[Jewelry making - Article 00368] - Re: [Orchid] Synthetic & Simulant Gem Nomenclature

[Daniel Spirer]

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Dee,

>     if people like a piece, they buy it. Most don't even ask what the
>     stone is. If they do, I say "corundum." If they ask "what's that?"
>     I tell them it's a very hard stone that has color change
>     properties and is very durable 

    This is both illegal and unethical. It is against the law to not
    disclose fully what the material is that you are selling to
    customers. Since it is man made (synthetic--although apparently
    everything is natural according to some of the postings lately) you
    absolutely must disclose that fact to the customer. It is not enough
    to say it's corundum. Not only could you get sued for this action
    (think about what it would cost you if one of the customers who
    bought your 10 ct "corundum" came back and asked you to replace it
    with a natural one because, by not disclosing what the material
    actually was, you actually are inferring that it is natural--and
    this has happened!) but you create a myriad of problems for both the
    customers (when they are find out what they have isn't what they
    think it is) and for other jewelers (who have to tell them that some
    other jeweler lied to them--which really makes our trade look upright
    and honorable). It is not enough to assume that since they don't ask
    the questions, they don't have a legal right to know. 

    Read the laws on this. Whether the piece is $10 or $10,000 you are
    obligated to disclose whether the material is natural or not. In
    some cases you are also obligated to disclose treatments used on
    natural materials. And everyone out there is not ok to do something
    one way just because a whole lot of other people do it that way. Lack
    of knowledge is not an excuse for breaking the law (as any policeman
    can tell you). 

Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-2344392
www.spirerjewelers.com

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