3 essential rules of buying gems

[Edward Bristol]

Three essential rules of buying gems:

1. Negotiate. Don’t be shy.
- Gems have no fixed price. 10% might always go.
- In this trade, liquidity often tops margin. "Cash" is king. Make an offer.
- More than two gems should get a parcel price.
- Gem dealers are humans. Respect and honesty help.

2. If in doubt, pay by card.
- Credit cards are 100% protected by the banks. The banks are on the buyers side.
- Paypal is neutral at best.
- Money orders or checks are only for the tried-and-tested.

3. Enjoy.
- Collecting gems must be fun. If you are tense and nervous you are missing the point.
- Buy only what you can afford. Don’t gamble. Gems are addictive substances.
- Inform yourself, learn and explore, but don’t get obsessed. Objective truth is limited here.

 

[chictomato]

Nice summary!

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks Ed. Fantastic ! ! !

 

[morecarats]

Generally good advice from Edward. I hope he doesn''t mind if I add two points:

1. Negotiation -- different dealers have different business models. Some price in an ''extra margin'' to allow some customers to negotiate a discount so they feel they''ve made a good deal. Unwary customers pay the list price and help subsidize the more aggressive buyer. Other dealers forego the price padding game and list their gems at the lowest prices they can, offering the same price to all buyers. It''s good to know what kind of seller you''re dealing with.

2. Certification -- This should be included in anyone''s list of "essential rules of buying gems." Even well-intentioned dealers can misdentify gems. Insist on certification from a recognized independent gemological lab before you take delivery of any gemstone, and beware of dealers who issue their own certificates. Even if gemstones are not guaranteed to make your life meanngful, there is some objective truth about what you''re buying.

 

[LD]

If I may, I''d like to add something else that should actually come before buying:

LEARN about gemstones.

Find out about the different treatments applied to different gemstones. What are you comfortable with? Heating? Treating? If you''re comfortable with treatments, which ones are okay with you? Oiling? Fissure filling? Lasering? Beryllium diffusion? Coating? Lead filling?

Once you understand the above, you can ask Sellers what treatments have been applied and then understand if you''re paying a fair price or not.

 

[morecarats]

Understanding gem treatments is extremely important. But if you have to ask the dealer what treatments have been applied to a gem, watch out! Reputable dealers disclose ALL treatments when they offer a gem for sale. Anything less would be deceptive. If the dealer doesn''t disclose treatments until you specifically ask, he''s probably hoping you won''t ask.

Since many gem treatments cannot be identified "just by looking," analysis by a gem lab is your only assurance if you''re buying an unheated sapphire, for example.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Date: 10/10/2009 8:08:44 AM
Author: morecarats
Generally good advice from Edward. I hope he doesn''t mind if I add two points:

2. Certification -- This should be included in anyone''s list of ''essential rules of buying gems.'' Even well-intentioned dealers can misdentify gems. Insist on certification from a recognized independent gemological lab before you take delivery of any gemstone, and beware of dealers who issue their own certificates. Even if gemstones are not guaranteed to make your life meanngful, there is some objective truth about what you''re buying.

You have to think about the cost of the cert, compared to the cost of the stone. You can pay more for the cert than the stone.

 

[movie zombie]

good thread!

buy what pleases your eye but understand what constitutes the best for the type of stone you are considering and then make the necessary adjustments due to your own budget. there will always be trade offs.

mz

 

[mastercutgems]

I agree with many opinions of the threads before mine; I agree with Precision on the cert. thingy; especially with us cutters; most of us have spent say $8K on test equipment to make sure what we buy even in the rough is what it is supposed to be; who wants to spend 4 hours of their time cutting a synthetic??? not me...

But if a person is totally set on a certificate; price will have to be adjusted as many sellers do not have the retail mark-up on their gems to accommodate the price of a GIA or AGTA certificate; or any other accredited lab report; they are not cheap; especially when you get into origin; but I do recommend on gems over 3K you and the seller should be able to come to some agreement on price with an accredited lab report. That is a lot of money to me and even though I test I still would like an independent report on a gem of that price...



My suggestions is do some research on your own as to knowing the gem minerals yourself; then buy from someone that has a great return policy and will stand behind their product. Full no questions asked policy as we all know pictures are great ( well other than mine ) but nothing beats holding it in your hand and seeing it for yourself; so there you go with the seller having a great return policy; as a stone can have all the certifications in the world from the best known labs; but if you do not like the gem personally; it is just an investment like a gold coin you do not like the artwork on...

