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JTV viewers - please post your experiences here

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T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
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In order to not hijack a thread, I would like people to post their colored gemstone experiences in this thread. I welcome everyone to post postitive or negative experiences here.
 
CMW,
Thank you for the thread. I would like to open this one since that one is over two years old. If things have changed since that time, I would also like to hear about people's more current experiences, including yours.
 
My last purchase from this vendor is this 2+ ct blue spinel. I am very happy with the price I paid for the quality. As a matter of fact I kick myself now because I also bought matched pair of pear shaped stones that matched the stone posted. Like a fool I sent the pair back! Wow what a rare set that would have made.

IMG_8.jpg
 
Wow, thank you so much for sharing that experience CMW. I am not "out to get JTV" - believe me, and I welcome positive experiences about them, as I do with any vendor. That''s a beautiful spinel and congratulations on your purchase.
 
A couple years ago I bought a 14K YG garnet ring from them. The garnet on TV looked okay and I liked the setting plus the cost was minimal so I went for it. But like always, you get what you pay for. The garnet I recieved was dark and muddy. The setting while pretty is very cheap and each and every time I wear it the garnet falls out. I kept this ring as a leasson learned and that is my one and only dealing with JTV jewelry.

cmsjtvgarnet2.jpg
 
Setting view...

cmsjtvgarnet1.jpg
 
Setting 2...

cmsjtvgarnet3.jpg
 
Catmom, that's a very pretty setting.

CMW,
May I ask if you purchased that spinel as a "one only" on their website? I have to admit that I am rather worried about the "multiples" on their website listings, but that would be true of any website for me, not just JTV. If you knew exactly what you were getting, that might help people search for higher quality merchandise on their website. Thank you in advance.
 
Catmom when you received the ring and saw what the garnet looked like why did you not return it?
 
I liked the setting and thought that I would eventually replace the stone since it didn''t cost that much. Unfortunately the setting doesn''t hold a stone for longer than a few hours wear.
 
Yes it was a one only. When searching the site I look for single items.
 
CMW,
Good tip, thank you!!
 
I have bought a couple of semimounts to set some of my lesser stones in. For the most part I have come to conclude that you get what you pay for as quality goes. I would not recommend JTV for this. For loose stones though they can be a good resource IMO. If for nothing else thier search funtion will list the stones by price (quality) so as to study why certain stones are where they are on the list. Kind of gives you an idea about stone grading.
 
CMW,
How would you rate the website pictures vs the stones IRL?
 
For the most part the stones I have bought in the auctions and the for sale section have looked better IRL than the pictures posted on the website. I did buy one large blue spinel from thier vault collection that did not live up to the picture. I sent it back and received a refund.
 
Date: 2/15/2009 11:21:33 AM
Author: Catmom
I liked the setting and thought that I would eventually replace the stone since it didn''t cost that much. Unfortunately the setting doesn''t hold a stone for longer than a few hours wear.
The same thing happened to me; it was a blue topaz ring with gold bezel setting. I thought I would just get it fixed locally but it couldn''t be fixed.
 
Hey CMW, I saw some really nice blue spinels on JTV, like that 7 ct stone. So are you saying that it potentially looks better than the picture?
 
Yes that is the one. In my eyes the stone did not live up to the picture. It is a very nice stone though.
 
JTV was OK-good several years ago. At that time I got a couple of pieces of jewelry, and was buying mostly mixed facet parcels...they seemed soooo appealing...to have a handful of "gems" was like a treasure hunt. I have a few decent stones from those days.

TODAY, however, is another story: low-grade, common, small, damaged stones. It may be that I've learned a lot (bunch of books) and have a lot of tools to test a stone. I know what a "window" is; that rubies should NOT be dense dark purple.; that Aquamarine should really be aqua and not clear...among other things.
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I spent quite a bit on books and tools. I did enjoy the learning experience...but then, that's me.

The hosts always seem to have the best of anything...PERIOD. You will never get what they show. Frankly, they sound like boardwalk hucksters in front of a WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE, which about describes what you get: basically not much, except the fun of looking through a bunch of stones, or possibly getting a decent piece of jewelry which somehow "escaped."
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One really annoying thing is their quote of the "value" of gold: they quote retail gold prices. One cannot privately sell gold jewelry for "spot" much less retail. Their implication is that the gold alone is worth the price and that you "can't lose" just for that. I emailed them on that one.

As far as their return policy: It is good, but the cost of shipping both ways can really add up. I can honestly say that I've return probably 85-90% of what I've gotten from them; USPS is many hundreds of dollars happier for my efforts.

Also: auction material is no longer returnable. And if you look at the descriptions, they are the same as on the regular sell site, showing a "minimum" ctw. At one point, what you saw was what you got. This is no longer true.

My 3 "successes" from about 2 years ago:
I bought some 18 KT gold chains, before they realized that the prices were too low for the spot gold at the time. These pieces literally disappeared overnight, as I'm sure other searchers found them also.
I've tested the gold and it seems OK: sometimes even higher than rated, which in itself shows that they have
NO QUALITY CONTROL.

