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This ruby I purchased may be a garnet - What would you do?

Starstruck8

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 13, 2021
Messages
587
I'm going to have to read this a few times before I can attempt it, but thank you. Unfortunately I don't have any loose SR stones other than a diamond. OR maybe I have CZ stashed somewhere, I'll have to go look. Does this work if the stone itself is a very dark red?

Apologies for the big block of text. I’m not the best at describing. But it really is easier to do than to describe… And it’s cool, at least to geeks like me.:)

Darkness of the stone may or may not be a problem. What matters is that you can clearly see red spots (images of the LED) through the stone. If you can, you can use this method. If not, you can’t. Another possible problem: the stone may be included, foggy or have weird zoning. This may make the spots too fuzzy to use.

I suggest starting with a big light-toned sapphire. This will show you what to look for. Then work on to smaller and darker stones.

I’m not sure about CZ. If it has a tilt window (which you can check by holding it at an angle and trying to look through it), you can use it. Note that you can use set stones if the setting is open enough. If you can see through a tilt window without obstruction by the head or shank, you can use it. You may only be able to check two orientations (180° apart), but that will suffice.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
Thank you so much for your help. My refractometer doesn't have a polarizing filter. Is it possible to use one of the sunglass lenses to help? I've always taken multiple readings while rotating the stones I'm testing - but I've never been able to get two totally distinct readings with any of my stones though.

Scratch that - I found the polarizing filter.... silly me.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
OK, a very big THANK YOU to @PrecisionGem for mentioning the polarizing filter with my refractometer. I hadn't been using it this whole time because I was so used to just checking RIs quickly to make sure the gems I purchased were within the expected range. I have never needed to distinguish between two stones of overlapping RIs or whether a stone was singly or doubly refractive.

Well, with the polarizing filter, it's obvious that the mystery stone is not a ruby. I tested 10 other stones (sapphires) and all the readings flicked between two values as I rotated the filter, every 90 degrees: Reading 1, Reading 2, Reading 1, Reading 2.

With the mystery stone, the reading stayed the same: Reading 1, Blur, Reading 1, Blur.

So I'll be telling the vendor tomorrow that I personally checked the RI and see if they still insist on a lab test...
 

Tanzie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
21
As a jewelry-loving mom, I feel the need to point out that by the time Baby Boy is six months old and until he’s about two, he’ll be able and likely to pull a “dainty pendant” right off, breaking the chain in the process. A ring or bracelet would be a better choice for a piece you want her to be able to wear now.
 

Tanzie

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
21
As a jewelry-loving mom, I feel the need to point out that by the time Baby Boy is six months old and until he’s about two, he’ll be able and likely to pull a “dainty pendant” right off, breaking the chain in the process. A ring or bracelet would be a better choice for a piece you want her to be able to wear now.

to clarify: he’ll be able to pull the necklace off mom; babies become very grabby and yank-y. Necklaces, dangling or hoop earrings, hair…
 

CaseyLouLou

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 22, 2019
Messages
1,257
this seems to be happening more often here lately.
sometimes you’ll see reply posts starting off “I haven’t read everything yet, but here’s what I think”
maybe that happens more? It doesn’t seem the OP’s preferences /wishes / parameters are taken into account sometimes for giving answers /opinions.

maybe there should be a sub section for CS ( like the unspoken rule of how to respond difference between RT vs SMTB) for “truly tear this colored stone apart/compare to trade ideal ” vs “I like x for what it is / my budget / my preferences but I do have questions/ concerns/ what am I missing “ type discussion.

There’s plenty of room inbetween bashing someones preferences vs blowing smoke false praise.

You are in a pickle, OP, between two vendors and knowing one will be proven wrong or there will be no concrete resolution with lingering unfounded doubt.
hope all works out for you and your project, in the end.

I know you stated earlier it wouldn’t be fair to post the facts after all is done - but really in the end, knowing what a vendor does when mistakes happen, is more important than the mistake - for many PS’ers.