Nothing beats knowledge.... nothing....

This is what a forum like this is for; show the photos get the opinions of the ones that have spent years studying, buying, setting, cutting, etc. they will be so willing to help anyone as I have seen on many threads these people are here to help...

Certifications are great IF they are from a trusted lab; and many must watch that as I have gotten lab reports that were flat-out wrong...

So there are many rules in buying gems along with about everything else we purchase. But there is one rule you can not escape; know what you are buying... Second; know who you are buying it from... and third buy what you like as it is personal to you as if you do not like it ... it usually will not make you happy...

But all-in-all many good words of wisdom on this thread...

 

[chrono]

Thanks for starting this thread, Ed. This is excellent for all newbies and also a reminder to the more experienced folk. Everyone has covered the most important basics to the point I have nothing to add.

 

[packrat]

Ooo good thread! Sticky worthy even.

 

[oddoneout]

Good advice.

 

[Sagebrush]

All,

Great suggestions, but may I suggest a good golden rule of gem buying?


"If you don''t know the product, make sure you know who you are doing business with."


There are many ways to cheat the uninitiated and they can''t all be covered with a certificate and labs also make mistakes. There is no substitute for integrity. In fact, certificates are important for important gems but no one is going to get a lab certificate on a 5mm amethyst, but, in general, I agree.

 

[StonieGrl]

This is an excellent thread. Valueable expertise offered.

Re negotiating: I have bought gems at the mine, bought ''em from topnotch retailers, and from cutters online. I found that I had the most success with price negotiation with the topnotch retailers, some success with cutters, and about zero luck with mine ownerrs. What this is all means is give price negotiation a shot, if you aren''t unpleasant or nasty in trying to get it, all ''they'' can say is "no, thank you" and then you have to decide how much you want that particular stone.

The most luck I have had in obtaining a lesser price was when I said I loved the X and then I stopped talking and looked at the person selling. If I really want the item, I might say "This is a (compliment or superlative) X but it is a little over my budget." If there is room for negotiation, it''ll happen here. I have also had luck with cash in my hand, then putting it back in my purse and heading for the door. This also works well at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, LOL.

Re certs. If you are buying an ''important'' stone, by all means get the cert, you''re gonna need it for insurance purposes.

For me, with a non-important/not costly stone, I''d rather know whom I am doing my buying from, get a no-questions-asked return policy, AND have some expertise on my side too (no one is perfect). If I need a chelsea filter to evaluate a ''green'' stone, I buy a chelsea filter. Between my husband and myself is a BS and MS in geology, we both took the GIA course in diamonds and also in gemstones and still feel that when buying an important stone, we want the cert. We now know enough to realize the PT Barnum factor in gemstones ("Sucker Born Every Minute.")

The process of buying gemstones can be a kick! I have met some fantastic characters searching for and buying gemstones. In this blah "everyone is the same world," I really enjoy this aspect. Enjoy the people you are rubbing elbows with and bottom line: If you don''t love it, don''t buy it! There is always a fabulous stone just around the corner!

 

[morecarats]

Date: 10/10/2009 10:43:26 AM
Author: PrecisionGem

Date: 10/10/2009 8:08:44 AM
Author: morecarats
Generally good advice from Edward. I hope he doesn't mind if I add two points:

2. Certification -- This should be included in anyone's list of 'essential rules of buying gems.' Even well-intentioned dealers can misdentify gems. Insist on certification from a recognized independent gemological lab before you take delivery of any gemstone, and beware of dealers who issue their own certificates. Even if gemstones are not guaranteed to make your life meanngful, there is some objective truth about what you're buying.

You have to think about the cost of the cert, compared to the cost of the stone. You can pay more for the cert than the stone.

I know certification can be expensive, especially from the likes of GIA. But there has been a recent trend by some labs to offer identification reports at very reasonable prices. In our own business, for example, we offer the AIGS "Brief Report" to our customers at a cost of $20.00. Many customers are willing to pay that modest price, even for an inexpensive amethyst. It's a small price to pay for peace of mind. When you consider how much synthetic quartz is in the market, for example, lab certifcation is your only assurance that you're getting a natural stone.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 10/10/2009 4:36:24 PM
Author: Richard W. Wise
All,

Great suggestions, but may I suggest a good golden rule of gem buying?


''If you don''t know the product, make sure you know who you are doing business with.''


There are many ways to cheat the uninitiated and they can''t all be covered with a certificate and labs also make mistakes. There is no substitute for integrity. In fact, certificates are important for important gems but no one is going to get a lab certificate on a 5mm amethyst, but, in general, I agree.

