Truth in advertising

Jewelry Discussion
1

I know this has been discussed before on Orchid, but recently it
seems as if the advertising of jewelry and gemstones on TV, has become
even more blatant in misleading and downright false statements
regarding their products.

Tuned into one of the stations that advertise jewelry and gemstones,
and the woman was hawking a stone called “zandrite.” She raved about
its rarity and ability to change color. It was suspiciously
inexpensive, $10, for a10 mm round stone.

Never heard of “zandrite,” so I looked it up and found that it is a
synthetic. Yet never once was this mentioned by the woman who was
extolling its clarity, its being calibrated, and its rarity.

What ever happened to “truth in advertising?” I did check it out on
their website, and at least there, they do state that it is a
"simulant." However this was not mentioned on the TV. As many people
will order it over their 800 number which is listed on the TV
program, I wonder how many will be aware that they are not purchasing
a genuine gemstone?

It is appalling how many of these TV jewelry programs mislead the
public. They will offer a piece of jewelry and in large print on the
screen, it says " genune18K gold." Then, further down on the screen,
in small letters, it will say “overlay,” which to me means plated.

One was proclaiming the excellence of the material of the piece she
was selling as being “highest quality, solid genuine 18K gold
overlay.” Now what does that mean?

Another stated that the ring she was selling was the" purest,
highest form of 14K gold." Does this mean that any other 14K gold
would be inferior?

Of course the one that was the most ridiculous was the person who
advertised a ring as having a “genuine synthetic ruby,” Well at
least she used the word “synthetic,”

Alma Rands

2

when they make statements like the highest quality purest 14karat
gold, its because they know nothing about nor do they have to the
process or materials…often they are reading a teleprompter,
although some i have observed are winging it totally (because their
literally stupid statements and lingo give it away)… Most of the JTv
or ads hire mainstream looking people with no actual jewelry
knowledge as salespeople- menaing those that got an associate of
sales degree from DeVry or University of nothing useful…It is
intended to mislead, like the cross with a magnifying quartz cap with
some prayer under it - "that will surely become a treasured heirloom"
Please! it won’t even be silver coloured next year!..

Zandrite isthe registered trademark, for a legal syntheetic designed
to aand intended to represent alexandrite- I saw it at leasst 4 years
ago at the wworld trade centern, and maybe before that in the
National Jewlers News dailys…THe FTC won’t do anything about it
because of the fine print they apply to the bottom of the screen…and
the people that get sucked in don’t really care about the quality of
the stuff, or they wouldn’t spend the 3 payments of 39.95!thinking
they are getting a gorgeous piece of jewelry that has some magical
colour change stone.

People that want quality jewelry and invest in it don’t buy it off of
a TV commercial and can recognize scams…the people that do are
sending in their gold to Cash4Gold type companies that are springing
up- as anyone can buy an electromelt furrnace and do that type of
business from a garage with a paypal account a POS credit station and
a wire for ACH transfers…, or contract refining with a truly
reeputable company-if not opening an account with a reputable company
under a false or d.b.a corp…I’m thinking Hoover and Strong is not
contracting with those cash4gold and totally unethical companies that
are doling out.ridiculously low payouts. to do their refining knowing
the prrofit they are generating by ripping off the uneducated, sheep
herd type public that hear buzz terms like:safe facility,and we’ll
even send you a free envelope and pay the postage for your mismatched
and old gold.(.isn’t all gold old!) and get cash the next day (the
same people are willing to give these people theri full banking info
to get a wired and fast transfer of money then wonder why their
identity has been compromised).

