newbie question

[Lorelei]

ROFL, Lorelei that guy really is your boyfriend? I am not surprised that you have missed him so much as to come back ...

LOL!!!!! I wish!

The hunk in the photo was an actor from the eighties called Jon Erik Hexum, he sadly died in 1984 due to an accident. As you will see, I love busting Dancing Fire's chops, especially if Kaleigh is there to help me , so he had better watch out....

 

[Sunstorm]

I was thinking that DF may not want to pose like this on PS or otherwise he might just get banned for breaking too many hearts on here or because he is overtly advertising himself.)

 

[Sunstorm]

Well, there are always the skeptics but even in this world not everyone is first and foremost motived by money and sales. Nothing, not even being here guarantees anyone a sale and there are many vendors to choose from. I may give a PSer a discount because I genuinely love this forum and the people here and because I would like to promote PS and help newbies by sending them here as this forum has the biggest wealth of information and knowledge on this subject. I am positive that not everyone is making millions on diamonds or jewelry and that is not necessarily the goal of many. Perhaps I live in an ideal world but all I can say is how I feel; e.g., I could have made very good money staying in the legal field but I did not like it and gems have always been my passion. I am sure that many vendors on this forum chose this profession not for the money as they could make more money in other fields. Now this is perhaps an entirely different discussion but I am afraid that this thread is starting to get very negative and this may not be to the benefit of all. Those who want to doubt will always do. Let them but OP you gotta realize that all forums have to stay in existence somehow and sponsoring is a good way, you will have sponsors, ads, vendors on every forum. I do feel that vendors behave very ethically here. You can also choose to ask general questions and not have vendors recommended to you. Then you can make your own selection if you like and you can go with any vendor you like, one not present on PS if you wish.

 

[Lorelei]

I was thinking that DF may not want to pose like this on PS or otherwise he might just get banned for breaking too many hearts on here

I know, he was always such a showoff!

 

[Texas Leaguer]

For the cynical, I would like to offer a somewhat philosophical take. I believe human evolution would not have been possible if we were not all genetically wired to get something important from the simple act of giving or helping. If it was all about dog eat dog, well, even dogs probably wouldn't be around!

I know that when I receive outstanding service or find a great new product, I am highly self motivated to tell my friends about it. You gotta get this cool setup, man! You gotta read this book, listen this new CD. There is no reward other than the satisfaction of knowing someone else will have a great experience. And that is plenty of motivation.

I can't tell you how many people I told about SONOS when I discovered it, or Beck's new CD (which quite unexpectedly channels Moody Blues and Pink Floyd). And when I read Graham Nash's book (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), I bought 5 extra copies to give to friends.

I'm not trying to say I'm a prince of a guy, although I am. I'm just saying that helping is self-fulfilling for many, many people. And that is what I see going on here - in spades.

From a vendors point of view, we are all concerned about possible shills. And when we see what looks like shill behavior, we do report it. And those reports are heard and investigated. The problem is, a real fan can appear to exhibit shill behavior. And a shill will disguise their true agenda to avoid detection. So it is a real balancing act that the administrators of a forum are required to do. They must have rules and enforce them, but they cannot be so repressive as to suppress free discussion.

And it is a bit of a thankless task as well because no matter how vigilant they are, there are always those who will assume that there is something unethical going on. And they can articulate their theories in persuasive ways and raise doubt in others.

I can say with confidence that Pricescope gets neither sales reports from us, nor do they get a commission on any sale we make. We pay healthy advertising fees for the privilege of having our banners and our diamonds searchable here, where the most intelligent and discerning diamond shoppers in the market can become acquainted with us.

 

[psadmin]

To clarify some of the question regarding Pricescope Discounts and renumeration.

I have created a new thread here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/important-clarification-pricescope-discounts-commissions.202031/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/important-clarification-pricescope-discounts-commissions.202031/[/URL]

 

[teobdl]

Pricescope exists on listing fees and ad's. We are never told by vendors which diamonds have been sold from PS visitors. We see the clicks, and have a fair idea based on stones removed from data bases. But we get no feedback on any sales other than what you can all see on these forums. I guess the fact that some vendors have offered PS discounts or special offers over the years has led people to feel or believe there is something going on. Its not.

I agree that in order to maintain the integrity of PS, it should not get commissions on sales.

However, obtaining hard data about the PS effect on sponsoring vendor sales would likely generate many more vendor sponsors and increase revenue significantly, if you can show that being a PS sponsor helps their revenue significantly. They obviously do think it helps, because they continue to sponsor. I don't know how hard this information is to obtain. I imagine a handful of core PS businesses would have to agree to share some numbers with PS administration. Some helpful #'s would be what % of their customers ask for PS discount on purchases; what is the average value of PS discount purchases vs non-PS discount purchases.

