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lennyboy

Registered Shopper
Joined
Mar 13, 2023
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Did anyone notice that recently Gem Collector has shortened hours: 6-9pm?
Management and Steve have gone back on Price Promise guarantee and free ring sizing. So what will they cut next?
Has the good ship Gemporia sunk a little deeper into the waters of insolvency?
 
lennyboy said:
Did anyone notice that recently Gem Collector has shortened hours: 6-9pm?
Management and Steve have gone back on Price Promise guarantee and free ring sizing. So what will they cut next?
Has the good ship Gemporia sunk a little deeper into the waters of insolvency?
Click to expand...
I think that was only while Jim was covering on Gems, he is on tonight GC till 6-11pm
 
Drag this thread out of the ark ;) I see GC is no more on Sky / Freeview. Not that that bothers me, but yet another sign of the company's 'fall'? I think, to state the obvious, yes.
 
Ant7t said:
Drag this thread out of the ark ;) I see GC is no more on Sky / Freeview. Not that that bothers me, but yet another sign of the company's 'fall'? I think, to state the obvious, yes.
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When they're flogging stones for £30 that you cab get elsewhere for a fiver, its baffling how they can't afford to stay on TV.

GC is dying anyway in my opinion. I'll be surprised if its still with us in 12 months time.
 
TheManWithNoName said:
When they're flogging stones for £30 that you cab get elsewhere for a fiver, its baffling how they can't afford to stay on TV.

GC is dying anyway in my opinion. I'll be surprised if its still with us in 12 months time.
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I hate to sound naive, but having a love of gemstones, JM / Gemporia was my first foray into 'stone' shopping, so I haven't really ventured into other sites. I'm not that naive to know Gemporia is the ONLY seller, of course, but to see the group falling so swiftly, through their own doing for the most part oddly isn't a surprise, as I've said elsewhere. And unrelated to GC, as I'm here, two items I bought recently off Primal, 'said' they'd give a free book (who 'hates' free :p ) By rights I should have had two books. I have none. Not the end of the world, but still. IF they can offer the same over two days, it's not as though they'd run out. Sorry for the side line :p
 
Ant7t said:
I hate to sound naive, but having a love of gemstones, JM / Gemporia was my first foray into 'stone' shopping, so I haven't really ventured into other sites.
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Nothing naive about that. That was also how I started around 11 years ago. Their prices were reasonable then - and the quality was also there, so I bought the majority of my stones from them.

It's only the last 18 months or so where the prices have shot through the roof for fairly 'ordinary' stones - and the quality of the stones has been in decline a bit longer (too many treated stones that once offer in 'untreated' varieties - such as smoky quartz, golden beryl, hiddenite, etc).

Its VERY rare I buy from GC now. I've bought maybe once or twice in the last year.
 
It was interesting to hear Jim read out a comment from someone last night, something along the lines of "Thanks for showing that, Jim. The cutting looked ok". Gem Collector take note...!!!

I watched a large £5K Tanzanite spinning on the lazy Susan recently. The girdle was unevenly cut and thicker than I am about quantum physics. A shocker.
 
AndyW said:
It was interesting to hear Jim read out a comment from someone last night, something along the lines of "Thanks for showing that, Jim. The cutting looked ok". Gem Collector take note...!!!

I watched a large £5K Tanzanite spinning on the lazy Susan recently. The girdle was unevenly cut and thicker than I am about quantum physics. A shocker.
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Some of their Tanzanite cuts are shocking. The same applies to Paraiba Tourmaline.

I see so many windowed or fish-eyed Tanzanites and Paraibas with colour around the edges - but barely anything in the centre.

It baffles me how some of their cheap stones are REALLY well cut - yet the more expensive stones are awful.

I'm beginning to wonder if, in order to buy Tanzanite and Paraiba Tourmaline at a price they're willing to pay (ie, cheap enough to make big profits), they're buying inferior quality stones that nobody else wants for a 'good' price.
 