After reading through this entire thread, this is exactly what I have been thinking throughout. I would really appreciate knowing who the stone vendor is because based on their reaction and customer service alone I would avoid them.

That is also why I would recommend getting the test done and even if it’s a ruby then I still wouldn’t do business with this vendor.

Whoever this vendor is doesn’t deserve to be protected. Please let us know because customer service is more important than anything when deciding where to spend our hard earned money.
 

Leigh10

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jul 11, 2017
Messages
123
I had been trying to find a local jeweler for YEARS. I would bring in a small project (add a jump ring, fix a broken clasp, etc...) If I didn't get AAA service and results, I marked them off the list regardless of other people's reviews. I am now sending my work to a jeweler in New York (I live in Texas) because they performed well, their pricing is a value (not cheap, not overly expensive), and they are dedicated to providing me with what I want.

It is ridiculous that your vendor would not exchange the stone. You were unhappy. End of story. I would not trust them again to exhibit good customer service. "When people show you who they are, believe them," as Maya Angelou said.
 

Ibrakeforpossums

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 21, 2019
Messages
2,488
If I was buying from an IG vendor or some random on EBAY I’d expect the response you got. And such is life.

But this is apparently supposed to be a “bona fide” PS recommended vendor, in which case the response to you should have been “I’m so dreadfully sorry to hear that! Please end it back to us right now, we will cover the cost, and will send you back another stone in its place. Better you have full confidence”.

The response you got - from that kind of vendor - would prohibit me for ever wanting to buy anything else. This just shouts “don’t give a cr@p about our customers” to me.

Yes, yes, yes.
 

Ibrakeforpossums

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 21, 2019
Messages
2,488
Return it and forget the 20 dollars, take it as a lesson learned not to work with the vendor in future.

I get that you don't have an eye for red stones, but people on here who do have told you it's unattractive. The response of the vendor to you is also unappealing. Not someone I would want to work with again regardless of what the stone is.

The "get it tested by a lab and we'll pay if it's not a ruby" is bluffing, not confidence in their product. They know 99% of people would not bother for a stone of that price. Plus they will probably wriggle out of paying in the event and how are you going to force them?

Get a plain 18K ring made for your friend with her baby's name engraved inside and a little ruby melee hidden stone next to it, which any jewellery could supply and will cost hardly anything. Like this.

1631251362864.png
This is a great idea! It's personalized, valuable and thoughtful.
 

glitterata

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
4,259
I had been trying to find a local jeweler for YEARS. I would bring in a small project (add a jump ring, fix a broken clasp, etc...) If I didn't get AAA service and results, I marked them off the list regardless of other people's reviews. I am now sending my work to a jeweler in New York (I live in Texas) because they performed well, their pricing is a value (not cheap, not overly expensive), and they are dedicated to providing me with what I want.

It is ridiculous that your vendor would not exchange the stone. You were unhappy. End of story. I would not trust them again to exhibit good customer service. "When people show you who they are, believe them," as Maya Angelou said.

Leigh, can you share the name of the trustworthy NY jeweler?
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
As a jewelry-loving mom, I feel the need to point out that by the time Baby Boy is six months old and until he’s about two, he’ll be able and likely to pull a “dainty pendant” right off, breaking the chain in the process. A ring or bracelet would be a better choice for a piece you want her to be able to wear now.

Oh I'm familiar with grabby babies, don't worry. Bracelets are not safe from them either and BFF is not a ring person. Happy for her to wait 2 years to be able to wear the pendant safely, as I'll be happy even if she never wears it.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
After reading through this entire thread, this is exactly what I have been thinking throughout. I would really appreciate knowing who the stone vendor is because based on their reaction and customer service alone I would avoid them.

That is also why I would recommend getting the test done and even if it’s a ruby then I still wouldn’t do business with this vendor.