Also, for new sponsors, what were sales before and after sponsorship, then subtract out the anticipated revenue assuming no PS from year to year to find probable additive revenue due to PS sponsorship.

I don't think that obtaining this information would detract from the integrity of PS.

 

[Dancing Fire]

''Mr.Pollard said numbers are like the outline of a body, but you have to see it to know it''

Kate, John has always come up with the perfect analogy for any situation, it is one of his very many talents! To use an analogy in a similar vein and the photo below as a perfect example , a certain set of physical proportions, hair and eye colour is not necessarily going to guarantee you this....


[b]The above is a recent shot of Dancing Fire.[/b] :love:[/quote]
Not even close my Brit gf... :lol:

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

''Mr.Pollard said numbers are like the outline of a body, but you have to see it to know it''

Kate, John has always come up with the perfect analogy for any situation, it is one of his very many talents! To use an analogy in a similar vein and the photo below as a perfect example , a certain set of physical proportions, hair and eye colour is not necessarily going to guarantee you this....


[b]The above is a recent shot of Dancing Fire.[/b] :love:[/quote]
Not even close my Brit gf... :lol:[/quote]
Nonsense, the numbers mean nothing.
You have to feel it :naughty:

 

[Lorelei]

''Mr.Pollard said numbers are like the outline of a body, but you have to see it to know it''

Kate, John has always come up with the perfect analogy for any situation, it is one of his very many talents! To use an analogy in a similar vein and the photo below as a perfect example , a certain set of physical proportions, hair and eye colour is not necessarily going to guarantee you this....


[b]The above is a recent shot of Dancing Fire.[/b] :love:[/quote]
Not even close my Brit gf... :lol:[/quote]
Nonsense, the numbers mean nothing.
You have to feel it :naughty:[/quote]

I know DF, your outrageous hunkiness makes the bloke in the photo appear positively weedy....

Garry, I will bear that in mind! :lol:

 

[Sunstorm]

Very well said Texas Leaguer. To add I think that we all strive to feel happy. Happiness may be different for each one of us. I fully believe that money by itself does not make someone happy and have seen many examples of this and to me and many others here there is nothing more rewarding than helping another person or animals many times without any financial gain. Perhaps this is also a partially selfish act because it makes the person doing something good feel happy too but at the same time it benefits the community as well. We may chose one area or several that we are passionate about and where we can help and which in turn makes us happy too.

I also feel that a PS discount to consumers is quite reasonable because people who are at least somewhat educated are a joy to work with as you may feel you are more on the same page and there is less misunderstanding. It can be much more difficult to explain, even if you really try your best, someone completely ignorant about the subject that e.g., they are not being cheated when a superbly cut stone and/or labor intensive, very precise workmanship by hand may carry a premium. I am sure that we have all had customers that have for one reason or another really tried our patience. I really enjoy spending a lot of time with my clients, I never mind that, to the contrary, but ignorance can be difficult to deal with. Many times it is not the fault of the customer but some no matter how hard you try do not want to be educated.

Thanks to to admins for making a thread on policies, I will definitely read up on them.

 

[Lorelei]

''

For the cynical, I would like to offer a somewhat philosophical take. I believe human evolution would not have been possible if we were not all genetically wired to get something important from the simple act of giving or helping. If it was all about dog eat dog, well, even dogs probably wouldn't be around!

I know that when I receive outstanding service or find a great new product, I am highly self motivated to tell my friends about it. You gotta get this cool setup, man! You gotta read this book, listen this new CD. There is no reward other than the satisfaction of knowing someone else will have a great experience. And that is plenty of motivation.

I can't tell you how many people I told about SONOS when I discovered it, or Beck's new CD (which quite unexpectedly channels Moody Blues and Pink Floyd). And when I read Graham Nash's book (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), I bought 5 extra copies to give to friends.

I'm not trying to say I'm a prince of a guy, although I am. I'm just saying that helping is self-fulfilling for many, many people. And that is what I see going on here - in spades.

''

Very well said Bryan, thank you!

 

[Lorelei]

''

Very well said Texas Leaguer. To add I think that we all strive to feel happy. Happiness may be different for each one of us. I fully believe that money by itself does not make someone happy and have seen many examples of this and to me and many others here there is nothing more rewarding than helping another person or animals many times without any financial gain. Perhaps this is also a partially selfish act because it makes the person doing something good feel happy too but at the same time it benefits the community as well. We may chose one area or several that we are passionate about and where we can help and which in turn makes us happy too.''

