Anyone watch Gem tv shows?? Gem Hunt? Game of Stones?

[psproot12]

I know, I know these are cheesy, heavily edit shows where it's all about the drama, but you can't deny it the gems on these shows are mesmerizing. I've seen a rough tourmaline the size of a bowling bowl (GH), almost perfect red rubies (GH), baseball sized tanzanite (GoS) and more zaultanite than I ever knew existed (GoS). Both shows are amazing and unique, the drama is played up but it is all real.

Do you guys watch them?

If not check them out: (Game of Stones)

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/game-of-stones/videos/uncut-and-unpolished-the-tanzania-aftershow.htm

(company website)

http://www.gemguys.com/

Gem Hunt:

http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/gem-hunt

 

[OreoRosies86]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

 

[minousbijoux]

Here you go:

Game of Stones:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/game-of-stones-on-discovery-channel.199180/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/game-of-stones-on-discovery-channel.199180/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/game-of-stones.199148/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/game-of-stones.199148/[/URL]

Prospectors:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/prospectors-on-weather-channel.198026/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/prospectors-on-weather-channel.198026/[/URL]

Gem Hunt:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-gem-show.194305/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-gem-show.194305/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gem-hunters-tv-show.195048/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gem-hunters-tv-show.195048/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-series-gem-hunt-to-air-on-the-travel-channel-in-octobe.193757/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-series-gem-hunt-to-air-on-the-travel-channel-in-octobe.193757/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gem-hunt-is-the-best-show-ever-thank-you-tl.195158/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gem-hunt-is-the-best-show-ever-thank-you-tl.195158/[/URL]

 

[T L]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

 

[psproot12]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

What are you guys talking about? How man episodes of Game of Stones have you guys seen? They only time there was dying on the shoe was when a parcel of Turkish Blue had been swapped with dyed material. The Gem Guys own a zualtanite mine, and have/have sold some of the largest and best tanzanites (namuniyak) and paraibas ever sold. I think you're really underestimating the show. Yeah, some of the stones they head (rubies, tanzanite) but they had a beautiful emerald that they didn't treat at all.

Even if you don't like the stones, the shows are super entertaining IMO. Really hope Game of Stones gets a second season, seems like it's too late for Gem Hunt to get a second season

 

[deskjockey]

Well out of idle curiousity, I clicked the "sunset ruby" section of the gem guy's website. They use the same picture for every stone, so you can't even see what you're getting. Same with both sections of zultanite. Sort of loses my interest right there....

 

[chrono]

I don't watch these anymore because the acting is too contrived and the gems aren't nice. If you are interested in watching/following the real deal and have an account on FB, I suggest joining people like Vincent Pardieu on his gemmology expeditions in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and other South East Asian countries.

 

[psproot12]

I don't watch these anymore because the acting is too contrived and the gems aren't nice. If you are interested in watching/following the real deal and have an account on FB, I suggest joining people like Vincent Pardieu on his gemmology expeditions in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and other South East Asian countries.

Thanks, I'll check that out

 

[psproot12]

Well out of idle curiousity, I clicked the "sunset ruby" section of the gem guy's website. They use the same picture for every stone, so you can't even see what you're getting. Same with both sections of zultanite. Sort of loses my interest right there....

They're crappy website shouldn't effect the viewing experience of the show. The good gems they find on the show end up at auction. In Gem Hunt Ron once bought an incredible pair of Muso emeralds, and in one scene of Game of Stones Don bought a large emerald rough for 55k and Bary who was cutting accidentally fractured the stone. The show went into to detail explaining the cutting technique, the type of inclusion, the way it cracked,etc. The website is pretty junk, the shows are exciting.

 

[T L]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

What are you guys talking about? How man episodes of Game of Stones have you guys seen? They only time there was dying on the shoe was when a parcel of Turkish Blue had been swapped with dyed material. The Gem Guys own a zualtanite mine, and have/have sold some of the largest and best tanzanites (namuniyak) and paraibas ever sold. I think you're really underestimating the show. Yeah, some of the stones they head (rubies, tanzanite) but they had a beautiful emerald that they didn't treat at all.

