eBay sellers.

[deal_me_in]

Hi there I’m new to pricescope and i was hoping to get some advise…

I’ve always wanted to to expand my knowledge about colored stones but have put it off for years, but I’ve noticed (especially this last year ) they are building quite a momentum within the market and some even rivaling Diamond in popularity And price.

i know there are online course available at GIA but i can really only learn so much from a book.
i need actual experience handling gemstones.

i was looking on eBay to see what was out there, and I found a couple sellers who seem okay, but then again, when it looks to good to be true….

i understand there is risk, but i don’t want to get completely scammed either.
has anyone ever bought from “ ethicalminerals “ or “ shootingstargems “ ?

are there any sellers on eBay that are trustworthy??
I mean they can’t ALL be scammers can they?

don’t sugar coat it. Please.

 

[VividRed]

You won’t learn much by buying cheap crap, regardless of the platform.

Don’t discount what you can learn from books, that would be a mistake.

Ebay is hard unless you know what you’re doing.

Best is to go to the closest gems show and see as much stuff as possible + ask questions

Good luck!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Welcome to the forum, @deal_me_in! I wholeheartedly agree with Vivid. And education is a start, but the best way to gain experience with gem buying is to go to shows... lots of them. View as many stones in person as possible. And, yes, trial and error buying is also a necessity. You may make some mistakes along the way and you may sometimes find a steal. It's all part of the journey. Have fun with it!

 

[marymm]

Also, if you haven't already, check out whether there are any mineral & gem organizations in your geographic area -- they are a great resource.

 

[dk168]

When I started to go down the CS colour stones, I purchased quite a few learner stones from Jeff Davies via his shop in eBay, and he also has a shop in Etsy.

His son largely looks after these shops nowadays as far as I am aware.

To me personally, JD and his son are trusted vendor for CSs.

DK

 

[CaseyLouLou]

When I started to go down the CS colour stones, I purchased quite a few learner stones from Jeff Davies via his shop in eBay, and he also has a shop in Etsy.

His son largely looks after these shops nowadays as far as I am aware.

To me personally, JD and his son are trusted vendor for CSs.

DK

I have purchased from Jeff also. Almost all of my stones have come from Etsy vendors and I have been pretty happy with them. I have learned how to interpret colors in photos and I always ask for more photos in both high and low natural light. Some will be duds in person so you should first buy from sellers in your own country that allow returns. It’s almost impossible to return to Sri Lanka but that’s where some of the best prices are too.

 

[Bron357]

I’ve been buying on eBay nearly 20 years now.
If you are buying anything without a lab report or if the photos aren’t showing natural characteristics or the seller isn’t high sales and high feedback it’s a risk.
The issue with coloured gems is that not only is there lab grown material, there are levels of treatment that are unwelcome.
There is nothing “wrong” with buying lab created material but the price needs to be low.
Many sellers of loose gems, especially from Asian countries are selling lab grown material with 1000% dubious lab certificates. You can not buy a natural and/or heat only ruby or sapphire or emerald for a few hundred dollars or less.
Yes you can find a bargain or get lucky, I have many times, but it’s the exception not the rule and it requires a lot of experience and a fair measure of luck.
Anything not in hallmarked metal will be at worse glass at best lab created. In 925 silver or 10k gold the gemstones are likely very low quality, lab grown or highly treated. Once the metal is 14k or over, the likelihood of natural gemstones increases but no guarantee.
Rubies are one of the hardest gemstone to buy. They are highly desirable and expensive and are often lab grown or highly treated.
Blue Sapphires are also often lab or treated but you have to know what tones and hues are worth what. Very dark sapphires are generally cheap. Emeralds, it’s quality and colour that drives price. An opaque green blob might be natural emerald but it’s value is low.
So you do need to understand the various values of gemstones according to their colour, tone, hue, clarity, size and origin to be able to secure a “great buy”.
If as a novice buyer not wanting to get ripped off / deceived, buy from established sellers with a return policy and always, always remember if it looks too good to be true, it’s probably not as stated.

 

[LilAlex]

...and generally assume that the saturation (intensity of color) will be amazingly less than the listing photos.

I have bought one or two things off eBay from sellers who also had a "real" B&M presence in the US and I felt like I was talking to an actual jeweler. Even then, it was not like "being there." One was Peter Suchy over a decade ago when they had a boatload of unheated sapphires "from a collector" (most were native-cut and "had issues" but were pretty) that they had turned into simple rings. That does not seem to be their niche anymore.

 

[pokerface]

I bought my wonky sapphire from ethicalminerals. I also bought a gem marked as "unknown" that ended up being an irradiated topaz, which I returned. You will definitely not be getting a deal if you purchase something in the "unknown" category. I love my sapphire but it seems to be a one-off - I really haven't seen anything else from the vendor that I would consider worthwhile. Remember that natural does not mean UNTREATED and many if not most ebay stones are both heavily treated and low in value.