OVi, this is so true. ''It is better to give than receive'' as the well known saying goes. I can think of plenty of instances where I have found that to be the case, maybe because as OVi mentions above, is giving a potentially selfish act because it makes the giver feel good? Going back to Bryan's mention of evolution and human motivation, if giving was as painful as continually holding your hand over a flame, we would soon stop doing it. We are motivated by the prospect of a pleasant reward and it is not always monetary. Otherwise, we would never wash our cars and go for a spin to show off our shiny clean wheels, clean our houses, help another person or an animal, hold a door open for a stranger etc if we did not feel good about the results of performing that action. Some, ( certainly not me ) will spend ages folding a huge pile of laundry and placing it neatly in a cupboard, just because they get a kick out of seeing it in its pristine tidiness. That's their reward. I could waffle on for ages, but I think even if helping other people makes the giver selfish because they feel good and gain happiness from doing it, so be it.

 

[Sunstorm]

ROFL Lorelie that describes my mom about the laundry and cleaning but that said she is a person that she, now in retirement, only feels good if she spends a big part of her savings on rescuing animals and giving to rescues. She said to me that though she worked hard her whole life as a doctor and could have afforded expensive clothes and jewelry, this means nothing to her, she likes them but would rather spend on second hand clothing and try to save an animal. I can tell you that we have done that many times, saving a stray boy with pneumonia by medicating him and then finding him a home, some did not have good outcomes but we tried. She loves my diamonds and finds nothing wrong with someone wanting to spend on them but she herself chose to spend on helping stray animals. And yes her cleaning and laundry.) Perhaps she is an extreme example and I still love my clothes and jewelry but helping too just as much and yes it may be selfish but if it serves a greater good then I am not sure it truly qualifies as a selfish act. You do not help to gain anything, in fact it has happened to me that my help was not only not appreciated but just the opposite, you still try. I always say that perhaps someone considers me stupid but let them think so, kindness does not equal stupidity. Very interesting point about human evolution, we are after all social beings and if we all tried to help each other, we would get farther ahead. Our ancestors had to hunt as a group and needed each other's help to survive, perhaps this is not the case today but we have originally been encoded to be social beings.

 

[Dancing Fire]

''Mr.Pollard said numbers are like the outline of a body, but you have to see it to know it''

Kate, John has always come up with the perfect analogy for any situation, it is one of his very many talents! To use an analogy in a similar vein and the photo below as a perfect example , a certain set of physical proportions, hair and eye colour is not necessarily going to guarantee you this....


[b]The above is a recent shot of Dancing Fire.[/b] :love:[/quote]
Not even close my Brit gf... :lol:[/quote]
Nonsense, the numbers mean nothing.
[b]You have to feel it [/b] :naughty:[/quote]
:confused: ..Garry, wouldn't your I-scope do the job?

 

[Tekate]

I truly did laugh out loud.. (loudly)..

Lorelei|1400155830|3673366 wrote:
''Mr.Pollard said numbers are like the outline of a body, but you have to see it to know it''

Kate, John has always come up with the perfect analogy for any situation, it is one of his very many talents! To use an analogy in a similar vein and the photo below as a perfect example , a

his pix is divine

kind regards,
Kate

 

[LLJsmom]

Everyone comes with baggage. Some people will always ask the question "what do I get out of it?" (materially) because of how they were brought up or their own life experiences. They will view every experience through that frame of mind. Plenty of others (on this board) do not. No amount of convincing will change a persons mind if he/she insists on viewing life that way. And you all, including the mods have made an admirable sincere effort. That is their their burden to carry.

 

[Tekate]

Oh but Andelain, you were very nice to me when I was touting my buy of my beautiful (unpaid for hype AVC.. I put you up in my mind with Diamondseeker and Gypsy in knowledge and kindness to new people!!! thank you for showing an interest in my stone .. when a person is looking for beauty/sparkle/purity and a good price (notice not great because we can all get cheap diamonds) and finds pricescope it's great when someone shows an interest.... it's a bit scary buying online as we all know.. I was rewarded with a nice wedding band and a gorgeous sparkler than made me want 10 more!

LLjsmom(??) also was nice.. many were.. it's comforting to be in the company of people who share the love of a diamond.. it's like sailing.. my husband loves it -- me we start keeling and I start kneeling.. a pirates life is not for me many thanks Andelain.

I love GChang(s)(?) rings, and Kenny.. Kenny's Octavia was the most beautiful step cut stone I have EVER seen.. that sparkler makes me want one every day... there was a poster months ago that 'sort of' made disparaging remarks about buying diamonds.. ala he didn't see the point in spending something with such a poor return.. it's true, if you don't, you DON'T, you can't.. but I do.. maybe it's the rarity, but I believe it's truly the beauty of a diamond shining in the sun.. the return of light say... love them..

Life happens...and people pop in and out.

I've done that a couple times myself. People here were kind enough to be concerned about me, even though I'm not a prominent poster here.

