Update - coated diamonds!

[gemcherub]

As you may know i emailed gemstv customer service about the pink diamond studs asking the clarity and if they were irradiated or coated (as i thought the price was very low) and i received a telephone call saying they did not have this information on their system and they would contact the factory and get back to me, well i received this email...

Thank you for your recent email regarding item number UEF7534.

This has now been checked for you and we can confirm that the clarity is ‘I3’, and the Pink Diamonds are coated.

We hope that this information assists your enquiry.

If you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service Department on:

Telephone: 0845 6588663
Email: [email protected]

Kind regards,

Well i am very concerned this was not mentioned on air, but as i posted before it has been added on their enhancement page!

 

[Dingbat]

Well, what can you say - tut, tut, tut, and thanks for that info too

 

[MissMagpie]

Ewwww yuk - I didn't even know diamonds were coated! I wonder if all the fancyvcoloured diamonds on Gems at the moment are coated?

 

[gemcherub]

Ewwww yuk - I didn't even know diamonds were coated! I wonder if all the fancyvcoloured diamonds on Gems at the moment are coated?

Who knows! but the reason i asked them was the other pink diamonds they sell are quite pricey if you look on the web now a half carat cluster is around £350 so i thought something fishy was going on when the half carat studs (in only 2 stones) were only £149, now i know why!

 

[Miss Kitty]

That's dreadful. Gems.tv really have sunk to the lowest of the low.

They were selling a silver blue topaz ring for £149 a couple of weeks ago. Granted, it was 40cts but nearly £150????

 

[Meeshoo]

O M G

They assured me they weren't.

Well, my advice to anybody who has bought this shite is to return it if that's the case. Coatings scratch off. Not only that but coated diamonds come with a list of "do's" and "don'ts" that would frighten the living daylights out of you.

Coated diamonds aren't worth diddly squat and they're definitely not meant for longevity unless you keep them in a dark box, untouched for the rest of your life.

Please do your own research and see how you feel but ........ OMG. I'm truly shocked that GemsTV would stoop this low.

 

[PandaBear]

OMG that is awful to hear, well gone are the days of 'we only sell genuine gemstones' image how disappointed & angry you would be if you found out after buying them that your diamonds were coated

 

[Meeshoo]

AGA Panel Scratches the Surface of Coated Diamonds

By Gary Roskin, G.G., FGA -- JCK Online, 8/1/2007 2:00:00 AM

Colored diamonds are hot, but natural fancy-color diamonds are rare—and pricey. Hence, several types of enhanced color diamonds are appearing in the market.

One enhancement that's arousing the color diamond market is being referred to as an “infusion technique.” The term infusion suggests that the resulting color has penetrated the stone's sur-face, but at a recent seminar in Las Vegas, John Koivula, chief gemologist at the Gemological Institute of America, and Chris Smith, vice president of American Gem Laboratories, explained that “infusion-treated” diamonds were actually coated diamonds. They also said the enhancement isn't permanent.

“The number of such stones in the market is increasing, in virtually every color—including shades of yellow, pink, and blue that look just like natural stones—and in every shape and size, including melee,” reported Richard Drucker, publisher of The GemGuide and vice president of the Accredited Gemologists Association, which sponsored the seminar.

“And, given the range in sizes and colors, it's a potential nightmare for jewelers, designers, and manufacturers, unless there is a way to quickly and easily spot them,” warned author and consumer advocate Antoinette Matlins.

“By taking a carbide scriber—a simple tool that looks like a pen—and dragging its carbide point across one of the facets, the point will scratch through the coating,” Matlins explained. “It won't scratch the diamond, just the coating, which can be seen immediately with the loupe.”

To test this observation, each participant at the conference was given a carbide scriber to use on diamonds provided by Serenity Technology, Temecula, Calif. In 100 percent of cases where a diamond had been surface coated, the carbide scriber revealed it.

 

[Ballerina]

I bought a little ring about 4 years ago with a few teeny tiny pink diamonds. The colour is very pale pink, so I am hoping that they are natural and not coated. Heat and irradiation don't worry me too much but coated stones do. I don't buy any of the coated topaz stones, mystic, moonlight, neptune and the like because the idea just plain annoys me. I feel sorry for anyone who has been duped. In my opinion, gems have a responsibility to disclose treatments and then customers could make a conscious choice. The clarity is poor as well, almost as much dirt as diamond!

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, what a good forum this is!

Inge x

 

[Meeshoo]

This is an old paper but interesting:

http://www.eglcanada.ca/media/Summary_of_observation_on_COATED_DIAMONDS.pdf

 

[Meeshoo]

Easy to understand!

http://accreditedgemologists.org/articles/ARTICLE-Treated-color-diamonds.pdf

 

[Meeshoo]

I bought a little ring about 4 years ago with a few teeny tiny pink diamonds. The colour is very pale pink, so I am hoping that they are natural and not coated. Heat and irradiation don't worry me too much but coated stones do. I don't buy any of the coated topaz stones, mystic, moonlight, neptune and the like because the idea just plain annoys me. I feel sorry for anyone who has been duped. In my opinion, gems have a responsibility to disclose treatments and then customers could make a conscious choice. The clarity is poor as well, almost as much dirt as diamond!

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, what a good forum this is!

