natural sapphire company photoshoped images

[davidsmith_35]

Naturalsapphirecompany.com photoshops images

Recently I bought a Pad from The Natural sapphire Company ; I had saved its images as available on the web before buying . When the stone arrived I was shocked to see a totally different color stone ; on close compare with photographs and the actual stone it was very clear that NSC had used lighting effects and image manipulation to enhance colors

When I approached them to return the stone they flatly refused shifting the blame on my computer monitor. In fact there sales person one Kevin F. acted very rude
On further checking on the net I found this link
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/forum/colored-stones/unscrupulous-scandalous-status-quo-t137658.htm']https://www.pricescope.com/forum/colored-stones/unscrupulous-scandalous-status-quo-t137658.htm[/URL]

is there a way to find out if the images are photoshoped???

 

[Treenbean]

I'm sorry you are having trouble with NSC. You aren't the first, and their reputation on this forum isn't the greatest. I found these Q and A on the web maybe it will help.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080905105116AA356fg
http://community.livejournal.com/little_details/2063457.html


My question is: Was it bait and switch or photoshop?

 

[LD]

I'm afraid you aren't the first or will be the last that has fallen foul of their dodgy selling tactics. They are well known for manipulating their photography - for example showing a matching set of gems when it's just one gem photographed twice and the photo turned around.

They have a returns policy and if you contacted them within the 5 days then I'd most definitely send the sapphire back, irrespective of what they say. Presumably you paid by credit card? If so, contact your card provider and tell them that you want them to do a chargeback. Also make sure you follow their returns procedure noted below.

Here's what their policy states:-

1.What is your return policy? I see a sapphire I like but I’m not sure if I will want to keep it.

For Loose Sapphires:
We offer a 5 day inspection period to review your sapphire. The 5 day period starts when you sign and receive your item from the shipping carrier. If you are not completely satisfied with your item, you can return it within the 5 day inspection period for a full refund. Returns after the 5 day inspection period can be returned for credit/exchange towards other items, as long as the item is not damaged or used in any way.

If you require more than a 5 day inspection period, special circumstances and arrangements can be made, but it must be done prior to the shipment of the item you have requested.

Loose stones will not be accepted for a refund if they have been set, scratched, polished, chipped, fractured, weigh differently or have been altered in any way. We strongly recommend that you do not set your gemstone until you fully intend to purchase it.

Please contact us if you have any specific questions regarding returns.

Items must be returned in the same condition as they were sent. If the item is damaged in any way it will not be accepted for a refund. While you have possession of any item you are fully responsible for its value and care.
Back To Top2.How do I return an item I have purchased? If you have purchased an item that you would like to return, you must contact us to request an RMA Number (Return Merchandise Authorization). Do not send in a return unless you have an RMA #. All shipments will be refused and returned to sender if no RMA is issued.

Depending on the value of the item you are returning, you will be given special instructions on how to send in a return.

Items returned MUST be in the same new condition as they were when they were delivered to you. We will NOT accept damaged items. Please review our return policies before calling in for an RMA #.

A refund will be issued after we receive your return. Shipping costs cannot be refunded. If you paid by credit card, the charge will be credited back to your card. If you paid by check or wire transfer, a company check will be issued to the name on the account from which the purchase was made from.

In order to deter potential theft, please do not write any words on the package shipping label that may allude to the contents of the package (such as ‘Gems’ ‘Sapphire’ ‘Jewelry’ etc.). Do not declare to any customs or shipping clerk the exact nature of the contents you are sending. If required, specify the item is an ‘Antique Sample’ or ‘Rock Crystal Samples.’

Send Returns to:
NSC Inc. RMA # (You must have an RMA Number)
6 East 45th Street, 20th Floor Penthouse
New York, NY 10017

Please Note:
NO insurance coverage OR value is to be declared on returned items. Our insurance company will issue insurance coverage on the return shipment once your RMA Number has been generated.

