Planetary Gems - Experiences?

[azaelea]

Hi, this is my first post! I've been lurking for a while and looking at all of your beautiful jewelry after getting my engagement ring (which I have yet to post a picture for ).

I've been searching for a pair of colored stones for earrings and I came across a great pair that seem to have a nice color,size and is very fairly priced at www.planetarygems.com.. However, I haven't really seen any reviews for this site and it doesn't seem like anyone on PS really uses them. Has anyone had any experience with them?

What does everyone think of their product? Is it legit, the description says unheated/untreated but I'm not sure whether or not to trust that. They have a 7 day return policy where you can examine the stones.

I spoke to the owner Rudy once on the phone and he seemed very cordial. I also e-mailed him asking for extra pictures and got a response that he does not provide extra pictures because all monitors are different and the color still won't show up correctly. I just wanted a picture of the stones on skin so I could see the true color. The weird thing was that he specifically asked me if I was a PSer and then said that he does not sell to PSers because we have unrealistic expectations and live in our own little world. I was a little taken aback by that and not quite sure what to think.

I just can't find anything similar in my price range that looks this good. I've been looking on Gemfix but their pairs are either treated or very expensive.

I am looking for a pair of sapphires with a Portuguese (flower) cut that I can make into earrings. I prefer a lighter blue with lots of sparkle, but not TOO light like an aqua. I'm open to suggestions for other sites or types of stones as well. My holy grail would be a pair of color change/color shift blue to violet sapphires or color change garnets that match. I think it would be super cool to have a pair of color changing earrings.

Anyways, I apologize for my rambling but I would really appreciate if some of the more experienced members could chime in on this site before I pull the trigger. I tried doing a search but nothing really came up. I think they're also known as Jasna gems. The astrology stuff on the website kind of seemed weird to me (no offense to anyone who believes in it) but the stones all look very nice.

Thanks for reading and for your help!

 

[marymm]

Hi, this is my first post! I've been lurking for a while and looking at all of your beautiful jewelry after getting my engagement ring (which I have yet to post a picture for ).

I've been searching for a pair of colored stones for earrings and I came across a great pair that seem to have a nice color,size and is very fairly priced at www.planetarygems.com..... However, I haven't really seen any reviews for this site and it doesn't seem like anyone on PS really uses them. Has anyone had any experience with them?

What does everyone think of their product? Is it legit, the description says unheated/untreated but I'm not sure whether or not to trust that. They have a 7 day return policy where you can examine the stones.

I spoke to the owner Rudy once on the phone and he seemed very cordial. I also e-mailed him asking for extra pictures and got a response that he does not provide extra pictures because all monitors are different and the color still won't show up correctly. I just wanted a picture of the stones on skin so I could see the true color. The weird thing was that he specifically asked me if I was a PSer and then said that he does not sell to PSers because we have unrealistic expectations and live in our own little world. I was a little taken aback by that and not quite sure what to think.

I just can't find anything similar in my price range that looks this good. I've been looking on Gemfix but their pairs are either treated or very expensive.

I am looking for a pair of sapphires with a Portuguese (flower) cut that I can make into earrings. I prefer a lighter blue with lots of sparkle, but not TOO light like an aqua. I'm open to suggestions for other sites or types of stones as well. My holy grail would be a pair of color change/color shift blue to violet sapphires or color change garnets that match. I think it would be super cool to have a pair of color changing earrings.

Anyways, I apologize for my rambling but I would really appreciate if some of the more experienced members could chime in on this site before I pull the trigger. I tried doing a search but nothing really came up. I think they're also known as Jasna gems. The astrology stuff on the website kind of seemed weird to me (no offense to anyone who believes in it) but the stones all look very nice.

Thanks for reading and for your help!

OP - the bolded statement above is enough to put me off this vendor permanently. And now that you are a PS member, it seems he would not sell to you anyway (!).

I would suggest you contact some of the recommended vendors in the pinned thread above with the specifics of your request (mm size, shade preference, etc.) and see if they have any stock not yet listed on their website or if they have any rough that may yield what you're looking for. For sapphires, I would particularly recommend contacting Dana at Master Cut Gems, and for color-change garnets try Gary at Finewater Gems.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

Well, I had actually been meaning to post this, so this seems like as good of a spot as any to do so. I was trying not to post in a way that came off like an attack, as I wish them no ill will, but I would never personally do business with them after my experience.

