FURIOUS! Coincidence? I think not.

[Tabs]

Oh dear you are all very suspicious. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and felt compelled to say something after reading ALL of this thread.

I have bought 4 items from Rocks after I discovered them on Freeview a few months back. After a few weeks, they promptly disappeared, which was quite a relief in some ways, as I(like you), find the majority of the persenters insufferable.

The items I recieved were acceptable, and I didn't spend huge amount on any of them, but just fancied adding a few new stones to my small collection. Gemstones have always fascinated me, and if I had the funds, I would have almost every one!

I certainly don't work for Rocks, indeed I can't work at all, due to over twenty years of serious physical illness...and maybe that is what gives me a somewhat different perspective. I agree the excellent service should be aspired to, but sadly that is rarely achieved. I waited in vain for one order, eventually ringing twice before it arrived. It was slightly inconvenient as I was quite excited about the item, but no more than that.

Meeshoo

you clearly have knowledge of this subject, so it just surprised me that you would keep torturing yourself by continuing to watch a channel for which you clearly have the deepest contempt, and even to make the occasional purchase, when most of your posts say how appallingly cut the stones are. I can't stand porridge, I don't buy, or eat it!

When Andrew apologised and offered to speak off-board, you blew him off, which just seemed a bit unfair; and many posters here had had the same situation with items not passing inspection(though I suspected it was more like not having the required stock), and that's why I decided to post...just to add my two penneth.

I am sorry that you all jump on newbies as though there is some kind of conspiracy...I suppose I could have made a bland comment, but that doesn't make for a discussion, does it?

Well, I'm sorry but most people who know Meeshoo on the forums know she DOES NOT jump on newbies as you put it. Meeshoo is a very knowledgable person on gemstones and often shares her advice, good and bad on companies included on the boards. Also the vast majority (if not all) welcome newbies and do not "pounce or jump on them" as you suggest. This forum is one of the most welcoming i have come across.

Personally my view is unless you know something fully then you shouldnt really jump in with both feet as you have done. Just my personal opinion of course

With regards to R&C, I have had both good, bad and in between items and CS from this company, but my general view is things need to change- Cs and QC for me to resume buying from them.

 

[petpixie]

to the forum meerkat!
It's good to hear everybody's take on the the topics of the day and we are a friendly lot really! Meeshoo is a very knowledgable person and I've learnt a lot from her informative posts. She has a valid grievance with the company and if you can't air your grievances here, then where can you? :1:

 

[Klosblue]

Oh dear you are all very suspicious. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and felt compelled to say something after reading ALL of this thread.

I have bought 4 items from Rocks after I discovered them on Freeview a few months back. After a few weeks, they promptly disappeared, which was quite a relief in some ways, as I(like you), find the majority of the persenters insufferable.

The items I recieved were acceptable, and I didn't spend huge amount on any of them, but just fancied adding a few new stones to my small collection. Gemstones have always fascinated me, and if I had the funds, I would have almost every one!

I certainly don't work for Rocks, indeed I can't work at all, due to over twenty years of serious physical illness...and maybe that is what gives me a somewhat different perspective. I agree the excellent service should be aspired to, but sadly that is rarely achieved. I waited in vain for one order, eventually ringing twice before it arrived. It was slightly inconvenient as I was quite excited about the item, but no more than that.

Meeshoo

you clearly have knowledge of this subject, so it just surprised me that you would keep torturing yourself by continuing to watch a channel for which you clearly have the deepest contempt, and even to make the occasional purchase, when most of your posts say how appallingly cut the stones are. I can't stand porridge, I don't buy, or eat it!

When Andrew apologised and offered to speak off-board, you blew him off, which just seemed a bit unfair; and many posters here had had the same situation with items not passing inspection(though I suspected it was more like not having the required stock), and that's why I decided to post...just to add my two penneth.

I am sorry that you all jump on newbies as though there is some kind of conspiracy...I suppose I could have made a bland comment, but that doesn't make for a discussion, does it?

Meerkat I apologise for being suspicious about your identity but we very recently had someone on here defending Rocks to the hilt and posting rubbish. They were allegedly a Rocks employee hence the suspicions arising.

