What would make you buy from Gemporia again?

[Pebbles]

Was it this (the stone, not that actual item):

https://www.gemporia.com/en-gb/product/amhara-opal-pendant-in-sterling-silver-5.25cts/qjcs12/

No. That wasn't the opal variety I bought.
Unless I'm mistaken I think that one looks like it's been moulded & held together with clear resin? Or filled? Hence it looks relatively dull?

Just seen that one's £65.99 Good grief! Granted it may get reduced on air but wow, that much online for that!

The ring I received was tiny opal mossic pieces set in blue coloured resin. I could see it straight away as the colour play didn't erm "play" as it should've done across the whole area. I took a closer look and saw what it was clearly.

To someone who isn't used to opals in real life, or who didn't look at it closely, may not have known until their return time was over.

I think there might have been complaints about that "blue opal" as one of the presenters later went on to say it was pieces placed together. Or words to that effect.

 

[Pebbles]

As we are talking opals. Ever seen on YouTube, Black Opal Direct. He's Australian. And worth watching. He seems to know his opals

Oooh I don't think I've watched him. Thanks for the heads up.

I've watched an Australian guy cut & shape opals & that was fascinating.

 

[Ant7t]

Oooh I don't think I've watched him. Thanks for the heads up.

I've watched an Australian guy cut & shape opals & that was fascinating.

'Just' watched him cutting a 300ct Seam Opal. He made a series of matching stones, that ended up being 30ct total. Calculated at $500 a ct.

 

[Pebbles]

The only opal I'm aware of that has resin in it is the Amhara Opal. It was basically crushed and reconstituted Ethiopian Opal set into hardened resin. They claimed that it was a rare blue find of Ethiopian Opal - whereas in reality, it was poor quality Ethiopian Opal that needed to be crushed and set into resin to make it suitable for jewellery - hence why it had a 'blue' hue to it.

The Mosaic Opals are Crystal Opal on Ironstone (which they used to call 'Boulder Opal' before they actually got proper Boulder Opals in stock), are thin slithers of opal on a backing, and they both have a Quartz cap on the top to protect the slither of opal. Because these are not 'proper' opals, they should be sold by size rather than carat weight.

Our posts crossed. I was right about that Gemporia "cough" "Amhara Opal". I can't quite believe what saw on your link. Absolutely terrible & costing that much ?! And any opal newbies who bought/buy that, will think that's what opals look like in real life. What a great shame.

I bought this from the TJC online auctions for £50. And yes, obviously all solid, vibrant, natural Ethiopian Opals. Looks even better in real life. Bought it end of 2023.

TJC sometimes put great jewellery into their web auctions if they've only got a small number left. I think I got extra lucky with this bracelet as no one else was bidding in the closing minutes.

 

[Jojo1]

I’m new to Gemporia as it has only recently started airing in Australia. Over the past few years I have purchased lots of jewelry from TVSN, Australia's shopping network- usually when it was on sale and heavily reduced during covid. I like designer jewelry and have that too but like some everyday gold and silver items in my collection that I can wear without worry. TVSN have inflated their prices significantly so i’m happy with an alternative. I think if you know something about gems or jewelry and can spot value, Gemporia has some great deals thst are hard to beat. The issue is that they weave it in with junk like Chinese made cosmetics, candles (which are ok) and lower cost agate, Chinese dyed pearls and treated gems (glass filled rubies, diffused sapphire, coated topaz and paraiba coloured rock salt etc that’s probably worse than lab grown diamond). I also don’t think that white zircon is that good in jewelry as it is being flogged. Sure it’s better than industrial grade diamond accents, but it doesn’t have the same brilliance, and may not keep as well as diamond over time due to sensitivity to light and heat. They are also incorrectly telling viewers that the NY Blue group is collecting all zircon- nope, just high quality blue, actually.

Yell selling is not effective or professional which for some reason is the format. It just sounds like you are at a market stall rather than auction. If they had more factual info about the stones and explained how to care for them, they would be doing a greater service to customers.

I have also seen jewelry sold at an all time low on an auction which was actually priced a few dollars lower outside of auction. E.g the poop tiger eye pendant which went recently for $20 aud and it was $17 at the everyday price. Breakfast show is great if you want something discounted without the drawn out show of suspense and then disappointment.