Yes its frustrating, but the zandrite and mystic topaz and lucky
stone and rainbow calsilica (that’s the one that gets me !) sellers
are legally covering their arses…and the sheep eat it up…

rer

3

The television stations that sell jewelry routinely push the limits
on full disclosure, but they have been taken to task a few times so
they do actually disclose. Yes, you have to listen, and look,
extremely carefully, and yes, many laymen are completely fooled by
what they are doing. Not much you can do about it. You can always
complain to the JVC, but as long as they put the disclosure somewhere
there isn’t much they can do about it either. Unfortunately, when the
economy is not doing so well (especially at the lower end which seems
to have been impacted a lot in the current downturn), places that
thrive on sales from lower income people tend to hurt more so they’ll
push the limits as much as they can. All you can do is try to educate
your own clientele, and hope not too much of the junk sold on TV
comes into your shop for repair because then you have to tell the
people exactly how they’ve been ripped off.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC

4 
Never heard of "zandrite," so I looked it up and found that it is
a synthetic. Yet never once was this mentioned by the woman who was
extolling its clarity, its being calibrated, and its rarity.

It’s not even a synthetic, in the gem-selling sense. It’s just a
glass, worth maybe ten cents a carat or less in the rough. “Laser
glass” is available in a wide range of colors, some with color
change.

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

5

Reading the comments i wonder if the public at large is suffering
form whatever that twisted psycholgical syndrome that exists between
victims and abusers where victims identify and side up with thier
own abusers. In this context the abusers being the jewelry buying
public and the abusers being those afore mentioned promising
happiness from all the overpriced junk sold as jewelry.

Two days ago i had to tell a young couple the so called lab created
diamond engagement ring the young man purchased online was really not
a diamond. i apologized for being the pin stuck into thier ballon fo
happiness but if i were to accept the item for sizing i had to
disclose the truth about thier item because of liability issues for
both of us, they got angry and left,all i can say is i dread these
types of situations,

best regards
goo

6 
Laser glass.

Correct me if I am wrong (I know someone will!), but wasn’t the
original laser made from a ruby boule? If so, wouldn’t synthetic ruby
be the true “Laser Glass”? Naw, that wouldn’t fit in with marketing
artistic license would it.

Hmmm. where does all this trivia come from?

Mike DeBurgh, GJG
Henderson, NV

7 
Reading the comments i wonder if the public at large is suffering
form whatever that twisted psycholgical syndrome that exists
between victims and abusers where victims identify and side up with
thier own abusers.

OOOPs a little typo on my part in the last post i meant to refer to
the jewelry buying public as the abused. my apologies - goo

8 
Correct me if I am wrong (I know someone will!), but wasn't the
original laser made from a ruby boule?

It was, indeed.

If so, wouldn't synthetic ruby be the true "Laser Glass"?

No, it was Laser Ruby. A crystal, not a glass. The use of doped
glasses came later. Other materials are used as well, the one best
known to jewelers is probably YAG.

Naw, that wouldn't fit in with marketing artistic license would it.

Hmmm. where does all this trivia come from?

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

9

Oak Ridge, (Atomic Energy Commission) in Tennessee synthesized the
ruby in the early to mid 1950’s. It started from a liquid and was
"Grown" as we know it today. That was done in the same building as
where the “Atomic Reactor” was and I was young then and was allowed
to go inside with my dad on Saturdays and he would put me in one spot
while he did what he had to do and I would watch this reactor slowly
change colours very deep in a clear water cylinder pool.

I should have started the word “Awesome”. I grew to be a Nuclear &
Weapons Disposal Technician for government and military. I’am sorry,
I got off the track of “Ruby” and “YAG” is not the same.

Stephen Wyrick, CMBJ
Gemmologist

10 
Oak Ridge, (Atomic Energy Commission) in Tennessee synthesized the
ruby in the early to mid 1950's. It started from a liquid and was
"Grown" as we know it today.

I do not know if you mean some particular type of a process, but in
general corundum was synthesized in the end of 19th century.

Leonid Surpin

11 
I do not know if you mean some particular type of a process, but
in general corundum was synthesized in the end of 19th century.

1837, Gaudin made the first synthetic ruby. Verneuil went commercial
in 1903, and his process is still used.

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