I agree wholeheartedly with Richard''s main point. But if the best gem labs very occasionally make mistakes, the same must be said for dealers with the highest integrity. The best labs are now equipped with high tech diagnostic equipment that is out of reach of even the most successful gem dealers -- FTIR and EXDRF spectrometers, LIBS, etc. -- and a lot of expertise is needed to maintain and use that equipment and interpret the results.

In my experience, the gem labs are most prone to error when they get too ambitious. Many labs now try to certify country of origin for some gems (usually only sapphire, ruby and emerald). This is not an easy thing to get right, especially when different origins share a similar geological environment.

 

[movie zombie]

education Education EDUCATION

just like when buying diamonds......i can''t say it enough. if one wants quality, one has to know what quality is in the first place.

education Education EDUCATION

mz

 

[morecarats]

Date: 10/11/2009 1:14:58 PM
Author: movie zombie
education Education EDUCATION

just like when buying diamonds......i can''t say it enough. if one wants quality, one has to know what quality is in the first place.

education Education EDUCATION

mz

Educating yourself about colored gemstones is a bit different than educating yourself about diamonds. Diamonds may be expensive, but they are commodity products that have well-established grading standards for color, cut and clarity (yes, different labs differ slightly in their grading, but the GIA grading system has pretty much become the istandard for diamonds). There is really no standard at all for grading colored gems, and evaluating clarity in different types of gems (say, emerald and sapphire) uses different standards. What the market might regard as an "ideal" color in blue sapphire might not be what you''re looking for at all.

Colored gemstones are for people who are brave enough to venture into a poorly defined market and excercise their own aesthetic judgement. Buyers often talk about finding a stone that "speaks to them". Once you find a stone that speaks to you, you just want make sure that the stone you''re buying is what it purports to be. For that it''s best to consult the professionals who test colored gems using the best tools available.

 

[movie zombie]

more, you reinforced my education Education EDUCATION.

knowing what is the market standard and knowing what pleases your eye=education.
knowing who gives the best value for $ with certification=education
knowing that you might get a price break if your eye perfers a color not the market standard=education
native cut v. precision cut=education
moh and whether or not a stone is appropriate for a ring or better set as a pendant=education
what is a window=education
why i should not buy a stone with a lot of extinctin=education
i could go on but i won''t!

yes, the world of color is different than diamond and i prefer the color world. it is a much harder world in which to become educated re the ins and outs of what constitutes a fine stone.

in order to make that budgetary decision and what tradeoffs i''m williing to make, i need to be educated first.

a good place to start is with Richard Wise''s book. there are others also. and a lot of info on line as well.

however, there is amethyst, there is Amethyst, and then there is AMETHYST. yes, buy what your eye prefers, but get educated re the stone of choice first BEFORE buying. one wants the best value for $ spend, just like with diamonds and, again, that means getting educated.

in the end it still comes down to what pleases each individual: but how do you know unless you have a frame of reference? the world of color is for the adventurous. visit a lot of jewelry stores and you won''t find a lot of loose stones to examine. but they are there. look at their color stone rings. in my case, however, i find i know more than the store personnel.......sigh. but i like to look anyway just to see what is out there and to keep myself aware so that when i do spot something that pleases my eye, i know what i''m getting if i decide to plunk down the $.

buying from individuals that you know and trust with a credit card and then sitting back and enjoying your color stone is indeed the way to go. after getting educated, Educated, EDUCATED.

mz

 

[Harriet]

In no particular order, here are my contributions:

1. Look at as many gems as you can. Try to visit gem shows and museums. (MZ''s education point.)
2. Don''t demand the unreasonable. For example, don''t expect a Type III stone to be eye-clean.
3. If a gem ''speaks'' to you, grab it (assuming it''s within your budget). It could be gone in minutes.
4. Ask yourself if you want a bauble or a gem. (Ed''s obsession point.)