Here's my experience with Planetary Gems:


I sent them a few email inquiries over the past few months about some of their sapphires. Normally I asked only a question or two in an attempt to start a dialogue. They seem to have a variety of colors of sapphire and advertise them as unheated. Another PSer suggested I investigate them given their selection of yellows.

It would usually take about two or three emails to get a response to my questions, and even then the response would be very brief and disappointingly uninformative. For example, I might ask something like (paraphrasing) "does this sapphire have a window?" and the response would be something like "the cutting is not great but you won't notice anything but the color." I think the owner is Italian and he doesn't have perfect written English, so that's an obstacle. So I would usually give up because I had failed to start an fruitful dialogue. Then a month later, I'd shoot them another couple of inquiries when I was somewhat desperate and hopeful that our first exchange or two was an aberration.

So a little while ago I made another attempt to inquire after a stone. I included in this email several questions about a stone, and some questions about their policies. For the first time, I asked whether they would guarantee their stones were unheated. Specifically, I asked: if I sent a stone to AGL/GIA and it came back as heated or otherwise treated, would they refund me for the stone?

The curt response I received was (paraphrasing): "buy from someone you trust. I have no interest in selling to people like you. Sorry to be frank."

And that was it. So I was obviously taken aback at how much the suggestion of an outside lab report seemed to trouble P.G. I guess we can read into that what we will. I sent him an email saying I was going to post about this policy, and he responded saying that
1. I can't comment on the the quality of his stones
2. He would (I guess reluctantly?) sell to me but the stone I asked about has some problems and I should pick a different one. and
3. He only wants to sell to gems for Jyotish purposes--which is fine, but this is belied by the fact that they link a non-jyotish site to P.G.

So, I would never buy from P.G.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

I should sum up by saying I object on three main grounds to the way they do business:

1. Their refusal to guarantee the treatment of their stones and their concern at the suggestion of obtaining American lab memos.

2. Their customer service is really lacking: they can be unhelpful with questions, unresponsive, and downright rude.

3. They insist that they want to sell gems only for Jyotish purposes. This is fine and I totally understand that. But they should make this explicit and stop linking their non-jyotish site <http://simplygemstones.com> to their inventory at PG if that's truly the case.

Changing these policies would go a long way if they wanted better reviews on sites like this.

 

[VapidLapid]

WoW

this is so disappointing. back when we had the old recommended sellers list, when I first joined, they were on it, though no one ever seemed to know why. I always wanted to believer that they were legit, and that it just might be possible. But i have to confess, their photography technique, which is quite consistent, does not give much in the way of information that I would normally call photographic. I think that is one of the major reasons why, though often tempted, I never ventured a direct investigation. CC, thank you for sharing yours. As immature and unprofessional as all of the very valid points you detailed, one trumps all others;

"buy from someone you trust. I have no interest in selling to people like you."

In this one crystal clear utterance, I doubt he could control himself, a mind like Lacan's would discover the critical crisis and super objective of his life's being, and his inevitable tragic failures, perhaps even some poetic nuance in his pathos only slightly less useful than a parsley sprig thrown atop a well done strip steak in the middle of a beery roadhouse friday night when the fryer oil hadn't been changed for two weeks, the waitress was black and blue (as the steak ought to have been) and the approaching posse of hog riding weekend hillbilly warriors was nigh only a mile and a half yet. In his rage he blurted out the truth he never meant to share. Buy from someone you trust. Do not buy from me. All the rest is just ketchups that has been married too many times.

 

[Euphony]

I know that as trade I am pretty limited in my abilities to comment. I am not offering an opinion on his goods and services in any way, but I do hope that it is permissible to state that I have purchased stones from him, had them tested, and they came back as unheated.

 

[JewelFreak]

VL, how do you really feel? LOL.

Another red flag for me is the 7 day return period. Rather short, which would make me wonder about their customer service even if I knew nothing else about them. Euphony, good the gems came back as advertised, but imho a vendor can have fantastic stock but if he's a cranky critter, I'll go somewhere else. Life is too short for masochism.