With regards to Meeshoo - she is the most knowledgable and helpful person you could meet. She has helped many of us and on many occasions I have sought her advice which she has given freely and without prejudice to any suppliers. She can back up her knowledge with fact and is passionate about Gems. Her collection is fabulous and she is the lucky owner of pieces that these channels could only dream about selling! That passion extends to her desire for people to be given correct information but she always gives praise where it is due. Yes the bulk of stones on Rocks are badly cut - anyone can see the massive windows - but there are occasionally pieces which are acceptable and obviously it is pieces such as these that Meeshoo has purchased. I believe in telling it how it is - if it's bad or if it's good.

I am sorry to hear you have had many years of illness and of course Jewellery pales into insignificance alongside your health so I understand what you're saying.

Finally, we don't normally jump on newbies and I hope my first paragraph goes some way in explaining my reaction to your initial post. Once again I apologise and would genuinely like to Welcome you to the forum.

 

[argeybargey]

Hi Meerkat,

Welcome and thanks for responding. I am sorry if I misjudged you but as they say "once bitten, twice shy", and for a first post yours was rather (shall we say) forthright.

I too suffer serious illness and am currently virtually housebound unless transported by ambulance. I have for many years enjoyed owning, making and learning about jewellery. Now that I am so severely disabled it is doubly important to me, and affords me a huge amount of pleasure. So, apart from human, animal and planetary welfare, there isn't anything more important to me that I can recollect.

I can add nothing regarding Meeshoo's current stance and her kind helpfulness to us, that hasn't been said already. She is a highly respected lady on this forum, and we are all hyper (possibly) sensitive to any implied criticism. Hopefully, you will therefore understand our position a little better.

We have to complain about companies that displease us for any reason, it is in their own interests as well as ours, that they know what is troubling us so that it can be fixed (or not if they or we so choose). At least this way, we all have an opportunity to improve any failings.

All the best.

Argey
(Note: I apologise to other forum members if I have appeared to be speaking for you, but there was much here where "I" didn't seem appropriate, whereas "we" felt more correct).

 

[Meeshoo]

Oh dear you are all very suspicious. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and felt compelled to say something after reading ALL of this thread.

I have bought 4 items from Rocks after I discovered them on Freeview a few months back. After a few weeks, they promptly disappeared, which was quite a relief in some ways, as I(like you), find the majority of the persenters insufferable.

The items I recieved were acceptable, and I didn't spend huge amount on any of them, but just fancied adding a few new stones to my small collection. Gemstones have always fascinated me, and if I had the funds, I would have almost every one!

I certainly don't work for Rocks, indeed I can't work at all, due to over twenty years of serious physical illness...and maybe that is what gives me a somewhat different perspective. I agree the excellent service should be aspired to, but sadly that is rarely achieved. I waited in vain for one order, eventually ringing twice before it arrived. It was slightly inconvenient as I was quite excited about the item, but no more than that.

Meeshoo

you clearly have knowledge of this subject, so it just surprised me that you would keep torturing yourself by continuing to watch a channel for which you clearly have the deepest contempt, and even to make the occasional purchase, when most of your posts say how appallingly cut the stones are. I can't stand porridge, I don't buy, or eat it!

When Andrew apologised and offered to speak off-board, you blew him off, which just seemed a bit unfair; and many posters here had had the same situation with items not passing inspection(though I suspected it was more like not having the required stock), and that's why I decided to post...just to add my two penneth.

I am sorry that you all jump on newbies as though there is some kind of conspiracy...I suppose I could have made a bland comment, but that doesn't make for a discussion, does it?

Meerkat - welcome to the forum from me also. If you've been reading this forum lately, you will understand why your post was certainly deja vu for us. Unfortunately, we have new people who join who have agendas. In the past few weeks there are been two (to my knowledge). It isn't normal for a first post to be so forthright and basically tell people to get a life! Whilst I understand your health issues perhaps have put things into perspective for you, others must be allowed to have their opinions also whether you believe them to be justified or not.