I will buy selectively to my advantage and then stop when i have what I want. The poo shaped pendant would make a fabulous secret Santa. I’m thinking about it

 

[AndyW]

They are also incorrectly telling viewers that the NY Blue group is collecting all zircon- nope, just high quality blue, actually.

Glad to hear that said straight. Used on Gems TV all the time, this line is pushed even harder on Gem Collector. I still prefer zircon to diamonds. I have a couple of clean, precision cut unheated ones that have a lovely "champagne" colour to them, so not high in brilliance but great dispersion, softened by the natural colour.

The poo shaped pendant would make a fabulous secret Santa. I’m thinking about it

I cannot "un-see" that now. Thanks very much

 

[Marietta]

Our posts crossed. I was right about that Gemporia "cough" "Amhara Opal". I can't quite believe what saw on your link. Absolutely terrible & costing that much ?! And any opal newbies who bought/buy that, will think that's what opals look like in real life. What a great shame.

I bought this from the TJC online auctions for £50. And yes, obviously all solid, vibrant, natural Ethiopian Opals. Looks even better in real life. Bought it end of 2023.

TJC sometimes put great jewellery into their web auctions if they've only got a small number left. I think I got extra lucky with this bracelet as no one else was bidding in the closing minutes.

TJC online auctions for £50. And yes, obviously all solid, vibrant, natural Ethiopian Opals

Did they state that the Opal was 'all solid and natural'? I doubt it somehow!

 

[Ant7t]

I will buy selectively to my advantage and then stop when i have what I want. The poo shaped pendant would make a fabulous secret Santa. I’m thinking about it

I have one of those in Fluorite, so it doesn't look as bad: plus it's in 'proper' silver. Not a fan of 'gold tone': probably the lowest of the low when it comes to plating.

 

[Jojo1]

Has Gems ever had a loyalty program? E.g spend £500 and get a £50 voucher or similar? I occasionally get a 25% off voucher in my inbox.

 

[historymystery]

Has Gems ever had a loyalty program? E.g spend £500 and get a £50 voucher or similar? I occasionally get a 25% off voucher in my inbox.

I can't recall a loyalty scheme, but I stopped watching Gems regularly at least six or more years ago! However, I do still occasionally get a 25% or 30% voucher code emailed to me, and once I think it was for about £50 off any purchase over £100/£150, but that would have been years ago. In fact, although I've never unsubscribed, I'm quite amazed they still contact me at all, seeing as they've made zero money from me for at least six years.

Now you come to mention it, I remember the email message usually starts with something like 'Hi, we haven't seen you for a while - we'd love to see you again' and all that kind of malarkey. So they keep trying! Trouble is, these days there's nothing that tempts me, I don't like plated or 'gold tone' metal and I don't like jewellery (especially rings) set into gold that's so flimsy it bends if you sneeze near it. And the prices now are so off the wall that I'd rather shop around elsewhere for better quality at less money, including second-hand jewellery options.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

Has Gems ever had a loyalty program? E.g spend £500 and get a £50 voucher or similar? I occasionally get a 25% off voucher in my inbox.

Those vouchers are pointless though really because they only apply to web-priced items - and their web priced items are vastly over-priced compared to the TV price.

Even if the item is no longer on TV because there are only one or two left, Gemporia regularly have "30% clearance" or "40% off" days on their website - so rather than using those vouchers, just wait a few days until there's a better offer online.

As for loyalty schemes - not a chance! Gemporia are too tight! Even the 'refer a friend' scheme is ridiculous - with BOTH parties needing to spend a minimum amount each just to get £10 off. I have never know a referral scheme elsewhere where BOTH parties have to make a minimum spend. Tight gits.

 

[Jojo1]

I can't recall a loyalty scheme, but I stopped watching Gems regularly at least six or more years ago! However, I do still occasionally get a 25% or 30% voucher code emailed to me, and once I think it was for about £50 off any purchase over £100/£150, but that would have been years ago. In fact, although I've never unsubscribed, I'm quite amazed they still contact me at all, seeing as they've made zero money from me for at least six years.

Now you come to mention it, I remember the email message usually starts with something like 'Hi, we haven't seen you for a while - we'd love to see you again' and all that kind of malarkey. So they keep trying! Trouble is, these days there's nothing that tempts me, I don't like plated or 'gold tone' metal and I don't like jewellery (especially rings) set into gold that's so flimsy it bends if you sneeze near it. And the prices now are so off the wall that I'd rather shop around elsewhere for better quality at less money, including second-hand jewellery options.