Even if you don't like the stones, the shows are super entertaining IMO. Really hope Game of Stones gets a second season, seems like it's too late for Gem Hunt to get a second season

Well, I'm glad you like it, but I personally couldn't stand it after watching two episodes. Sorry.

 

[gemandjewelrylover]

I actually enjoy Gem Hunt a lot… I enjoyed seeing all the locations that the gems come from, and the occasional mine. I do think that the prices that they claim the stones are worth are completely over stated. I do get tired of the main two people at times – Ron's a bit abrasive and stubborn and the show always seems to be on the verge of ending and he hasn't gotten his holy grail yet, LOL. Diane is over-the-top with her hand gestures. Bernie is my favorite character. Anyway, since I'll never be a gem hunter, I find it very interesting to see the countries and places that the stones come from and think how thrilling it would be to be on the hunt for them.

I've only seen two episodes of Game of Stones so far, but I think it's entertaining enough, for what it's worth. I did watch the Cambodian Sunset Ruby episode, and they said that they bought a huge bunch of what they said were some of the most valuable stones in the world, and then when I looked on the Gem Guys website out of curiosity, everything that I saw that they were selling on their website was like $50 or $100 apiece. So I wondered about that. How are they going to make their money back if they're selling everything so cheap? They dropped a big chunk of change to pick up those small stones. Volume, I guess. It's entertaining enough to watch, although you have to take some of it with a grain of salt.

I do like Prospectors a lot. Seems to be a very realistic looking show. I think how thrilling it would be to find some of those things.

I think it's fun to live vicariously through these TV shows.

 

[psproot12]

I actually enjoy Gem Hunt a lot… I enjoyed seeing all the locations that the gems come from, and the occasional mine. I do think that the prices that they claim the stones are worth are completely over stated. I do get tired of the main two people at times – Ron's a bit abrasive and stubborn and the show always seems to be on the verge of ending and he hasn't gotten his holy grail yet, LOL. Diane is over-the-top with her hand gestures. Bernie is my favorite character. Anyway, since I'll never be a gem hunter, I find it very interesting to see the countries and places that the stones come from and think how thrilling it would be to be on the hunt for them.

I've only seen two episodes of Game of Stones so far, but I think it's entertaining enough, for what it's worth. I did watch the Cambodian Sunset Ruby episode, and they said that they bought a huge bunch of what they said were some of the most valuable stones in the world, and then when I looked on the Gem Guys website out of curiosity, everything that I saw that they were selling on their website was like $50 or $100 apiece. So I wondered about that. How are they going to make their money back if they're selling everything so cheap? They dropped a big chunk of change to pick up those small stones. Volume, I guess. It's entertaining enough to watch, although you have to take some of it with a grain of salt.

I do like Prospectors a lot. Seems to be a very realistic looking show. I think how thrilling it would be to find some of those things.

I think it's fun to live vicariously through these TV shows.

Finally! Someone, who actually just likes a gem tv show for the entertainment value. Discovery really played up the value of the sunset rubies way too much. Based on my understanding and the contact I've had with Don Kogen and his team (you can tweet them on twitter and they almost always answer your questions), most of the sunset rubies sold in a big lot and their website just has some of the left over stones, in fact the website is only 20% of sales.

In Gem Hunt what I love about Ron is that he is an insanely great negotiator, I mean it amazing. This guy haggles down prices I couldn't imagine the sellers going down to. I especially love how angry he gets when in Sri Lanka, he sends a sapphire to get a cabochon cut in the hope of a star and the cutter brings back two faceted pieces... Ron loses it.

The later episodes of Game of Stones get very intense, Don ends up buying an entire Zaultanite mine!

 

[chrono]

In Gem Hunt what I love about Ron is that he is an insanely great negotiator, I mean it amazing. This guy haggles down prices I couldn't imagine the sellers going down to. I especially love how angry he gets when in Sri Lanka, he sends a sapphire to get a cabochon cut in the hope of a star and the cutter brings back two faceted pieces... Ron loses it.

