What a relief!

Lance:

I thank and commend you for stance on ads. I too think they have
monopolized too much time and space on this forum which you
started as a “How To” exchange for jewelry people.
While I am a professional faceter and repair gemstones for a
living I resent the 4 or 5 people who feel they have Carte
Blanche on orchid with daily hawking of their pea size gravel
that normally would (should) be sold to cheap cutting centers in
Asia. My personal experience has been that the three times I
succumed into ordering, I had to turn the orders back because
they were not even close to what I had expected. When I was told
the average size was three carats I assumed that there would be
some larger stones, fat chance. One can not make any money on
cutting three carat rough stones in this country, not when you
can buy them already cut for $1.00 to $5.00/carat. For those who
feel that the ads contribute to orchid, I ask you how? Do the
prices offered on small size rough have any meaning? Not to
those who have to make a living selling and cutting finished
stones. I apologize for being so long winded but I am happy that
we will be going back to an exchange of type of forum
and goodbye to all the P.T. Barnums of this forum. Ed Katz, G.G.