Jewellers who can't pronounce gem names!

[Deathspi]

Anyone else hear gem 'experts' (aka dodgey salespeople) trying to sell gems they can't even pronounce?! Does it irritate you too, or am I just being a nazi?

For example: There is a jewellery channel here in the UK that sometimes sells sphalerite, but they can't prounounce it (and other gems) to save their lives despite being experts in the field... (it's sphaLERITE not sphRALITE!)

Maybe I should go and do something productive instead of watching rubbish...

 

[beaujolais]

Ah, absolutely DS. Besides pronunciation, the counterhelp at my benchperson's are scary, for sure. They think green tourmalines are "rare", insisted that my tsavorite was a peridot, wanted to plate my lovely antique yellow gold Granat setting in white gold, . . .

 

[JewelFreak]

Oh, horrors, SC! Enough to make the skin crawl. At one of the most posh jewelers in this city, when I asked about treatment of a sapphire ring (from curiosity to see what she'd say, wasn't going to buy it anyway) -- the saleswoman insisted sapphires are NEVER treated.

I don't watch jewel channels, DS. And most people I know IRL don't know enough about gems to mispronounce their names. I get a kick out of friends who ask, "Is that a sapphire?" (Or emerald, depending on the ring.) "No, it's a blue spinel." (Or tourmaline.) "Ahh." I see them thinking, "poor sucker is all proud of a cheap imitation sapphire."

--- Laurie

 

[Deathspi]

Hehe, well I'm glad I'm not the only one!

I'm not really a fan of jewellery channels per se (mostly because of their questionable sales techniques) and never buy from them, but I like to see what's out there y'know? Trouble is, I end up ranting to whoever happens to be in the room with me! 'Oh, so that bog standard tourmaline is irriplacible? Maybe you should give me a call, I seem to be the best gem buyer ever!'

JewelFreak, I totally know what you mean about people guessing stones and getting it wrong. There is a TV presenter here who is married to a millionaire. Her wedding ring is a huuuge deep blue aqua. I loved the ring so bought a similar one in blue topaz but whenever I wear it people say 'oh, is that an aquamarine?' I have to explain to them how wrong they are price wise!

Sonomacounty, your bench person sounds scary! Insisting that your tsavorite is a peridot? They obviously haven't swooned over enough gems like us on here!

 

[beaujolais]

"your bench person sounds scary!'

Oh, it's not the benchperson - he's absolutely brilliant. It's the counter people.

Also, it sort of strikes me when co-workers see someone's wonderfully cut diamond which is a somewhat lower color and think it's "bad" stone because it's not bright white. (I'm a huge lower colored diamond lover -see avitar.)

 

[Deathspi]

Oh, it's not the benchperson - he's absolutely brilliant. It's the counter people.

Whoops, sorry! That makes more sense!

I'm suprised you get negative comments on your diamond colour, I would have thought people would admire them, thinking they're champagne diamonds or something. Meanwhile, I receive compliments on my I1-I2 white diamonds, and have to say to them that they're actually not as good as they think! (maybe I should just take the compliments instead of putting my jewellery down!)

 

[chrono]

Every time I hear spinel pronounced as "spine-nell", I cringe at the thought of the poor gem undergoing spinal surgery.

 

[minousbijoux]

I love how they have the ability to say things (often lies) with such conviction. One of my favorite: windowed stones are purposely cut that way to mimic an antique look, as all antique stones have windows (it was the fashion back in the day).

Love that they can say it with a straight face. Unbelievable!

 

[Deathspi]

I love how they have the ability to say things (often lies) with such conviction. One of my favorite: windowed stones are purposely cut that way to mimic an antique look, as all antique stones have windows (it was the fashion back in the day).

Love that they can say it with a straight face. Unbelievable!

I don't know how they can do it, I wonder if the presenters just have a lot of nerve, or really believe what they're saying.

I suppose you see a lot of antique stones that are windowed in museums, but still...
At least it's a creative excuse for poorly cut stones!

You just reminded me about the time a couple of weeks ago when I saw an aqua pendant being sold. It had a huge gaping window, but the guest 'gem hunter' (...) was saying 'look how well cut it is! See, there's no window at all!' Bah.

 

[minousbijoux]

Bah.

Well said, Deathspi!

 

[chrono]

Of course there's no window....because it is a double bay door.