Whoever this vendor is doesn’t deserve to be protected. Please let us know because customer service is more important than anything when deciding where to spend our hard earned money.

I completely understand. I know many here are upset for me, and it actually feels nice to know I'm not being demanding/difficult/over-sensitive. I'm not out to scam them, I was actually hoping to spend more in the future. Someone who tells me they are a gemmologist and have been in business for 20 years would know that a ruby is a very specific thing (by definition, it needs to be in a specific colour range, although this varies depending on who you ask).

I paid for something advertised as a ruby. It is described on the site as "medium dark slightly purplish red". I received a stone that essentially all of you do not believe matches that colour description. And for this alone, I know you would reject it and expect the vendor the cover return shipping for sending the wrong item (based purely on colour). I'm personally not fussy about the colour, but that's besides the point.

Instead, I'm told by the experienced vendor that it is a "ruby that looks like a garnet but is not". To top it off, the test results of my jeweller and their lab are refuted due to them being supposedly untrustworthy.

Now I've tested the stone myself and it is singly refractive, so it's not even a sapphire. I wonder out of the thousands of these "rubies" sold, how many customers questioned what they received. Maybe it's fate that this happened to me while I'm in lockdown with too much free time to chase up something no one else would have. Maybe it's also fate that I'm a PSer. I could have experienced this and none of you would have known otherwise.

Well, I believe it is fair at this point to say that the vendor is Multicolour. But at the same time, I want to stress that I cannot speak to whether this was an intentional deception or if there was a mix-up higher in the supply chain. I won't speculate. To many of you, it wouldn't even matter if there was a deception because of the responses given.

The belief that this is not a ruby is shared at this moment by three parties who have actually inspected the stone in person: myself, my jeweller and the first lab. But I can't guarantee that this is conclusive proof. I can only share my own experience as far as customer service and how I was treated. I was asked to spend my own money upfront to test this garnet-looking ruby from a lab they recommended. Take from that what you will.
 

Ionysis

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 1, 2015
Messages
1,908
Did you write back to them and tell them about your own confirmation? What was their response?

I’m actually pretty shocked by this. I’m much much more likely to be put off and angry about receiving something which isn’t what it’s supposed to be than any other kind of business practise. For me it’s the ultimate betrayal. And the value of the item / amount of money spent is irrelevant.
 

icy_jade

Ideal_Rock
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
6,131
@roxta can you pls share the vendor name? Am dismayed that it’s still on the PS list and how many more people could potentially buy gems from the vendor and be mislead re: their purchases.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
Did you write back to them and tell them about your own confirmation? What was their response?

I’m actually pretty shocked by this. I’m much much more likely to be put off and angry about receiving something which isn’t what it’s supposed to be than any other kind of business practise. For me it’s the ultimate betrayal. And the value of the item / amount of money spent is irrelevant.

Yes, I told them about my own findings with the refractometer. This was before my last post.

Then, after a rather confusing sequence of emails, I received a refund for my order. A few minutes later, I received money for the lab test (the new lab actually charges more than the first, so it's over $60, not $50).

So now I've been given the instructions to send the stone to the lab, and I have the funds to do so. But the lab is now closed until Tuesday so I will call then to arrange for testing.

I need some chocolate now.....
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
I'm so confused, I honestly can't wrap my head around this.

At 12:09, I sent the first email of the week to say that I have tested the stone myself and it is SR.

At 1:51, Paypal refund for my order comes through.
At 2:38, Paypal funds for the lab testing fee come through.
At 2:49 and 3:02, I have two emails confirming that I am to test my stone at the lab here. I tested several of the stone in that lot myself this morning. The stone I checked looked like DR to me but garnet can have anomalous DR. So I still think they are ruby. I'm sending one stone to a good local lab and will have a result shortly.

So all is good. They will send one stone to a lab there, I will send my stone to a lab here.

