Bluff Gemstones - Just the Truth.

Bluff Gemstones...
What's adclass gem? What's a promotional stone? Is one different from the other? The resounding answer to this question is NO!
A dclass gem and/or promotional stone is usually a rather large stone which is three, four, five, six -up to 20 carats in size and even larger. They gee in sapphires, emeralds and rubies (for the most part) and maybe placed into middle of the road settings and in some cases, into platinum settings. The settings themselves can be much more valuable than the stone itself.
However, when you review the listing, the buzz words abound. VS to I-1 diamonds, 18KT. gold setting and a whopping 7.50 carat sapphire! Sounds exciting, don't it? However, look closely at the setting - just how many diamonds are there? If they are 2 to 6 pointers diamonds, which number over a few dozen, there's no doubt there's one tucked into the setting which is VS, which in turn, allows one to state VS to I-1 diamonds.Throw the word 18KT., 14KT or Platinum and a gem certificate with a estimated retail value in the thousands and you have a real winner - or do you?
The most valuable part of this piece should be the sapphire, which is 7.50 carats however, if it's a dclass stone (not a gem) then you're paying for the setting. Look at the sapphire. Is it translucent? Can you hold it up to light and see any transmission of light? Does the stone throw off a pale mottled color? Does it have rough edges where it was cut? Does it have a white cloudy look to it? Does it have a milky whitish blue color? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then what you may have purchased (or are about to purchase) is known as "dclass" and/or "promotional" stone.
Here's a good definition of dclass stones...Clarity is graded on a scale from Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS) down to Imperfect (I3). Below that are Dclass (Dcl) with so many inclusions that the stones are no longer transparent and thus do not merit detailed clarity grading.
Why are they called "promotional stones"? Because they are sold in plastic bags containing a few hundred stonesin various, sizes, shapes and colors. They're deemed "promotional" stones, as they are sold at jewelry trade shows and conventions a half dozen times a year.
Why do people buy them, set them and sell them? Because they're cheap (plain and simple) and they're called "bluff stones" in the business. A "bluff stone" is usually fairly large and set into a decent setting, which highlights the piece. In other words, the color of gold gees into play -big time. If the stone looks better in yellow gold, it's set in yellow gold. If it looks better in white gold, then it's set in white gold. It's called a "bluff stone" for the obvious reasons.
However, send that jewelry item into GIA and they tell you that while you have a bigstone on your hands, it's a classified as a "dclass" stone. The value??? If it came with a certificate and the value seems to be a "pie in the sky" estimate, then you just ate a big piece of pie.
This is what infuriates those in the jewelry trade who don't sell "bluff stones" or "promotional stones". When consumers eat that first piece of pie then they think that every piece of pie thereafter should be gauged by the size of the first piece of pie.
In other words, if you buy one of these large stones and you pay $50.00 a carat and receive a 6 carat sapphire for $300.00 thenyou see a sapphire, which is selling for $250.00 a carat online, you think you're being robbed (when in fact) you were robbed the first time around.
It's gees down to quality. Buy a "bluff stone" and you may have paid 500 times more then what it costs, as they gee in bags of hundreds. The profit margins are huge on such stones and the only way to sell them is toput them into settings, which play on the sizzle and not on the steak.
Very rarely do we see these stones being sold without a setting, as if they had no gepliment to their sheer size (with a beautiful setting) you'd pass them over and/or laugh out loud that someone was actually attempting to sell something that looks like a mottled rock.
Remember, there are stones, which may be deemed dclass naturally, as they may be cabochon rubies, emeralds and sapphres and thus are not transulent. However, they are priced accordingly.
If you're going to buy a "true" gemstone, then buy a gemstone - not a stone.
Jewelry
Other guides relating to jewelry and gemstone buyingwhich you may find helpful are as follows:


Gold Prices and Gold Jewelry