CD Peacock - clueless!!

[T L]

I was in the shopping mall today and I was browsing the jewelry stores. I went into CD Peacock, and the SA noticed my colored stone rings, so she showed me their collection of colored gems. Nothing really caught my eye, all bland colors or your typical blue topaz and badly colored amethyst selection. I told her I like tourmaline, and she took this huge ring out of the case and said it was a pink tourmaline.

Now I''m a tourmaline collector so I instantly knew that humongous stone was NOT a pink tourmaline. It was obviously machine cut, a true bubble gum pink, and had all kinds of fire and dispersion, not to mention the stone was super heavy for it''s size. I therefore told her that was a CZ to which she responded, "We only sell natural stones here." So I said that their buyer was probably duped. She said it was from a company called "Pink Diamond" - another giveaway, and the stone was called Pink Tourmaline. I think she was confusing the design with the actual species name of the stone. I just said that was a simulated pink tourmaline, but nothing like a true pink tourmaline.

I told her to show that to their resident gemologist since they should not be selling that as a natural tourmaline. They were really insulted, and when I mentioned dispersion and fire, you could tell she had no clue what I was talking about. I even showed her my 7 carat tourmaline that I was wearing, and compared the fire on their "pink tourmaline" to mine (no fire). This stone shouted "fake" all over it. Too perfect and even in bubblegum pink color, machine cut very similar to other huge CZ''s I''ve seen before, very heavy for the size (CZ''s usually are very dense and heavy), and fire and dispersion. If that was a tourmaline, my name is Harry Winston. They were really upset after I left, and I was just thinking of the poor person who would buy that thinking they were getting a natural stone.

 

[Chicago]

I've read so many of these stories and yet I'm still horrified and surprised by the ignorance & cluelessness at some b&m stores. Tourm were you at the CDPeacock @ Oakbrook? If so I'm not even sure the fools there would know what the heck a gemologist is! LOL It's quite sad to me actually since I grew up in the city and have fond memories of the window displays at their (former) flagship store on State St w/the gorgeous ornate peacock door. sigh CD Peacock has strayed so far from its roots that they're not much better than your Whitehalls, Jared, etc. which is truly sad. Good for you pointing out their error even if the reception was rather frosty. I feel sorry for the sucker that's going to pay $$ for that piece of bubblegum junk.

 

[T L]

Chicago, thanks. It was the Woodfield store. Ugh, how sad how downhill they''ve gone. Like you said, they used to have a great reputation, and now they''re not much better than Zales. Very sad.

On a happier note, I was shopping at the Nordstrom cosmetic counter, and the SA loved my diamond rings I was wearing, and the fact they were colored amazed her since she said she didn''t know diamonds come in colors. She told me she was getting engaged and she showed me a picture of her dream ring on her phone. She was quoted $15,000 for the ring. It was a split shank halo with a 1.5 carat diamond. I told her to join Pricescope because the vendors and helpful people could get her a much much better deal. She was so excited, and I was glad to point another consumer out to this wonderful place.

 

[chrono]

It is a shame they don''t even know what they are selling. What''s worse, is that the poor buyer will end up paying more than what that stone is worth, thinking he''s getting a tourmaline too.

 

[Indylady]

Isn''t there a way to complain to some kind of higher authority that these SA are misleading/lying about what they are selling? I feel so sorry for the individual that really puts their heart into their purchase that turns out to be completely worthless!

 

[T L]

Date: 5/6/2009 11:03:31 PM
Author: szh07
Isn't there a way to complain to some kind of higher authority that these SA are misleading/lying about what they are selling? I feel so sorry for the individual that really puts their heart into their purchase that turns out to be completely worthless!

The problem is not so much what they are selling, but that they don't understand what they're selling. If it's their policy not to have synthetic stones at CD Peacock as the SA told me, then it's not just the SA's problem in not being able to identify the stone properly, but the buyer, who obviously was duped or mislead into buying something they thought was natural. I didn't even ask the price on that ring, I wonder how much it was. The stone could be had for $10, I know that much.