A little over a year ago I bought 3 strings of what they were calling champagne pearls (lower cost cream color). Each looked the same: 2 were the same price but a different number. I wondered what that was all about...2 different numbers, same pearls, same price? The one which they were showing on TV did not even have knots and measured 16" instead of 18". The other 2 were wonderful: nice luster, some defects, but not too obvious, round, matched, strung well; I kept one and gifted one. $50 each= good buy, for me at least. These also sold out faster than dirt!

The only other thing which I think I was successful at with JTV (besides learning by doing, the 18Kt gold, and the pearls), was 3 1.1 champagne diamonds which I bought over 2 years ago for $1400 each. I went through 24 of them and kept 3. The 21 which I returned were absolutely horrible: cracks, chips, lots of carbon, pitiful cuts, etc. The 3 which I have are pretty decent, in the SI-12 range, each a different color, and good-excellent cut. They don't grade their diamonds, unless they are "vault." But again, postage both ways for 21 returnees, with insurance...well, you're welcome USPS...hope you spend the money wisely.
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In general, for 99% of their stuff: less than AVERAGE quality stones with windows, scratches, chips, etc...even in jewelry. Small Diamonds in jewelry are usually "frosted spit." Buyer Reviews are now checked and REJECTED if not quite to their liking! Whoppee.

I rarely buy from them anymore...an occasional snap-fit setting. But even these are looking junky lately.

I use JTV as a somnolent at night...puts me to sleep very nicely. They drone on and one about Tanzanite, and their cheap sterling or 10Kt jewelry; not even their CZ's are cut well (tried a solitaire ring once, and could not believe how awful it was).

BUYER BE WARE...BE WARE...BE WARE.

BEGINNERS recommended: if you'r ready to study, buy books and tools to REALLY understand.

KIDS recommended: it should be fun for kids to hold a handful of gems.
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GAMBLERS recommended: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR 99% of the time. If you don't mind the postage (both ways), and have the patience and the credit card to tolerate it, you can order multiples of one item and HOPE that at least one might be an "escapee"...a true hidden treasure.
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ger100,
Do you buy primarily from the live television broadcast, or do/did you buy from the website, or both? Do you have experience with their "vault colleciton" of single stones? I think CMW has had some positive luck with the website one-of-a-kinds (CMW, correct me if I''m wrong), so perhaps that might be a safer option (????). I was looking at their vault collection of tourmaline, and they seem to have some nice variety, in particular the rarer cuprian purples, and some Afgani mints. Again, I don''t know how they would look IRL, but it is concerting to know that people have said good things about their return policy.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with them.
 
Tl you asled about the pic JTV uses. I saved the vendors pic from the spinel I posted. This is thier pic

IMG-10.jpg
 
Here is the pic I took. Of course the lighting is differnt in my photo but the colopr looks pretty similar.

IMG_011.jpg
 
Sorry the link won't work.
 

I used to be a frequent JTV viewer when I bought a lot of jewelry and gemstones from them. As I became more knowledgeable about gemstones I bought less and less from them.The good thing about them was once I tired of something I could usually sale it for about what I paid for it or I passed it on to one of my nieces.


I also went through a period of buying inexpensive rings from them and replacing the center stone for a nicer stone.It was a way to get an inexpensive semi mount but I quickly tired of that as well.All those rings have been sold now too.


I do have a few pieces of jewelry from them that are okay and I have a few things that have gemstones I bought from them that are nice but not exceptional.


I have found their gemstones are hit and miss so if I am trying to buy something that matches for earrings and a pendant I will order 4 stones for earrings and maybe 3 stones for the pendant then return the ones I don’t want.Even then you’ll spend time sending them back and ordering something else.


I was trying to get some mint garnets last spring and summer and it took me about 3 months to get what I wanted.I ordered an oval 6.5 x 4.5 mint garnet first and it was really pretty and sparkly so I had it mounted in a ring.Then I decided I wanted earrings and a pendant.I ordered 4 trillions for earrings and kept 2 of them, returned one of them and threw one of them in my gem jar.I also wanted a 5 x 7 oval for a pendant.It took 4 tries to get one I liked and that is the garnet that was the pendant I lost when a faulty chain broke the first time I wore it.The jewelry store where I had the pendant made replaced everything for me but the mint garnet they bought was not as nice as what I lost.


I would agree their quality has gone down over the last few years. If you have the time and are willing to keep paying for postage to return items you don''t like, you can find some decent things for a reasonable price.

 
CMW,
When JTV states that a spinel is "cobalt blue spinel" does that mean it''s really colored by cobalt, or that it appears to resemble spinels colored by cobalt?
 
I think "cobalt blue " would mean colored like. Not sure though. I think they do claim to have one cobalt spinel. With those cobalt spinels I don''t know whether a lab would give you a report stating such.
 
I''ve noticed that many vendors and cutters use the term "cobalt" blue spinel to mean that the colour would be similar to a cobalt colour, not a spinel containing the mineral cobalt.

CMW, it appears on my monitor that your spinel''s colour isn''t as vivd as the JTV picture. Can you confirm this since you have the stone in your possession?
 
Chrono being the avid photographer you are I am sure you understand that the lighting conditions are differnt in the two photos. I see the same saturation and color. In the vendors pic with the lighting they used the stone more evenly lit.
 
That''s good to know. Maybe one day I''ll give JTV a chance if the right blue spinel pops up.
 
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