TheManWithNoName said:
It baffles me how some of their cheap stones are REALLY well cut - yet the more expensive stones are awful.
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Jim had a 9.04ct, 12.75mm square ametrine on last night. Quite nice, actually. It was concave cut on the pavilion, with a small circular table, wide crown (similar to the colour-capturing technique of a Portuguese cut) and a girdle as fine & sharp as it should be.

Trouble is, it was £70 or £80 (can't remember which now) and there were a few in the lot. I think that is about 40% more expensive than similar sold by Alex shortly before he left and, while the one on the lazy Susan was split well, I'd be nervous about being sent one that was mainly "ame-" and not very much "-trine".
 
AndyW said:
Jim had a 9.04ct, 12.75mm square ametrine on last night. Quite nice, actually. It was concave cut on the pavilion, with a small circular table, wide crown (similar to the colour-capturing technique of a Portuguese cut) and a girdle as fine & sharp as it should be.

Trouble is, it was £70 or £80 (can't remember which now) and there were a few in the lot. I think that is about 40% more expensive than similar sold by Alex shortly before he left and, while the one on the lazy Susan was split well, I'd be nervous about being sent one that was mainly "ame-" and not very much "-trine".
Click to expand...

It's scandalous at just how high their prices have jumped.

It's not as if they've done it progressively either. It seemed to be a sudden overnight change about 18 months ago.
 
TheManWithNoName said:
When they're flogging stones for £30 that you cab get elsewhere for a fiver, its baffling how they can't afford to stay on TV.

GC is dying anyway in my opinion. I'll be surprised if its still with us in 12 months time.
Click to expand...
I recently bought 2 rather expensive stones from GC. The Indicolite was chipped to hell when I received it and the AAA Tanzanite was a pathetic pale colour. Needless to say they both went back.
 
RedPhoenix said:
I recently bought 2 rather expensive stones from GC. The Indicolite was chipped to hell when I received it and the AAA Tanzanite was a pathetic pale colour. Needless to say they both went back.
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I didn't buy them, but there were at least two aquamarine, I think. Well, one was definitely and t'other was possibly. I was looking with one eye. One was commented as having a dint, on air. You could see it. And the other wasn't mentioned, but for a clear stone, a one off, I think, it had a 'scratch' that showed like it was under a magnifier. It kept looking at me. AKA, once I saw it all I could do was see it. Put me off, even if it was the only one. Don't think it was even described as refurb either.
 
They're selling 'Pappy Jasper' this hour.

How on earth can you trust the information on their certificated of authenticity, such as treatment information, when they can't even spell the name of POPPY JASPER correctly.

Does nobody proof read and check their details before the stones 'go live'?

Sheer incompetence.
 
TheManWithNoName said:
They're selling 'Pappy Jasper' this hour.

How on earth can you trust the information on their certificated of authenticity, such as treatment information, when they can't even spell the name of POPPY JASPER correctly.

Does nobody proof read and check their details before the stones 'go live'?

Sheer incompetence.
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I have to say, and this goes way back. As you say, between Gemporia, JM et al, they definitely NEED a proof reader, or someone at the very least with a minimum level in English CSE GCSE and any others that 'fit' the modern era. No, I won't mention the 11+. I'm not that old ;)
 
Ant7t said:
I have to say, and this goes way back. As you say, between Gemporia, JM et al, they definitely NEED a proof reader, or someone at the very least with a minimum level in English CSE GCSE and any others that 'fit' the modern era. No, I won't mention the 11+. I'm not that old ;)
Click to expand...

At the prices Gem Collector are charging, they should be able to afford an entire team of proof readers.
 
TheManWithNoName said:
At the prices Gem Collector are charging, they should be able to afford an entire team of proof readers.
Click to expand...
That's my 'ex-printer' coming out. It REALLY bugs me when I see things that are so obvious. I even 'had' to visualise the keyboard in my head :p For goodness sake, the 'O' is next to the 'P'. The 'A' is at the other end of the row, on the next row down. (I know you know, I'm demonstrating ;) ) How can you go from a P to an A when the next letter in the word is all but 'kissing' the P, it's that close. Don't mind me and my mini soap box / OCD moment :p
 

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