The Natural Sapphire Company - BEWARE

[fredflintstone]

With regard to the weight difference, what JTV will do, for example, is list a parcel (each purchase being for one stone) and mention the average weight and size of the stones. Naturally, they make it clear that there are several stones available. If NSC wants to list multiple similar stones in the same listing, that is what they should do. And the price should be the same for all. Otherwise, the stones should definitely have separate listings. Just my two cents!

Yes, stones may be a few tenths of a mm deeper, shallower, wider, longer, but face up will appear in most cases identical. Depends on what house is doing the cutting overseas and your requirements and payment. All will be uniformly the same color, tone. A few maybe more included. the weight spread could be up to 10 pts -20 pts on larger multiple carat size parcels. Up to 5 pts on carat size and under a carat parcels. Some will be the same size and carat weight. But that is what you get when buying parcels of matching stones.

 

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

So - misleading? Blatant rip off? Make your own decision.

@elle_chris started a thread a few days ago, asking for opinions about 2 small sapphires. In the end, she decided to go with neither of them and, since I liked the look of the small heart, I decided I'd buy it.

So my husband - great guy that he is - gets online and purchases it. Gets the receipt, order number, confirmation, etc etc.

But the stone doesn't come off their website. So I send them an email asking if it's still available. Today, I get an email telling me that it is.

So I call them and ask again - "Is this sapphire still available?" - Answer - yes, it is.

So I say - "That's concerning, given that my husband bought it on Friday."

They then respond with - oh - no - wait - it sold this morning. So I ask why it's still on their website, and she tells me....

"Because we have two of them and they're identical."

I say - identical? To the extent that they have the SAME STOCK NUMBER?

She says - yes - if they're identical, we will put them up there with the same stock number.

I then ask the obvious question: are these from the same rough?

Her answer? "I don't know."

So there you have it - selling different stones under the same stock number, using the same photo which may or may not be of the stone you actually end up getting.

Obviously, I cancelled the sale and let her know I'd be posting here. Draw your own conclusions. Proceed with this company at your own risk. As for me?

NEVER AGAIN.

@MrsB I actually had a similar experience. I bought a sapphire and it never said sold. I tried contacting them over the weekend and no one was there. I thought I didn’t do it correctly and then purchased it a few more times. On Monday morning they reached out to me. I thought it was weird that a stone can be purchased multiple times and it never said “sold.” I had a weird feeling about the whole thing and ended up canceling the order.

 

[elle_chris]

Enjoy your stone and thanks for the info! I think they do that because they offer an "inspection" period after selling a stone online. So, during that inspection period, they allow others to go on wait list for the item, should it be returned. I don't find this terribly unusual or concerning, but I understand why others might. And I agree it's weird that in order to go on waitlist, you have to actually enter payment info (which they don't charge unless a stone ships). I guess they don't want to lose potential buyers watching a stone until they're sure it's found its new home. I wonder what their return rate is that they felt the need to implement that policy?

With regard to the weight difference, what JTV will do, for example, is list a parcel (each purchase being for one stone) and mention the average weight and size of the stones. Naturally, they make it clear that there are several stones available. If NSC wants to list multiple similar stones in the same listing, that is what they should do. And the price should be the same for all. Otherwise, the stones should definitely have separate listings. Just my two cents!

Have you tried buying an item on hold? Or just believe they're not charging your CC?

If they're not charging, then they should just say that, but they don't and instead they tell you to "purchase" it.
But even if you're correct, as a consumer I'd rather have a notify option than giving them give them my credit card info. for a stone I probably won't get.

 

[MollyMalone]

* * * So, during that inspection period, they allow others to go on wait list for the item, should it be returned. I don't find this terribly unusual or concerning, but I understand why others might. And I agree it's weird that in order to go on waitlist, you have to actually enter payment info (which they don't charge unless a stone ships). * * *

Well, according to the company's own FAQs page, they do indeed put the charge through, but then void the charge if the original purchaser keeps the stone.

If an item is on hold, you can still decide to go through the purchase process and buy the item. However, it may not ship immediately. If the item is not returned to us, we will contact you to let you know that your transaction has been voided.​

​

If you are extremely interested in buying an item that has an "On Hold" status, you should complete the online purchase process. You will have top priority in receiving the item if it becomes available.​

Frequently Asked Questions | The Natural Sapphire Company

Sapphires and general FAQ questions from The Natural Sapphire Company in New York.

www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com

 

[elle_chris]

Well, according to the company's own FAQs page, they do indeed put the charge through, but then void the charge if the original purchaser keeps the stone.

If an item is on hold, you can still decide to go through the purchase process and buy the item. However, it may not ship immediately. If the item is not returned to us, we will contact you to let you know that your transaction has been voided.​

​

If you are extremely interested in buying an item that has an "On Hold" status, you should complete the online purchase process. You will have top priority in receiving the item if it becomes available.​

Frequently Asked Questions | The Natural Sapphire Company

Sapphires and general FAQ questions from The Natural Sapphire Company in New York.

www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com

Yeah, that would make sense considering how they word it.

 

[elle_chris]

@MrsB I actually had a similar experience. I bought a sapphire and it never said sold. I tried contacting them over the weekend and no one was there. I thought I didn’t do it correctly and then purchased it a few more times. On Monday morning they reached out to me. I thought it was weird that a stone can be purchased multiple times and it never said “sold.” I had a weird feeling about the whole thing and ended up canceling the order.

Did they explain the process to you? Was your CC charged?

 

[Tigerlilyrosepetal]

Did they explain the process to you? Was your CC charged?

