Tag: gemstones
-
Synthetic vs. natural: how to spot lab-grown stones sold as mined gems
Lab-grown sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds are being sold as natural at retail markup. Here’s a practical guide to telling them apart before you buy.
-
The Tucson Gem Show Underbelly: How Scammers Operate at the World’s Largest Gem Event
Tucson’s gem shows draw thousands of vendors and billions in stones. The chaos is also perfect cover for treated gems, fake provenance, and bait-and-switch deals.
-
Buyer protections: how to shop gem shows safely
Gem shows mix legitimate dealers with sophisticated scammers. Here’s how to inspect stones, structure payments, and recover money when something goes wrong.
-
The mine direct lie: when vendors falsely claim to sell straight from the source
‘Mine direct’ is the gemstone industry’s favorite marketing phrase. Most of the time it’s just a markup justified by a romanticized supply-chain story.
-
Investment-Grade Gem Scams: The High-Pressure Pitch Targeting Retirees at Trade Shows
Colored gemstones marketed as appreciating assets are one of the longest-running cons. Here’s how the pitch works and why the math fails retirees.
-
Glass-filled rubies and lead treatments: the most common gem show bait-and-switch
Heavily treated stones are routinely sold as natural rubies at gem shows and online. Here’s how the treatments work and which lab tests expose them.