I think all these are staged though, much the same way other reality shows are.

 

[psproot12]

In Gem Hunt what I love about Ron is that he is an insanely great negotiator, I mean it amazing. This guy haggles down prices I couldn't imagine the sellers going down to. I especially love how angry he gets when in Sri Lanka, he sends a sapphire to get a cabochon cut in the hope of a star and the cutter brings back two faceted pieces... Ron loses it.

I think all these are staged though, much the same way other reality shows are.

I'd have that worry too, had I not personally met Ron LeBlanc from Gem Hunt and spoke with Don Kogen on twitter. It just seems different from those staged reality shows.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I am also a fan of these shows. I think you might take into consideration that our participnts(actors?) are paid for their time as are many on the other reality shows. So they make money that way as well.

I have enjoyed other reality shows, such as ; the Pickters, the pawnshop, storage wars and baggage wars. As the series goes on they go for the more expensive items like motorcycles, and guns, and I no longer watch them. Some open other stores as I think they are making lots of money from doing the shows, not just the items.

My latest scratch is storage wars where they were sued for salting the units with good stuff. They way over bid, which again I think is because they ae paid for the episodes, and don't care. One of them has expanded into a warehouse and two opened other stores , which went belly-up pretty fast.

Baggage wars is the only one left that I watch. So far they don't exaggerate the business. I'm sure they will annoy me too.

So, I watch until I find something I can't stand. Game of stones is exciting. You see how they are cheated and you wonder how smart these guys really are? Each one of the 4 is an owner and they share 25% each of losses.


Annette

 

[FrekeChild]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

What are you guys talking about? How man episodes of Game of Stones have you guys seen? They only time there was dying on the shoe was when a parcel of Turkish Blue had been swapped with dyed material. The Gem Guys own a zualtanite mine, and have/have sold some of the largest and best tanzanites (namuniyak) and paraibas ever sold. I think you're really underestimating the show. Yeah, some of the stones they head (rubies, tanzanite) but they had a beautiful emerald that they didn't treat at all.

Even if you don't like the stones, the shows are super entertaining IMO. Really hope Game of Stones gets a second season, seems like it's too late for Gem Hunt to get a second season

All of them. They don't tell you everything. Those "sunset rubies" were BE treated, and they made a huge deal about the "secret formula of heating" them to make them worth "many times more" than what they were worth to begin with. They took what amounts to gravel, heated the hell out of it, changed it's chemical structure and cut it. So, they took something worth next to nothing, and made it worth a little bit more.

The whole show is terribly contrived. I've talked to a few gem dealers about it and they said they watch it for a good laugh.

Lets do a quick translation:

Sunset Ruby = BE treated corundum
Himalayan Beryl = Goshenite

I went back and looked at certain scenes really closely - the point in which he "broke the emerald", the gravel that was left on the saw was opaque and looked cream colored with a small dose of green.



Yeah, the ENTERTAINMENT value is high - especially when you know how bogus most of the stuff they are selling you on screen is. My husband is disappointed that they aren't on anymore. He liked to watch it with me and was entertained by me yelling at the tv screen.

ETA: He was SUPER entertained when I'd be bellowing at the tv screen when all of these middle aged men were in their wet underwear.

 

[psproot12]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

What are you guys talking about? How man episodes of Game of Stones have you guys seen? They only time there was dying on the shoe was when a parcel of Turkish Blue had been swapped with dyed material. The Gem Guys own a zualtanite mine, and have/have sold some of the largest and best tanzanites (namuniyak) and paraibas ever sold. I think you're really underestimating the show. Yeah, some of the stones they head (rubies, tanzanite) but they had a beautiful emerald that they didn't treat at all.

Even if you don't like the stones, the shows are super entertaining IMO. Really hope Game of Stones gets a second season, seems like it's too late for Gem Hunt to get a second season

All of them. They don't tell you everything. Those "sunset rubies" were BE treated, and they made a huge deal about the "secret formula of heating them to make them worth "many times more" than what they were worth to begin with. They took what amounts to gravel, heated the hell out of it, changed it's chemical structure and cut it. So, they took something worth next to nothing, and made it worth a little bit more.

