Could my 3.02ct F VS2 diamond have been switched to a CZ?

[John P]

Date: 5/23/2010 7:53:43 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
about 6 yrs ago a friend of mine bought an inexpensive stone from CTF. he then barrowed my diamond tester,and it DIDN'T PASS as a real diamond!

Six years ago the level of detection/protection for consumers in China was not where it is today, and it still has room for growth. It would surprise me if CTF was responsible, for the same reason no established seller would risk an established multi-million business with some cheap swapping-shenanigan. CTF has 1000 shops on the mainland and plans to open another thousand by 2020. They employ thousands of diamond polishers in their factories (they just started with H&A). And jewelry is their second business - their first is real estate.

On the other hand any busy district draws scams, which might be one crooked salesman or an organized team offering to 'clean your diamond' in the back of their harmless gingerbread shop (the one with trapdoors, escape pods and sharks with laser beams). It can be incredibly chaotic in the cities.

 

[John P]

Date: 5/23/2010 8:14:57 PM
Author: kenny

John, how does their online sales model differ with the US model?

I'm trying not to reproduce the articles here in Phoenix's thread, which I've hijacked Kenny (my apologies Phoenix).

Pricescope has permission to publish them and was going to do so when 2.0 went live. I will email to see what the outlook is and we may regroup to another thread? I think you'll appreciate the information offered in-context more - but that may just be my OCD talking.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/23/2010 12:36:29 PM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 5/21/2010 2:45:37 AM

Author: Cehrabehra

I have yet to see a well cut diamond here in China... but maybe they''re all in hong kong and singapore!

Understandable. Many of the big locals on the mainland aren''t specializing in top cut yet but as luxury-spending increases they will need to: Chinese consumers are increasingly gaining access to the internet, and doing more research there (sound familiar?) which brings more cut focus. I sat with owners of two of the more popular online companies - 9Diamond.com and Zbird.com - after speaking at a seminar in Shanghai last year. They both offer triple ex, H&A and modified rounds cut to triple ex online (but the online sales model there is different than online sales here).


You''re right about HK. A number of outfits are based there but they also have stores in mainland cities. In addition to Chow Sang Sang mentioned above you might look for TSL, CHJ Jewelry, MaBelle or Chow Tai Fook. In addition to triple ex (the increasingly-known standard) a good number of companies opt to offer H&A diamonds without branding their stones.

interesting (and btw it''s really great to have you back around - your profound reason and simple explanations are a gift to this site)... I live in Dalian which despite being a city of about 7 million is still pretty small townish and not up to the cutting edge. I again was looking at diamonds here just today and the fact that they''re "real" seems to be the greatest selling point. They''re all high color and clarity but the cut is... immature? And boy are they expensive.

It doesn''t surprise me that shanghai is more advanced... I will have to ask around and see if I can find a threshold jeweler here because I haven''t tumbled on one yet...

 

[Cehrabehra]

John you and phoenix''s discussion is very interesting to me. A lot of people here cannot afford computers and there are a lot of internet cafe''s that charge ridiculously low rates to use... like 1-2rmb/hr so you can go 3-6 hours for a dollar. People pay extra for these vibrating lounge chairs so they can sit there all day - some play games but from what I''ve seen only about 25%. The rest are communicating with each other and exploring what they can access. We have two routers here - one is vpn and one isn''t and it''s always amusing to me when I''m not on vpn how news stories get timed out and I have to switch to the slower but more complete router. Pricescope is not blocked in china - yay! Not yet anyway... you never know what is going to fall into their filter.

anyway, you''re right about the spending power and it may even be greater than that considering the cost of living here is so low. Being rich here is as expensive as being rich in america but being lower middle class doesn''t take much money by american standards. Property boggles my mind - I don''t know how anyone affords anything. The house we live in is huge and about 750k american but it''s total crap really - I don''t think any american would pay for this building standard and yet the chinese are eating it up (and the south koreans - they really have a stronger economy) as investments even though the average building here lasts only like 5-10 years. Everything is constantly being torn down and rebuilt and since people cannot actually own LAND here it blows that whole real estate investment in MY mind but obviously I''m missing something... anyway sorry for the digression ::blows kisses to phoenix::

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/23/2010 12:53:14 PM
Author: John Pollard

Regarding your last paragraph - just so. The buzz words are out there but the average consumer''s understanding of the implications lags behind. I think the internet is helping them play catch-up, just as it does here... There are a staggering number of websites in Mandarin (and Cantonese). I wonder about how good the information is and suspect, like the west, there are good and bad sources. There also seem to be many discussion boards but nothing quite like Pricescope.

This is interesting to me too - there is such whack info on the streets. They don''t even use car seats here - they still feel it is safer to hold your child in your lap in the front seat

... anyway, the things they say are just crazy talk - there''s no accountability to truth in advertising. The pictures on packages and what you get are more often than not - not the same. Except at mcdonalds lol Anyway, I''ve heard all sorts of crazy stuff from sales people - example: telling me that betta fish are magical and do not need to have their water changed or be fed (and they believe this - you can tell - you question them and they look baffled like their mom might have lied to them but more than likely it''s you that''s lying to them).

