[Jewelry making - Article 00647] - Re: [Orchid] Yellow Turquoise

[The Doctor]

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>         I have the impression that Fire Mountain has become less
>     reliable over the last couple of years. They carry so much junk now
>     that I've almost given up looking at their catalog--it gives me a
>     headache. 

    Me, too. I just gave my copy of their catalog to my mother the other
    day. That'll keep her busy for a while! 

>         On the other hand, I have never had any reason to suspect that
>     Rio sold me anything that wasn't what they said it was. 

    Since I've mentioned Rio in this thread in a slightly negative light
    regarding gemstone misnomers, I'd like to make something clear.
    While they do list a few misnomers in their Gems & Findings catalog,
    the information they provide on some of their gemstones is
    considerable. Some items even have gemological information, such as
    moh's hardness, refractive index, specific gravity, etc. They even
    explain what some of the terms mean. I believe all of their natural
    gemstones have treatment, or enhancement disclosures, as well. 

    The other thing besides misnomers I railed at a bit is the "A-Grade"
    or "AA-Grade" type of description. It's the same sort of thing that
    FMG uses, with their "C" and "D" grades. It's too subjective of a
    system to give a universally understood idea of what you get when
    ordering. This may well be at the root of the quality control issue
    that has been mentioned. Apart from that, I think Rio Grande does a
    splendid job of describing their gem materials, especially with
    treatment disclosures. 

    Also, while I've never ordered a gemstone from Rio, I've bought a
    fair deal of metals and tools from them over the years, including my
    bench. I've never had to return a thing. 

James in SoFl 

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