Quality of Costco Colored Stone Jewelry?

[NiceSmile]

what is the quality of costco colored stone jewelry?

for instance, what do people think about this pair of earrings?

how are these sapphire earrings so inexpensive?

 

[deskjockey]

I have little personal experience but would want to know if they are lab sapphires, or somehow treated in a way that seriously reduces their value. I checked the website, and it didn't say a thing about origin of the stones, but that's the first thing I'd want to know.

As far as their jewelry in general, every time I've looked in the case, I've noticed most of the gemstones are very poorly cut ("hey, I can read the price sticker through the gem!"). And I'm not even that great at identifying a poor cut, other than looking for obvious windows.

 

[movie zombie]

could be BE-treated.......unless you speak to a Costco buyer you won't be able to get reliable info. you'll need to call their offices to find that buyer.

 

[JewelFreak]

At the Costco here, if they're lab created, the tag says so. Doesn't mention treatments; as MZ says, that you'd have to get from the co. The sapphires look dark in your photo -- may not be mostest-top quality. Generally their jewelry is pretty good quality -- in some cases, very good:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-06/tiffany-vs-dot-costco-which-diamond-ring-is-better

They can price lower for the same quality stones you'd find in fancy stores because they buy in relatively large quantities & don't have to bankroll expensive brand support of Cartier or Tiffany. Smaller jewelers price high because their purchase quantities are limited, ergo, they pay more. I wouldn't be embarrassed to wear some of the pieces I see in the store here.

--- Laurie

 

[chrono]

I browse my local Costco every time I do my weekly shopping there. The lab created ones are clearly spelled out. As for the rest, they are not anywhere near top colour, there is no mention of treatment and cut quality is commercial (some aren't that great but some are passable).

 

[T L]

I would not buy colored gems at Costco. I think you can find better deals through the help of pricescopers, and searching for your own inexpensive settings. The stones are not by any means unique (they're usually common quartz or lab treated gems), and I think you can do better if you become an educated consumer. I also don't think the diamond jewelry is that great either, and kind of expensive for what it is. JMO.

 

[jstarfireb]

I browse my local Costco every time I do my weekly shopping there. The lab created ones are clearly spelled out. As for the rest, they are not anywhere near top colour, there is no mention of treatment and cut quality is commercial (some aren't that great but some are passable).

I agree 100%. Some of their pieces are very pretty and I even own a few, but the stones aren't top quality or precision-cut, and treatments aren't mentioned. Typically I'll only buy inexpensive pieces there when I like the settings a lot, and often will buy a stone whose treatments are widely accepted (e.g. tanzanite with heat, blue topaz with irradiation). But I wouldn't buy a sapphire, for example, unless it came with a lab cert verifying only heat or no treatment.

Their diamonds, on the other hand, can be quite nicely cut and the larger ones (>1ct) come with GIA certs instead of IGI. I saw the Tiffany comparison article before too and found it interesting.

 

[iLander]

I have the actual answer!

In 2009, I contacted the jewelry questions person at Costco.com, and I asked directly about gemstone treatments. On the website, their jewelry person's email is [email protected], and they respond fairly quickly.

Her response to me was "At Costco, we only accept heat treatment." She was very direct and we wrote back and forth a couple of times. (not relevant, but my other question was will they be getting pink diamonds, she said probably not because pink diamonds were rarely VS2 or better, which is their requirement, she wasn't too happy about it, etc.).

The pieces are cheap because the Costco business model is that they make no more than 20% markup over wholesale on ALL their products. So if it costs them $100, it costs you $120. Most stores do what is called keystoning; marking up goods by 100%, doubling the cost. Costco also has huge volume, so they get great discounts.

But this greatest strength is also their greatest weakness: huge volume is a great discount, and huge volume means not great stones. But some of their one-of-a-kind pieces are pretty cool:

http://www.costco.com/Pear-Shape-Pink-Spinel-%2526-Diamond-Ring-18kt-White-Gold.product.100029860.html?catalogId=10701&keyword=spinel&langId=-1&storeId=10301

Is that a mehange? You can always return it if you don't like it . . .

Remember Costco is NOT Sam's. Sam's is cheap stuff cheap. Costco is great stuff cheap.

More Costco jewelry info, diamond quality, etc: http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Misc/PDF/Diamond-Information-Care.pdf

 

[partgypsy]

My take. Their prices on jewelry with melee diamonds looks decent and is better priced than mainstream jewelry stores. That's probably true for their gold pieces as well (nice, and competively priced to jewelry stores).

As far as colored gemstones, maybe 5 years ago I kicked myself because they were selling a set of 3 pairs of stud semi precious earrings for $99. They were set in 14K gold and a nice size.

I've browsed but the colored gemstone jewelry generally leaves me not impressed. The styles and so on are very mainstream and there is nothing exceptional about the stones themselves (commercial quality).

I have more fun browsing etsy for gemstone jewelry .

I've looked on their website and while they give information about the diamonds they sell I don't see anything written disclosing anything about what kind of treatments gemstones may have, or any assurance that it is heat only, especially as some stones are never heated, other stones may be heated with additional processes (be) and other stones (emeralds, turquoise, opals) are not typically heated but one would want to know about other common treatments (oils, resins, composite or doublet, etc). There is just so little information, and I doubt someone working in the store would know either. So if I did buy gemstones, I would almost assume the worst and buy with that perspective.

 

[NKOTB]

I have the actual answer!

In 2009, I contacted the jewelry questions person at Costco.com, and I asked directly about gemstone treatments. On the website, their jewelry person's email is [email protected], and they respond fairly quickly.