--- Laurie

 

[Euphony]

Oh, I am in no way trying to offer up opinions on whether anyone should or should not buy from him. It is just a piece of information that was relevant. I would neither promote nor disparage vendors. I just know that 7 days is enough for me to get it tested by a reputable local lab, whereas it would not be enough of a window for the average consumer, so I felt it was information worth offering without further opinion.

 

[azaelea]

Thank you for all of your responses! Has anyone actually placed an order with them and gotten the stone? Was it as pictured or was it significantly different?

Euphony - I am glad to hear that the stones really were unheated and as advertised. I hope you can share a little bit more as in did the stone look like the picture or was it a piece of junk that they photoshopped to look good?

Here's the thing, I really WANT to believe that it is real and as advertised. They just look so nice at the right size and price. I have literally had them up on a window on my computer for a few weeks and just taken a look at it whenever I felt a little bored or tempted.

It seems like he is really into the whole Jyotish/Vedic astrology thing. According to everything I've read, would the gemstones not "work" as they should if they are treated? Don't they need to be untreated to have their full auspicious effect?

corundum_conundrum - He also mentioned that he did not want to sell to PSers because he sold to one once who was disappointed and wrote a bad review of him. Obviously, this would come up on any internet search about his business so I think he was burned by that experience. I don't know who wrote the review and I honestly couldn't even find it but I think that's why he has a thing against PS.

When I spoke with him, he was very honest about the stones. He stated that one of them had a tilt window and a little bit of color zoning. However, I thought that since these would be earrings that wouldn't be much of a problem. He didn't seem too cranky, I'm a big girl I can deal with that. I once had to place 50 phone calls and contact the CEO to purchase a gun from a major gun distributor because it took them 2 weeks to process my order.

I was doing some investigating on his website and I did discover something very strange. He has a page or sold items:
http://www.planetarygems.com/blue_sapphires_sold%20recently.htm

One of the sold items looks exactly like 6mm sapphire pair he has listed as currently available. I am going to try to upload pictures but this is my first attempt so please forgive me if it does not work. It honestly looks like the exact same stones but someone just messed with it a little in photoshop. The reflections and everything are in the same place! Take a look at the attached photos and let me know what you think.

So basically, my heart says yes but my brain is saying, "Watch out... this looks too good to be true".

 

[VapidLapid]

I do not think that deal is too good. Two sub-carat sapphires, each $500, of dubious pedigree, but an established contempt for the consumer...

 

[azaelea]

VL - Thanks for the response. I was looking at similar sized pairs on Gemfix and they were almost double the price or heated. Everything else I saw unheated in the 6mm per stone range was way over $1000, approaching $2000 or more.

Can you please recommend some vendors where I can see a good inventory of some well matched sapphire pairs with Portuguese (flower) cut? So far the only sites that show a lot of inventory of pairs I've found are Gemfix and this sketchy PG site.

Are there any other cutters I should contact besides the ones already mentioned (Dana at Master Cut Gems & Gary at Finewater Gems) to find what I am looking for? I like the color of Montana sapphires too so it doesn't have to be an Asian sapphire. I just want some nice medium colored sparkly sapphire earrings that I can then pair diamond earring jackets around. I swear just browsing PS makes you dream about jewelry and planned projects.

I would really appreciate if some of you could recommend either some other websites with reasonably priced pairs or specific cutters that I should contact with my request. I would like 5.5-6.5mm per stone medium/cornflower blue or blue/green teal color in a well matched pair. My budget is around $500-$1000.

So what's the consensus on this website? Should I take a chance and pray or try something else?

Thanks!

 

[Euphony]

The majority were pretty accurate to what I saw on my monitor, though not all. A couple were darker or steelier, but the descriptions did indicate as much. I have kept most that I have ordered.

 

[azaelea]

Euphony - Thanks for your response. I appreciate your honestly. You make me feel a little better and even a little more tempted now despite all the negative reviews I've heard so far from PS.

Maybe I'll just put the order on a credit card and see what it looks like when it comes in. If it looks good, I'll get it tested and if it comes back as heated or whatever even after the return period, I can do a chargeback for an item not as described. Has anyone ever done anything like this?

