What do you think of this 4.50 K Diamond??

[LovesAllDiamonds!]

Storm, just to clarify:
The areas that look edited- was it to make it look lighter? Or to hide imperfections? It seems kind of counter-productive to blur together some of the facets.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/24/2009 5:13:31 PM
Author: LovesAllDiamonds!
Storm, just to clarify:

The areas that look edited- was it to make it look lighter? Or to hide imperfections? It seems kind of counter-productive to blur together some of the facets.

make it look lighter.

 

[pyramid]

I have outlined in black what I am seeing and thought it was like partial fisheye for a round diamond.

 

[UnionDiamond]

My name is Scott Anderson and I am the President & CEO of Union Diamond. I was made aware of this thread over an hour ago and since then, I have researched this particular image all the way to the source in order to be 100% confident of the accuracy of the photograph prior to responding to the Pricescope community. Before I continue, let me be clear so that there is no confusion. While marketing and stock imagery is edited to improve its appearance, this image or any other image of actual product requested by a customer is not.

About Union Diamond. We have been selling via our showroom and on the internet since September 11, 2001 and we have been a member of Pricescope for much of that time. We have earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and are one of the few, if not only internet diamond dealers to carry a $50,000 dishonesty bond that protects a consumer from any dishonest act. During our time in business we have endured many challenges but none would make us risk our reputation of trust and honesty by altering an image and any accusation of such is an insult to our company and its employees. I would ask that you reserve judgment and search review after review that will show a commitment to service, honesty and integrity, not only in the short term but through years in business and tens of thousands of happy and repeat customers.

Now a little about the people that work for Union Diamond. We employ only seasoned professionals including, GG’s (a former diamond grader at GIA among them), Diamond Graduates, AJP’s and JA Certified Jewelers. All employees are vetted and references meticulously checked for accuracy. Our people are amongst the best and brightest in the industry and have earned their reputation of honesty and integrity as well as my trust. So let me state categorically that Union Diamond or one of our employees would never alter any image of a diamond just to make a sale. This business is built on trust and once lost, can never be replaced. It is an integral part of Union Diamond’s continued success and such a statement of doctoring is irresponsible. Pricescope is a member driven medium and has many knowledgeable contributors. Such a statement of fact without any supporting evidence is not only an insult to myself and the people who work hard every day, it is also irresponsible to the Pricescope Community at large.

Now that I have explained Union Diamond’s position, I now wish to defend the supplier for this particular diamond. We do not claim to have the largest available inventory and we choose to remain loyal to our long term vendors based on years of trust they have earned. This particular vendor happens to be one that is very well known to every Pricescope merchant. Most, if not all of the Pricescope vendors deal with this particular supplier. They have a superb reputation within the industry and they are a trusted and valued asset to our business. Any question of wrong doing on their part would result in an immediate suspension of our relationship. I suspect other Pricescope vendors would agree that integrity and trust are earned over the years and are not just given on a whim.

I have taken the liberty of adding several other images to this thread. Each diamond is obviously different as is its position and lighting at the time the photo is taken but I think that anyone with an open mind can see that the same type of effect that has been questioned here is present in all. I do not claim that the photography is the best, only that they are undoctored.

In conclusion, we are an honest business run by honest people who deal with honest vendors. We simply DO NOT change actual diamond images requested by a customer because they might look better!

Sincerely,

Scott Anderson

 

[UnionDiamond]

Example 2

 

[UnionDiamond]

example 3

 

[LovesAllDiamonds!]

Thanks for clearing that up Scott!

so continuing on, assuming this image has not been altered, what does darkness mean? is it just someone was blocking the light when the picture was taken and it''s merely a shadow? or does darkness= not the best cut? not the best polish?
i''m still trying to learn!

what I do know is that I am open to J/K diamonds, something i didn''t know before being on pricescope I still do want to check out some stones in person though.

 

[strmrdr]

There is plenty of supporting evidence and if you want to call someone irresponsible you had better pay attention to the evidence.

All of the images you posted show clear and precise crown facet outlines.
Would you care to explain why the crown facet edges are smeared as shown here in this zoomed in image on the image your customer posted?
There is nothing internal to the diamond that would explain it.
I can also find at least 2 other points without trying very hard.

Finally 22 posts in 2,321 days does not make being a contributing member of the pricescope community. Advertising just makes you an advertiser. Huge difference.
I have averaged 22 posts every 2 days over the last 1,942 days helping people and you want to insult me?
tsk tsk

Now I''m going to go find someone to help to get the bad taste of this thread out of my mouth.

 

[YoungPapa]

Scott,

I met you and Tony back at JCK almost ten years ago. I liked you then and I like you now. You've built a good business and a company to be reckoned with. Your reputation proceeds itself and I have personal knowledge of the honest and professional organization you've worked to create.

