Indian Government Creates Diamond Standards

[strmrdr]

The US needs to do the same.

http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullNews.asp?id=30361

 

[JohnQuixote]

"We already have standards. Unfortunately, you can''t legislate morality."

- Patti Geolat

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 5/24/2008 2:17:36 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
''We already have standards. Unfortunately, you can''t legislate morality.''

- Patti Geolat

True but legal standards do a few things:
1: regulate who can give an opinion, a min level of training with an ongoing education requirement. The standards for a insurance salesman are higher than an appraiser or lab in my state.

2: give consumers teeth by setting a benchmark to take it to court as needed.

3: losing ones licence to practice/have a lab is a great incentive to keep people honest.

 

[JohnQuixote]

I was just waxing idealistic Strm.


(and bumping the thread)

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 5/24/2008 2:54:33 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
I was just waxing idealistic Strm.


(and bumping the thread)

its kewl, its a good quote and true as far as it goes but where are the checks and balances in todays system?
PS is a nano-balance but in the overall market its one hair of a very large dog.

 

[JohnQuixote]

There are no balances and it drives quality-minded sellers crazy. It drives good appraisers crazy. It drives people trying to teach others about diamond-shopping crazy and results in consumer confusion, frustration or, worse, it shuts their motivation down entirely.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 5/24/2008 3:05:30 PM
Author: JohnP.
There are no balances and it drives quality-minded sellers crazy. It drives good appraisers crazy. It drives people trying to teach others about diamond-shopping crazy and results in consumer confusion, frustration or, worse, it shuts their motivation down entirely.

well said I would use the clapping smiley is the situation wasnt so sad. So will use this one...

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 5/24/2008 3:05:30 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
There are no balances and it drives quality-minded sellers crazy. It drives good appraisers crazy. It drives people trying to teach others about diamond-shopping crazy and results in consumer confusion, frustration or, worse, it shuts their motivation down entirely.

Amen.

Just had a nice couple in. Three oval stones in a platinum setting.

The ring came in an IGI box, complete with plastic covered garbage appraisal in the top of the box when opened and the ring in the bottom.

Nicely cut ovals, high color which I did not try to grade mounted, I will do that after we pull the stones. Clarity graded as SI1 - SI2 by me, graded as D-E VS1-VS2 by IGI.

They had been given the run around by many local people and we had a very nice talk about how beautiful the ovals were, they were actually very well cut and looked great.

I think they might have been perilously close to the shut down motivation stage when they came in, but are much happier now and we are developing a ring for her approval.

Still, I am loathe to get the government involved, I forsee many honest people being sued by angry clients over a one grade difference of opinion, while the big boys, Zales, Costco, Sam''s Club, et al will still be getting away with a 1ct stone being listed in the small print as a .91 - 1.10ct F-I color, VSi - SI2 clarity and all being sold at 1.10ct F-VS1 prices. A small merchant would be crucified for this even today, but with Government Standards we would risk being bankrupted every time we sold a gem, even with a reputable paper while the big boys would find a way to keep getting to play the same despicable game.

Wink, who while being a combat veteran who loves his country is still WAY afraid of anyone who says he is from the goverment and is here to HELP me.

 

[strmrdr]

Wink since we have had this exact converasation for years now have you came up with a better solution to help protect consumers?

I havent other than gov standards and laws at the state and federal levels.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 5/24/2008 5:29:44 PM
Author: strmrdr
Wink since we have had this exact converasation for years now have you came up with a better solution to help protect consumers?

I havent other than gov standards and laws at the state and federal levels.

Snap answer:

we already have laws and standards for many of the things that you want.

Unfortunately the FTC could give a rat''s patoutie about enforcing them.

The use of the term Blue white was outlawed in 1938 yet every one still hears it. Why?

Underkarating is against the law and is rampant. Why?

Misrepresentation is illegal in 51 out of 50 states, but is almost never prosecuted. Why? I forsee nothing good coming of further standards and regulations until we at least care enough to uphold the ones that we have.

More thoughtful answer:

Since the government is NOT here to help us, and DOES NOT even enforce the rules and regulations that we already have, how about this?

Let''s educate the populace, at least those who care enough to want to be educated, then the crooks and charletons will have a harder time of it. Hmmm, how could that happen?

I know, let''s have a discussion board, call it say... Pricescope. Anyone who cares enough to want to know what to look for could go there and talk with experts and educated consumers to get a level of protection that was completely impossible even ten years ago. Heck, in a short time almost any consumer could know more than 85 - 90% of the trade and could teach things to the sales persons that they interact with, who will NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Toughski kapoopski as my wife is fond of saying. At almost 60 I doubt she is going to learn any new expletives...)

Give anyone who wants to stick around a year or two and they will know more than 95% of the trade and be able to absolutely annoy the heck out of anyone who tries to pull a fast one on a member of such a board.

Then every once in a while you will get someone with a true passion for the game who will quickly learn more than 98% of the trade and who can truly give very valuable advice to all comers. (These truly valuable members of the board may occassionally get taken to task if they express opinions as facts, but that only seems to add to the excitement of the exchanges of information.

)

But wait! What about those who don''t do their homework and find this mythological discussion board?

Well, again quoting my wife, toughski kapoopski! Kapoopski happens to those who rush to the mall and it is not your fault, the government''s fault, or my fault. (By the way, I love the way my Brasilian friends say government. Goo vairn ment [the second syllable has the hair sounding e] I always use that pronunciation to myself or others when I want to convey disdain. You can be sure I am pronouncing it that way in the proceeding sentence!)

There will always be those who are susceptible to anyone with a great lie or even statements made from complete ignorance since they were selling lady''s shoes the week before. This is NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY, nor yours. Our responsibility is to do what we are doing. Provide the best quality information and the help for those who want it, and to wave sadly goodbye to the dollars of those who want not the information that they could gain for a few hours research.

I do not believe that more regs and rules will be anything more than a useless salve for those who want the goovairnment to do something to protect the lazy and the uneducated. The salve will be there, but it will not be allowed to contact the wound so it will be useless and wasted and the uneducated will still be fleeced and it will again be their own uneducated fault, not yours or mine.

On those rare occassions when someone does try to enforce them, it will be against some poor small schmo who made a mistake, not against the powerful and campaign donating mall stores with their on staff lawyers just salivating for a chance to bite back. It is sad, but it is so.

That is my opinion. That the goovairnment will NOT help us, but educating people here on Pricescope will do MUCH more without the threat to the small and honest merchants of the world.

Wink

 

[strmrdr]

Wink,
agree about the laws not being inforced.
disagree about not looking out for everyone.

I guess I will keep tilting at windmills with Garry and John and Jon and you can join in on some of the advertures too.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 5/24/2008 8:01:56 PM
Author: strmrdr
Wink,

agree about the laws not being inforced.

disagree about not looking out for everyone.


I guess I will keep tilting at windmills with Garry and John and Jon and you can join in on some of the advertures too.

But that is what we are doing Storm, taking care of every one. You, John, Garry, Paul, Jon, and many others. That is our task, it is not the goovairnment''s task, nor do we really want them involved. If they get involved it will be for show, not for real, and they will mess it up, just like they always do.

It is not for us to take care of those who will not learn, but to take care of those who WANT to learn. For them we have the time and the energy.

Wink