I hear you, the same is happening with the Australian version of QVC (TVSN). Hideous resin filled electro formed gold, cz jewelry from the Charles Winston range and 2g of 9ct gold per ring max. The second hand market is interesting if you know what yo look for.

Those vouchers are pointless though really because they only apply to web-priced items - and their web priced items are vastly over-priced compared to the TV price.

Even if the item is no longer on TV because there are only one or two left, Gemporia regularly have "30% clearance" or "40% off" days on their website - so rather than using those vouchers, just wait a few days until there's a better offer online.

As for loyalty schemes - not a chance! Gemporia are too tight! Even the 'refer a friend' scheme is ridiculous - with BOTH parties needing to spend a minimum amount each just to get £10 off. I have never know a referral scheme elsewhere where BOTH parties have to make a minimum spend. Tight gits.

The refer a friend is tacky and the voice in the ad is mournful.

 

[Jojo1]

Nope, you're definitely not alone. Gemporia has some low(ish) priced pieces that might look quite nice if it was set in plain silver.

I have seen more attractive and convincing play jewellery for kids in pound shops.

Gold tone just screams "cheap" and "nasty"

They need to plate their silver to keep it from tarnishing, especially with opals and pearls. I have a pave south sea ring from them and was surprised that it wasn’t platinum plated. The pave is hard to clean with a cloth so it has to be dipped in cleaner. I have cleaner for delicate jewelry but it might dull the pearl over time.

 

[gems]

If this happens again, please report it to Trading Standards. This should definately not be happening for two reasons:

1. Gemporia had an ASA adjudication against them earlier this year for this exact thing.
2. A Company cannot deliberately sell an item for more than its advertised price. The web price is their 'advertised price' - so the so-called auctions should, at worst, match that price.

Where have you seen a higher price is that on the Web because when it goes into action it should be lower, that is how they get out of giving a price pledge as it was bought on the Web

 

[gems]

Completely agree
…in my case of this beautiful necklace I bought it for a present and it was in storage, never ever worn, it the original packaging?

I wish I took a photo of how the chain was tarnished…it was just a part of it…so bizarre, like they forgot to Rodium plate that segment

The most appalling was the way Gemporia treated my return?
I got a call back to be told that they “don’t accept this as a faulty item, happy to clean it up for me for a charge”?
When I tried to explain that the RODIUM plating is unlikely to tarnish and the item tarnished in one particularly place only, I was
presented with three options:
a) have it back as it is
b) pay for us to clean the “untarnishable RODIUM”
c) have a credit

I took “c”

They should have offered the funds to go into your bank account

 

[gems]

Completely agree
…in my case, this beautiful necklace, I bought it for a present, and it was in storage, never ever worn. Is it the original packaging?

I wish I took a photo of how the chain was tarnished…it was just a part of it…so bizarre, like they forgot to Rodium plate that segment

The most appalling was the way Gemporia treated my return?
I got a call back to be told that they “don’t accept this as a faulty item, happy to clean it up for me for a charge”?
When I tried to explain that the RODIUM plating is unlikely to tarnish and the item tarnished in one particularly place only, I was
presented with three options:
a) have it back as it is
b) pay for us to clean the “untarnishable RODIUM”
c) have a credit

I took “c”

I don't like overly gold platinum more my thing really, I don't know why they don't use platinum to make as it is a hell of a cheaper.

As it says on the tin......

Gemporia have lost a lot of our trust and / or custom it seems. What would make you switch back to Gemporia?

These are the crucial things that would win me back:

1. Make viewing enjoyable again. I don't want to be waffled to for half an hour. I don't want to look at numerous dubious price comparisons. I don't want to be patronised. I don't want singing to. I don't want to be told I should trust a presenter via a 'Game of Trust' auction after that very same presenter had an ASA adjudication against them that showed they're not trustworthy. I don't want to be told to multi-buy everything. I don't want "educating" - especially from Lindsey Carr! I don't want to be shown how to use the app every 5 minutes. I don't want to be told "how to play" - spending £3000 on a Lorique ring is not a "game". Go back to the enjoyable, informative, but more 'relaxed' ways of selling.

