Ridiculous things you have heard from Jewellery Sales Staff........

[diamondhoarder]

I was enjoying the "you know someone isn't a PS'er when......" thread and I realised that some of the worst offenders are actually jewellers/ jewellery retailers who should know better!

It drives me insane when I walk into a jewellery store and get told stuff which is I know is total nonsense, especially if I'm looking at an expensive piece.

Some of the highlights:

.......... "we don't sell diamonds by the milimetre!" (when I asked for the dimensions of an uncertified diamond in a ring that appeared to face up a lot more than its expected size for the carat weight)

........... "I know all about the diamonds in this ring because I picked out the diamonds myself and had it made up in the workshop. It has a central emerald cut diamond and princess diamonds in the shoulders" (It had an elongated french cut style central diamond and square french cuts in the shank)

........... "yes this diamond in uncertified, and certification is not needed when you are buying from an experienced jeweller like myself who has been in the trade for over 20 years and really KNOWS diamonds" I ended up buying the ring which turned out to be a branded Tycoon cut with a GIA number inscribed on the girdle once I had the chance to inspect it with a loupe in the right lighting at home - and a whole 1/4 carat larger than advertised too!

..........(discussing a vintage style asscher target ring) ....... " the ring features a lovely princess cut diamond"........ "No its not an asscher - asschers are vintage diamonds and they wouldnt be set into a modern ring like this"

Me- trying on a large and very pricey tanzanite ring with trillion diamond sides: "what can you tell me about this ring?"
Jeweller: "Its very pretty"
Me: "whats the weight of the tanzanite?"
Jeweller: "its oval"
Me: "looks like a cushion cut to me, but anyway, what's the weight?"
Jeweller "it's a great size isn't it, and did you know that topaz like these are very rare because they are only mined in Australia?"
Me (runs away screaming)

I have many more, but would love to hear yours!

 

[PreRaphaelite]

"You would be much better off with a modern round brilliant. Old stones just can't compare. Your stone is old and dull. If you like, we could send your stone to be recut. That would be much better for you. Shinier." ~ local BFE suburban jeweller looking at Edwina as I browsed Stuller settings!

"There's no such thing as synthetic sapphire. A sapphire is a sapphire is a sapphire. They're all the same thing, just different colors." ~ local BFE suburban pawn shop clerk, after I off-handedly remarked that I already knew my pale star wasn't synthetic and just wanted the gold content of the ring confirmed. (Bonus: same clerk advised me the "baguettes" were probably no good, because they didn't look like princess cuts - they're French cuts.)

"We won't use your old chain, we have to order a new chain." East-coast Florida 'platinum art' store clerk, when I inquired about having a minimalist setting custom made for Marjorie that would swing on my great-grandmother's Edwardian paperclip chain.

"Gold color is a factor of karat. 18k looks like this [points to bright yellow], 14k looks like this [points to soft yellow]. White gold always looks white because its plated so it doesn't matter what the content is. There's no other way to do it." ~Unspeakable savage who disputed 'bloomed gold' altogether and insisted there was no possible way to alloy gold in different colours such as blush/peach/antique-y.

Another local yokel insisted that all work would be high polish even after I specified several times that my antique piece needed its patina of age preserved. Total mental inflexibility and failure to listen to the customer. Atherosclerosis of his brain, I guess.

There are so many more. I have stopped even going to stores or pawn shops anymore. I give up.

 

[AprilBaby]

Most important is color. Get a D color and you will have a spectacular diamond!

 

[Polished]

Thought my antiqued Van Craeynest ring needed a good clean.

"Asscher" became assher on their website.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

A Tiffany sales associate admired my moissanite and when I told her what it is, her face fell. I felt bad. I still feel bad. She wasn't trying to demean me in any way and I wish I had kept my mouth shut.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

I was enjoying the "you know someone isn't a PS'er when......" thread and I realised that some of the worst offenders are actually jewellers/ jewellery retailers who should know better!

It drives me insane when I walk into a jewellery store and get told stuff which is I know is total nonsense, especially if I'm looking at an expensive piece.

