Does anyone feel the same as me? gems has lost its sparkle

[persianglitter]

Hello, i joined this forum site back in march 2009, and i have been reading all your comments; and i just wanted to ask you, if you feel the same as me, i was an avid gems tv buyer and watcher - but now i hardly watch, as the last few times i had tuned in, things seemed uncomfortable for the presenters - i am just confused as to why they are now selling the handbags, and trinkets and the moissanite (as i remember sometime ago someone sent in a email asking about moissanite - and the presenter said basically it was man made akin to cubic zirconia) and now they are selling it!! I havent bought any jewellery from them since february 2009, i ordered 2 rings, one had to go back as the stone fell out of its setting, and the other, i dont wear and i should have sent it back, its a brazilian fire opal, six trillaint cut stones, 5 are crystal clear, and one, which sticks out like a sore thumb is opaque. I also ordered some citrine and tigers eye earrings, and the citrine was cracked all the way through, i asked for a replacement, but got my money back!

I watched gems today, and the sparkle has gone, they seem to be flagging - and i have lost my enthusiasm for their jewellery, does any one else think that the party that was gems tv is nearly over - i wouldnt want to wish it on them at all - its just that they dont seem to be the same as they were several months ago (please dont hate me):12:just wanted to know if it was just me, or if anyone else has picked up on this

 

[Klosblue]

Persianglitter

I think almost everyone here would agree with you - Gems just isn't what it used to be. It all seemed to go downhill when Steve left. I've just checked and I haven't ordered since July 2008! Like many others, I used to spend a fortune on an almost weekly basis so it's really sad to see them on the slippery slope to what I think will be their ultimate demise.

With regards to them selling Moissanite - you've probably seen my posts and will know from them that I own and love Moissanite but I actually don't believe Gems should be selling it purely because they've been constantly dissing created gemstones and to now be selling one (irrespective of the fact that it is in a different class from other created stones), is in my opinion completely hypocritical!

 

[jacqualina]

Welcome to the forum Persianglitter and, yes, they lost their sparkle a long time ago. If you trawl through past posts, you'll see that many members agree with you.

 

[Rozzy]

I agree, the fun has gone out of it. It's gone way downhill imho. It's a shame because there was a great atmosphere before:2:

 

[Beady Belle]

:welcome: Persianglitter!!

You're not alone. In fact, if you could go back a couple of years (there was a crash and the data was lost), you will have seen that many of us used to post on a weekly basis the goodies we received from Gems. I used to watch avidly, it was always on in the background, and I was constantly tempted to buy.

I only ever returned one piece because it was dire, and a couple of pieces because they didn't suit.

As the others have said, Gems hasn't been the same since Steve Ashton left, and as for selling brass fairies and pens - sorry not interested, it's called GEMS TV, they should stick to what they know.

I have bought a couple of pieces lately, a diamond 'kiss' ring and a pendant, which I love, but my spending over the last 18 months has dropped to almost nil.

I still think they have the odd nice piece, and I do switch on now and again, but I don't spend hours watching like I used to - just as well really, I was getting nothing done around the house :lol:

:doggie:

 

[persianglitter]

does any one feel the same as me

Mad4Gems, Rozzy, Jaqualina and Klosblue, many thanks for your comments, and for the lovely welcome; deeply appreciated. And i feel a whole lot better now, as i thought it was just me, huge relief to know that other people are feeling the same as me. Thanks:1:

 

[argeybargey]

When you do your shopping via the telly, it is reasonable to expect to be entertained at the same time. Unlike a shop or internet sites where you can browse everything available, and then make a decision quickly, good shopping telly is much more leisurely. You can only see one piece at a time and, in the case of Gems, you have no idea what's coming to grab your attention. This being the case, to keep you they need to entertain you as well. Up until a year or so ago, Gems managed this very well with its humorous presenters and general sense of fun tinged with the excitement of a possible bargain.

I have accepted and now forgiven the divergence, as I imagine jewellery alone is not on the top of most people's shopping lists just now. The brief glitch in the customer services seems to have been rectified, but sadly the sales techniques have gone right downhill. I don't want somebody shrieking buy, buy, buy at me, and telling me a lot of absolute technical garbage, instead of the well educated and trained, fun presenters we used to have. They may be the same people, but how they present is closer to the fish markets than a jewellery establishment.

If they want us to remain watching, and therefore buying, we need to be both amused and tempted. Once upon a time Gems got every bit of my jewellery spend, now it is scattered. I still have an affection for Gems as I have had much entertainment and some very beautiful pieces at fair prices, but this affection is waning fast due to the heavy sell and patronising attitudes that are now being demonstrated.

I think the quietness of this forum speaks volumes. It used to be one of the most lively with folk exchanging pics and asking advice of one another.

<a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253Fpartner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNxpt484YYGB%2526i%253D4%252F4%255F9%255F8%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_9_8.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252Fnocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egif%253Fi%253D4%252F4_9_8%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a> Argey xx (Why say one word when 50 will do)

PS So sorry Persianglitter, hi and welcome - lol.