 

[VapidLapid]

I think you should make direct personal inquiries to, in no particular order, mastercutgems, finewatergems, precisiongems acstones and see what you can stir up. In the size you are looking for this shouldnt be too difficult. I have sapphires, lovely and unheated from all of the above. I have returned some that had pavilion inclusions that were outside my comfort zone that others would not have thought twice about, and the returns were accepted graciously regardless of what a fool they may have thought me to be. That is the sort of behavior that can earn my trust.

 

[azaelea]

VL - Thanks for your prompt response. I will be sure to contact all of those vendors that you suggested to try to find my perfect pair.

Euphony - I'm not sure if you're allowed to answer this, but here is the all important question. Would you buy from this company again in the future? Having had experience with them and done business with them in the past, would you do business with again?

Anyone have any opinions on those two pictures I posted? Supposedly they are two different pairs but they look the same to me...

Thanks everyone for being so helpful!

 

[Euphony]

I cannot give opinions relating to the purchase of stones because of the trade designation, so I don't think I can answer something so subjective. I just felt that the fact that I had some of his stones tested and they were unheated was a statement of fact rather than opinion. I do hope you find the stones of your dreams, whatever route you choose.

 

[JewelFreak]

One essential thing in purchasing sapphires is that patience is not only a virtue, it's a necessity! I get the impression that you like the look of those & want to believe it will work out well (been there myself, that's how I know!). This vendor does not give you time for lab testing before the return period, will not take them back willingly if they turn out not as advertised -- and by getting them anyway, you will buy yourself a big headache even with credit card co. help.

If (& I haven't checked the website myself) he's using the same photo for 2 different pairs, what you get will likely not be as pictured.

Try some of the recommended vendors first. Describe what you want -- send them that photo if you like, as an example -- & see what they come up with. Working with someone who respects you as a customer, who wants you to return for the next purchase, makes a huge difference.

This guy will have (maybe the same) pairs up constantly, I'll bet. If you end up buying from him, at least know you've tried plenty of other avenues.

--- Laurie

 

[wordie89]

Vapid waxing eloquent ;~)

OP was looking for advice from experienced internet buyers and i think you've gotten some good observations. It sounds as if you're comfy with your interactions with vendor so far and really want to try it. Let us know how it turns out. I hope you're having fun on the gem hunt!

 

[corundum_conundrum]

VL: Thanks for commiserating in the desire for more respect from vendors.
I think I actually received P.G's communication in much the way Lacan might have found that he secretly intended: I took it as
an admonition to look for more trustworthy vendors.
And to borrow from Lacan, I would revert to quite the homme-lette underneath life's superfluous ketchups should I put up
with such business practices.

Euphony: Glad some of his stones tested as he said. I appreciate you commenting as a counterpoint. I actually felt a little weird
about posting my experience, so I'm glad to have a foil so this thread didn't become an anti-PG diatribe. I truly wish them
no ill-will and I hope some of their customer service practices/policies improve, and maybe some of the things I mentioned
will bring unsatisfactory policies to their attention.

OP: I hope you find a great pair of sapphires, wherever you buy them!

 

[Kaede]

Did you google Planetary Gems reviews? Make sure check several pages on google search results.

 

[JewelFreak]

To be fair to this guy, he appears not to sell jewelry-type gems, at least not as we think of them, but rather gems for their mystical qualities. He doesn't understand being particular about inclusions, zoning, cutting, those details & therefore, gets impatient. It's just not his reason for being, & he's not a gemologist, nor does he care to be. From that standpoint, I can see why he thinks PSers are nuts. So keep in mind when buying from him that he isn't coming from the same view as Gene or Barry, etc.

--- Laurie

 

[azaelea]

Thank you everyone for your responses and advice. I'm so glad I came out of lurkdom to post for an opinion on this. I really appreciate all the opinions that I've received from everyone here, both negative and semi-positive.

I showed the sapphires to my mother in law and now she wants to buy them for me but I don't know if I should let her or not. She wants to buy them for me because I called her and she was so happy I actually called that I asked for the sapphires and she was like, sure no problem just get whatever you want!

I also saw a website called Gem Select. Anyone have experience ordering from them? All their stuff seems heated but the prices are REALLY low. I don't know why though. It doesn't seem like they really care about cut or anything like that.

I will definitely get in contact with the preferred PS vendors to see if they have what I am looking for. If they can't find what I'm looking for, then I might just go with this site as a last resort and see what comes out of it.