2. Sell things for what they are. Don't tell me a wishy-washy Jadeite carving of an undistinguishable thingymabob in gold tone is a 'heirloom' piece. Don't price compare a dyed £20 Opal to a natural £120,000 rare natural black opal. If you're flogging a £150 1ct Tourmaline and heavily included accent diamonds 9ct gold ring, then price match it against another £150 1ct Tourmaline and heavily included accent diamonds 9ct gold ring at H Samuel - not against an 8ct Tourmaline with VSI grade Diamonds set in platinum from a designer brand.

3. Price accordingly. A dyed Agate pendant in gold tone is cheap costume jewellery. It is worth about £20 - not £99.99p. Sell it as costume jewellery. Don't patronise us by telling us its an heirloom piece. A filled Emerald in Gold is NOT worth the same as a natural or oiled Emerald in gold. A dyed Lapis pendant is not worth the same as an untreated Lapis pendant. Stop taking us for mugs!

4. Win back our trust. If your products really are as high a quality as you try to make us believe using, quotes like "it's an heirloom piece", "It can be passed down from generation to generation", "get it valued" or "I can't give you investment advice but...........", then why do you only offer the statutory minimum of 6 months warranty? If you stood by your products, you'd offer a 2 or 3 year warranty at least - particularly on more expensive items such as Lorique or Tomas Rae items. If you're going to claim something is going to last for years, then BACK IT UP WITH A REASONABLE WARRANTY!

5. Be honest and transparent. Stop the ludicrous claims. Stop 'pushing' treatments off on-screen descriptions so that they can't be seen. Stop selling GREEN Tourmaline as Indicolite! Stop selling PINK sapphires as Padparadscha Sapphires.

Stop with the pushy sales, do longer split payment all people should have a chance even if needed when it's all payed, properly get told what your buying, somehow take the old put it in the new, go back to the start, I believe

As it says on the tin......

Gemporia have lost a lot of our trust and / or custom it seems. What would make you switch back to Gemporia?

These are the crucial things that would win me back:

1. Make viewing enjoyable again. I don't want to be waffled to for half an hour. I don't want to look at numerous dubious price comparisons. I don't want to be patronised. I don't want singing to. I don't want to be told I should trust a presenter via a 'Game of Trust' auction after that very same presenter had an ASA adjudication against them that showed they're not trustworthy. I don't want to be told to multi-buy everything. I don't want "educating" - especially from Lindsey Carr! I don't want to be shown how to use the app every 5 minutes. I don't want to be told "how to play" - spending £3000 on a Lorique ring is not a "game". Go back to the enjoyable, informative, but more 'relaxed' ways of selling.

2. Sell things for what they are. Don't tell me a wishy-washy Jadeite carving of an undistinguishable thingymabob in gold tone is a 'heirloom' piece. Don't price compare a dyed £20 Opal to a natural £120,000 rare natural black opal. If you're flogging a £150 1ct Tourmaline and heavily included accent diamonds 9ct gold ring, then price match it against another £150 1ct Tourmaline and heavily included accent diamonds 9ct gold ring at H Samuel - not against an 8ct Tourmaline with VSI grade Diamonds set in platinum from a designer brand.

3. Price accordingly. A dyed Agate pendant in gold tone is cheap costume jewellery. It is worth about £20 - not £99.99p. Sell it as costume jewellery. Don't patronise us by telling us its an heirloom piece. A filled Emerald in Gold is NOT worth the same as a natural or oiled Emerald in gold. A dyed Lapis pendant is not worth the same as an untreated Lapis pendant. Stop taking us for mugs!

4. Win back our trust. If your products really are as high a quality as you try to make us believe using, quotes like "it's an heirloom piece", "It can be passed down from generation to generation", "get it valued" or "I can't give you investment advice but...........", then why do you only offer the statutory minimum of 6 months warranty? If you stood by your products, you'd offer a 2 or 3 year warranty at least - particularly on more expensive items such as Lorique or Tomas Rae items. If you're going to claim something is going to last for years, then BACK IT UP WITH A REASONABLE WARRANTY!

5. Be honest and transparent. Stop the ludicrous claims. Stop 'pushing' treatments off on-screen descriptions so that they can't be seen. Stop selling GREEN Tourmaline as Indicolite! Stop selling PINK sapphires as Padparadscha Sapphires.

As it says on the tin......

Gemporia have lost a lot of our trust and / or custom it seems. What would make you switch back to Gemporia?