Then I found an email in my junk folder, received at 2pm, just after the initial Paypal refund:
I'm sorry for all the trouble. We never had a garnet mixed in with our Songea rubies. I could not imagine it happening. But as you insisted, I checked that entire lot this morning. The whole lot is garnet. I know from the color and the cutting. So you don't need to test it. Somebody in our factory most have labeled the whole lot as ruby. If there was one garnet in the lot, it would have stood out but they were all garnets and they didn't chip each other. So, I have refunded you for both stones you bought and you don't need to return them.

So if you read in chronological order, first I was told not to test because it was confirmed that the whole parcel is garnet. Later that hour I'm sent funds and told to test again? I'm so confused I can't even tell if there is a cover up here or what....

Eating chocolate, scratching head.....
 

Daisys and Diamonds

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2019
Messages
22,520
I'm so confused, I honestly can't wrap my head around this.

At 12:09, I sent the first email of the week to say that I have tested the stone myself and it is SR.

At 1:51, Paypal refund for my order comes through.
At 2:38, Paypal funds for the lab testing fee come through.
At 2:49 and 3:02, I have two emails confirming that I am to test my stone at the lab here. I tested several of the stone in that lot myself this morning. The stone I checked looked like DR to me but garnet can have anomalous DR. So I still think they are ruby. I'm sending one stone to a good local lab and will have a result shortly.

So all is good. They will send one stone to a lab there, I will send my stone to a lab here.

Then I found an email in my junk folder, received at 2pm, just after the initial Paypal refund:
I'm sorry for all the trouble. We never had a garnet mixed in with our Songea rubies. I could not imagine it happening. But as you insisted, I checked that entire lot this morning. The whole lot is garnet. I know from the color and the cutting. So you don't need to test it. Somebody in our factory most have labeled the whole lot as ruby. If there was one garnet in the lot, it would have stood out but they were all garnets and they didn't chip each other. So, I have refunded you for both stones you bought and you don't need to return them.

So if you read in chronological order, first I was told not to test because it was confirmed that the whole parcel is garnet. Later that hour I'm sent funds and told to test again? I'm so confused I can't even tell if there is a cover up here or what....

Eating chocolate, scratching head.....

enjoy your chocky
you deserve it !
 

helphelp911

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 14, 2018
Messages
43
I'm so confused, I honestly can't wrap my head around this.

At 12:09, I sent the first email of the week to say that I have tested the stone myself and it is SR.

At 1:51, Paypal refund for my order comes through.
At 2:38, Paypal funds for the lab testing fee come through.
At 2:49 and 3:02, I have two emails confirming that I am to test my stone at the lab here. I tested several of the stone in that lot myself this morning. The stone I checked looked like DR to me but garnet can have anomalous DR. So I still think they are ruby. I'm sending one stone to a good local lab and will have a result shortly.

So all is good. They will send one stone to a lab there, I will send my stone to a lab here.

Then I found an email in my junk folder, received at 2pm, just after the initial Paypal refund:
I'm sorry for all the trouble. We never had a garnet mixed in with our Songea rubies. I could not imagine it happening. But as you insisted, I checked that entire lot this morning. The whole lot is garnet. I know from the color and the cutting. So you don't need to test it. Somebody in our factory most have labeled the whole lot as ruby. If there was one garnet in the lot, it would have stood out but they were all garnets and they didn't chip each other. So, I have refunded you for both stones you bought and you don't need to return them.

So if you read in chronological order, first I was told not to test because it was confirmed that the whole parcel is garnet. Later that hour I'm sent funds and told to test again? I'm so confused I can't even tell if there is a cover up here or what....

Eating chocolate, scratching head.....

Oh, so Paypal will reimburse the lab fee?
 

JewelledEscalators

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
856
I'm so confused, I honestly can't wrap my head around this.

At 12:09, I sent the first email of the week to say that I have tested the stone myself and it is SR.