Some of the highlights:

.......... "we don't sell diamonds by the milimetre!" (when I asked for the dimensions of an uncertified diamond in a ring that appeared to face up a lot more than its expected size for the carat weight)

........... "I know all about the diamonds in this ring because I picked out the diamonds myself and had it made up in the workshop. It has a central emerald cut diamond and princess diamonds in the shoulders" (It had an elongated french cut style central diamond and square french cuts in the shank)

........... "yes this diamond in uncertified, and certification is not needed when you are buying from an experienced jeweller like myself who has been in the trade for over 20 years and really KNOWS diamonds" I ended up buying the ring which turned out to be a branded Tycoon cut with a GIA number inscribed on the girdle once I had the chance to inspect it with a loupe in the right lighting at home - and a whole 1/4 carat larger than advertised too!

..........(discussing a vintage style asscher target ring) ....... " the ring features a lovely princess cut diamond"........ "No its not an asscher - asschers are vintage diamonds and they wouldnt be set into a modern ring like this"

Me- trying on a large and very pricey tanzanite ring with trillion diamond sides: "what can you tell me about this ring?"
Jeweller: "Its very pretty"
Me: "whats the weight of the tanzanite?"
Jeweller: "its oval"
Me: "looks like a cushion cut to me, but anyway, what's the weight?"
Jeweller "it's a great size isn't it, and did you know that topaz like these are very rare because they are only mined in Australia?"
Me (runs away screaming)

I have many more, but would love to hear yours!

So, this is how you find your fabulous pieces - you prey on the ignorant.
Could someone . . . hire you?

 

[lambskin]

“ Don’t worry that this diamond doesn’t sparkle in fluorescent light. When it hits the sun it will sparkle.” When I told her I work in fluorescent light ( office light) she replied that emerald cuts don’t sparkle anyway.

 

[mayaINaU]

“There is no such thing as tab prongs. Those are just worn-down claw prongs. You read too much on the Internet.” (When looking at some estate Tiffany solitaires which most certainly had tab prongs).

 

[kenny]

"If you want the sparkliest diamond I'm afraid you do have to pay for the highest color and clarity grades."

 

[margauxmines]

A Tiffany sales associate admired my moissanite and when I told her what it is, her face fell. I felt bad. I still feel bad. She wasn't trying to demean me in any way and I wish I had kept my mouth shut.

I'm so sorry this happened to you Moissanites are not diamonds, yes, but they are every bit as lovely on their own merit! I own so many!

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

I'm so sorry this happened to you Moissanites are not diamonds, yes, but they are every bit as lovely on their own merit! I own so many!

Thank you!

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

"If you want the sparkliest diamond I'm afraid you do have to pay for the highest color and clarity grades."

Why do I think that line of reasoning didn't work on you 40 years ago, much
less now?

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Let’s go for my top-two Favourite stories, else we’d be here all day:

- when helping a clueless friend shop for an e-ring (he dragged me to the store of his choice instead of going to my jeweler):
“Hi, we’re looking for an engagement ring.”
“What is the budget? Hmm. For that budget I can do 0.5ct deluxe diamond. Or up to 1ct premium diamond. Which one do you want?”
“Deluxe…. Diamond………..?”
“Yes we only carry deluxe and premium. If you want ordinary diamond we don’t have.”
“Do you have any certified diamonds? We were looking for stones around 1ct, in the G-H colour range, down to SI1 clarity. Open to different shapes dependent on your availability and pricing. GIA report is preferred, but we’ll accept IGI as well.”
“All this certificate stuff is nonsense. Why do you want to pay more for the same thing. Look I’ll give you also a certificate.”
At this point I thanked him politely for his time and pulled my friend out of there.

- when helping a cousin buy wedding jewelry (she was buying polki jewelry. Polki is uncut diamond, and the best quality polki is shimmery and glowing, and reasonably free from inclusions. A few specks are okay, but you don’t want anything that is cloudy, big black streaks etc. This jeweler was at least 2x the price of elsewhere and I didn’t see a single piece with good quality polki in the entire showroom.):
“Do you have any pieces with better polki quality? Like the ones in this necklace look rather cloudy and dull. Or is it possible to upgrade the quality of the polki?”
“We use only the highest quality of polki available. This is what polki looks like.”
“This is the highest quality of polki you have? You don’t have anything clearer, more glowing?”
“I didn’t say this is the highest quality we have, I said this is the highest quality that anyone has. Nowhere can you find better quality than this.”
“Umm, I’m afraid that’s not true, I personally have pieces with better quality polki. Here are some pictures of the kind of thing we’re looking for. (Show him Pinterest pics). We don’t mind paying extra, depending on the cost, to upgrade.”
“(Patronisingly) this is real polki, not glass. You must have all glass jewelry if you think it looks like that in real life. Our polki is actually diamond. All these photos are edited or also glass only. If you want glass I can’t help you.”
At this point it devolved into him dropping me as a bad job and focusing on my cousin, trying to get her to buy this awful, cracked, cloudy thing with big black specks for a ludicrous amount of money. I thankfully managed to drag her out of there.