Inge x

I'm pretty certain you're safe. I've had all mine tested and none are coated. I have a horrible feeling that this is new. I'm appalled that these are being sold without "coated" in the title - i.e just as you would with Topaz.

I'm also disgusted that GC is told one thing and I was told another. That's very very very questionnable.

 

[gemcherub]

Now i am confused i new diamonds were irradiated to give them colour, but i remember a few years ago when TJC launched the Rhapsody collection they had yellow and pink diamond rings and the presenters made a big song and dance out of the fact that these diamonds were infused and the infusion process was a far better treatment than others used? well according to all this info infused means coated?

 

[gemcherub]

I'm pretty certain you're safe. I've had all mine tested and none are coated. I have a horrible feeling that this is new. I'm appalled that these are being sold without "coated" in the title - i.e just as you would with Topaz.

I'm also disgusted that GC is told one thing and I was told another. That's very very very questionnable.

What concerned me is that i was told they had none of this information on their systems and that is why they needed to contact the factory for the information, which they did, but why did a supervisor tell you they were not coated? where did he get his info from if they don't have the info there?
Maybe he thought you meant the other pink diamonds (small stones in cluster jewellery, that has been in stock for a while) rather than the new large studs?
All very strange!

 

[Sacha]

Very many thanks Cherub for obtaining and sharing this (rather disturbing) information. Thanks also to Meesh for the interesting links ....even though a degree in analytical chemistry would come in handy!

I'm a bit bemused really and feel this has put a rather large dent in GemsTV credibility factor and that we should be entitled to full disclosure of this very dubious type of treatment.

I'm also rather relieved that I returned the 'Evergreen' (did rather think that an odd name to describe the colour of a diamond) earrings as I would suspect that it may be that the other colours are coated also. I do also wonder what it is that these diamonds are coated (infused) with??

 

[Meeshoo]

What concerned me is that i was told they had none of this information on their systems and that is why they needed to contact the factory for the information, which they did, but why did a supervisor tell you they were not coated? where did he get his info from if they don't have the info there?
Maybe he thought you meant the other pink diamonds (small stones in cluster jewellery, that has been in stock for a while) rather than the new large studs?All very strange!

Categorically "no" to that one GC I'm afraid.

The supervisor accessed a "system" where he said that the diamonds were irradiated. I specifically asked about the blue/pink/green (evergreen) stud diamond earrings that they were selling and even gave item codes. The first CS Rep I spoke to said she didn't know but looking at the enhancement page they could be X, Y, Z. I explained that the enhancements page was general and I needed to know exactly what treatments had been applied which is when she put me onto the Supervisor. After much shuffling through the systems he told me that they were DEFINITELY not coated.

He also said that the coated diamond information had only been added to the enhancement page just to give information. He also referred me to the top of the enhancement page that said that this was general information on what was available in the market place - not necessarily what GemsTV sell. I told him that this was incredibly misleading and that if GemsTV DIDN'T sell coated diamond then having this information on their website was unnecessarily worrying and I asked him to feedback that concern to the powers that be!

NOT HAPPY. NOT HAPPY AT ALL. GEMSTV NEED TO EXPLAIN THEMSELVES PRONTO.

If they're selling coated diamonds then they need to be upfront and honest AND make sure that their CS representatives know and can give ACCURATE and HONEST information.

GC - can you forward me the email via PM (if you're happy to do so) because this is one for the ASA unless GemsTV want to come on here and explain themselves.

 

[Pinkpussycat]

Thankyou GC for unearthing this and to Meesh for all the extra info. I have several coloured diamond rings purchased in 2008 and I am now seriously put out by this. I shall be contacting CS today with the item codes and will want a definitive answer to exactly what treatment(s) they have undergone and if it transpires they are coated then I shall insist they take them back and issue full refunds or I will take GEMSTV to court. PC:

 

[spindrift]

I almost went for the evergreen earrings but, like Sacha, I thought the name evergreen was a bit unusual so in the end I did not buy and I am so glad I didn't. Thanks to all for raising this issue and the helpful info. I would like to say that I think this sort of dubious practice does not on harm Gems, but also makes people (well me anyway) hesitant of purchasing coloured diamonds from others. I did purchase a blue diamond ring from them in 2008 I just hope this is ok.

 

[gemcherub]

Thankyou GC for unearthing this and to Meesh for all the extra info. I have several coloured diamond rings purchased in 2008 and I am now seriously put out by this. I shall be contacting CS today with the item codes and will want a definitive answer to exactly what treatment(s) they have undergone and if it transpires they are coated then I shall insist they take them back and issue full refunds or I will take GEMSTV to court. PC:

I am sure this new coating only applies to the new range of studs as they were large carat weights for low prices, well i hope so anyway as i think alot of us have bought their coloured diamonds over the years!

 

[Sacha]

I am sure this new coating only applies to the new range of studs as they were large carat weights for low prices, well i hope so anyway as i think a lot of us have bought their coloured diamonds over the years!

Let us hope that you are right on this count Cherub. However I would think that someone from Gems may have seen this thread by now and hopefully would be preparing a response. Staying silent or leaving us to have to pursue them for answers is quite unsatisfactory.....imho.

My last coloured diamonds purchase was a Cognac Diamond ring, so I'm really hoping that the diamonds in it are 'pucker'........as Del Boy would say!