The whole show is terribly contrived. I've talked to a few gem dealers about it and they said they watch it for a good laugh.

Lets do a quick translation:

Sunset Ruby = BE treated corundum
Himalayan Beryl = Goshenite

I went back and looked at certain scenes really closely - the point in which he "broke the emerald", the gravel that was left on the saw was opaque and looked cream colored with a small dose of green.



Yeah, the ENTERTAINMENT value is high - especially when you know how bogus most of the stuff they are selling you on screen is. My husband is disappointed that they aren't on anymore. He liked to watch it with me and was entertained by me yelling at the tv screen.

You make some good points, but I don't know. Gavin seemed to be seriously scared to death when the gem slipped. (It is however possible that the emerald did break but the cameras didn't catch it at the right angle so they did a reenactment). I know the sunset rubies aren't going to be on a V&A ring anytime soon but I still find the show very entertaining. Thanks for making me look at it a different way.

 

[FrekeChild]

Just watch with a healthy dose of skepticism, is all.

They seem to have "named" their gems, so when you google "Sunset ruby" it brings up their info only - if it were a name widely known in the trade, it'd bring up articles and other gem websites. So they are creating an aura of exclusivity, when there really isn't.

They also have crazy treated stuff, and they don't disclose that treatment. See below.

 

[FrekeChild]

Since the image is so small, here is what they say about enhancements:

"Unfortunately, gemstones don’t come out of the ground ready to be set in jewelry. Raw crystals from the earth are usually called ‘rough gemstones’ (or just ‘rough’) and this is actually very apt - rough gems can look pretty rough!

To make sure each gemstone reaches its full potential, gem professionals employ a variety of techniques. Some of these, like cutting, are immediately visible, while others, such as heating, remain relatively unknown despite being used for thousands of years. Practiced in India for over 4,000 years, the earliest known gemstone enhancement is heating a gem to improve its color. Oiling to improve a gem’s clarity is another ancient technique that has been used for over 2,000 years. Collectively called enhancements or treatments, they are any process other than cutting that improves a gem’s beauty, durability, availability or value. Not all gemstone enhancements can trace their origins to antiquity; some enhancement sare the result of more recent innovations.Regardless, all enhancements simply accentuate the beautiful end results of gemstones’ natural formation.

With over 90 percent of gems enhanced, understanding what has been done to a gemstone to prepare it for sale is important and this information should always be disclosed. Gemstone enhancements can make gemstones more beautiful, affordable and even more durable. Given the prevalence of enhancements, one important term is ‘natural’. A ‘natural’ gemstone is one that has not been enhanced or treated in any way."

 

[sparkleismyfavcolor]

I try to watch every gem show I can find! I've watched most of the ones mentioned, and have probably seen every episode of Gem Hunt. My big complaint is too much drama and not enough stones! I wanna see the eye candy!!

I agree that most of them seem very staged and over dramatized, every episode of Gem Hunt seems the same in that regard - Ron isn't going to get his stone and then he usually does at the last second and they spend the last 30 seconds showing the faceted stuff that I wanna see.
Ron is an entertaining kook and I love when he says "you give friend price". My husband and I say that all the time.

I do like the fact that they show you what it's like at ground zero and what it means to have one of these gems on your hand. In that regard, I'm glad to hear that they overinflate the prices at the end, because I always seemed to have a bad taste in my mouth at the end of Gem Hunt knowing how much money they made from the people who work so hard and in some cases live in pretty poor conditions. I have actually considered going to lab created stones just for this reason, but then I guess that also hurts the miners who work so hard.

 

[minousbijoux]

Since the image is so small, here is what they say about enhancements:

"Unfortunately, gemstones don’t come out of the ground ready to be set in jewelry. Raw crystals from the earth are usually called ‘rough gemstones’ (or just ‘rough’) and this is actually very apt - rough gems can look pretty rough!