 

[LD]

Date: 10/12/2009 11:25:10 AM
Author: movie zombie
more, you reinforced my education Education EDUCATION.

knowing what is the market standard and knowing what pleases your eye=education.
knowing who gives the best value for $ with certification=education
knowing that you might get a price break if your eye perfers a color not the market standard=education
native cut v. precision cut=education
moh and whether or not a stone is appropriate for a ring or better set as a pendant=education
what is a window=education
why i should not buy a stone with a lot of extinctin=education
i could go on but i won''t!

yes, the world of color is different than diamond and i prefer the color world. it is a much harder world in which to become educated re the ins and outs of what constitutes a fine stone.

in order to make that budgetary decision and what tradeoffs i''m williing to make, i need to be educated first.

a good place to start is with Richard Wise''s book. there are others also. and a lot of info on line as well.

however, there is amethyst, there is Amethyst, and then there is AMETHYST. yes, buy what your eye prefers, but get educated re the stone of choice first BEFORE buying. one wants the best value for $ spend, just like with diamonds and, again, that means getting educated.

in the end it still comes down to what pleases each individual: but how do you know unless you have a frame of reference? the world of color is for the adventurous. visit a lot of jewelry stores and you won''t find a lot of loose stones to examine. but they are there. look at their color stone rings. in my case, however, i find i know more than the store personnel.......sigh. but i like to look anyway just to see what is out there and to keep myself aware so that when i do spot something that pleases my eye, i know what i''m getting if i decide to plunk down the $.

buying from individuals that you know and trust with a credit card and then sitting back and enjoying your color stone is indeed the way to go. after getting educated, Educated, EDUCATED.

mz

Excellent post and I wholeheartedly agree.

Morecarats - you say that all the good gemstone dealers state enhancements. I beg to differ. Especially when gems are set in jewellery you need to ask. Not everybody buys loose gemstones. If you don''t understand treatments in the first place, you''re ignorant about the questions to ask. Placing your faith in the printed word is not sensible.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Date: 10/10/2009 9:07:25 PM
Author: morecarats

Date: 10/10/2009 10:43:26 AM

Author: PrecisionGem

Date: 10/10/2009 8:08:44 AM

Author: morecarats

Generally good advice from Edward. I hope he doesn''t mind if I add two points:


2. Certification -- This should be included in anyone''s list of ''essential rules of buying gems.'' Even well-intentioned dealers can misdentify gems. Insist on certification from a recognized independent gemological lab before you take delivery of any gemstone, and beware of dealers who issue their own certificates. Even if gemstones are not guaranteed to make your life meanngful, there is some objective truth about what you''re buying.

You have to think about the cost of the cert, compared to the cost of the stone. You can pay more for the cert than the stone.

I know certification can be expensive, especially from the likes of GIA. But there has been a recent trend by some labs to offer identification reports at very reasonable prices. In our own business, for example, we offer the AIGS ''Brief Report'' to our customers at a cost of $20.00. Many customers are willing to pay that modest price, even for an inexpensive amethyst. It''s a small price to pay for peace of mind. When you consider how much synthetic quartz is in the market, for example, lab certifcation is your only assurance that you''re getting a natural stone.

I don''t think the $20 or $25 certs will separate lab created amethyst from natural. I know they won''t with sapphire, you need to go to the next level, which is normally around $185 in the US.

Trusting your source is a good insurance too. As a cutter, there is a big difference in natural quartz, and lab created that comes in a nice bar. So buying from a trusted source as Richard pointed out is the thing to do. A known source is not going to his or her reputation on the line selling misrepresented goods. As a customer wanting a cert, you can always have one done, with the understanding that if the stone comes back not as represented a refund is due for the stone and the cost of the cert. Any dealer who has a cert done with each stone is going to include the price of the cert, plus shiping back and forth from the lab into the price anyway, so either way you end up paying for it.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 10/12/2009 8:49:25 PM
Author: PrecisionGem

Date: 10/10/2009 9:07:25 PM
Author: morecarats

Date: 10/10/2009 10:43:26 AM

Author: PrecisionGem

Date: 10/10/2009 8:08:44 AM

Author: morecarats

Generally good advice from Edward. I hope he doesn''t mind if I add two points:


2. Certification -- This should be included in anyone''s list of ''essential rules of buying gems.'' Even well-intentioned dealers can misdentify gems. Insist on certification from a recognized independent gemological lab before you take delivery of any gemstone, and beware of dealers who issue their own certificates. Even if gemstones are not guaranteed to make your life meanngful, there is some objective truth about what you''re buying.

You have to think about the cost of the cert, compared to the cost of the stone. You can pay more for the cert than the stone.

I know certification can be expensive, especially from the likes of GIA. But there has been a recent trend by some labs to offer identification reports at very reasonable prices. In our own business, for example, we offer the AIGS ''Brief Report'' to our customers at a cost of $20.00. Many customers are willing to pay that modest price, even for an inexpensive amethyst. It''s a small price to pay for peace of mind. When you consider how much synthetic quartz is in the market, for example, lab certifcation is your only assurance that you''re getting a natural stone.