They let me know that I paid for it multiple times and only charged me the one time. I thought it just wasn’t going through because I wasn’t paying for it correctly. The stone was not on hold and never said “hold” or “bought” or anything after I paid. I thought that was weird as obviously someone could have also purchased it that weekend and then who would it go to? I didn’t like that at all and thought that it should have been removed from inventory immediately as soon as I purchased it. They were friendly about it but I still felt weird.

 

[elle_chris]

They let me know that I paid for it multiple times and only charged me the one time. I thought it just wasn’t going through because I wasn’t paying for it correctly. The stone was not on hold and never said “hold” or “bought” or anything after I paid. I thought that was weird as obviously someone could have also purchased it that weekend and then who would it go to? I didn’t like that at all and thought that it should have been removed from inventory immediately as soon as I purchased it. They were friendly about it but I still felt weird.

Mine also never said hold or paid or anything of the sort after I ordered it.
They only put it on hold once they shipped it to me. Prior to that anyone could have bought it as well.
But that doesn't matter because even on hold anyone can buy it.. lol..

Either way, glad it was resolved for you.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Have you tried buying an item on hold? Or just believe they're not charging your CC?

If they're not charging, then they should just say that, but they don't and instead they tell you to "purchase" it.
But even if you're correct, as a consumer I'd rather have a notify option than giving them give them my credit card info. for a stone I probably won't get.

I agree! With regard to payment, NSC doesn't charge your card until your stone ships, so I imagine the same holds true for the wait list option.

 

[Autumn in New England]

Well, according to the company's own FAQs page, they do indeed put the charge through, but then void the charge if the original purchaser keeps the stone.

If an item is on hold, you can still decide to go through the purchase process and buy the item. However, it may not ship immediately. If the item is not returned to us, we will contact you to let you know that your transaction has been voided.​

​

If you are extremely interested in buying an item that has an "On Hold" status, you should complete the online purchase process. You will have top priority in receiving the item if it becomes available.​

Frequently Asked Questions | The Natural Sapphire Company

Sapphires and general FAQ questions from The Natural Sapphire Company in New York.

www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com

I read that to mean they void the transaction (i.e. wait list order) if the stone does not become available. I don't believe the card is charged until the stone ships. If I really wanted a stone that another customer was viewing, I'd call first dibs if the sale wasn't yet finalized. I guess it's up to the prospective customer whether they want it bad enough to enter payment info!

 

[fredflintstone]

I read that to mean they void the transaction (i.e. wait list order) if the stone does not become available. I don't believe the card is charged until the stone ships. If I really wanted a stone that another customer was viewing, I'd call first dibs if the sale wasn't yet finalized. I guess it's up to the prospective customer whether they want it bad enough to enter payment info!

I would think it would be illegal to charge two different people on two different cards or even three different people for the same stone until the stone is returned from the first buyer. I know PayPal & credit card companies would have a field day with this.

I could see if a customer wanted a stone bad enough that might be returned putting their card number in the purchase order for second in line. It really makes sense in a way, as you know you won’t miss out on the stone if returned and there is others waiting to pounce on it as soon as it’s available. I just cannot see NSC charging two or more cred/debit cards for the same stone while the first buyers’ money is already paid and the stone not returned.

I do agree with you.

This company has had a lot of bad press and I think it is easy pickens for those here or anywhere to jump to conclusions and condemn them.

I myself thought this very strange and jumped in with the rest of the crowd, but sometimes calmer minds prevail.

 

[Autumn in New England]

@fredflintstone While I think NSC has been rightfully criticized in this forum (and beyond) for past transgressions, I guess, like you, I'm just not particularly outraged by these specific issues. That's not to invalidate others' feelings or opinions. I have mad respect for the body of knowledge of the ladies (and gents) here.

See, part of the problem is this... trust in the gem community is a very fragile thing. And, once lost, it's supremely difficult to reclaim. PSers no longer have faith in the integrity of NSC, because of past incidents, and so they are suspicious of everything they do. And I understand that. I don't think another reputable company with these same policies would have been condemned to this extent. The fact that it's NSC strikes a nerve with some. Again, understandable. In any event, I'm really thankful we have this arena where folks are free to share their experiences. Just my two cents... I come in peace!

 

[fredflintstone]

@fredflintstone While I think NSC has been rightfully criticized in this forum (and beyond) for past transgressions, I guess, like you, I'm just not particularly outraged by these specific issues. That's not to invalidate others' feelings or opinions. I have mad respect for the body of knowledge of the ladies (and gents) here.

See, part of the problem is this... trust in the gem community is a very fragile thing. And, once lost, it's supremely difficult to reclaim. PSers no longer have faith in the integrity of NSC, because of past incidents, and so they are suspicious of everything they do. And I understand that. I don't think another reputable company with these same policies would have been condemned to this extent. The fact that it's NSC strikes a nerve with some. Again, understandable. In any event, I'm really thankful we have this arena where folks are free to share their experiences. Just my two cents... I come in peace!

No doubt.

For 40 years I was a gemstone dealer. Yes, trust is a fragile thing on the buyer’s end, but also sometimes on the sellers end too. Cannot tell you the times I knew I was being taken for a ride with certain customers to the point I would not sale to them anymore or had heard from my fellow dealers to stay away from this person(s).

Yes, it seems many here have had problems with NSC in the past which does strike a nerve and makes NSC is easy to condemn here. I’m not here to judge what is right or wrong with any gemstone vendor, but will on occasion jump into the fray if I feel it is getting out of hand one way or another.

I agree with what you wrote.

 

[Autumn in New England]

@fredflintstone Always good to hear from those in the trade! Oh yes, I imagine it's a jungle out there for sellers too!!