At 1:51, Paypal refund for my order comes through.
At 2:38, Paypal funds for the lab testing fee come through.
At 2:49 and 3:02, I have two emails confirming that I am to test my stone at the lab here. I tested several of the stone in that lot myself this morning. The stone I checked looked like DR to me but garnet can have anomalous DR. So I still think they are ruby. I'm sending one stone to a good local lab and will have a result shortly.

So all is good. They will send one stone to a lab there, I will send my stone to a lab here.

Then I found an email in my junk folder, received at 2pm, just after the initial Paypal refund:
I'm sorry for all the trouble. We never had a garnet mixed in with our Songea rubies. I could not imagine it happening. But as you insisted, I checked that entire lot this morning. The whole lot is garnet. I know from the color and the cutting. So you don't need to test it. Somebody in our factory most have labeled the whole lot as ruby. If there was one garnet in the lot, it would have stood out but they were all garnets and they didn't chip each other. So, I have refunded you for both stones you bought and you don't need to return them.

So if you read in chronological order, first I was told not to test because it was confirmed that the whole parcel is garnet. Later that hour I'm sent funds and told to test again? I'm so confused I can't even tell if there is a cover up here or what....

Eating chocolate, scratching head.....

That could just be two different people working at one shop - I mean they carry loads of stones so I imagine that it's not just one person who works there. Maybe the first person didn't know the previous person had already contacted you.
 
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JewelledEscalators

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
856
Also, as for this view that only a bluffing vendor will tell you to go and send the stone to a lab, I don't think that's necessarily true, based on my experience.

Previously I bought 3 rings at an auction (s), all of which I thought were fake stones/not the stones described.

Of these, two were obviously not what they were claimed to be. One was a lab ruby claimed to be natural, one was a plastic/glass tone claimed to be a garnet. In each case, I contacted the auction houses responsible and told them based on my own observation (and in one case based also on the observation of somebody who worked at gem seller) I didn't believe they were remotely real and that if they wished, I could send them to a lab but if so, they will have to refund me for that as well as the items I purchased, and they both told me send the rings back rather than send it to a lab and they will look at it again and refund me if they agreed with me, and they did.

The third one didn't, and insisted it was a genuine gemstone of the species described (I was suspicious as amongst others it was too good to be true), stuck by their guns and told me if I wanted I could send it to a lab but they didn't specifically promise to refund me for the cost of the lab cert if it turned out to be not what they described. However, the platform provider for the auction (a different company) told me if I believed it was not a genuine stone/the stone described, send it to a lab, and if the lab cert says so, they will get the auction house to refund me. By that point, I didn't want to get it tested as I really liked it even if might not be what it was meant to be, but in the end, not kowing got to me, and I got it tested, and yes, it was what they claimed it to be. Also, every jeweller who saw it thought it was real too (or a very realistic lab stone).

So somebody saying 'send it to a lab' wouldn't necessarily be bluffing, but could happen because they're really confident that it's real.

Mind you, the one I sent to the lab cost me the equivalent of a few thousand dollars, and of the ones I didn't, one cost about $200, another about $100, where the lab cost would have been around $200.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
That could just be two different people working at one shop - I mean they carry loads of stones so I imagine that it's not just one person who works there. Maybe the first person was in a position to check, and the second wasn't/didn't and they didn't know the previous person had already contacted you.

It's the same person I've been dealing with throughout and the emails have the same signature at the bottom..... not sure if multiple employees use the same email but I guess that's a possibility.
 

JewelledEscalators

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
856
It's the same person I've been dealing with throughout and the emails have the same signature at the bottom..... not sure if multiple employees use the same email but I guess that's a possibility.

Well ok that's confusing but l would't read into it as cover-up as it doesn't make sense to pay you for a lab test for nothing.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
Also, as for this view that only a bluffing vendor will tell you to go and send the stone to a lab, I don't think that's necessarily true, based on my experience.