 

[SUPERCOOLWILLOW]

hi Persianglitter and a very warm welcome to the forum

 

[tequila]

welcome to the forum Like everyone else i too spent many hours a day glued to gems it was fun you could texted in and interact with the presenters and buy GOOD bling at GOOD prices my friend and i even spent a day at the Gems studio and i had never been to any place where so many people enjoyed their work we watched the show live and even had the presenters telling viewers we were there it was brill.i can remember one evening Scot asking for you to text in what you were wearing whilst watching i text in i was cuddled up with a basque stockings and suspenders the look on his face was a treat he then ask to text in what you were eating whilst watching so i answered that whilstcuddled up under my nice warm blankie in my stockings etc i was eating hot crumpets oozing with butter and dripping with melted cheese i thought he was going to have a heart attack it was so funny but that is how it was now i dont buy much had several items arrive withstones already missing or that came out on first wear although i give their CS their due i never had any probs with refunds or replacements:34:

 

[fluff]

to the forum persianglitter.

I've just about lost all interest in Gems. I rarely watch these days because there are only a couple of presenters I can stand for more than a couple of minutes and a lot of the stuff they're trying to sell is truly awful. I can't even be bothered to check out the web auctions because of the ridiculous colour enhanced photos. I've bought one item in the last year ... at one time I watched far too much (especially when Steve Ashton was on ) and the delivery van rolled up at least once a week. There were pages of reviews on here as we described and showed off our latest purchases. Now threads are few and far between and most posts are negative.

Has Gems lost its sparkle ... Yes!
Has Gems lost its way ... Yes!
Will I buy from Gems again? ... Probably not!

 

[PearlyQueen]

Hello and welcome Persianglitter!
I have to completely agree with you, the sparkle has long gone.
Unlike most, I never really watched Gems as I'm Freeview only and their time there has been very limited, so I can't really comment on the change in presenting style, but I was one of those mentioned above who'd end up with 2 huge deliveries a month, posting pics and raving about the bling.
My spending has tailed off a lot with Gems now, though I did have an order last month. It was only because someone else posted a link here to something I felt I just HAD to own though, and it had been a long time since I'd ordered before that.
Sadly I find that the Timed Auctions have been a real turn-off for me, the prices seem to be far higher now and I'm a bit bored by what's on offer. The colour enhanced web pics are also dreadful, you have no idea what you're going to get in real life any more.
I guess in fairness I have a lot to thank the Gems of the past for, I own some gorgeous things I'd never have dreamt of before I found them. For a while I thought I was just a bit "blinged out", but the launch of Rocks TV found me spending as much as I ever did with Gems, so it must be them, not me!
This month's 15% discount weekend wasn't enough to even get me to trawl through the website let alone buy, and I'm guessing my birthday voucher will be equally unused. Such a shame, but I guess life moves on.
I'm not saying I'll never go back, but I suspect it will take another linky to something stunning on here to make me look.

 

[Sacha]

Imho.........

Welcome back Persianglitter, I remember you posting on here earlier.

You ask a fair question and the consensus of opinion agrees with you. However I'm going to buck the trend as I have always been and still am very pleased with the pieces I buy from Gems. If I didn't like them or they didn't fit I returned the items and the jewellery
I've kept has stayed looking pristine with no lost stones or dodgy metalwork.

I've not really taken to the competitor channels as others on here may have done and so my allegiance has remained with GemsTV. Unfortunately, losing Steve Ashton seems to have caused long term reverberations and more recently I regret the departures of
Craig Rook and Derek Marks, both of whom I really enjoyed watching. But I'm still happy to watch some of the current presenters of the 'old guard' and if they have something to show me that I really like and above all is at a 'good' price......then I'll take a look at it.

We no longer have the bling threads we used to have as the major buyers have moved away and to be fair there have been so
many negative threads on here in the past year, there is little incentive for folks to post their new acquisitions.........its all too
likely that they could be met with apathy or disinterest.

Also I've kept quiet on threads reviling GTV for selling goods other than gemstone jewellery.......it doesn't bother me that they have done this. We're in a recession - and to survive firms have to diversify....regardless of what may have been stated on air in the past. They didn't see this sorry state of affairs coming....none of us did! There are more important things to be concerned about in this day and age than what exact products GemsTV are selling at any one moment in time.

 

[gemcherub]

Welcome to the forum Persianglitter i couldn't agree more with what you have said i last bought in November 08 although if i'm completely honest i have been more in favor of TJC for a long time now as i much prefer the heavier gold weights and large accent diamonds, but now for me Gems has lost the plot i don't tune in to a jewellery channel for bags, pens and iron fairies!