To make sure each gemstone reaches its full potential, gem professionals employ a variety of techniques. Some of these, like cutting, are immediately visible, while others, such as heating, remain relatively unknown despite being used for thousands of years. Practiced in India for over 4,000 years, the earliest known gemstone enhancement is heating a gem to improve its color. Oiling to improve a gem’s clarity is another ancient technique that has been used for over 2,000 years. Collectively called enhancements or treatments, they are any process other than cutting that improves a gem’s beauty, durability, availability or value. Not all gemstone enhancements can trace their origins to antiquity; some enhancement sare the result of more recent innovations.Regardless, all enhancements simply accentuate the beautiful end results of gemstones’ natural formation.

With over 90 percent of gems enhanced, understanding what has been done to a gemstone to prepare it for sale is important and this information should always be disclosed. Gemstone enhancements can make gemstones more beautiful, affordable and even more durable. Given the prevalence of enhancements, one important term is ‘natural’. A ‘natural’ gemstone is one that has not been enhanced or treated in any way."

Wow, they actually say that right on their website? That is not at all the generally accepted meaning of 'natural.' Right or wrong, the term is used to mean that the stone was originally sourced from the ground, and not lab created. However, it does not mean that there was no enhancement or treatment after it came out of the ground. To say otherwise is terribly misleading.

 

[FrekeChild]

I should have cited that. My bad.

http://www.gemguys.com/gemstone-enhancements

 

[OreoRosies86]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

What are you guys talking about? How man episodes of Game of Stones have you guys seen? They only time there was dying on the shoe was when a parcel of Turkish Blue had been swapped with dyed material. The Gem Guys own a zualtanite mine, and have/have sold some of the largest and best tanzanites (namuniyak) and paraibas ever sold. I think you're really underestimating the show. Yeah, some of the stones they head (rubies, tanzanite) but they had a beautiful emerald that they didn't treat at all.

Even if you don't like the stones, the shows are super entertaining IMO. Really hope Game of Stones gets a second season, seems like it's too late for Gem Hunt to get a second season

I've seen every episode of both shows, some more than once, which is how I arrived at my opinion.

 

[psproot12]

I try to watch every gem show I can find! I've watched most of the ones mentioned, and have probably seen every episode of Gem Hunt. My big complaint is too much drama and not enough stones! I wanna see the eye candy!!

I agree that most of them seem very staged and over dramatized, every episode of Gem Hunt seems the same in that regard - Ron isn't going to get his stone and then he usually does at the last second and they spend the last 30 seconds showing the faceted stuff that I wanna see.
Ron is an entertaining kook and I love when he says "you give friend price". My husband and I say that all the time.

I do like the fact that they show you what it's like at ground zero and what it means to have one of these gems on your hand. In that regard, I'm glad to hear that they overinflate the prices at the end, because I always seemed to have a bad taste in my mouth at the end of Gem Hunt knowing how much money they made from the people who work so hard and in some cases live in pretty poor conditions. I have actually considered going to lab created stones just for this reason, but then I guess that also hurts the miners who work so hard.

To be honest, going to lab created gems will hurt miners in poor countries, way, way more than buying real gems they've mined. The thing is, Ron may only pay them 2k for a gem (show claims it will make up to 100k) more likely 30k, and it seems like Ron is making 15 times what he paid for it, but in reality you need to look at purchasing power. $2,000 in a country like India is enough to pay rent for a year! They're always getting better prices with "gem hunters" than with local jewelers/exporters that's why they're so desperate to sell them to Ron, or Don.

 

[psproot12]

Since the image is so small, here is what they say about enhancements:

"Unfortunately, gemstones don’t come out of the ground ready to be set in jewelry. Raw crystals from the earth are usually called ‘rough gemstones’ (or just ‘rough’) and this is actually very apt - rough gems can look pretty rough!