Previously I bought 3 rings at an auction (s), all of which I thought were fake stones/not the stones described.

Of these, two were obviously not what they were claimed to be. One was a lab ruby claimed to be natural, one was a plastic/glass tone claimed to be a garnet. In each case, I contacted the auction houses responsible and told them based on my own observation (and in one case based also on the observation of somebody who worked at gem seller) I didn't believe they were remotely real and that if they wished, I could send them to a lab but if so, they will have to refund me for that as well as the items I purchased, and they both told me send the rings back rather than send it to a lab and they will look at it again and refund me if they agreed with me, and they did.

The third one didn't, and insisted it was a genuine gemstone of the species described (I was suspicious as amongst others it was too good to be true), stuck by their guns and told me if I wanted I could send it to a lab but they didn't specifically promise to refund me for the cost of the lab cert if it turned out to be not what they described. However, the platform provider for the auction (a different company) told me if I believed it was not a genuine stone/the stone described, send it to a lab, and if the lab cert says so, they will get the auction house to refund me. By that point, I didn't want to get it tested as I really liked it even if might not be what it was meant to be, but in the end, not kowing got to me, and I got it tested, and yes, it was what they claimed it to be. Also, every jeweller who saw it thought it was real too (or a very realistic lab stone).

So somebody saying 'send it to a lab' wouldn't necessarily be bluffing, but could happen because they're really confident that it's real.

Mind you, the one I sent to the lab cost me the equivalent of a few thousand dollars, and of the ones I didn't, one cost about $200, another about $100, where the lab cost would have been around $200.

I also don't think it's always a bluff. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. In this case, I was always going to wait until I got the stone back from the jeweller and test it before deciding my next step. So it almost didn't matter how much the seller was confident about the true identity of the stone, only how confident I was.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
Well ok that's confusing but l would't read into it as cover-up as it doesn't make sense to pay you for a lab test for nothing.

Oh, no I'm not reading into it that way. I don't really know what to think, frankly. I'm just glad I don't have any financial stake in this anymore and now I just need to confirm exactly what the vendor wants me to do. I don't know why they would pay to get it tested here when they have already refunded me in full after confirming the whole parcel was garnet. And even though they have paid for the test, I still need to travel and spend time/money to get it to the lab and back. Of course I would have done this if I was still considering setting the stone, but I'm not anymore since they said the parcel is garnet.....

Very confused.
 

Rfisher

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 19, 2013
Messages
5,487
I’m glad most of this has been cleared up for you, OP.
Im not surprised by the initial reply you got from the vendor. Overconfidence of something so simple from a vendor that has a huge inventory and sees huge amounts.
I’m also not surprised by the decision of full refund, not requiring a return, and pre-payment to you of the lab test in advance.

For whatever it’s worth gemselect and frograregems were the other two nonPS online vendors I mentioned who via google images have Songea /Tanzanian rubies that look very similar to what you pictured.
With MC finding out what he has being garnet - I wonder what happens to the previous ‘thousands’ sold. What a potential nightmare but I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.
 

JewelledEscalators

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
856
Oh, no I'm not reading into it that way. I don't really know what to think, frankly. I'm just glad I don't have any financial stake in this anymore and now I just need to confirm exactly what the vendor wants me to do. I don't know why they would pay to get it tested here when they have already refunded me in full after confirming the whole parcel was garnet. And even though they have paid for the test, I still need to travel and spend time/money to get it to the lab and back. Of course I would have done this if I was still considering setting the stone, but I'm not anymore since they said the parcel is garnet.....

Very confused.

Ok I re-read your earlier post and the 2pm email from the vendor seems to be referring to 2 stones but you only purchased 1 - maybe the email was meant for another buyer who also was suspcious or maybe this vendor is just really confused/overworked :roll2:

Or could it be that the 1:51, 2:38, 2:49 and 3:02 emails from Paypal/vedor is 1-3 AM in the morning not 1-3 PM, and therefore the 2pm one telling you that they've confirming that the whole parcel is garnet came after? Still, if so, it doesn't make sense it's the same person for all the emails as it sounds as though 2 different people checked the parcel.
 