 

[Diamond Girl 21]

Me: May I see that morganite ring please?

Salesperson: Oh, do you mean the citrine?

Me (pointing at the ring): No, I'd like to see this morganite ring please.

Salesperson (smugly): Ma'am, this is a fine citrine. You must not have seen a truly fine one before.

Me: Hmmm....You're right. I have never seen a citrine that color before. What is the diamond weight, color, and clarity of the side stones?

Salesperson: They are fine diamonds, but the details of the side stones don't really matter. It's all about the center stone.

After asking the price, I jokingly said to my husband "My, that's expensive for a citrine."

Que the owner who just came out from the back, and says "Oh, you've picked a lovely morganite".

At least the owner knew what it was.

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

"That color is only found in emeralds."

-- response from a jeweler that "carries the best selection of colored gemstones" in the area. This was after I showed them a picture of a tsavorite and asked if they had any like that in stock.

 

[Demon]

Not from the staff, but from the jeweler himself:

"Your ring went out with another order."

I had taken several rings in to have various things done - sizing up, sizing down, putting a diamond in a different ring, etc. Went to pick them up, all the rings were
good. Except, suddenly, I have a white princess diamond instead of my little green yellow radiant. A very pretty princess, but not mine. Luckily they knew where it had gone and called that customer to have them return it. The store was closed Sun & Mon so I had to wait till Tue for it to be returned. They did get it back yesterday, & I made them text me a picture so I'd feel sure they had it. What I don't understand is why the customer that picked it up didn't say "hey, this isn't mine". Who would pick up a ring and not look at it? How could they not have noticed?

 

[Matata]

I have only one story from decades ago when I was attempting to buy my first diamond from a mall jeweler that was THE primo place to get jewelry at the time and when I knew next to nothing about diamonds.

I asked for them to bring in some ovals, eye clean in the GHI range. After waiting weeks for a parcel to arrive I got to the store and the manager, with so much flourish I could hear royal trumpets blowing, opened the parcel which contained 4 brownish highly included marquise cut stones.

I said, where's the ovals;
He said, right there;
I said those aren't ovals;
He said yes they are;
I asked if he could see the pointy ends of the diamonds;
He said yes, that's the oval shape;
I got up and left without saying goodbye.

 

[Calliecake]

That sounds crazy @Demon. I’m glad you got your ring back. The only logical thing I can think of is maybe her husband picked the rings up for her but even then the wife would check her ring as soon he handed her the envelope or box. You would think she would call the jeweler immediately and report a mistake was made.

 

[Demon]

That sounds crazy @Demon. I’m glad you got your ring back. The only logical thing I can think of is maybe her husband picked the rings up for her but even then the wife would check her ring as soon he handed her the envelope or box. You would think she would call the jeweler immediately and report a mistake was made.

Yeah, that's what I'd think would/should happen. I can't think of a scenario where I wouldn't immediately look at the ring, even if someone else picked it up. I suppose a wife could have been out of town and the husband picked it up, but still you'd think he'd have a clue that it wasn't hers since it was green yellow and not white, lol. And not a pale one where you have to look closely to see color. Oh well - its back and that's what matters.

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

Oh! Just thought of more!

- "We only carry the highest quality diamonds. Nothing below an I."

- "EGL and GIA are pretty much the same. But you'll just be paying extra for the GIA name."

 

[Roselina]

This stone has no fluorescence. This is excellent, because you never want fluorescence, it‘s very very bad. (Note: fluorescence might be my most personal favourite thing that ever existed. I love, love, love it - and I ran).

 

[Bron357]

When in a mall jewellery store to view some thick /heavy gauge gold chains. I was wearing my yoga pants and a t shirt.
I pointed with my right hand (left hand holding my handbag by my side) to some in the cabinet and asked politely to have a look.
Sales assistant says “Those are very expensive solid gold chains, over here we have gold plated chains that will be in your budget”.
Excuse me!
I changed my handbag over to my right hand and “lifted” my handbag, LV, onto the cabinet and with my left hand /arm clunked it down in front of her wearing my 5 carats of engagement ring, 2 carats of diamond eternity ring, diamond tennis bracelet and Rolex watch and thanked her for her “unwarranted and incorrect assessment of my financial worth and knowing that part of her salary was based on sales, advised that in future she should aim to be less judgmental and more service oriented.”
See ya.