To make sure each gemstone reaches its full potential, gem professionals employ a variety of techniques. Some of these, like cutting, are immediately visible, while others, such as heating, remain relatively unknown despite being used for thousands of years. Practiced in India for over 4,000 years, the earliest known gemstone enhancement is heating a gem to improve its color. Oiling to improve a gem’s clarity is another ancient technique that has been used for over 2,000 years. Collectively called enhancements or treatments, they are any process other than cutting that improves a gem’s beauty, durability, availability or value. Not all gemstone enhancements can trace their origins to antiquity; some enhancement sare the result of more recent innovations.Regardless, all enhancements simply accentuate the beautiful end results of gemstones’ natural formation.

With over 90 percent of gems enhanced, understanding what has been done to a gemstone to prepare it for sale is important and this information should always be disclosed. Gemstone enhancements can make gemstones more beautiful, affordable and even more durable. Given the prevalence of enhancements, one important term is ‘natural’. A ‘natural’ gemstone is one that has not been enhanced or treated in any way."

Wow, they actually say that right on their website? That is not at all the generally accepted meaning of 'natural.' Right or wrong, the term is used to mean that the stone was originally sourced from the ground, and not lab created. However, it does not mean that there was no enhancement or treatment after it came out of the ground. To say otherwise is terribly misleading.

Yeah, I too was taken a back when I first saw that on their website a few months ago. But it's not like the actual Gem Guys team is running their website. I'd love for them to be more clear and honest in their marketing. Their best gems never end up on their website, such as this gorgeous 105ct paraiba https://twitter.com/DonKogen1/status/462561649770393600/photo/1 Not a perfect stone (saturation is weak, hue is light and slightly windowed) but it is untreated and huge for a paraiba.

 

[psproot12]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

What are you guys talking about? How man episodes of Game of Stones have you guys seen? They only time there was dying on the shoe was when a parcel of Turkish Blue had been swapped with dyed material. The Gem Guys own a zualtanite mine, and have/have sold some of the largest and best tanzanites (namuniyak) and paraibas ever sold. I think you're really underestimating the show. Yeah, some of the stones they head (rubies, tanzanite) but they had a beautiful emerald that they didn't treat at all.

Even if you don't like the stones, the shows are super entertaining IMO. Really hope Game of Stones gets a second season, seems like it's too late for Gem Hunt to get a second season

I've seen every episode of both shows, some more than once, which is how I arrived at my opinion.

I'm not doubting that you've seen every episode, I'm just curious when did you see dyed material?

 

[FrekeChild]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

What are you guys talking about? How man episodes of Game of Stones have you guys seen? They only time there was dying on the shoe was when a parcel of Turkish Blue had been swapped with dyed material. The Gem Guys own a zualtanite mine, and have/have sold some of the largest and best tanzanites (namuniyak) and paraibas ever sold. I think you're really underestimating the show. Yeah, some of the stones they head (rubies, tanzanite) but they had a beautiful emerald that they didn't treat at all.

Even if you don't like the stones, the shows are super entertaining IMO. Really hope Game of Stones gets a second season, seems like it's too late for Gem Hunt to get a second season

I've seen every episode of both shows, some more than once, which is how I arrived at my opinion.

I'm not doubting that you've seen every episode, I'm just curious when did you see dyed material?

Beryllium diffusion IS like dyeing.

Not that NSC is a great source for educational material, but I like their picture.

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/education/common-sapphire-treatments/diffusion-processes/

Although diffusion procedures have several variations, sapphires are typically heated to very near their melting point in the presence of color-inducing elements, which penetrate or diffuse some distance into the stones.In the case of titanium diffusion, a layer of strong color is created near the surface of a poorly colored stone. Since the layer of color is restricted to the surface of the stone, the original weak color of the stone can be revealed if it is chipped, nicked or re-polished.

Diffusion treatment is often the last resort when heat treatments have failed to enhance the color of a stone. Sapphires that have obtained their color from diffusion treatments have little intrinsic value. Reputable dealers will identify diffusion-treated sapphires and offer them at prices well below those of natural, untreated stones.

From GIA:

Although initially only orange to orangy pink (“padparadscha”-like) sapphires were seen, it is now known that a full range of corundum colors, including yellow and blue as well as ruby, have been produced or altered by this treatment. An extension of the current understanding of the causes of color in corundum is presented to help explain the color modifications induced by Be diffusion.

