Simulated gems falsely being sold as Natural on eBay.
Summary: azee0, a certified gemologist, warns that most 'natural' gemstones on eBay are actually synthetic, advising caution when purchasing. fabrics24 shares strategies for buying high-value items on eBay, such as checking seller feedback and understanding market values. Other participants agree, emphasizing the importance of knowledge about genuine stones versus imitations and the costs involved in professional appraisals. There is a discussion about the confusion between zircon and cubic zirconia, with clarification provided by azee0. The consensus is to be cautious and informed when buying gemstones online.
Most of the loose so called "Natural" gemstones listed on eBay are "simulated or synthetic".
I am a certified gemologist and I have just looked at approximately 50, so called "Natural" zircons listed on eBay and 49 were definitely not what they were supposed to be. My recommendation is that you don't buy gemstones through eBay unless you know what you are doing because the likelihood is you will not get what you bargained for. If you can not test the stone yourself it will cost you between AU$80-$180 to have it tested by a certified gemologist.
So if you pay $100 for a stone and have it tested by a gemologist and the gemologist charges $80 and informs you that the stone is a simulant, you will be entitled to a refund under eBay's policy but you'll be $80 out of pocket with nothing to show for it.
idealgems1
·1 month agoA couple of buyers of items we sold that were not subject to authentication, went to the authenticator anyway. Evidently for a small fee ($35 comes to mind, but I'm not sure on this), the buyer can have the item authenticated. Seems like money well spent of you have concerns!
azee0
OP1 month agoHi, you are a legitimate seller but too many of the sellers on ebay are intentionally committing fraud and know they are. The fraudsters on ebay make it difficult for legitimate sellers such as yourself. I can't understand why ebay doesn't ban sellers that are intentionally committing fraud.
soh.maryl
·1 month agoEvery so often, it apparently becomes necessary to advise potential buyers that they should not buy ANTHING on line unless/until they're familiar with exactly what they are purchasing. This also applies to in-person sales at a store. At least on eBay you have the protection of the MBG.
And your message provides a caution as well -- if you feel you bought a fake, please don't waste your money on having it tested because there is no way for you to get a refund for what you paid for that service.
evelyb30
·1 month agoKnow prices and values before hitting the Buy button. You get what you pay for when it comes to loose stones. Pay junk prices, expect junk.
stainlessenginecovers
·1 month agoA 'natural' zircon? I thought 'zircon' was a 'fake' diamond?
azee0
OP1 month agoHi, you're thinking of cubic zirconia which is a man-made simulant used to imitate diamond.
Zircons are an extremelybeautiful natural gemstome.
southernmermaid8
·1 month agoAzee0,
Good advice. This topic does comes up a couple times a year here on our jewelry boards.
roccotacodad54
·1 month ago · EditedGood advice. There's certain things I don't buy online for this very reason, I'm not knowledgeable enough about them to know fake from real.
Even items in my area of expertise have fooled me just looking at iffy photographs. No detailed good in focus photos, no sale.
There's the MBG but I'd rather not buy something than have to deal with sending it back for a refund............................
fabrics24
·1 month agoI always recommend that if you absolutely must buy something high-value on ebay, 1.) buy it from sellers who have plenty of feedback and 2.) check that feedback to see if anyone that's bought from them has had any issues. If I see two or more reviews indicating foul play per 50 feedback, I back out.
I know some items can be verified through eBay's authentication, but I've found that through my (secondhand) experience, it's a tossup; half the time it seems like I see some horror story of an eBay Authenticator damaging the item (bad for the seller), or they authenticate something that's not genuine (bad for the buyer). Not to mention a lot of stones are less than $500, so that doesn't cover them.
I guess some good general advice is to know what the market value of things are, and know at least a little about what you're buying. Genuine white turquoise is very rare and you're more likely to run into howlite, amber with inclusions will run you more, anyone charging you a lot for opalite and goldstone is a scammer, sapphire and ruby will not scratch easily and if you see scrapes or chips be very suspicious, if your lapis lazuli has zero pyrite then it's probably just sodalite, etc etc.
I definitely agree; taking them to a certified gemologist is always a good idea to do with any piece of jewelry or precious stones you get. I'd say this hypothetical $80 spent at the appraisal is steep, but a fair lesson; you'll definitely remember it at that price.