The pieces of your post highlighted above are your opinions but are factually incorrect. I do not "torture" myself by watching Rocks&Co. I do think their cutting is abysmal but if you look at the pieces I bought recently you will see that windows in both of the gemstones were not possible. I honestly don't need to justify buying anything but in the interest of explaining why I did buy from them ...... one was a Cats Eye Scapolite that are being sold as being cut to perfection (their opinion and mine would differ after seeing one in real life) and a matrix opal that if you managed to window that, you'd really be a bad cutter!!! I would not buy a gemstone that on air looked awful. I would not touch any of their BE diffused sapphires, an irradiated Rubellite or an awful Paraiba Tourmaline to name but three. So please don't judge me based on assumptions or try to second guess what I should/shouldn't buy. I know my gemstones and spending money on something that's obviously going to be awful just isn't going to happen!!!

In terms of jumping all over Andrew when he tried to help ....... again, if you re-read this thread you will see that I have dealt with Andrew in the past and he's let me down. I have NEVER gone public about that before. Also, what you won't know is that Andrew phoned and left me a message on my mobile AND Pm'd me on here - both messages which were going to get to me. There was absolutely no need for him to post on this thread other than to ask me to get in touch - and even that was overkill. I don't appreciate trying to be "bought" publicly (or even privately) which is how it felt to me.

Why should I refrain from posting about my experiences - I am always truthful - sometimes to the extent that I don't post all of my negative experiences/thoughts on a particular gemstone etc so that I can give a balanced view. I don't want to be seen as a "Rocks&Co basher". In this instance I feel fully justified and don't regret one word of what I've said as it's the truth and represents how I feel and how I feel I've been treated. If you look at the GemsTV section you will see that leading up to Christmas there was nothing but negativity, understandably so, from everybody. I posted a thread showing some very pretty earrings I bought and bucked that trend. It was probably the only positive post for months they'd had. I speak as I find.

Again, please take a look at this particular part of the forum and you'll see that I made two purchases recently referred to above (after a long abstinence from buying from RocksandCo) one of which was lovely and I posted up saying so and encouraging people to have another go at getting one. Even the one that I didn't like (just my preference) I tried to review in a balanced way and encourage others to get one for a look if it was more their "thing". I'm not sure how much more positive I could have been.

Although it's none of your business telling me who I should buy from or not (and please don't take offence at that but it's a fact), I bought from Rocks in the spirit of giving them another chance. As I said in an earlier post, I do believe in allowing new companies to work through their problems and be given more chances than one would normally do.

At the end of the day, this forum is about expressing all views, negative and positive and I try to do both and give a balanced view. In this instance I was particularly angry and if you feel it's not appropriate then that's your opinion. I will continue to post as I have always done. If you don't like it then that's fine. There's a facility on this site that allows you to "ignore" posters whose posts you don't "gel" with. If you feel that my posts upset you then I suggest you use that facility as I will continue to post in the same vein as I have always done and I make no apologies for that. I will not post happy clappy posts just for the sake of it. I will speak as I find - as you have done.

What I do find interesting however is that this is the one part of the forum where negative posts are jumped all over - especially by new forum members. It doesn't happen in other parts of the jewellery forums. That's an observation and NOT an allegation. I will however say that I did report your first post as I suspected you to be a Rocks plant. I will take you at face value and believe when you say you're not. Time is a great way of finding out the truth one way or another!!!!

 

[alupha]

same problem with a rainbow sapphire ring that I wanted.
I bought it off the site, then waited for 5 days with nothing
Then I got a call telling me that my order
was stuck in the computer system without them knowing it.
Then after processing it by the call I got an email the next day
telling me it didn't past QC...

 

[Meeshoo]

I'm sorry to hear that Alupha. It's pants isn't it?

 

[nannieA]

I can only spring to Meesho's defence,she has always been helpful,unbiased and has an encyclopaedic knowledge and passion for gem stones. My own experience of Rocks&co has been very disappointing,chipped gemstones,stones with big black inclusions and stuff disappearing from my basket and confirmed orders being unavailable.I feel that someone needs to get on top of their problems,I do wonder if they are hoping to sell to people with little knowledge as in my very humble opinion their Paraiba is insulting for the prices they are asking and this Shimoyo,however rare, is overpriced and over hyped.