 

[Sunstorm]

LLSsmom, you are absolutely right. Over the years I have known people who were brought up to only value money. These people almost always never had any money as they were after money too hard and the best way to success is definitely not a desperate way, those I have known that actually make good money do so most of the time because they are very devoted to what they do and truly love it and many times live for it. They do not live for money, money does not reproduce on its own. People who are successful are very talented and their primary goal is not to achieve money but to achieve success. Dedication and motivation means that you go on even in hard times, learn to fight and not give up even if success and monetary gains are not instant. Those who were brought up to only value money were often too spoilt and grew up to be unable to live on their own. Instant money does not exist in most cases. They were also the most unhappy people I have met and often cruel to others. Instead of living for the benefit of "us" , they have no conception of this term and sticking together; they looked at everything and everyone as what they can get out of them. Not one person wants to be around such people and they are sooner or later found out, usually sooner, the end result is no friends, no happiness and generally no money. They achieve the exact opposite with their lack of values. There are exceptions but this has generally been my experience.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Jeez Pyramid and GeorgeStevens, what a way to shame and shit on those of us who post here often? Mentally ill? Schilling? Useless free advice?

I am a teacher by nature and by profession. I enjoy teaching about diamonds. I racked up most of my posts when I was on my two maternity leaves (two years home with babies). This was my social outlet. It still is. I am typing this now as I am taking a break from writing an academic manuscript, which is a job that takes a lot of mental energy. Providing free advice is much less draining but still offers the rewards of feeling helpful. Imagine that! I and others here feel GOOD when we help people? Isn't that a nice contrast from those of you who obviously feel good by taking others down a peg.

And now I am even more mad that I wrote this defensive post, as if I need to explain my years of voluntary help to a few critical and judgmental people. But as always, I know the silent masses are also reading. So I'll leave this post for those who may care to read it and to speak for all my PS friends who will not post here but who are nevertheless offended and hurt by the tone of this thread.

On another note: Lorelei it's so nice to see you! I am sorry that you returned only to defend yourself from wild speculation and accusations I hope you are well and I miss you!

I had not revisited this thread until today, and I still have a few pages to read. I just want to +1 to everything Dreamer said because I have also found some of these posts absolutely infuriating and insulting. I saw Lorelei posting the other day elsewhere and was thilled to see her, but I didn't realize this was where the contact initially occurred.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I will just add after skimming the rest of the thread, that I'd be buying a HECK of a lot more diamonds if I was getting paid commission for selling diamonds! Is there a forum who does that?

This is my hobby. I have friends that I have made here. I have met many people at get-togethers and especially last year at the PS party in Las Vegas. I do not know a thing about the off forum conflicts and am sad to hear it. (I will say that I know for sure that a lot of members moved on to colored stones and that is partly why they aren't on Rocky Talky anymore.) But speaking for myself and probably others who post a lot, I am just here because I love diamonds, gems, and jewelry. It gives me pleasure to help others buy, because I am certainly not rich enough to spend all my spare time buying diamonds for myself!!! I am happy to apply the standards I use when I am buying for myself when I recommend stones to others, and that certainly will result in me often recommending stones from vendors I totally trust through experience, and who provide excellent information, customer service, and upgrade policies. I obviously do recommend stones from other vendors when the stone is the best match to the buyer.

 

[Lorelei]

I truly did laugh out loud.. (loudly)..

Lorelei|1400155830|3673366 wrote:
''Mr.Pollard said numbers are like the outline of a body, but you have to see it to know it''

Kate, John has always come up with the perfect analogy for any situation, it is one of his very many talents! To use an analogy in a similar vein and the photo below as a perfect example , a

his pix is divine

kind regards,
Kate

Isn't he just.... To quote my beloved Kaleigh, I think the adjective needed here is - yummo!

 

[Mara]

Lorelei, it is so good to see you posting again and to hear you are doing well. I'll never forget our WWT's!

Seeing some of the same old screen names all together in a thread, def a walk down memory lane.

 

[Lorelei]

Lorelei, it is so good to see you posting again and to hear you are doing well. I'll never forget our WWT's!

Seeing some of the same old screen names all together in a thread, def a walk down memory lane.

There she is!!! Hello lovely lady, it's so good to see you too, I have so many good memories of you and Alj and the WWT thread, happy days! I hope Hubs and your young gentleman, plus little P are thriving and that you have acquired some lovely new goodies in my absence....

 

[Bailey_Lou]

This has got to be the most random post ever. We are not crazy or depressed, just crazy about diamonds! I post about ideal cut diamonds because I feel sorry for people that tell me they spent $12000 at XXXX's and got ripped off with a subpar cut quality diamond. I tend to talk about WF or BGD because their diamonds talk to me and my eyes like their selections. Why does all advice have to be paid? Believe it or not, people do help others out of kindness ya know. Ask me about anything else that took me months to research and I'll gladly help you with that too. I'm sure that the experts on here work the same way as they've never steered me to a particular vendor.