Quote:
Originally Posted by Chorlton
I think if you watch and listen, Gems don't pretend that the 'start' price is the actual value of the item, it's just a figure to start from.
My wife and daughter have bought quite a lot from them and the prices are much cheaper (like for like) than the high street jewellers.
Some jewellers comment how good an article is until they know it's from Gems and then they go all quiet, and some won't even value a Gems item.
I'm not saying everthing is a bargain, but they are there to be had if you know what you want and what you're doing.
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With my wife being in the Jewellery industry, I can give a little insider knowledge on this:-
The reasons that are generally given by Jewellers who don't value or repair items from Gem's TV are
i/ the metal is usually porous, has air pockets and is generally not cast to a high standard.
ii/ the settings are often not adequate for the stones, which often causes stones to fall out when a ring is being sized (and there's been many a time when Gems tv have actually televised items with missing stones).
iii/ the stones that are used are given obscure names (and classed as exclusives). These stones are unheard of in other parts of the jewellery industry. These stones are "made" by gaining a poor grade of stone, (or the matrix in which it was grown in), and heated / treated / goodness knows what else to alter the physical and optical properties of the stone. This causes Valuers and Repaires to waste a lot of man hours determining the origin and type of the stone, normally for what turns out to be a cheap item.
it is acceptable in the Jewellery business to heat treat to improve the quality or colour, but not to alter it to render the stone unrecognisable in order to give it a different name.
in general the finishing prices on Gem's TV are what you you would expect to pay for a Good quality item of the same type on the high street. Problem is Gem's tv products aren't as good quality.