 

[meerkat]

Thanks all for the welcome!

I am used to posting on a well know rugby site, and being a Yorkshirewoman, I do speak my mind, and can be quite forthright...something which comes in handy when most of the other posters are men!

I do sometimes look at Rocks online, but the prices(as have been mentioned on other threads), are going up alarmingly, so unless I see something very beautiful at a silly price, my money is staying in the bank. lol

Meeshoo

I think I saw you had bought a matrix opal pandant? It looked much nicer than the pieces I had seen on Freeview before the broadcast ended, and now I regret not getting an item in that stone, though it seemed at the time, almost every pice was in a heart-shape, which I find far too twee.

BTW, I saw your lovely rubellite ring, and noted your comment on avoiding any brown tones...I have a non Shimoyo rubellite ring, from R&C with two pear shape stones(one of my top two favourite cuts), with no hint of brown, and very good clarity. The rich raspberry is such a wonderful colour.

From what I can see about the dismal cutting of the paraibas, and the very pastel shades in many I have seen, I am glad that I got a very good value apetite ring, which appears very close to the original paraiba shades of vivid turquoise. I do actually like pastel stones, though I can't stand the pink sapphire or patroke kunzite with that dreadful Barbie pink!

No, your posts don't upset me at all, and you won't be going on ignore(unlike quite a few at my rugby forum!) I had considered joining a bit earlier, but your fury gave me something to get my teeth into. However I am surprised to have been reported...I don't recall being offensive or using any inapropriate language.

Argeybargey

I'm sorry to hear you are ill, I hope you make a full recovery soon...it can be all too trying without some good interests to lighten the load. I too am housebound, though at least I can do some things that I enjoy now, after being confined to bed for over 15years. The last six years have been a huge improvement, probably due in part to the love of a good man. I can once again make some jewellery, play guitar and photograph as much flora and fauna as I can find in the garden. I have also been bitten by the mothing bug, and now record moths and butterflies for the Yorks branch of Butterfly Conservation.

Klosblue

thanks, and no worries. I look forward to reading a few more pages of this, and some of the other shopping channel forums when I feel up to it. Hopefully learning more in the process.

Seeing as you have all been interested in jewellery for a lot longer than me, which of the channels would you say you find most reliable for cutting, clarity, workmanship, and value? I really fancy some diopside, and saw a ring on tjc the other day in silver, set with a solitare round stone of 6mm, I think, but wasn't online at the time. Darn!

Kat.

 

[Sioux]

Have had no trouble with R&C myself. Being a stud earring fanatic, I tend to visit their site daily and see what the shop has to offer as still hunting for kunzite, amblygonite or indicolite studs (amongst others). Only ever had to send one item back as smaller than I anticipated and got a prompt refund and find their CS very helpful. Many moons ago I ordered studs from TJC falling auctions and when they didn't arrive CS checked and said "You should have been phoned as quality control wouldn't pass them". Maybe I should be touching a lot of wood as most of the time I seem to be lucky with shopping channels.:60:

 

[debsie]

Hi Meerket and welcome from me too - hope you have many hours of fun here and speaking from personal experience, I' m sure you will find out bucket loads of useful information about gemstones along the way (Meesh is like a mini wikipedia on them - trust me!)

I think sometimes, because we all are passionate about our gems, if someone has a bad experience and another a good experience, things can get seen as being OTT - lets face it, if I had the best experience ever and someone else complained about how shoddy theirs was and vice versa I'd want to 'defend' my post or viewpoint. Its just one of those things. But like Meesh said we have had a couple of 'interlopers' who weren't here to just chat about gemstones/jewellery!

Anyhow - I'm glad you have had good experiences with R&C - in truth my one and only purchase went smoothly and I did get a lovely little cheapy ring that I adore. I am wary though of ordering atm because of the windowing issues, but I'm loving the Shimoyo and it may just get the better of me!!!

Do keep posting and let us know what other goodies you manage to snap up - we're a nosey old lot too!

