come into my store with a ring she Sandrahad
    bought at the mall. She was getting really mad at the Mall jeweler
    who sold it to her. It had a faceted synthetic opal in a 14K
    setting.  The stone was loose.  She had taken it back twice to have
    it tightened up.  After the second time, she sheepishly brought it
    to me to fix.  First the Mall jeweler had broken the stone trying to
    reset it and more importent,  had not told her it was a synthetic. 

    Another mall jeweler had sold a customer of mine, a "Lightening
    Ridge Opal".  He had pointed out that you could see the lightening
    bolts through the stone.  What he had sold my customer was a piece
    of badly crazed opal. 

    These are just two examples of people who should not be in the
    business.  I have no doubt that either of these stores would have
    been happy telling a customer that the stone they were looking at
    was a top grade natural Burmese ruby, or great Yogo Sapphire, and
    because of its 5ct size was a great buy at only $100 a ct.  They
    tell the customer anything to close the sale. and it is all to
    prevalent in our business. 

    So, when a store states that their "Diamonds are conflict free" or
    that their "stone are free of terrorist money"  or that no
    treatments have been done to the Emerald you are looking at,  I
    would ask them, How do you know this? Have you personally monitored
    the stone from it's recovery from the ground through the cutting
    process, through the distribution channels, to your display?  
    Unless you can answer this question YES, the you have no right
    stating that these are true statements. 

    I have hundreds of stones in my inventory which I don't know, 1. the
    origin of the stone, . or 2. the treatments done to the stone.   I
    sure don't know who has been involved with that stone, who has made
    "dirty money"  from the sale of it.  All that I know is this.  I
    bought the stone from a dealer who I trusted.  I examined the stone
    and from my Gemological training and experience determined it to be
    the stone I am selling.  I never claim origin of a stone unless I am
    very confident that the claim is true.  I never make a treatment
    statement that I am not  comfortable with.   I am more than
    comfortable in saying that a stone is a Natural Blue Sapphire, that
    has most likely been heat treated, and I don't know the origin of
    the stone.  The stone is priced assuming that it is of un-known
    origin, and has the commonly know treatments.  I feel that this is
    as honest as I can be with my customers.  To make claims that I
    can't verify would not be honest. 

    This is my disappointment with the trade today.   Some stores are
    more inclined to say what is needed to close the sale rather than
    say the simple statement, "I Don't Know" 

    Don  

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