I don't believe the image you sent your customer has been edited or enhanced by UnionDiamond or the supplier that sent it toyou. I say this because the image is mine, taken with my camera for the exclusive use of my company. The other images you posted to this thread are also mine, taken with my camera, once again - for the exclusive use of my company.

I wish you the best and congratulate you on your success. I believe that companies like yours and the other "regulars" on PS are the good guys, trying to offer better value and education to consumers than they find in the offline stores.

But if I could ask one small favor, do you think you could oblige? Atlanta is known for its Southern hospitality, and I sure would be appreciative. Can you stop sending my pictures to your customers?

All the best,

 

[grapegravity]

 

[megeve]

Wow, its getting scary!! What if we get images which are not of the stones we seek?

 

[Savvymon]

 

[arjunajane]

WTH??!!
Are you serious? Taking JA''s images and than (allegedly) also doctoring them?
I am embarassed that this is even a vendor that is allowed to advertise here

Scott, that closeup posted by Strm seems pretty clear to me - would you care to come back and explain?

 

[pyramid]

Are images enhanced or not though

?

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 2/25/2009 7:20:36 AM
Author: Pyramid

Are images enhanced or not though

?

Does it matter if they are being used without the owner''s permission? I would think that is bad enough

 

[all.of.the.above]

Wow. This is an interesting debacle.

 

[pyramid]

Date: 2/25/2009 7:25:44 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 2/25/2009 7:20:36 AM
Author: Pyramid

Are images enhanced or not though

?

Does it matter if they are being used without the owner''s permission? I would think that is bad enough

Yes I know what your mean, I was just wondering because James Allen said he knew they had not enhanced the pictures, however Storm seems sure they have been altered.

 

[elle_chris]

WOW

I''m curious to know how Union Diamond got a hold of those pics? Also, who has the stone now?

 

[Ellen]

Some clarity here would be nice.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/25/2009 1:18:42 PM
Author: Ellen
Some clarity here would be nice.

Indeed.

 

[UnionDiamond]

Hello Jim,

It’s hard to believe it’s been over ten years already. Thank you for your kind words and your candor. It’s a breath of fresh air to see that competitors can be respectful, cordial and not take advantage of a situation such as this for gain. I agree that companies like yours, and ours, are out there to help consumers and lead them in the proper direction, all the while, doing it with honestly and integrity.

I would, however, like to clear up one point with regard to using your photos: The one I shared with my customer came directly from the vendor themselves and not your site. I or my staff would never intentionally take a picture from your site to share with a customer and if I found out something like that was happening, I would put an immediate stop to it. In fact, you do not appear to sell K color stones so there would be no place for me to find it on your site.

Now, I did however intentionally post three of your images to this thread. I wanted to make the point that all the images have this type of pattern to one degree or another and the other examples were taken by a first rate and credible company such as James Allen. At no time did I intend to represent that these images were mine. These three were never, ever shared with the customer. I merely used them like so many other users on Pricescope, as a reference. Because of your high standing in the Pricescope community, I made the assumption that their authenticity would not be challenged. If this offended you, please accept my sincere apologies. It will not happen again and if you wish to discuss it further, please feel free to give me a call at any time.

I congratulate you as well on the success of your company and look forward to the continued friendly competition.

Best Regards,

Scott

 

[YoungPapa]

Scott,

Thank you for your posting. I''m glad we had a chance to speak by phone and bring closure to this issue. I accept your explanation, apology and commitment to ensuring that none of your staff use our images. I will also remind our vendors that any image taken with our camera system is for the exclusive use of JamesAllen.

All the best,

 

[RBsearch]

This issue actually raises some important questions for me about how people (including me) use this site. Especially in the "RockyTalky" forum, it is very common for people to post photos of diamonds provided by the retailer in order to solicit opinions and advice prior to buying. Is this OK to do? It''s not as if they are representing the photos as their own work, but also they have probably not obtained the retailer''s consent (and often don''t even cite the retailer at all, often for fear of a lurker going out and snatching it out from under them). Any thoughts or suggestions on this?

 

[strmrdr]

Upon further review and much discussion which is why I haven''t posted to this thread in a while.
There is something on the diamond in the area in biggest question that is causing part of the problem in that area.
With the new information coming to light I can not be 100% sure how much editing was done.
I cant say that none was in 100% certainly but I can''t say that extensive editing to the point of tar and feathers was done either.
Since I believe in being 100% transparency I am letting everyone know what is going on.
As always I acted in the best interest of my fellow consumers to the best of my ability with the information available at the time.
When new information is available I am also willing to change course and if need be post a correction.