These are the crucial things that would win me back:

1. Make viewing enjoyable again. I don't want to be waffled to for half an hour. I don't want to look at numerous dubious price comparisons. I don't want to be patronised. I don't want singing to. I don't want to be told I should trust a presenter via a 'Game of Trust' auction after that very same presenter had an ASA adjudication against them that showed they're not trustworthy. I don't want to be told to multi-buy everything. I don't want "educating" - especially from Lindsey Carr! I don't want to be shown how to use the app every 5 minutes. I don't want to be told "how to play" - spending £3000 on a Lorique ring is not a "game". Go back to the enjoyable, informative, but more 'relaxed' ways of selling.

2. Sell things for what they are. Don't tell me a wishy-washy Jadeite carving of an undistinguishable thingymabob in gold tone is a 'heirloom' piece. Don't price compare a dyed £20 Opal to a natural £120,000 rare natural black opal. If you're flogging a £150 1ct Tourmaline and heavily included accent diamonds 9ct gold ring, then price match it against another £150 1ct Tourmaline and heavily included accent diamonds 9ct gold ring at H Samuel - not against an 8ct Tourmaline with VSI grade Diamonds set in platinum from a designer brand.

3. Price accordingly. A dyed Agate pendant in gold tone is cheap costume jewellery. It is worth about £20 - not £99.99p. Sell it as costume jewellery. Don't patronise us by telling us its an heirloom piece. A filled Emerald in Gold is NOT worth the same as a natural or oiled Emerald in gold. A dyed Lapis pendant is not worth the same as an untreated Lapis pendant. Stop taking us for mugs!

4. Win back our trust. If your products really are as high a quality as you try to make us believe using, quotes like "it's an heirloom piece", "It can be passed down from generation to generation", "get it valued" or "I can't give you investment advice but...........", then why do you only offer the statutory minimum of 6 months warranty? If you stood by your products, you'd offer a 2 or 3 year warranty at least - particularly on more expensive items such as Lorique or Tomas Rae items. If you're going to claim something is going to last for years, then BACK IT UP WITH A REASONABLE WARRANTY!

5. Be honest and transparent. Stop the ludicrous claims. Stop 'pushing' treatments off on-screen descriptions so that they can't be seen. Stop selling GREEN Tourmaline as Indicolite! Stop selling PINK sapphires as Padparadscha Sapphires.

I think they should go back to the beginning and do what they set out to do, bring history should meet know, you for them to give an apology and what, go back to the old system of delivering mail Dave and he should feel the brunt of it, he does not seem to have principles, know what treatment, be great to have

 

[LV73]

I used to buy loads from Gems TV/Gemporia and my collection is huge. My buying got totally out of hand though, and although I love most of the pieces I bought, I did spend stupid amounts caught up in the thrill of getting a bargain compared to the High St, and have loads that I'll never sell for anything like the value I paid. However, I did eventually come to my senses and I haven't bought anything for a year and a day!

 

[TheManWithNoName]

I did spend stupid amounts caught up in the thrill of getting a bargain compared to the High St

You don't have to worry about that any more. Some of their prices are extortionate. Probably why they price compare to Tiffany's and Van Cleef & Arpel rather than H Samuel and F Hinds...........

 

[Jojo1]

One thing I note Gemporia hasn’t showcased yet, at least to my knowledge, is resin jewelry electroformed/ plated with silver or gold. This is hideous stuff that the Australian TV shopping network flogs. The gold Oro Nuovo brand comes out of Italy, the silver out of Thailand. Looks terribly fake and odd. Has no resale value because of the way the hold has been treated/ destroyed. The worst part is they can’t accurately list the metal weight and present it as the entire resin and plated offering. If people are stupid enough to buy it, serves them right.

 

[historymystery]

One thing I note Gemporia hasn’t showcased yet, at least to my knowledge, is resin jewelry electroformed/ plated with silver or gold. This is hideous stuff that the Australian TV shopping network flogs. The gold Oro Nuovo brand comes out of Italy, the silver out of Thailand. Looks terribly fake and odd. Has no resale value because of the way the hold has been treated/ destroyed. The worst part is they can’t accurately list the metal weight and present it as the entire resin and plated offering. If people are stupid enough to buy it, serves them right.

Give 'em time, they'll get round to it! Wait until the Jade mountain has been sold off first?