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Help me establish the scam / the deal here

Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Messages
1
https://tamstanzanites.com

I've come across this website. I am seeking a ring at around $350 USD, based in the UK.

My problem is that I don't believe the claims, and gem searches have show AA at said prices but it just seems too good to be true. For the money, I'm not expecting anything fantastic but don't want to buy lab made and would rather have a 3mm genuine stone of A quality than rubbish!

Is anybody here able to establish, with their expertise what's going on here?
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,364
A few things to consider:

1. The items shown are "stock" items, meaning they probably will not look the same as shown. I do not know whether the pictures have been made to look better than the items aka enhanced. In addition, in the T&C, the company states that "Tam’s Tanzanites is not responsible for any variations from these descriptions."

2. A, AA, AAA and the like are standards set by each individual store, whose criteria will vary from store to store, and often do not explain how the criteria are set. Therefore, at this point in time, I would take the AA grading with a large spoonful of salt and evaluate the gem on its own due to the lack of standardization of quality. That said, the colouration looks very purplish, rather than blue. On some items, the colour is very light or pastel. This probably also explains the lower pricing.

3. The cut quality looks to be of commercial make, which is fair.

Overall, considering the metal, stones and workmanship, I think if you like the piece and the policy looks good, it might be worth ordering it to see whether you like it. The return policy looks fair although I cannot tell whether the tanzanite is coated by pictures alone.
 

LD

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
10,261
I highly suspect their photos have been enhanced. For example an AA grade Tanzanite will (if it's graded correctly) be a very wishy washy blue and not the gorgeous deep blue you see in the photos. In fact, if you look at the bracelet that's graded AA and then the rings you'll see a significant difference in colour - even though they are all graded AA.

It's actually quite easy to get AAAA and higher Tanzanites for a relatively reasonable price and in this instance (and I don't often advise this) I would suggest you look at The Jewellery Channel or GemsTV - both of which are on TV in the UK and both have Tanzanite quite alot. It'll give you a feel for colour, quality and price.
 
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