buying stones on ebay...

[m76steve]

i recently bought a stone on ebay from a company in thailand that had listed bixbite from utah-a 1.70 ct stone-pretty clean cut in a long cussion-the stone pictured was the stone i got from fedex-no problem-the material didnt look like bixbite but a material called passotiate-might check spelling-which is found in many other parts of the world. the seller assured me the stone was as described & i completed the sale-the day after i received the stone it went for an appraisal & the jig was up-i notified ebay & returned the stone to the seller with a copy of description from my appr. & supporting papers-i received a full refund from the seller which would have been covered by ebay with the policy in effect at the time-all is well in rockville-my point is that buying from ebay is not so iffy if one has any doubts or finds misrepresented items for sale. i was even impressed-just a little more cautious now-still a buyer...

 

[arjunajane]

Um..ok. It may have been more relevant to reply in the current thread about ebay..but anyway.

May I ask how much money you spent though on return shipping, appraisal etc? Did the seller pay your ship costs?

 

[m76steve]

return shipping by fedex was $50.00-the post ofc has a new policy of not shipping gems international as of about 2 weeks ago-my appraiser did the stone id for nothing as im one of his good custumers-he did me well and stood behind his findings-the cost of the stone was $400.00 including shipping which was refunded in full to me...

 

[m76steve]

ps-i ate the return fedex of $50.00...

 

[Richard M.]

Steve,

A 1.7 ct. bixbite red chrome beryl of decent quality would practically be a museum piece. Stones that big exist but I don''t think you''d find one at an affordable price on EBay.

Even a pink Pezzotaite, the cesium beryl from Madagascar, would probably be well worth keeping if the clarity and color were good. I have no idea what you paid but it''s scarce and quite expensive.

Be aware that hydrothermally grown synthetic red beryl has been available for several years. I suspect a good many "bixbites" on EBay from Asian sellers are man-made. Natural stones over 1 ct. are very scarce.

Richard M.

 

[T L]

As I mentioned in the other ebay thread, you have to be very careful purchasing bixbite because many dealers try to pass off Pezzottaite as bixbite. This is not the first time I've heard this happening on ebay. Pezzottatite is a raspbery gem that has very similar properties to beryl. It is not red beryl, and although it's a nice collector gem, it's not as valuable as bixbite.

Bixbite in clean or even slightly included gems is typically very expensive.

 

[m76steve]

richard-thanks for ur reply-this is a bixbite/emerald pendent-2+cts of bixbite rough with a 2.5ct zambian emerald-a nice peice and my only bixbite...i know the stuff is rare...

 

[T L]

Hi Steve,
I just purchased this stone off of ebay from a USA seller with 100% and glowing feedback. He's had some small stones for quite some time (under a carat), so I kept checking back to see if he had something a little larger. This is 2.55 ct minty bluish green Afghan tourmaline with a USA cut. I hope it turns out nice, I think I paid a very good price for it if it turns out as nice as his picture. It has an inclusion, but I love the color.

His other tourmaline pictures aren't as bright as this one, so I don't think this picture is doctored or taken in special lighting. I will post pics when I get it if I'm happy with it.

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 1/10/2009 10:50:21 PMAuthor: tourmaline_lover
As I mentioned in the other ebay thread, you have to be very careful purchasing bixbite because many dealers try to pass off Pezzottaite as bixbite. This is not the first time I''ve heard this happening on ebay. Pezzottatite is a raspbery gem that has very similar properties to beryl. It is not red beryl, and although it''s a nice collector gem, it''s not as valuable as bixbite.

I goofed on a couple of points, darned old memory! First, bixbite is colored by manganese, not chromium. So is Pezzottaite but with the addition of cesium. Both are members of the beryl group, but Pezzottaite crystallizes in trigonal form, not hexagonal. It is the cesium analogue of bixbite.

When Pezzottaite was discovered a few years ago it was classified as a new type of beryl by "Gems & Gemology." Apparently the mineralogists have refined their opinions since I last studied it. The first Pezzottaites I saw in Tucson were all medium pink cat''s-eyes but facetable material is available.

Richard M.

 

[CharmyPoo]

I would never buy such an expensive gemstone off ebay. I think my max is $100. I am not willing to risk more.

 

[m76steve]

this is a yellow beryl pendent @14cts. im not sure if you can see or not but there is a feather in the center of the stone that i think gives a little character to the pendent-your tourmaline is very nice & clean-a good buy...

 

[LD]

Steve I suspect very strongly that you didn''t get a 1.7ct Pezzotaite because Bixbite and Pezzotaite are very difficult to tell apart by sight alone and require chemically testing to be sure - having said that, the Pezzotaite I have seen is slightly more pink and less red than Bixbite and tends to also be more included but that''s a generalisation as both stones are Type 3 and therefore inclusions are expected! As Richard has said, Pezzotaite in that size is also not easy to come by also. I suspect therefore that you received a form of synthetic stone and should stay away from that particular Ebay seller. The cost of having the stone appraised must have cost you something and I presume that hasn''t been recovered?

I know you''ve been asked before but would you mind not starting a new thread when there is one already in existence talking about the same subject? It does clog up the boards and means information isn''t in one place (which is easier if people want to search a particular item).