 

[Pinkpussycat]

Great post Sacha and I have to say I more or less agree with everything you have said, which is fab cos now I don't have to think what to post and can go and get me dinner. I still must point out though that I have bought some gorgeous pieces from Gems over the last 4+ years and still occasionally place an order, although not on the huge scale that I used to, but that is more to do with financial constraints because I needed to spend a lot on my house and also because I don't actually need any more bling. The loss of Steve was the greatest blow imo and Tony Poole leaving was a great shame too. I know that Tony is 'elsewhere' now but I really don't like that company's jewellery or their presenting so my alliegance is still with Gems, albeit on a much reduced scale. Anyway a big welcome from me to Persianglitter and I'll shut up now cos I'm starving. :YIKES: PC:

 

[PandaBear]

Welcome to the forum persianglitter:1:
yes I also think Gemstv has changed dramatically from what it was like 4 years ago, I know companies have to change to continue but some of the changes are in the wrong direction imo, like alot of others of said on here I also use to order every month from gems now it's just now and then - the odd piece of jewellery i.e for a present, also think alot of the fun has gone out of the presenting style and prices seem so much higher now, think when Steve A left things started to go downhill imo and don't watch anywhere near like I use to think it's all a bit sad really:2:

 

[Ballerina]

Hello and welcome!

I think we can all agree with your sentiments and say a resounding "Join the Club!" Gems have lost their way and sadly, have been in decline for quite a while. I last bought from them in November 2007 and am not even tempted with anything they are showing these days. I do sometimes watch the channel, with perhaps a glimmer of hope that I will buy myself something but alas, not so far.

Anyway, nice to read your post and look forward to many more - it's a nice crowd here!

Inge xx

 

[argeybargey]

Welcome back Persianglitter, I remember you posting on here earlier.

You ask a fair question and the consensus of opinion agrees with you. However I'm going to buck the trend as I have always been and still am very pleased with the pieces I buy from Gems. If I didn't like them or they didn't fit I returned the items and the jewellery
I've kept has stayed looking pristine with no lost stones or dodgy metalwork.

I've not really taken to the competitor channels as others on here may have done and so my allegiance has remained with GemsTV. Unfortunately, losing Steve Ashton seems to have caused long term reverberations and more recently I regret the departures of
Craig Rook and Derek Marks, both of whom I really enjoyed watching. But I'm still happy to watch some of the current presenters of the 'old guard' and if they have something to show me that I really like and above all is at a 'good' price......then I'll take a look at it.

We no longer have the bling threads we used to have as the major buyers have moved away and to be fair there have been so
many negative threads on here in the past year, there is little incentive for folks to post their new acquisitions.........its all too
likely that they could be met with apathy or disinterest.

Also I've kept quiet on threads reviling GTV for selling goods other than gemstone jewellery.......it doesn't bother me that they have done this. We're in a recession - and to survive firms have to diversify....regardless of what may have been stated on air in the past. They didn't see this sorry state of affairs coming....none of us did! There are more important things to be concerned about in this day and age than what exact products GemsTV are selling at any one moment in time.

I think this is a large part of the problem Sacha, a great deal of what they stated "in the past", continues. Gems has had to move on but their patter hasn't changed. Same old stock phrases and VT's, and I think it is this that makes people angry.

Although I can't do photos, I still add links when I want to show off a purchase or get second opinions, and get a good response to these, so I think the dying forum is not down to apathy or disinterest in the forum, but rather the channel.

I really do think that their sales methods need looking at and of course there "are more important things ........ ". Since most of us watch this type of programming to escape those things I'm not sure this is a fair criticism as it could be aimed virtually at any lightweight issue.

I too have been happy with my purchases and have had no quality issues with retained items. Just last month I bagged several goodies and posted about them here. However, it is also important to state what, if anything, we find unsatisfactory as this is also to the benefit of Gems (I know for certain this forum is read). If their sales pitch is chasing customers off in droves they must surely need to know that, probably more than we need to vent our frustrations.

Argey xx

 

[Klosblue]

I'd just like to add to my previous post to say that everything I kept that I bought from Gems in the past is still looking as good as it did the day I got it. No lost stones or anything. It's only fair that I say this as although I can moan for Scotland I also believe in praise where praise is due.

 

[MissMagpie]

IMO, one of the things that really lets Gems down is that a lot of their designs are pretty clunky. That was always the case - in fact they've got better - but once upon a time they at least were giving us fabulous gemstones (that we couldn't get anywhere else) at amazing prices in the clunky settings.

Now there is more competition, with better designs on Rocks & Co (although their prices are now mostly ridiculous) and better prices - along with a fun, relaxed presenting style and truly personal customer service - on Rocks TV. TJC seem to have upped their game, too.

I have recently bought a few "Victoria" pieces from Gems - still as lovely as they have ever been - but I don't buy much else from them these days.

 

[catz]

I too used to buy and watch Gems tv a lot. No longer to OH's relief although I have discovered - and love Rocks tv (although I must admit I have to feel strong to watch acouple of their presenters).

I rarely watch Gems these days - and stopped before they began diversifying - as IMAO it is about as entertaining as watching paint dry these days. When I do watch, all the life and fun seem to have gone out of the presenters as well as their individuality - it is as if they are carefully scripted in order to be bland and interchangeable.

I too used to have regular deliveries but have only purchased two items in the last 9 months - both of which I must say I am very happy with both the quality and price. Thus for me, the change in presenting style has had a big effect along with, again personal opinion, the greatly increased prices and increasingly boring or outlandish designs.

I would just add that iron fairies, bags, scarves, pens, fake jewellery (Pilgrim range) and fake gems (however gorgeous and upmarket they may or may not be) are most certainly not the way to entice me back as a regular customer.