I don''t think the $20 or $25 certs will separate lab created amethyst from natural. I know they won''t with sapphire, you need to go to the next level, which is normally around $185 in the US.

Trusting your source is a good insurance too. As a cutter, there is a big difference in natural quartz, and lab created that comes in a nice bar. So buying from a trusted source as Richard pointed out is the thing to do. A known source is not going to his or her reputation on the line selling misrepresented goods. As a customer wanting a cert, you can always have one done, with the understanding that if the stone comes back not as represented a refund is due for the stone and the cost of the cert. Any dealer who has a cert done with each stone is going to include the price of the cert, plus shiping back and forth from the lab into the price anyway, so either way you end up paying for it.

Gene, yes the AIGS "Brief Report" that we offer to our customers at $20.00 will separate lab-created quartz from amethyst. They use infrared spectroscopy as well as microscopic examination to make the call.

I understand that this service may not be available at this price in the USA. Lab testing as well as gemstones are substantially cheaper in Thailand. But I think the AIGS lab in Bangkok compares favorably with any of the American labs in terms of the quality of their work.

Some dealers price the certficate into the price of their stones. What we do is make the certification optional. If the customer wants a certificate, we charge him an extra $20.00. That is our cost on the certirficate. All the work involved in getting the stones to the lab, etc. is just part of our service.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Many good points here, too many for me to talk about.

Thanks Ed for starting this thread.

 

[morecarats]

Date: 10/12/2009 5:21:18 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds

Date: 10/12/2009 11:25:10 AM
Author: movie zombie
more, you reinforced my education Education EDUCATION.

knowing what is the market standard and knowing what pleases your eye=education.
knowing who gives the best value for $ with certification=education
knowing that you might get a price break if your eye perfers a color not the market standard=education
native cut v. precision cut=education
moh and whether or not a stone is appropriate for a ring or better set as a pendant=education
what is a window=education
why i should not buy a stone with a lot of extinctin=education
i could go on but i won''t!

yes, the world of color is different than diamond and i prefer the color world. it is a much harder world in which to become educated re the ins and outs of what constitutes a fine stone.

in order to make that budgetary decision and what tradeoffs i''m williing to make, i need to be educated first.

a good place to start is with Richard Wise''s book. there are others also. and a lot of info on line as well.

however, there is amethyst, there is Amethyst, and then there is AMETHYST. yes, buy what your eye prefers, but get educated re the stone of choice first BEFORE buying. one wants the best value for $ spend, just like with diamonds and, again, that means getting educated.

in the end it still comes down to what pleases each individual: but how do you know unless you have a frame of reference? the world of color is for the adventurous. visit a lot of jewelry stores and you won''t find a lot of loose stones to examine. but they are there. look at their color stone rings. in my case, however, i find i know more than the store personnel.......sigh. but i like to look anyway just to see what is out there and to keep myself aware so that when i do spot something that pleases my eye, i know what i''m getting if i decide to plunk down the $.

buying from individuals that you know and trust with a credit card and then sitting back and enjoying your color stone is indeed the way to go. after getting educated, Educated, EDUCATED.

mz

Excellent post and I wholeheartedly agree.

Morecarats - you say that all the good gemstone dealers state enhancements. I beg to differ. Especially when gems are set in jewellery you need to ask. Not everybody buys loose gemstones. If you don''t understand treatments in the first place, you''re ignorant about the questions to ask. Placing your faith in the printed word is not sensible.

The disclosure issue is not really an issue about good vs. not-so-good gemstone or jewelry sellers. If you''re in the United States, it''s a matter of law. The Federal Trade Commission has clear guidelines about what counts as proper disclosure. As many people here have mentioned, you need to be an educated consumer and familiarlity with the FTC regulations is important. You can read the FTC guidelines here:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/jewel-gd.shtm

As a number of posters on PS have pointed out, sales staff in your average jewelry store often know surprisingly little about colored gemstones (their main job is to move diamonds). So the onus is really on the retailer to follow the FTC guidelines and state clearly whether a gemstone is natural or synthetic, and how it has been treated. If you don''t get a statement in writing, you really have no protection as a consumer.

 

[Harriet]

More:
1. You get what you pay for.
2. Gems of different species (and even varieties) are incommensurable.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 10/10/2009 4:36:24 PM
Author: Richard W. Wise
All,

Great suggestions, but may I suggest a good golden rule of gem buying?


''If you don''t know the product, make sure you know who you are doing business with.''


