Gem Of A Deal

Jewelry stores advertise great prices.  But do the price and the quality of the jewelry match up?

One viewer, upset with what he got for his money at a local jewelry store, says he had to take them to court to get satisfaction.  The customer won and was awarded triple the price of the jewelry plus court costs.

News Channel 7 cameras went undercover to find out if you're getting a "Gem of a Deal" in a 7 On Your Side investigation.

Our shopper bought three rings, one each at three randomly-chosen jewelry stores at Upstate malls.  At each store, our shopper chose from rings the salesperson said contained real gems and negotiated her best price.  An i-Phone recorded the transactions.

The first stop was New York Jewelry and Watches in WestGate Mall in Spartanburg, where the salesperson showed our shopper several rings he said contained real sapphires.  Our shopper buys it for $200.

Next, Queens Jewelers at WestGate.

The manager shows our shopper a ruby and diamond ring, quoting a price of $226.  While the manager steps away for a moment, our shopper notices the ring she has selected is missing a ruby.

We buy the ring for $239.56 with tax.

Our last purchase is from Gold Gallery at Haywood Mall in Greenville.

Our shopper picks out a blue sapphire ring.  She asks the clerk if the sapphire is real, and he replies, “Oh, yes ma'am."  Our shopper buys the ring for $150.

Appraising the jewelry are professional gemologist John Rasmussen of Easley and certified gemologist Doug Owens of Spartanburg.  They appraise the first item purchased, the sapphire and diamond ring.

“Just off the cuff it looks like a sapphire," says Owens.  After closer examination, Owens says the stone is synthetic.

John Rasmussen’s conclusion:  “It's about half a sapphire.  It's a doublet.  It's got a top and bottom, (two different things) glued together.  Probably we'll see that on the microscope."

Looking at the ring under a microscope, Rasmussen finds, “When I turn it sideways, the fact that we have two different colors is extremely obvious."  Rasmussen says the bottom stone could be glass, quartz or one of several other stones.

The second ring to be appraised is the ruby and diamond ring.  Our appraisers notice a stone is missing.  They say the rubies and diamonds are real.

The third ring appraised was described by the store clerk and on our receipt as a sapphire.  Appraiser Doug Owens says it's a blue topaz.  John Rasmussen leans toward topaz too but isn't sure.  He tells me “it could be” a sapphire.

After the appraisals, we're back in touch with the stores to get questions answered.

When we bought the first ring, we were told by the salesperson that the stone was a sapphire.  One of our appraisers says only half the stone is sapphire.  The store owner tells me in 35 years of selling jewelry, he's never heard of a doublet.  He offers to exchange our ring.

Next, the ruby and diamond ring with the missing stone.  Shouldn't the store have noticed a stone was missing before selling the ring?  To get an answer, I find the manager who sold our shopper the ring.  She calls the store owner, who seems to doubt my story about the missing stone and tells me our crew has to leave, no interview.  Before we go, the manager tells me she was unaware the ring was missing a ruby and that it would've been fixed right away if our shopper had pointed out the problem.  She offers to fix it now for free if I'll wait, which I agree to do.  In minutes, the repair is finished.

And the third ring, the one bought at Gold Gallery… is it sapphire?  Is it topaz?  The store owner tells me if a mistake was made, it was unintentional, and he offers to exchange the ring.

Most of us probably have very little real knowledge about jewelry.  When we see something we like, we know it.  So how can you make sure you're getting a good deal for what you pay?

John Rasmussen describes the rings he appraised for us as "low-end" 10-carat gold jewelry probably made in Southeast Asia where the cost of labor is low.

Jewelry professionals tell me your best safeguard is to buy from places and people you trust. 

And Rasmussen says don't settle for the price on the tag.  He and others tell me the markup could be as high as 500 percent.

“Offer them half of what they got it tagged at," he says.  And if the store won’t take your offer?  “Walk away.”

We should point out that none of the stores thought there was anything wrong with the rings that were sold, and our appraisal experts even disagreed in their assessments of the stones.

Our appraisers also estimated what it would cost to replace from scratch the rings we bought if they were lost or stolen.  It's known as the RRV or retail replacement value.

For the first ring, the sapphire and diamonds, our shopper paid $200.  Rasmussen believes we should’ve paid between $60-150.  He places the ring’s RRV at $190.  Owens places the RRV at $495.

For the second ring (rubies and diamonds), we paid $239.56.  Rasmussen believes we should’ve paid $200 and gives it an RRV of $600.  Owens places the RRV at $295.

We paid $150 for the third ring, the sapphire (maybe topaz) ring, and Rasmussen agrees that was a good price.  His RRV for this ring is $235, while Owens places it at $265.