 

[Demon]

When in a mall jewellery store to view some thick /heavy gauge gold chains. I was wearing my yoga pants and a t shirt.
I pointed with my right hand (left hand holding my handbag by my side) to some in the cabinet and asked politely to have a look.
Sales assistant says “Those are very expensive solid gold chains, over here we have gold plated chains that will be in your budget”.
Excuse me!
I changed my handbag over to my right hand and “lifted” my handbag, LV, onto the cabinet and with my left hand /arm clunked it down in front of her wearing my 5 carats of engagement ring, 2 carats of diamond eternity ring, diamond tennis bracelet and Rolex watch and thanked her for her “unwarranted and incorrect assessment of my financial worth and knowing that part of her salary was based on sales, advised that in future she should aim to be less judgmental and more service oriented.”
See ya.

I had something like that happen. It was at a gem show. I was looking at a case that had a cute diamond necklace in it. The sales person was not paying any attention at all until I put my hand up on top of the case and the diamonds caught his eye. Then he was right there, lol.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Not from the staff, but from the jeweler himself:

"Your ring went out with another order."

I had taken several rings in to have various things done - sizing up, sizing down, putting a diamond in a different ring, etc. Went to pick them up, all the rings were
good. Except, suddenly, I have a white princess diamond instead of my little green yellow radiant. A very pretty princess, but not mine. Luckily they knew where it had gone and called that customer to have them return it. The store was closed Sun & Mon so I had to wait till Tue for it to be returned. They did get it back yesterday, & I made them text me a picture so I'd feel sure they had it. What I don't understand is why the customer that picked it up didn't say "hey, this isn't mine". Who would pick up a ring and not look at it? How could they not have noticed?

A terrible mistake
But im glad he told you the truth and didn't beat around the bush for days
i look foprward to a hand shot when its safety back on your own hand

It does kind of beggars belief in happened in the first place
i picked up some repairs at the jewlers two days ago
The sales assistant went through each and every piece, unwrapping it and confirming the work done on each piece
and i must say at my old pre PS mall jewler they did the same after warrenty checks

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I just have to add
i may have wasted way too much money at the mall jewler and i got conned into buying now unless extended warrenties but i could not really fault the lady i delt with
ok i wasn't buying an ER and they did pull the lighting tricks

But they were completly up front with treatments and synthetics and she told me not to buy a ring i really liked because it was hollow
She (well they) were also genuinely interested in what other jewlery i was wearing (not just casual learnt sales patter - i did get quite friendly with them)
There are of course many faults with buying down the mall and i did fall into most of them but no one gave me un-true advice
I just wasn't that knowable a consumer

But now i have all of you
I just need to win lotto

 

[Demon]

A terrible mistake
But im glad he told you the truth and didn't beat around the bush for days
i look foprward to a hand shot when its safety back on your own hand

It does kind of beggars belief in happened in the first place
i picked up some repairs at the jewlers two days ago
The sales assistant went through each and every piece, unwrapping it and confirming the work done on each piece
and i must say at my old pre PS mall jewler they did the same after warrenty checks

They only resized this one. Its just a little thing, but it has more phosphorescence than my chameleon, which is one of the reasons I love it.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

They only resized this one. Its just a little thing, but it has more phosphorescence than my chameleon, which is one of the reasons I love it.

Its really lovelly
i adore that colour
Im so glad its not lost

 

[Demon]

Its really lovelly
i adore that colour
Im so glad its not lost

Thanks, I'm so glad, too! I actually felt sick when they told me it had gone out with someone else.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thanks, I'm so glad, too! I actually felt sick when they told me it had gone out with someone else.

Everyone that read your post alnost had a heart attack

 

[diamondhoarder]

I knew there would be some eyebrow-raising stories! Unfortunately a lack of any real knowledge of jewellery or gems/ diamonds seems all too common in jewellery stores everywhere. But when they are patronizing with it, or just downright rude, as some people on this thread have experienced, that is just unacceptable! To quote Julia Roberts in that infamous Pretty Woman scene "Big Mistake!"

And as for @Demon 's lovely ring being handed over to another customer - speechless!