Her response to me was "At Costco, we only accept heat treatment." She was very direct and we wrote back and forth a couple of times. (not relevant, but my other question was will they be getting pink diamonds, she said probably not because pink diamonds were rarely VS2 or better, which is their requirement, she wasn't too happy about it, etc.).

The pieces are cheap because the Costco business model is that they make no more than 20% markup over wholesale on ALL their products. So if it costs them $100, it costs you $120. Most stores do what is called keystoning; marking up goods by 100%, doubling the cost. Costco also has huge volume, so they get great discounts.

But this greatest strength is also their greatest weakness: huge volume is a great discount, and huge volume means not great stones. But some of their one-of-a-kind pieces are pretty cool:

http://www.costco.com/Pear-Shape-Pink-Spinel-%2526-Diamond-Ring-18kt-White-Gold.product.100029860.html?catalogId=10701&keyword=spinel&langId=-1&storeId=10301

Is that a mehange? You can always return it if you don't like it . . .

Remember Costco is NOT Sam's. Sam's is cheap stuff cheap. Costco is great stuff cheap.

More Costco jewelry info, diamond quality, etc: http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Misc/PDF/Diamond-Information-Care.pdf

Is it me, or does that pear seem to face up large for it's stated weight? 10.46 x 5.42 mm and only 1.34 ct?

 

[iLander]

http://www.costco.com/Pear-Shape-Pink-Spinel-%2526-Diamond-Ring-18kt-White-Gold.product.100029860.html?catalogId=10701&keyword=spinel&langId=-1&storeId=10301

Is that a mehange? You can always return it if you don't like it . . .

Remember Costco is NOT Sam's. Sam's is cheap stuff cheap. Costco is great stuff cheap.

More Costco jewelry info, diamond quality, etc: http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Misc/PDF/Diamond-Information-Care.pdf

Is it me, or does that pear seem to face up large for it's stated weight? 10.46 x 5.42 mm and only 1.34 ct?

I have no idea. That's for someone who does math voluntarily . . .

 

[partgypsy]

I'm not a mathmetician but there's a typo there!

Actually looking, it is possible if it's skinny and on the shallow side.
Here is a pear spinel that is 1.51 and 9.38 x 5.93 x 4.20 mm
http://www.africagems.com/spinel-111741.html

 

[T L]

I have the actual answer!

In 2009, I contacted the jewelry questions person at Costco.com, and I asked directly about gemstone treatments. On the website, their jewelry person's email is [email protected], and they respond fairly quickly.

Her response to me was "At Costco, we only accept heat treatment." She was very direct and we wrote back and forth a couple of times. (not relevant, but my other question was will they be getting pink diamonds, she said probably not because pink diamonds were rarely VS2 or better, which is their requirement, she wasn't too happy about it, etc.).

The pieces are cheap because the Costco business model is that they make no more than 20% markup over wholesale on ALL their products. So if it costs them $100, it costs you $120. Most stores do what is called keystoning; marking up goods by 100%, doubling the cost. Costco also has huge volume, so they get great discounts.

But this greatest strength is also their greatest weakness: huge volume is a great discount, and huge volume means not great stones. But some of their one-of-a-kind pieces are pretty cool:

http://www.costco.com/Pear-Shape-Pink-Spinel-%2526-Diamond-Ring-18kt-White-Gold.product.100029860.html?catalogId=10701&keyword=spinel&langId=-1&storeId=10301

Is that a mehange? You can always return it if you don't like it . . .

Remember Costco is NOT Sam's. Sam's is cheap stuff cheap. Costco is great stuff cheap.

More Costco jewelry info, diamond quality, etc: http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Misc/PDF/Diamond-Information-Care.pdf

Um, I wouldn't trust their sapphires. I know that sapphires undergo be-treatment, and one time I did see a very expensive, but very dark sapphire there, and it had a UGL that said, "sapphires are commonly heat treated." Well, that can mean be-treatment too, and the UGL report was not specific, even though they wanted nearly $30K for this ring, and it had teeny tiny diamonds in a halo. It was nothing special to me. Again, I think you can find much better deals through PS'ers and the community here.

 

[cm366]

I've seen blue topaz there that was either irradiated or the bargain (and the gemological find) of a lifetime. I'm not sure if they have glass filled ruby, but I don't believe that they only accept heat treatment.

 

[koolchicken]

I know this is an old post but I actually own these earrings. Here's is a photo of their "appraisal" and a photo of the earrings. It's pretty late so I couldn't get a good photo (that and they need a bath!) They're actually a very nice, if dark, royal blue that's not too different from the photo. I actually own a few things from Costco (this is probably the most expensive item I've bought there though). I've found that the color and cut of gemstones can really vary even with identical pieces. If you ask they'll let you pick which one you want. For example I bought a garnet necklace (I like the darker garnets) and they had two in stock. They had one that was a bit lighter and more red and one that was more brown, I picked the redder one. So if you're interested in something and you're unsure about the color or cut ask if they have more in stock. It's worth a look if you really liked something.





As you can see their "appraisal" doesn't really tell you anything about the sapphires. I hope this can help someone who's considering buying something from there. I bought them before I knew the various treatments existed and even if they're super enhanced I still like them.

 

[T L]

I've seen blue topaz there that was either irradiated or the bargain (and the gemological find) of a lifetime. I'm not sure if they have glass filled ruby, but I don't believe that they only accept heat treatment.

Natural color blue topaz is very very pale. 99% of the blue topaz on the market is treated to get that color. The treatment is either by coating, or irradiation.