 

[T L]

Date: 1/11/2009 6:06:27 AM
Author: m76steve
this is a yellow beryl pendent @14cts. im not sure if you can see or not but there is a feather in the center of the stone that i think gives a little character to the pendent-your tourmaline is very nice & clean-a good buy...

Thanks Steve,
The reason I posted about the tourmaline is that there are sometimes really great buys on ebay. I just wanted to impart some buying tips. I have received really beautiful things from Thai sellers, or sellers overseas, but you have to be so careful with most of them. Fortunately, since I mainly buy tourmalines on ebay, I've had good luck (they're typically not highly treated or synthesized).

I've received duds from American sellers as well, but I'm looking for people that specialize in fine cutting now, and they seem to have some nice things. Finding that tourmaline was like a needle in a haystack, and I hope it lives up to it's expectations. His feedback was positively glowing, and he even mentioned how proud he was of his feedback of over 10000, and no negatives.

BTW, I did find one American cutter on ebay that specializes in very rare stones. I'm currently looking for a cuprite, and he has some he's going to cut for me. His stones look legit, not at all photoshopped, and he has some gems I never even heard of. I wonder if he would have any bixbite. I never purchased anything from him yet, but you might want to check with him. His ebay name is facetorjay.

Also please use toolhaus.org to see negative feedback from any seller you're interested in. Ebay is really not the best place to review feedback - which is strange, but true.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/11/2009 1:55:07 AM
Author: CharmyPoo
I would never buy such an expensive gemstone off ebay. I think my max is $100. I am not willing to risk more.

I''ve spent way more than $100 on a single gemstone on ebay. Call me nuts, but I''ve found some great values that way. I don''t recommend this to the newbie ebayer though. You really have to know what you''re doing, and unfortunately, the ebay dispute system doesn''t always guarantee your money back.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Date: 1/11/2009 10:42:18 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover

I''ve spent way more than $100 on a single gemstone on ebay. Call me nuts, but I''ve found some great values that way. I don''t recommend this to the newbie ebayer though. You really have to know what you''re doing, and unfortunately, the ebay dispute system doesn''t always guarantee your money back.

If I knew what I was doing, I would be able to risk it but I don''t. I don''t know the truth worth of many stones yet and can''t tell a rare stone from glass

 

[T L]

Feedback is so very important to the whole process. If I see a lot of "ok thanks" even if it's positive feedback, or not that many glowing reviews, it turns me off, 100% feedback or not. I know people like the American sellers, but don't just go by that. I have found a ton of American sellers on ebay that if you go through their feedback, they buy the stones from Thai sellers, and resell them. A lot of gem dealers make their living off of buying overseas on ebay, but many of them really know what they're doing.

I found one American dealer who buys only LOGR, lan.bo4 and jewe2006 mounts and all Thai stones (mostly from Thaigemstore) and resells the rings at really high prices. Hmmmmm???? The people give her great feedback as well. Nothing wrong with that, but if you are buying this merchandise from American dealers, check where they get their stones, and go to those Thai dealers and see how they are. Some of the dealers she has dealt with I wouldn't buy glue from, but she has had good luck, or her buyers don't know exactly what they're getting.

. . . ah, I think I spend too much time on ebay and this forum, but it is fun.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/11/2009 1:18:52 AM
Author: Richard M.

Date: 1/10/2009 10:50:21 PMAuthor: tourmaline_lover
As I mentioned in the other ebay thread, you have to be very careful purchasing bixbite because many dealers try to pass off Pezzottaite as bixbite. This is not the first time I''ve heard this happening on ebay. Pezzottatite is a raspbery gem that has very similar properties to beryl. It is not red beryl, and although it''s a nice collector gem, it''s not as valuable as bixbite.

I goofed on a couple of points, darned old memory! First, bixbite is colored by manganese, not chromium. So is Pezzottaite but with the addition of cesium. Both are members of the beryl group, but Pezzottaite crystallizes in trigonal form, not hexagonal. It is the cesium analogue of bixbite.

When Pezzottaite was discovered a few years ago it was classified as a new type of beryl by ''Gems & Gemology.'' Apparently the mineralogists have refined their opinions since I last studied it. The first Pezzottaites I saw in Tucson were all medium pink cat''s-eyes but facetable material is available.

Richard M.

Yes, it''s confusing. I''m not sure what the final verdict is on Pezzottatite, if it''s truly beryl or just a closely related gem species. It is very pretty though, and I wouldn''t mind one for my collection!

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 1/11/2009 12:45:56 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 1/11/2009 1:18:52 AM


Yes, it''s confusing. I''m not sure what the final verdict is on Pezzottatite, if it''s truly beryl or just a closely related gem species. It is very pretty though, and I wouldn''t mind one for my collection!

These people are usually about as authoritative as you can find:

Pezzottaite

Richard M.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 1/11/2009 6:06:27 AM
Author: m76steve
this is a yellow beryl pendent @14cts. im not sure if you can see or not but there is a feather in the center of the stone that i think gives a little character to the pendent-your tourmaline is very nice & clean-a good buy...

Steve,
What does this have to do with the topic at hand? I''m afraid I have to join in Loving Diamonds'' request.