CaratZone

[mellowyellowgirl]

Anyone buy from this Etsy vendor?

If yes could you share your successes/failures? I noticed they are not on the recommended list but do crop up from time to time as a suggestion by PS members I respect.

The pictures all have this "same" look to them though so I am a bit hesitant about their accuracy.

Would love to hear from anyone who has bought from here.

 

[chatoyancy]

I second this request.

 

[digdeep]

I bought an aquamarine from them a year ago. It's a native cut, but it looked like a concave cut and I was intrigued........not a high end gemstone, but it was flawless and I love the 'seafoam' tint to the blue due to being untreated.........that tint did not show up on the pic's to my eye's. And to this day the cut is a fun one!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

@digdeep it looks lovely in the video. Is the gem set worthy quality?

 

[digdeep]

Correction..........that aqua was from Caratsgems NOT Caratzone. My mistake.............SORRY!!!

MellowYellow...........FWIW, it's a 6 mm round so not the biggest gem, but yes, I think it's setting worthy.... I'm repeating what is on the video from the wrong vendor! Long Day....... : /

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Lol no worries I'll go look for the other vendor too. Etsy or EBay?

 

[digdeep]

Ebay....... I know I've looked at Caratzone too, but couldn't find any gem orders with them. Also, just checked and Caratsgems is also listed as Carats & Grams .........long history on ebay.

 

[Rfisher]

Catch all thread here has my experience with CaratZone.
Pg 198-199
Return was shipped back to Jim McCormick in the USA because I balked at multiple misspellings of his return address that he gave me and 'grey area' instructions for customs paperwork that my local USPS office wouldn't accept.

 

[peacechick]

This 2 cut purple spinel was from Carat Zone. It was sold to me as a dark violet stone with a bright flash under lighting, and the vendor provided extra photos. He did however forget to include the certificate. I was okay with it since it wasn’t from one of the big gem labs anyway.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

This 2 cut purple spinel was from Carat Zone. It was sold to me as a dark violet stone with a bright flash under lighting, and the vendor provided extra photos. He did however forget to include the certificate. I was okay with it since it wasn’t from one of the big gem labs anyway.

That's really pretty in your photo. Did it match with his photos in your opinion? Did it lean darker?

 

[peacechick]

That's really pretty in your photo. Did it match with his photos in your opinion? Did it lean darker?

Vendor photo was like this. I think he used a very bright light for photography. My stone does flash nicely but not to this degree of brightness.


He also sent me indoor photos which were taken in his office. Those showed me the normal very dark color without direct light. So I would say based on the additional information, I knew what I was getting.

When I louped it, there were a number of inclusions, especially inside the pavilion but I agreed with the description that it was eye-clean.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Thanks so much @peacechick

All his photos kinda look like that to me. Very hard to tell what the colour of anything really is!

 

[Rfisher]

What of his has caught your eye?

 

[Gloria27]

Vendor photo was like this. I think he used a very bright light for photography. My stone does flash nicely but not to this degree of brightness.


He also sent me indoor photos which were taken in his office. Those showed me the normal very dark color without direct light. So I would say based on the additional information, I knew what I was getting.

When I louped it, there were a number of inclusions, especially inside the pavilion but I agreed with the description that it was eye-clean.

I think it's a very nice stone, I had this one in my liked list. He described it as "dark" when it was still for sale, if I remember well.
I also like his Chrysoberyls a lot, nicely cut and very affordable, maybe will make a purchase one day.

 

[pwsg07]

His stones are usually darker or more greyish in real life. Maybe the sunlight in Asia makes the stones look brilliant in the photos. For the clarity I would suggest asking him what are the inclusions. His stones have windows in general. If you bought a high price gemstone, his refund takes a long time.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Some of the offers just seem too good to be true. A 1+ ct pad unheated sapphire for a few hundred $? Either the photos are really off or something is up.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

What of his has caught your eye?

This one!

https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/...pinel-204-carats-rare?ref=shop_home_active_23

 

[Rfisher]

He's got no video for it. Ask for one?
My guess is it's more pastel. Possibly more mauve, but as pp suggested it might also be Asia natural lighting vs weherever we are in how they look different?
For that price I wouldn't mind much to bring it in.
Look into how you ship back first from where you are.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Haha any hint of purple scares me as I've got one I wear a lot but no way I'd set another one with a purple/violet/mauve tinge.

