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Interview Series - Tianyu Gems

swaye2010

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 16, 2015
Messages
1,194
I am doing an interview series on Reddit with several of the companies that are producing moissanites & lab diamonds. I thought I would share some of the information over here too as companies respond. The first reply is from Tianyu Gems.
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Was Tianyu created after the expiration of the Charles & Colvard patent that ended in 2015?

We started business in 2001 making zircon (CZ) with around 2000 employees. Shortly after that, we were manufacturing spinel & synthetic emerald, etc with automatic machines. Once the Charles & Colvard patent expired, we started making moissanites. In 2014, we began to look into how to manufacture moissanites and we began mass producing them in 2016.

1.) Is Tianyu mostly a wholesale business or does a lot of your business now come from individual custom orders?

We have customer’s from 52 countries and in more than 500 cities around the world. We have a team that deals with wholesale and another team that receives the specialized custom jewelry orders. We continue to get more and more customer’s through the Alibaba wholesale platform and we are happy to pass on the factory prices while cutting out the middlemen profits. It has been a good trend. We enjoy the face to face contact with the customers and giving them that one-on-one service. We feel feel Tianyu also provides a good after sales service.

2.) There are a lot of trade shows and many companies making moissanites now. Do you feel the Tianyu moissanite cuts are nicer then what you see from other companies?

First, we analyze each specific situation and look at our market advantages. This is how we are different:

* Most of the moissanites on the market today are made by automatic machines. The average daily output of these machines are 500 carats. Tianyu’s daily output is 20 carats. Each of our moissanites are cut by hand by an expert with over 20 years experience. We will check each facet with a magnifying glass to make sure it is perfect. Moissanite has some unstable characteristics. Manual cutting is always going to achieve better results with each moissanite and is a sense of pride for the worker.

* We have had a lot of customer feedback on how our moissanites compare to other supplies. Some of them have lower quality or they are coated with surface oil. We have invested nearly 200,000 in optimization technology. The suppliers that are cutting with machines produce a product that looks more artificial. It is not the same as when they are hand cut so it does effect its brilliance.


3.) If someone ask you for the most diamond like moissanite, which one do you recommend?

We will analyze the advantages and disadvantages with each customer. Diamonds are expensive but they will still maintain their high value. They are more suitable for a collection. Moissanites are so much more affordable. You can change them to wear with different outfits. They are very vogue and classy. Most people are not going to notice that it is not a diamond just being looking at It.

4.) What is your favorite moissanite cut? Least favorite?

My favorite is the Old European Cut. We were the first to produce this cut in China since 2017. We are also the first supplier to make the crushed ice since 2018. Furthermore, we have also produced other diamond cuts into moissanites like the Jubilee cut, Octavia and also the Asscher. Our moissanite cutter’s have 15 years experience so if you provide very clear images of a cut that shows the face and the bottom of the faceting, we can develop this cut in 10 days. We can achieve this with 90% accuracy. We have been very successful with the Old European Cut and the crushed ice but there are many suppliers now that are trying to copy us. Since our’s are cut by hand, each gem cutter has a little different style or we make adjustments based on the customer’s aesthetic.

5.) What cut are people requesting the most of?

It is definitely the round Hearts & Arrow diamond cut. The color and the cutting is so perfect and it has always been very popular..

6.) A lot of people love crushed ice in video’s but they have been known to look milky or cloudy in person. Is this a problem with the Tianyu crushed ice?

The crushed ice comes down to the cutting. It requires higher quality materials and techniques to be successful. However, there are still some that come out milky. It is best not to get them in big sizes or the ‘milkyness’ can’t be avoided.

7.) Will Tianyu be focusing more on lab diamonds in 2020? Can you cut any size lab diamond now? Are the available in different cuts?

We have started to do regular cutting of lab diamonds. Due to the hardness and chemical properties of the materials themselves though, we can’t do customization with the lab diamonds at the present. The rough is of much higher value but there is still some instability when creating the lab diamond. We continue to observe the market and consumer demand.

8.) Do you think lab diamonds will eventually replace moissanites or do you think there will be a long term market for both?

Lab diamonds are of much higher value. Not all consumers can afford that. We have a research team that has been put together that is analyzing all the different consumer groups in each country. I really don’t think that lab diamonds will replace moissanites. It is simply giving consumers more choices. Kind of the same in how the moissanite did not entirely replace the CZ as diamond simulant.

9.) What color’s in moissanite does Tianyu offer?

In addition to the colorless, near colorless and warmer colors, we also supply light green, yellow, blue, dark greenish-blue, vivid yellow, champagne and black. Vivid yellow is the most popular of our colored moissanites. Presently, we are the only company that can produce this vivid yellow color. So many dealers come to us to purchase this color. The yellow is much more difficult to produce. The color can be unstable and the rough is in very limited supply. None of our colored moissanite is coated and is its natural color all the way through.

10.) People often ask what the platinum alloy in jewelry made from China. Is the PT950 mixed with iridium or palladium?

For our company, our platinum is PT950, which is 95% pure platinum and 5% palladium. It is important to know that our platinum can be softer then 14K or 18K gold. We do not suggest platinum for really complicated styles that are worn daily. The prongs can get damaged or misshapen and the small pave stones can fall out more easily

11.) Does the white gold contain nickel?

Our white gold contains about 15-18% nickel, which is in the standard range. Our nickel is safe to wear as long as you don’t have a nickel allergy.

12.) What has surprised you the most about working with people in the Western market?

I love working with the consumers and distributors in our Western markets. We have our own factory so it is very easy for us to control the costs. We feel we can offer very good customer service and products to our Western customers. They require high quality so we charge more to have the quality in the manufacturing process. We really strive to achieve customer satisfaction in our after sales services too.

13.) Have the tariff’s into the US effected the price of moissanite custom rings?

We normally declare moissanite as jewelry (rings, earrings or bracelets, etc) and they are within the $25-$40 value unless it is specified to declare it at full value from the customer. For this reason, the tax is very small and hasn’t really affected us on the moissanite and customized ring orders.

14.) What is the best Instagram page to follow for Tianyu moissanites?

Each of our sales representatives has their own Instagram page. We update the styles very frequently. We also have a company account that is called tianyu_moissanite_factory.

15.) How do we find out about sales or specials when Tianyu has them?

In order to provide customer satisfaction and to let more friends know about Tianyu, we will start with a member discount in 2020. We are also upgrading our product packaging and will include a quality assurance card and other related services. Please look for the updates!

16.) Is there anything else you would like to tell us about Tianyu that we might not know?

If you are looking for additional information about our products, please check out Alibaba or the customer service rep’s IG pages for the latest updates.
 

MeowMeow

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 27, 2009
Messages
1,643
Very nice interview! Thanks for letting us read it!
 

rockysalamander

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 20, 2016
Messages
5,105
Very cool idea to have these interviews. Keep posting them!
 

CSpan

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 7, 2016
Messages
1,293
Very interesting. Is WhatsApp still the best way to contact them?
 
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