 

[Barrett]

hehehe
Once again the Nat. sapphire company digs itself into a deeper hole with it's photoshopped images

 

[davidsmith_35]

**edited by moderator. please read the forum policies**

this is scary post on The Natural Sapphire Company (http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com)

 

[Arcadian]

When they do stuff like this it makes it harder to be a bit open to the fact that many have shopped there with no complaints. *sigh*

They're not alone in their photoshopping, plenty of the stores do it. I wish they wouldn't but, they do as they feel their merchandise should be presented a certain way.

Before anyone thinks I'm being soft, Trust, I'm not. but photoshopping is something that happens in print, on tv, on the web. its sad but it is what it is.


-A

 

[kenny]

IMHO, there is legitimate Photoshopping and deceptive photoshopping.
You don't even need photoshop to make stones look better than they could in real life, just shine light into the pavilion.

Photoshop is a tool, just like the telephone.
Both honest and dishonest people use the telephone and Photoshop.

When someone says, "they Photoshop" as if it is a crime it is just showing they do not understand there are many legit uses for Photohop.
You can use it to correct inadequate lighting or the crappy automatic white balance that many cameras have.
There is nothing wrong with using Photoshop as long as you do not use it to deceive.

Even the first film camera decieved.
They are only two dimensions in a picture, not 3 like reality has.
Another way film, and photo paper, deceives is it cannot capture the range of light of the human eye.
Film cannot capture much detail in BOTH the darkest shadows and the texture of the brightest clouds of a sunny sky.
We've all had over 150 years to get used to the way in which photography lies, and now there is this misconception that an "unaltered" pic is somehow truth.

There is nothing wrong with using Photoshop, or any other software, in this way.
In fact I wish more people would.

 

[vinkalmann]

Can you post a picture of the stone IRL and then a link to the stone on NSC? The picture should be available online even if the stone has been sold. Look at your confirmation email from them, or the paper work that came with the stone and find the stone's ID number. It should start with "PA" based on other pads' links on the site. Then plug that into the end of this URL after the "=":

"http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Padparadscha/PA2192/Round/stoneid="

I think you can really go to the site and bring up any stone detail, and then plug in the ID number and have it work.

I don't think they ever take links to stones down. I say this based on the fact that I can still go to my wife's stone's link even though they sold the stone to me a year ago.

Did you wait more than five days to try and return the stone, it seems weird to me that they wouldn't honor the return.

 

[swingirl]

When showing pairs of stones they seem to use one photo and flip it to look like the other stone. It ends up looking like a nice pair of matching stones when in fact you never get to see the other stone. This could be done with regular photography or Photoshop. Either way it's a deceptive unless they let the purchaser know that they are only seeing one stone and buying the other blind.

 

[chrono]

I understand that photography of gemstones can be very difficult and in the case of vendors, it is important to get the colour as accurate as possible. Therefore, I can understand the use of Photoshop to make the picture show a colour that is truer to life, but not to enhance it to make it appear better than the stone IRL. If you are within the return window, I see no issue for NSC to accept the stone back. A bad photoshop job is easy to pick out but a good one isn’t.

 

[T L]

I understand that photography of gemstones can be very difficult and in the case of vendors, it is important to get the colour as accurate as possible. Therefore, I can understand the use of Photoshop to make the picture show a colour that is truer to life, but not to enhance it to make it appear better than the stone IRL. If you are within the return window, I see no issue for NSC to accept the stone back. A bad photoshop job is easy to pick out but a good one isn’t.

I agree 100% with this, especially the bolded statement.

 

[TristanC]

A five day inspection period isn't the most generous policy, but it still has a returns policy, so I hope you grabbed it.

As for photoshop... many many people do it. The unedited photos of gems are sometimes as misleading as anything else out there.

Photoshop is fine - outright deception is not.

 

[kenny]

I also strongly agree that modifying a pic of a gem to make it more true to life is good.
Making it look better than true in order to sell it is bad.

We need to get out of the habit of thinking that all Photoshopping is bad and deceptive, as in, "That vendors Photoshops their images."

 

[VapidLapid]

this thread should be closed. It it exhausted and fruitless.