I've asked for a video, nothing so far.

I bought a pink sapphire from Asia and it looks the same here in Australia so I doubt is the lighting. Anyways I went and read your thread so I'm probably too suss to do anything. Hubs is like "Go buy a proper nice stone there are no bargains"

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Okay guys lets have some fun!

So I emailed him about this stone as well which is imo a bit too good to be true!

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1502971218

He was super nice and made me a video. I am skeptical about the video still (I feel like I can see some mauve) but sent a message asking for confirmation of : NO brown, NO purple hints and he confirmed confidently that there are no such things

So I have ordered this stone.

Let's see what I end up with! Feel free to weigh in/diss the stone! I know what I'm getting into (sometimes curiosity gets the better of me) so it is all a learning curve.

Haha Pink Bandit is gonna kill me! He doesn't approve of this nonsense!

 

[peacechick]

Okay guys lets have some fun!

So I emailed him about this stone as well which is imo a bit too good to be true!

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1502971218

He was super nice and made me a video. I am skeptical about the video still (I feel like I can see some mauve) but sent a message asking for confirmation of : NO brown, NO purple hints and he confirmed confidently that there are no such things

So I have ordered this stone.

Let's see what I end up with! Feel free to weigh in/diss the stone! I know what I'm getting into (sometimes curiosity gets the better of me) so it is all a learning curve.

Haha Pink Bandit is gonna kill me! He doesn't approve of this nonsense!

It looks super pretty and I see no window! I think it will have half and half shadowing but it’s common for ovals, at least the non-precision cut ones.

 

[digdeep]

I'm coming along for the ride........that looks very nice indeed, awaiting your confirmation of the color when you get it! Keep us updated please!

 

[pwsg07]

Okay guys lets have some fun!

So I emailed him about this stone as well which is imo a bit too good to be true!

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1502971218

He was super nice and made me a video. I am skeptical about the video still (I feel like I can see some mauve) but sent a message asking for confirmation of : NO brown, NO purple hints and he confirmed confidently that there are no such things

So I have ordered this stone.

Let's see what I end up with! Feel free to weigh in/diss the stone! I know what I'm getting into (sometimes curiosity gets the better of me) so it is all a learning curve.

Haha Pink Bandit is gonna kill me! He doesn't approve of this nonsense!

He used a reflective surface as background. I believe it makes the stone brighter

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I'm coming along for the ride........that looks very nice indeed, awaiting your confirmation of the color when you get it! Keep us updated please!

Will do! I feel kinda silly but I just HAVE to order that stone and see for myself. He has a return policy so I'll see how that goes if it's a hideous stone.

I'll post a vid of the pink stone if I get it. Haha I told him no need to send a vid if there is purple tints

@pwsg07 he was adamant it wasn't a dark sombre either. I'm excited about this one as there are so many unknowns lol.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

I hope it wasn't too expensive.

I bought two or three stones from Minnas when he was on ebay. Some nice, some not so nice. Generally his pictures downplayed less desirable modifiers. They ALWAYS had the wrong dimensions by several tenths of a millimeter. He did refund me and told me to keep an inexpensive stone once when I complained that a stone was like .7 mm off.

He also describes everything as VVS. I'd say about half of what I have bought from him has had eye visible inclusions.

The last time I canceled an order from him, I had to hound him for two weeks to get a refund. He gave me half after about a week, and the other half a week later.

I think I'm basically done buying from him, unless something is really cheap and I'm willing to take the risk. He does have good prices.

Caveat Emptor.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I’d be curious to see what a lab report said about it too. A vendor that can be shady about things like measurements and clarity which can be easily proven wrong, I don’t really trust to be truthful about treatments. What a weird thing to be off on dimensions lol

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Someone returned a stone that tested heated in his reviews.

 

[suzanne2]

I hope you are pleasantly surprised! I'm along for the ride too. You go girl!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I hope you are pleasantly surprised! I'm along for the ride too. You go girl!

Aww thanks!

You know what I feel kinda ridiculous for going along with something that is looking as shady as heck but I'm kinda finding it exciting

What's wrong with me

 

[peacechick]

Found the thread with more reviews about them here:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/4am-impulse-buy.241215/page-2

Personally I think it’s quite safe to buy spinels and chrysoberyl from Carat Zone as they are usually untreated (except for red spinel), but maybe not sapphires as odds are they would be treated.