That is where everything stands at this point.

 

[strmrdr]

My understanding of the image ownership situation is that the wholesale side of JA provides images to vendors who are considering their diamonds. The same images on JA's website.
Those are supposed to be for internal use only and not passed on to clients except by JA on their website to JA clients.

I hope this clears up everything in this thread.

 

[LovesAllDiamonds!]

Well, as the original poster, I figured I would give my rationale.

I thought that I was allowed to post photos of diamonds I received through PS vendors on the the RockyTalky forum-- while I never asked permission (maybe I should have!) I figured it was ok since there are so many other threads similar to mine, where someone asks:

"what do you think of these diamond specs?"

and the response is "sounds good, but we need to see a picture"...

and then the original poster requests a photo from the vendor and posts it.

From so many other threads like this, I assumed what I was doing was completely fine. I feel bad since it was my first diamond inquiry ever and now I am confused whether I am in the wrong.
I wanted to start seeing examples of K-colored diamonds that are for sale, to see if I would be comfortable with the warmth.It was my first attempt at really looking for a diamond I would like, and needed some outside opinions. Collectively the PS community has such a wealth of knowledge, and I figured it would be a great way to hear multiple perspectives about the diamond, not just from the seller.

I am sorry that I created a photo conflict!

-LovesAllDiamonds

 

[Skippy123]

Lovesalldiamonds, you didn't do anything wrong. Actually one vendor asked me not to share pics and I agreed but he told me before hand though.

 

[YoungPapa]

Date: 2/25/2009 3:06:25 PM
Author: RBsearch
This issue actually raises some important questions for me about how people (including me) use this site. Especially in the ''RockyTalky'' forum, it is very common for people to post photos of diamonds provided by the retailer in order to solicit opinions and advice prior to buying. Is this OK to do? It''s not as if they are representing the photos as their own work, but also they have probably not obtained the retailer''s consent (and often don''t even cite the retailer at all, often for fear of a lurker going out and snatching it out from under them). Any thoughts or suggestions on this?

RB,

I don''t think any vendor on this board has a problem with consumers taking images and posting them on PS for review and comment. After all, those discussions often lead to sales!

The problem occurs when one company takes the intellectual property of another and calls it their own. This problem isn''t isolated to pictures of diamonds. Ask Whiteflash how many times people have taken the WF H&A illustrations/tutorials and copy/pasted them onto their own websites. Look around the internet and you''ll see just about every ring BlueNile manufactures listed on mom-and-pop websites, all without consent. People wouldn''t even consider walking into a grocery store and stealing food off the shelves, but taking the text/imagery/design from another website and calling it your own is an unfortunate reality.

LovesAllDiamonds - I wouldn''t feel bad at all about this. I''m sure Union can get additional photo''s of that diamond and the PS community is ready and waiting to help determine if it''s a winner...

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 2/25/2009 8:04:43 PM
Author: LovesAllDiamonds!
Well, as the original poster, I figured I would give my rationale.

I thought that I was allowed to post photos of diamonds I received through PS vendors on the the RockyTalky forum-- while I never asked permission (maybe I should have!) I figured it was ok since there are so many other threads similar to mine, where someone asks:

''what do you think of these diamond specs?''

and the response is ''sounds good, but we need to see a picture''...

and then the original poster requests a photo from the vendor and posts it.

From so many other threads like this, I assumed what I was doing was completely fine. I feel bad since it was my first diamond inquiry ever and now I am confused whether I am in the wrong.
I wanted to start seeing examples of K-colored diamonds that are for sale, to see if I would be comfortable with the warmth.It was my first attempt at really looking for a diamond I would like, and needed some outside opinions. Collectively the PS community has such a wealth of knowledge, and I figured it would be a great way to hear multiple perspectives about the diamond, not just from the seller.

I am sorry that I created a photo conflict!

-LovesAllDiamonds

LAD you did nothing wrong - but your request for advice got thrown out with the bay and bathwater. Sorry about that.

One of the things you will note is the areas just inside the table on many fancy cuts shows up more colour. The difference between a well cut round and most cushions is the cushions will face up as if they are 2-4 coulr grades closer to Z.

This might make you happy if you like to see the color - but it makes many unhappy.
Hope that helps a bit.

Re Jim and Scott

seems the guys with the loan camera could do with a cleaner environment. a few stones that I have seen seem to have a lot of dust on them. I suspect someone had taken the photo near days end - the one that caused the kerfuffle - and was about to send it to Scott when they thought "oops, dust on stone, stone is in safe, I will just photoshop the dust off and no one will be any the wiser".

But then along came Jones (I mean storm) .................. big tall Jones ........................
anyone old enough to remeber that song?