[Jewelry making - Article 00124] - Re: [Orchid] Synthetic & Simulant Gem Nomenclature

[Daniel Spirer]

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Richard,

>     Just as a practical matter, if a customer comes in and asks for an
>     alexandrite, and I show them a synthetic and ask them if this is
>     what they mean, and they say yes, I am not breaking moral or
>     ethical, or gemmological law, because I am giving them what they
>     have seen, and what they want. 

    I don't usually take issue with your stands on this forum but this
    is crossing a line. If a customer comes in and asks for an
    alexandrite it is your MORAL DUTY as a jeweler to show them a natural
    alexandrite first, as this is what they are asking for. If you show
    that to them and then they say "no I want one like my grandmother
    wore and what you're showing me isn't like that", then you can say to
    them, "oh, is this what you are thinking of?" and hand them the
    synthetic (while explaining to them exactly what they are getting).
    But just because they are miseducated does not give you permission to
    continue to encourage their misinformation and it harms the entire
    trade as well. Then I (or someone like me) has to sit down and
    explain to them exactly what they have and what the differences are
    and by the time we're done they think all jewelers are thieves and
    liars because everyone tells them something different. While there is
    nothing wrong with giving a customer what they want it is unethical
    not to clarify exactly what something is and what they are buying. 

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
daniel AT spirerjewelers.com
www.spirerjewelers.com

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