 

[Tabs]

Hi Meerkat, Welcome to the forums and glad to see you have settled in nicely . The Diopside silver ring you refer to seeing on TJC recently, I believe is the same one i purchased and received last week, A gorgeous little ring, depth of colour is lovely and the clarity is great too! Who can complain at the asking price of £15? I also managed to get a Diopside pendant, same size gemstone at a very similar price. They make a lovely set altho the pendant is gold plated silver, but i think i'll have it reset into just plain silver at some point. I'll try and post up some pics later today.

 

[Pimms]

Hi Meerkat!

One of the first things I got from TJC was a beautiful diopside ring in yellow gold. I knew it wouldn't suit me, but I wanted my sister to have a look because she wears various greens. It was absolutely stunning, and if I could have kept it just to have the stone, I would have. From memory it was probably 9x7 and a glorious cut and colour. It went back, but only because sis was out of funds

 

[MissMagpie]

Hi Meerkat, and weclome from me, too! In your honour, I'm attaching a picture my cousin just sent me.

Rocks.tv (and sister website colouredrocks.com) have some good Russian Diopside, but it doesn't look like they have any set into jewellery right now. Might be worth keeping an eye on, though...

 

[argeybargey]

What a clever piccie Miss M - I didn't notice the surprise until I enlarged it. Look out for Yazrose - lol xxx

 

[Scampdog]

What a clever piccie Miss M - I didn't notice the surprise until I enlarged it. Look out for Yazrose - lol xxx

See what you mean ! :35::35: .

 

[Sacha]

What a clever piccie Miss M - I didn't notice the surprise until I enlarged it. Look out for Yazrose - lol xxx

Thanks for the tip Argey and thanks also to Miss M for posting the pic, it is very cute!

I did get a R Diopside pendant from R&C yonks ago and it is very nice, trilliant cut set in YG......but prices were rather lower then!
Just a small pic below to give an idea of colour......

 

[Klosblue]

:Hiya: Meerkat

I have a Russian Diopside ring from TJC and a pendant from Rocks & Co and they are both equally as nice. The green is such a beautiful shade. As John Scott would say - Just buy it! You will love it x

 

[meerkat]

Thanks again for all the welcomes!

Tabs

I ordered a ring from tjc last week, and with nothing having arrived over a week later, I rang them, to find that the courier company they used, claimed to have been on Saturday...there was no card, and I had been in all day. I rang said company and gave detailed directions for delivery on Weds. By late afternoon, still nothing had arrived, so I rang once again to be told they had been at 9am, and now wanted to charge me extra to redliver!

I know that they definitely hadn't been, because I was out in the front garden at that time, and they would have had to walk right past me to the door! I called tjc back, explaining what had happened, and said I would like my money back. They were very apologetic, and refunded the price, plus the p&p with no quibble, and promised to look into the delivery problems and get back to me.

So it looks like my first order could well be my last, through no fault of tjc... The big courier companies are usually fine, but I had never heard of this one, it reminded me of one last year that told me my address didn't exist!! I wonder where I have been living for the past few decades? LOL

Miss Magpie

aww cute piccy, thanks , love the puddytat in the middle. I have two myself, and feed all visiting neighbourhood cats...and the birds, and squirrels, and foxes.

Thanks Sacha

it's such a wonderful colour isn't it? I will have to keep my eyes peeled for a bargin.

 

[sesinuk]

I've had this happen to me on SEVEN different occasions, the product didn't pass the QC. I tried unsuccessfully to complain, but there was no one to talk to and it's hardly the telephone assistants' fault. One particularly frustrating case was a bracelet, a one off, so how the hell did it not pass QC? My feeling at the time, and still is, is that the price went lower than it should and so they pulled the sale. This was before the dreaded 30/60 second clock which guarantees that the price does not fall beyond the profit margin.

Also I've found the prices are getting steadily more expensive. A pair of zircon earrings I bought for my neice for her birthday went from £39.00 to £69.00 in a matter of weeks. Same earrings. That kind of hike is disgraceful, and I've stopped buying. Even the Shimoyo can't tempt me at the moment as I'm 'rock' bottom.


S