It is taking the stone to a temperature where it almost melts, and adding Be to it's chemical structure, altering the color of the mineral.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Gem Hunt is sort of cool, the locations they visit, although the profits they claim to make are laughable at best.

Game of Stones is a joke. If I wanted to see dyed and heated gravel I'd go to the mall.

I agree, "Game of Stones' is a joke, and an insult to people that really deal in fine gems all over the world.

What are you guys talking about? How man episodes of Game of Stones have you guys seen? They only time there was dying on the shoe was when a parcel of Turkish Blue had been swapped with dyed material. The Gem Guys own a zualtanite mine, and have/have sold some of the largest and best tanzanites (namuniyak) and paraibas ever sold. I think you're really underestimating the show. Yeah, some of the stones they head (rubies, tanzanite) but they had a beautiful emerald that they didn't treat at all.

Even if you don't like the stones, the shows are super entertaining IMO. Really hope Game of Stones gets a second season, seems like it's too late for Gem Hunt to get a second season

I've seen every episode of both shows, some more than once, which is how I arrived at my opinion.

I'm not doubting that you've seen every episode, I'm just curious when did you see dyed material?

As was already explained, the "Sunset Rubies" underwent BE treatment. It is infusing chemicals into the stone at high temps for the sole purpose of creating colors that are not natural to the original material.

 

[eos512]

I try to watch every gem show I can find! I've watched most of the ones mentioned, and have probably seen every episode of Gem Hunt. My big complaint is too much drama and not enough stones! I wanna see the eye candy!!

I agree that most of them seem very staged and over dramatized, every episode of Gem Hunt seems the same in that regard - Ron isn't going to get his stone and then he usually does at the last second and they spend the last 30 seconds showing the faceted stuff that I wanna see.
Ron is an entertaining kook and I love when he says "you give friend price". My husband and I say that all the time.

I do like the fact that they show you what it's like at ground zero and what it means to have one of these gems on your hand. In that regard, I'm glad to hear that they overinflate the prices at the end, because I always seemed to have a bad taste in my mouth at the end of Gem Hunt knowing how much money they made from the people who work so hard and in some cases live in pretty poor conditions. I have actually considered going to lab created stones just for this reason, but then I guess that also hurts the miners who work so hard.

honestly they are definitely not making 10-15 times of profit. Based on some experience from friend in the industry, 2-3 times would be a fair guess and this 2-3 times profit does not include their traveling cost and the risk of cutting.

 

[psproot12]

I try to watch every gem show I can find! I've watched most of the ones mentioned, and have probably seen every episode of Gem Hunt. My big complaint is too much drama and not enough stones! I wanna see the eye candy!!

I agree that most of them seem very staged and over dramatized, every episode of Gem Hunt seems the same in that regard - Ron isn't going to get his stone and then he usually does at the last second and they spend the last 30 seconds showing the faceted stuff that I wanna see.
Ron is an entertaining kook and I love when he says "you give friend price". My husband and I say that all the time.

I do like the fact that they show you what it's like at ground zero and what it means to have one of these gems on your hand. In that regard, I'm glad to hear that they overinflate the prices at the end, because I always seemed to have a bad taste in my mouth at the end of Gem Hunt knowing how much money they made from the people who work so hard and in some cases live in pretty poor conditions. I have actually considered going to lab created stones just for this reason, but then I guess that also hurts the miners who work so hard.

honestly they are definitely not making 10-15 times of profit. Based on some experience from friend in the industry, 2-3 times would be a fair guess and this 2-3 times profit does not include their traveling cost and the risk of cutting.

Well in the Nepal episode of gem hunt, they actually talked about what gems SOLD for not what they expected to get. They purchased turquoise for 1k and it sold for 10k, a $600 Tourmaline sold for $1500 and $1200 of Lapiz sold for 20k, they do make pretty great returns but there are always risks. The trip itself probably cost around 7k, cutting (lost from cutting) probably 2-3k,marketing, etc.