OT: Just Wanted to Share a Laugh

[rubiano98]

This is in the Sold category as well as a current auction:

"Rare Vintage Art Deco 2 Ct Diamond Engagement Wedding Retro Antique Ring"

So far they have sold 63 of these rare items, with more available.

[rixstuff]

There are sellers from India and China STILL listing "Diamond and 18K gold Bracelet" only when you open the listing and look at the details, it says cubic zirconia diamonds and Gold tinted Aluminum - so fake stones in gold painted metal. NOT DIAMONDS OR GOLD.  And you know if WE tried that we would be so suspended in a New York minute!  Try asking a question some time: How many carats are the diamonds? Answer: We only use 3 carat or higher crystals.  At least Swarovski doesnt try to list carats for their crystal.

[rubiano98]

And Ebay doesn't care as long as sales are being made. Shameful.

[thirry]

At least ten years ago I sold a bracelet that was marked 18k. I was pretty naive at the time about fake gold jewelry, so it came as a rude shock when the buyer contacted me to point out that it was not really gold. Ack! He sent it back, I gave a full refund, and he didn't leave any feedback at all, thankfully. The only reason I found out the bracelet was fraudulent was the buyer bought it for scrap and he knew his gold. Later on I ran across several more of what looked like the same bracelet. I considered contacting the seller(s) and giving them a heads up but never followed through.

As for the bracelet I sold, it's a resident in the local landfill as I couldn't see myself perpetuating the fraud by passing it along in any form. (I've done that with a couple of other fraudulently marked items since then.)

But... I really doubt ebay cared. I paid the listing fee as well as the final value fee for a $900+ item. No refund on fees under the circumstances.

A.

[rubiano98]

A hard lesson.

[thirry]

Yup, it was an expensive lesson.  Those fees were pretty high, and I felt awful for unintentionally being involved.

Consider... Hypothetically, a person like me (but NOT ME!)  might have a "supply" of those bracelets to sell to unsuspecting buyers at low low prices  (sort of like the CZ-diamond sellers but more sinister). Since the first buyer never left any feedback maybe other potential buyers might not suspect -- perhaps they would be so eager to get a bargain that they'd bite when offered what seemed like a "good deal." Use a variety of IDs like our foreign friends and who knows. Bad feedback on one ID, make up another.

People are so darn gullible!

For anyone reading this who doesn't know me, let me be very clear: I'm not suggesting that anyone should do such things, nor would I ever knowingly do such a thing!

A.

[rubiano98]

Sellers like that, and the people who buy from them, deserve each other.

[thirry]

I dunno -- not sure I agree.

Sellers like that deserve to be consigned with both feet into the 9th Circle in Dante's infernal Circles of h-e-double-toothpicks (take that, censor!).  That Circle is reserved for perpetrators of Treachery.  They also might dwell with the left arm in the 8th Circle -- for Fraud, and the right arm in the 4th Circle -- for Greed.

Buyers like that might also be consigned to the 4th Circle -- along with the offending sellers.  Seems like trying to get something for nothing is a sure sign.

Or possibly some of those buyers are just in terrible need of a clue, not grasping such concepts simple such as that CZ-Diamonds are not genuine diamonds, and believing that anything with "gold" in the name is really karat gold.  Maybe they should be sent for remedial studies at the School of Hard Knocks, with the hope of graduating with adequate  Common Sense. 

A.

[mforjan]

I just bought a bangle I thought was silver, but I couldn't find the mark. I posted it on another board and they said it is a bogus maker's mark and probably not silver. So I tested it and they were right. Then I looked carefully at the 925 mark and realized it is a 5 rotated 180 degrees and right reading 25.

Two lessons learned: 1- test before I go posting for help when I run across an odd mark and 2- get a better loupe to take shopping with me!

This is the mark:

[moonlightrose28401]

Marie ...for you to have bought it.... must have looked pretty authentic ...so i guess there is hope for the rest of us 🙂    

[thirry]

Wow -- I'd have been fooled too. It looks like a legitimate Mexican mark.Maybe I should pack a silver and gold metals test along with my loupe!

A.

[mforjan]

I should know better, I am always second guessing those bracelets marked silver, the ones with the carved glass or stone faces like this:

I have come across a lot that are marked silver but are alpaca. Now I have to watch out for marks on bangles too 

moonlightrose28401, don't worry, I make mistakes all the time!!!!!

[thirry]

Those darned carved faces seem to be on everything. Maybe finding one of those on a piece of jewelry should be an early warning of questionable materials.

[rixstuff]

Years back a friend of my mom's asked me to sell a watch for her.  I was more worried that it was an upscale expensive watch. I took it in to get a new battery in and the jeweler told me it was fake. BUT...it was sterling silver with a real diamond (not a good one or big one) at the face and while it wasnt the $1200 model we all hoped, it WAS about $400 of sterling and diamond.  All that work and material to put a **bleep** circuit board instead of the works Omega is reknown for.