Enhanced, Plated, Irradiated, and Lab Created: What Jewelry Vendors Don’t Want You to Know
Don't Buy Jewelry Without Reading My Book
Enhanced, Plated, Irradiated, and Lab Created: What Jewelry Vendors Don’t Want You to Know
By Lynn M. Wilde, jewelry and gem enthusiast, with contributions,
corrections and the encouragement of Craig Hemphill, certified appraiser © Lynn
M Wilde 2010, all rights reserved, is an extension of my article on buying gems and jewelry already posted.
Buy on WWW.Payloadz.com. search in "store" by title, $12.
WARNING: Protect Your Wallet; Read this Book
Can You Buy Gems and Jewelry with Confidence? You can if you can answer the following questions.
If not, don’t buy expensive gems and jewelry without reading my book…
Why is fine jewelry so expensive?
What are the important dos and don’t for buying jewelry?
What is the normal retail mark up?
How can you get the best deals?
How can you tell easily tell the authenticity of set diamonds and the clarity of stones? Which 2, low cost tools should you bring with you to shop?
When should you get a certificate from a lab, which labs; what information will a certificate include?
Why should you buy from a local, independent jewelry store?
Should you buy 10K gold jewelry with treated or simulated gems?
What is the legal definition of gold for jewelry in the U.S.A.?
What does solid gold actually mean?
Should you buy gold plated jewelry?
So what’s wrong with enhanced gems?
What are gem “enhancements” and how do they affect the value of gems and jewelry?
What was the original value of an item marked down 70%? Is this a good markdown price?
Can you trust major department stores to be offering good jewelry values and selling quality items?
Which major TV jewelry vendor and department store are under lawsuits for fraud in failing to disclose gem treatments and selling treated gems as natural, untreated stones?
What is a fissure filled ruby, and should you buy one?
For how much can you sell gold jewelry?
How can you get the most money when selling gold?
Should you sell to gold buyers, local stores and pawnshops?
“This jewelry is an investment.” Should you believe this statement from a TV show host, and should you invest in gold?
What do you know about diamonds and diamond treatments? How do treatments affect value? Blue, pink and yellow diamonds?
What do you need to know about diamond clarity, color and settings?
I say that today there are 5 Cs; do you know why?
Which stones naturally show rainbow colors and why is this important?
Should you buy black diamonds? What is spinel, and why should you care?
What is the difference between diamond simulants and synthetics?
Should you get an “arrows and hearts” cut diamond and what will you pay for it?
Which colored stones are usually not available in chain jewelry stores, why do I care, and where can I get them?
What are the top colors in each type of colored stone? Why is color so important?
What is a natural gem and why is this important?
Why are untreated gems valuable? “99.9999% of stones are enhanced.” Should you believe this and what does it mean?
Will E-bay and PayPal protect the buyer 100%?
How will your credit card or bank protect you?
What can you expect in the area of protection and veracity from TV vendors?
What ploys do TV vendors use? (think of used car salesman)
Can your jewelry kill or harm you or your child?
It’s “top gem, world class,” it must be the best, right?
What stories do you have about buying gems and jewelry? Do you want to profit from mine?
When my husband and I were in Bogotá, Colombia in 1977 we went shopping for an emerald. There seem to be none of quality available. Maybe the stores just don’t sell them to tourists. I knew very little about jewelry then and never found a good emerald there. Many years later we went to Tahiti. There I did find 2 black pearls, though not exactly matched. They work fine for earrings and were not expensive. I bought costume jewelry to enhance outfits, but never was interested in gems.
My father-in-law did lapidary as a hobby, so I had some cabochons of interesting stones from his efforts. When he died, my husband brought home his collection of polished cabochons and slabs of stones. One Christmas I decided to organize these in shadowboxes as a present for my husband and a way to remember his father. From this small start began my interest in gems, minerals, rocks and jewelry. Don’t start as I did, knowing nothing; get my book.
QVC and the Home Shopping Network caught my attention. I bought a gold bracelet. Then JTV, DSN, Caroline and the Internet became places to learn and dream of owning pretty gems and jewelry. Fortunately I have good money managing skills and impulse control; so I watched, listened, read books, talked to jewelers and learned. I did much more shopping than buying. I returned more fake and damaged items than I ever kept. My book will reveal tactics for successfully getting your money back from fraudulent sellers.
I met a geologist, Bob, and a jeweler/appraiser/auctioneer, Craig Lee Hemphill, at Contra Dances. During breaks I started asking them to comment on information I picked up watching the various gem and jewelry vendors on TV and on the Internet and reading. They both taught me about gems and minerals. You’ll learn some of what they taught me in my book.
Bad buying experiences involving fake stones and plated jewelry that was supposed to be solid gold, pushed me into wanting to help people avoid my mistakes. Listening to TV show hosts often lie about the quality and “list” prices of gems and jewelry got me mad. I’m a teacher by profession; so, it’s not a big jump to writing to educate consumers. I’ll tell you how to spot lies and get all your money back for fakes.
People tell me that I’m creative. What they really see is the artistic in me that I express in dress and adornment. Girlfriends ask my advice about colors, clothes, and jewelry. It’s fun to help people look better. Benefit from my advice in a section on buying for yourself and others.
I’ve gotten quite an education over the last 10 years. I want you to profit from what I’ve learned. My book can save you heartache and money. It can allow you to take control in buying situations.