There are many ways to cheat the uninitiated and they can''t all be covered with a certificate and labs also make mistakes. There is no substitute for integrity. In fact, certificates are important for important gems but no one is going to get a lab certificate on a 5mm amethyst, but, in general, I agree.

Very wise comments. And I would add, buy from someone you "trust".

Even those who are a little past the "uninitiated" stage get fooled. It isn''t just labs that make mistakes.

 

[336336]

Date: 10/10/2009 1:53:07 PM
Author: mastercutgems
... especially with us cutters; most of us have spent say $8K on test equipment to make sure what we buy even in the rough is what it is supposed to be; who wants to spend 4 hours of their time cutting a synthetic??? not me...

Just curious.... has this ever happened to a cutter?

 

[mastercutgems]

Why yes... as I know many cutters still cut synthetics; they like it as it is cheap and they have fun with it. They can also practise unusual cuts they have done in gemcad and other software gem and light or ray tracing programs. That way if the cutting diagram goes a-rye you will not be wasting precious material... Not all cutters cut for profit; they cut for their personal collections.

I know some 18 years ago when I first got into it; I bought a parcel of aquamarine at a gem show. They were all frosty alluvial pieces of rough; water worn; unfortunately one that was really pretty turned out to be a old coke bottle that someone had broken and put in a tumbler. It was a permanent reminder to buy a Refractometer and use it on a regular basis. But back then 500 dollars bought a lot of rough. And a lot more glass

Luckily there was only one piece of glass; but unfortunately that was the prettiest piece in the lot...
But it can and will happen; oh the stories I could tell...

But it will only take one time for you to learn your lesson and will teach you to test, test, test...

 

[LD]

Date: 10/13/2009 8:50:19 AM
Author: morecarats

Date: 10/12/2009 5:21:18 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds

Date: 10/12/2009 11:25:10 AM
Author: movie zombie
more, you reinforced my education Education EDUCATION.

knowing what is the market standard and knowing what pleases your eye=education.
knowing who gives the best value for $ with certification=education
knowing that you might get a price break if your eye perfers a color not the market standard=education
native cut v. precision cut=education
moh and whether or not a stone is appropriate for a ring or better set as a pendant=education
what is a window=education
why i should not buy a stone with a lot of extinctin=education
i could go on but i won't!

yes, the world of color is different than diamond and i prefer the color world. it is a much harder world in which to become educated re the ins and outs of what constitutes a fine stone.

in order to make that budgetary decision and what tradeoffs i'm williing to make, i need to be educated first.

a good place to start is with Richard Wise's book. there are others also. and a lot of info on line as well.

however, there is amethyst, there is Amethyst, and then there is AMETHYST. yes, buy what your eye prefers, but get educated re the stone of choice first BEFORE buying. one wants the best value for $ spend, just like with diamonds and, again, that means getting educated.

in the end it still comes down to what pleases each individual: but how do you know unless you have a frame of reference? the world of color is for the adventurous. visit a lot of jewelry stores and you won't find a lot of loose stones to examine. but they are there. look at their color stone rings. in my case, however, i find i know more than the store personnel.......sigh. but i like to look anyway just to see what is out there and to keep myself aware so that when i do spot something that pleases my eye, i know what i'm getting if i decide to plunk down the $.

buying from individuals that you know and trust with a credit card and then sitting back and enjoying your color stone is indeed the way to go. after getting educated, Educated, EDUCATED.

mz

Excellent post and I wholeheartedly agree.

Morecarats - you say that all the good gemstone dealers state enhancements. I beg to differ. Especially when gems are set in jewellery you need to ask. Not everybody buys loose gemstones. If you don't understand treatments in the first place, you're ignorant about the questions to ask. Placing your faith in the printed word is not sensible.

The disclosure issue is not really an issue about good vs. not-so-good gemstone or jewelry sellers. If you're in the United States, it's a matter of law. The Federal Trade Commission has clear guidelines about what counts as proper disclosure. As many people here have mentioned, you need to be an educated consumer and familiarlity with the FTC regulations is important. You can read the FTC guidelines here:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/jewel-gd.shtm

As a number of posters on PS have pointed out, sales staff in your average jewelry store often know surprisingly little about colored gemstones (their main job is to move diamonds). So the onus is really on the retailer to follow the FTC guidelines and state clearly whether a gemstone is natural or synthetic, and how it has been treated. If you don't get a statement in writing, you really have no protection as a consumer.

I'm not in the US.

I, like a lot of other coloured stoners on this forum, buy from all over the world so the protection you mention is limited.