Living here has changed me maybe more than anything else in my life - my entire outlook on humanity has changed for better and for worse... it''s incredibly interesting and I can''t wait to read what you have to say on this topic in a new thread

 

[CharmyPoo]

Date: 5/20/2010 5:19:04 PM
Author: zhuzhu

I also want to add that it is not unreasonable for Phonex to worry about the fakes in Asia. I have purchased a few pieces of ''solid 14K jewelry'' from China suppliers in EBay, and each and every one of them were tested as base metal coated by ''rhodium looking thing''. Base on the marking alone you will never guess they were fakes.

Diamond buyers in China, be VERY CAREFUL.

Zhu

I am not sure which China suppliers you are buying from on Ebay - please do share. All the ones I have purchased have been what they said it is.

 

[John P]

Date: 5/24/2010 10:28:03 AM
Author: Cehrabehra

interesting (and btw it''s really great to have you back around - your profound reason and simple explanations are a gift to this site)... I live in Dalian which despite being a city of about 7 million is still pretty small townish and not up to the cutting edge. I again was looking at diamonds here just today and the fact that they''re ''real'' seems to be the greatest selling point. They''re all high color and clarity but the cut is... immature? And boy are they expensive.

It doesn''t surprise me that shanghai is more advanced... I will have to ask around and see if I can find a threshold jeweler here because I haven''t tumbled on one yet...

Thanks for the generous words, and back at you. I always enjoy your insights. I''m also interested in your feet-wet status. Do you get to Shenyang much? If you''re so-inclined I have a question or two that might be fun to answer, if you have some down-time for bling.

 

[John P]

Date: 5/24/2010 10:45:34 AM
Author: Cehrabehra

Living here has changed me maybe more than anything else in my life - my entire outlook on humanity has changed for better and for worse... it's incredibly interesting and I can't wait to read what you have to say on this topic in a new thread

I'm with you on "outlook-changing." Although I was fast-tracked to diamond, gem and jewelry trade-shows I took extra days to experience the insanity - in the country, on the sidewalks and in the nightlife. What a range of experiences. In a few hours you can have as many brushes with death-by-taxi as you like, appreciate the most breathtaking caligraphy in the world, have your sleeves stretched out by sidewalk solicitors (keep dodging the rickshaws) and ingest all kinds of ingredients a western biology rarely encounters. And all that before noon.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 5/21/2010 12:40:00 PM
Author: Phoenix

Do you happen to know if I can take my diamond to GIA myself for this purpose (either walk-in but I suspect more likely by appointment)? I may be in NY this summer or if not, then next summer. I am reluctant to send the diamond all the way to the US and back - it''s just too risky, plus I don''t think I could secure insurance for this purpose.

Sorry, I do not know that as I have never done it myself. Start a new thread on that? I believe Kenny went to the lab with his pink diamond last year.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/24/2010 11:19:15 AM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 5/24/2010 10:28:03 AM

Author: Cehrabehra


interesting (and btw it's really great to have you back around - your profound reason and simple explanations are a gift to this site)... I live in Dalian which despite being a city of about 7 million is still pretty small townish and not up to the cutting edge. I again was looking at diamonds here just today and the fact that they're 'real' seems to be the greatest selling point. They're all high color and clarity but the cut is... immature? And boy are they expensive.


It doesn't surprise me that shanghai is more advanced... I will have to ask around and see if I can find a threshold jeweler here because I haven't tumbled on one yet...

Thanks for the generous words, and back at you. I always enjoy your insights. I'm also interested in your feet-wet status. Do you get to Shenyang much? If you're so-inclined I have a question or two that might be fun to answer, if you have some down-time for bling.

I have not been to Shenyang yet (husband is swamped at work and it's been a big job just getting settled and feeling normal again - we got here dec31) however... I am going next weekend to Shenyang and Dandong and somewhere else - just a weekend road trip. Gonna look across the river and wave to the north koreans while we still can ANYWAY this weekend we're going to Xian. My birthday is monday and his father is in town so we're going to do some traveling. I can get to beijing for about $100 round trip but I haven't yet. Ditto Shanghai... my chinese is still pretty limited so I'm a little nervous about traveling alone but I am sure I will before our stint here is over...

..... so.... do tell! What's the question or two?

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 5/24/2010 11:38:58 AM
Author: John Pollard
I''m with you on ''outlook-changing.'' Although I was fast-tracked to diamond, gem and jewelry trade-shows I took extra days to experience the insanity - in the country, on the sidewalks and in the nightlife. What a range of experiences. In a few hours you can have as many brushes with death-by-taxi as you like, appreciate the most breathtaking caligraphy in the world, have your sleeves stretched out by sidewalk solicitors (keep dodging the rickshaws) and ingest all kinds of ingredients a western biology rarely encounters. And all that before noon.

Rickshaws? Do they still have that? I thought only trishaws now?