It really is hard to find a pair of well matched, well cut 5.5mm to 6.5mm unheated stones in a nice color for around $1000 or less. Correct me if I am wrong anyone.

Thanks!

 

[iLander]

azaelea- if you have a question about Gem Select, just search the forum in the handy search box. There are many threads. Ditto for Planetary Gems.

This thread reminds me of the saying "Advice is what you seek when you already know the answer" . . .

 

[azaelea]

iLander - Thanks for your response. You're right, I do have a good idea of what I want to do. However, I want to double check and do my homework. On another note, the search function on PS is almost impossible to use. I can never find what I am looking for. I have better luck just going to threads and seeing what comes up on the right sidebar.

I've started contacting the recommended vendors and Gary said he doesn't have any matched pairs in stock and Gene said that he could not cut a matched pair for me. Those are the two I've heard back from so far.

I've contacted everyone else that was listed on this page so far. Are there any other suggestions on who I should approach on my quest?

Thanks!

 

[FrekeChild]

Yeah, I'd have to agree that with PS v1.0, the search function was great, PS v2.0, I just go outside and start with google because the internal search function SUCKS BIG TIME.

 

[innerkitten]

I saw a something I liked on one of their sites ( they have a few), and inquired about it. Turned it was no longer for sale ( so why was it listed? ). He said something like, you won't find prices that inexpensive anymore, those are the old prices, just look at Wildfishgems. I thought Wildfishgems was a strange site to use as a comparison because it's on the high end as far as prices go. But maybe he wanted to compare the two because his site is priced low in comparison. He was nice on the phone but I didn't look at his site again after that.

 

[azaelea]

To give all you helpful ladies (and lads possibly) an update, I've been searching with the preferred vendors and it has been quite difficult. I've received an answer of "no" from just about every single precision cutter and preferred vendor that I have contacted so far and I've contacted everyone on the list.

One said they might have a pair of tanzanites that they could source and re-cut but I would have to trust him in terms of the color and everything. I've never done this before so I am kind of scared. For something like that, do you think he would be able to send me a picture of the un-recut ones that he can source so that I can give a yes/no answer to it before committing to it? He doesn't want me to back out as he said he has been burned in the past before and the combo I am asking for is hard for him to resell if I end up not wanting it. Is this common/normal? Sorry if these are silly questions but it's my first time and I am hesitant.

Also, it seems that some lurker has "reserved" the pair that I was interested in on the Planetary Gems site. I guess that is my fault for putting them up here on PS for everyone to see since it is a public and site and the best price and combination that I could find after hours and hours spent searching. I guess I really do have to watch what I put up on here so someone else doesn't grab them before I can make a decision.

I spoke to the owner again and he said that he would agree to the lab cert. He said if the lab cert came back and said the stones were heated, he would refund my money along with what I paid for the lab cert so that makes me feel that he is more trustworthy.

The "Order Now" button is still active which makes me tempted to just order it and see what happens. Does he send it to me who actually paid him for it or to someone who just "reserved" it probably without any sort of deposit or anything like that.

What do you think I should do?

 

[bluebirrrd]

Azaelea, I looked at the photos and you were right that they were the exact same pait two times. Exact. You had a good eye to spot it. Did you ever get to the bottom of that? If not, I would never consider them knowing the photo doesn't even represent the actual item.

 

[azaelea]

bluebirrrd - Yes, I thought it was weird that it was the exact same pair. Just looked like someone played around with the brightness settings in photoshop a little bit to make it look a little different. But you can really tell that the reflections and everything are in the same place. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I just asked the vendor about it and have yet to get a response.

He had said before that he had 2 6mm pairs available and I guess maybe he used the same picture for both? Who knows sounds kind of strange to me.

I am still steamed that he dropped the price on the pair I wanted by $100 and then now they are suddenly "Reserved" but you can still click "Order Now". I was asking him what would happen if I just ordered it now. Would he refund my money since they are "reserved" or would he sell them to me since he would have the cash on hand from me?

This has been a strange and frustrating journey so far and I feel no closer to finding what I am looking for.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

 

[Euphony]

"Reserved" likely means that they have been purchased and shipped to the other buyer. Once the buyer confirms the sale or the inspection period passes the status turns to "Sold". He will not be able to send them to you unless the first purchase does not go through.