Tourmaline

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
2,560
I think the vendor sent the first email and then kept testing stones in the parcel, with varying, inconclusive results, so he called back the first email. In any case, I’m glad you got a refund. At this point, I really do not think you should use this stone in a present for your bff.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
I’m glad most of this has been cleared up for you, OP.
Im not surprised by the initial reply you got from the vendor. Overconfidence of something so simple from a vendor that has a huge inventory and sees huge amounts.
I’m also not surprised by the decision of full refund, not requiring a return, and pre-payment to you of the lab test in advance.

For whatever it’s worth gemselect and frograregems were the other two nonPS online vendors I mentioned who via google images have Songea /Tanzanian rubies that look very similar to what you pictured.
With MC finding out what he has being garnet - I wonder what happens to the previous ‘thousands’ sold. What a potential nightmare but I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.

I'm also glad this has been resolved, kind of. Though I can't pretend this would have happened if I hadn't been as firm (relentless) as I was. If I had taken their word for it at the start, if I was fussy about the stone's colour, if I had just returned it and moved on (as many here suggested), if I hadn't tested it myself for 2 days, if I didn't own a refractometer..... all these things led to me discover that the stone is singly refractive, which then persuaded them check the parcel. But why wasn't this done from the start? Maybe it's overconfidence as you said. Maybe it's something else.

You have a customer coming to you saying that a gemmology lab has found the ruby you sold to be a garnet (worth probably about 1/10th of what they were supposed to receive). Why not take 5 minutes to grab a stone from the parcel and test it yourself? Instead they blamed the lab and jeweller, and then sent me an excerpt from an email that they received from someone which stated that the gemmologist at the lab was unreliable (it was actually a much ruder, insulting word). And then they asked me to contact a new lab and get a test at my own expense upfront.

I approached them with this issue a week ago and it's only because I persisted that we've reached this resolution. If not, I likely would have continued to get the brush off. And the biggest bombshell of all of course, is that it wasn't a garnet getting mixed in with a parcel or rubies. It was an entire parcel of garnet from their own lab being supposedly mislabelled as ruby!

The vendor said they could not imagine it happening (a garnet mixed in with rubies, not an entire mislabelled parcel) so presumably they would never have done a full check like this before. How many times could a mislabelling like this have happened in the past? And how many $7 garnets got sold for $70? $10 ones for $100?

As for the thousands sold, I'm assuming nothing will happened unless the buyers notice and come forward themselves. And even then, I can't say with certainty what will happen.
 

roxta

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 23, 2019
Messages
188
Ok I re-read your earlier post and the 2pm email from the vendor seems to be referring to 2 stones but you only purchased 1 - maybe the email was meant for another buyer who also was suspcious or maybe this vendor is just really confused/overworked :roll2:

Or could it be that the 1:51, 2:38, 2:49 and 3:02 emails from Paypal/vedor is 1-3 AM in the morning not 1-3 PM, and therefore the 2pm one telling you that they've confirming that the whole parcel is garnet came after? Still, if so, it doesn't make sense it's the same person for all the emails as it sounds as though 2 different people checked the parcel.

I did purchase 2 stones in this order - this "ruby" and a sapphire. The sapphire was fine. So this email definitely refers to me.

The times I listed here were all the times the emails landed in my inbox/spam folder. So they are all my local time, all pm. The 2pm one went to my spam folder so I didn't see it until later because I wasn't checking that folder. It didn't come in later, I only read it later.

Anyway, I don't know how many employees are emailing me from the one address and signing off as one person. But even if there are multiple people working on my enquiry, do they not talk to each other about what's going on? Maybe the mislabelled parcel discovery unleashed chaos at the office.
 
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