What do you think?

[T L]

5.68 carats. So $75/ct. It''s a bit expensive per carat IMHO, but perhaps there are reasons for that. I welcome Dan to discuss why. I know precision gem cut stones are more expensive per carat, but for the color, it''s pretty expensive IMHO. The original rough couldn''t have been that expensive, even if huge, but I could be wrong.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/23/2010 2:35:25 PM
Author: karpouzi
To be fair, the OP did say she paid less than the asking price.

I hope it was a lot less. However, it is good he gave her a discount. I did not catch that. Thank you.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 4/23/2010 2:33:54 PM
Author: amethystguy
Wow..dan..a little defensive there are we? here is how it goes..you can put a asscher, cushion, or windmill cut, what have you, on a piece of dog doo doo..and guess what it still looks like crap..i don''t think anyone said anything bad about the cutting..which is what you control..just the color

Are you surprised? People are bashing his stone that he put time and effort into producing. I know that Dan takes a lot of pride in his work, and it''s disheartening to see harsh comments made about his pieces. :::shrugs:::

It is 5.68 Cts.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/23/2010 2:46:11 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 4/23/2010 2:33:54 PM
Author: amethystguy
Wow..dan..a little defensive there are we? here is how it goes..you can put a asscher, cushion, or windmill cut, what have you, on a piece of dog doo doo..and guess what it still looks like crap..i don't think anyone said anything bad about the cutting..which is what you control..just the color

Are you surprised? People are bashing his stone that he put time and effort into producing. I know that Dan takes a lot of pride in his work, and it's disheartening to see harsh comments made about his pieces. :::shrugs:::

It is 5.68 Cts.

Freke,
If you're talking about me, I did not "bash" his stone. I simply gave my honest opinion about it. This is a consumer forum, and we sometimes have to give opinions. I know you are very happy with Dan, and I understand that. There are vendors that I love too, but I don't always love every gem they put out. Dan recently put out a very beautiful pear aqua a while ago, and I gave a very honest opinon on on that as well, and stated it was lovely.

If no one told me where that stone came from, I would have given the same opinion. Someone asked for the opinon on a stone, not on Dan. If that stone came from Gene, Barry, Peter, John Doe, I would have given the same exact opinon. We have to remember this thread is about the stone in question, and not Dan. No doubt he put a lot of work into it, but as consumers, we should expect to get the most for our hard earned money.

 

[Barrett]

I don't think I saw any negative comments about the cutting..just the color and price..ohhh..that mother nature..with her and her bad colored stones

..the cutting looks very nice i might add..i like it

...hmm..lets see..a unheated(since has green color) 25ct aqua rough..so lets see I pay $1 a ct. for clean clean unheated pakistan aqua5-15ct chunks..all eyeclean-loupeclean..so lets say..you make that $2 a ct. for larger material..nah..lets go up to $3 a ct. just to be safe..so $75 for that rough..so thats a mark up of $351..hmm..as we used to say in South West AtlanTa.."must be the plane ticket added on to that"

 

[FrekeChild]

TL, I wasn't referring to any one poster in reality. The general consensus seems to be that the stone is not saturated enough/too washed out, too expensive, and the OP could do better elsewhere. I understand that, but dzop's last post on the last page was unnecessarily harsh, IMHO. Yeah, people aren't going to be happy with a vendor 100% of the time, so be it.

:::shrugs again:::

ETA: TL I agree completely with your last post.

 

[T L]

Freke,
Thank you for clarifying.

 

[Indylady]

This is a consumer forum, and the OP asked for honest opinions within the return window. This is a consumer forum, and an educational forum. If I spent $400 on that aqua, and then checked out the Top color aquamarine thread, I would be very displeased. Most posters do come to PS to learn; if we know there''s better out there for the same cost...why wouldn''t we tell the OP?

I posted a thread on rubies a while ago when I was on the lookout for one, here is the thread. I received honest opinions, and most people didn''t care for any of the rubies I posted, including Barry''s ruby. Actually, most people didn''t consider gems I posted were rubies at all! It happens. Sure, it stung. I ended up buying Barry''s ruby anyway, and I absolutely love it.

I don''t anyone meant to insult Dan''s cutting. Criticisms on this stone have to with color more than anything else.

 

[LD]

Date: 4/22/2010 10:48:04 PM
Author: dzop
I think that's really not an attractive stone. It's almost completely unsaturated, is more grey than anything else, and has so little blue in it that I hardly can see how it qualifies as an aqua. It's really more of a faint greenish-grey beryl. And it looks nothing like the picture.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and commenting on whether a stone is attractive or not wasn't asked for. That's a personal preference and if the OP didn't think the stone to be attractive she wouldn't have gone through with the purchase. In fact if you re-read the first post you'll see she says that she thinks it's very pretty and sparkly. If I had just purchased a stone and read this comment I would be incredibly upset. Even though the OP has invited comments this is just a little too blunt IMO and I can see how it would upset Dan and the OP.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 4/23/2010 3:07:58 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Freke,
Thank you for clarifying.

I was referring in that first post more to how Dan is feeling about it than the actual opinions given so far in the thread about his stone. I imagine that the comments from PSers would be the same if the same stone was coming from any other vendor. But I can see how Dan would feel attacked and would then post defensively.

Suffice it to say, I can see both sides of this coin.

 

[dzop]

I have three thoughts on this:

(1) It''s a bit of a gender thing. The posters on this forum are, I think, primarily female, and there''s a lot of concern with other poster''s feelings. On another forum I post at, where the posters are primarily male (and, I think, of equal maturity and knowledge in their field), a post asking for honest opinions would be met with blunt, but honest opinions. You could even argue that blunt, honest opinions is what the internet is best for: gathering (and offering) opinions that might not be expressed without the veil of quasi-anonymity.

(2) OP specifically stated that she had just received the stone 1 day ago and was soliciting feedback. There''s value in shaking someone and saying "GOOD GOD MAN, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" I know there are a few stones in the bottom of my drawer where I wish someone had done that to me while I was still within the return period; I suspect that''s true of everyone. Also, to paraphrase the movie, "The Incredibles": If every stone is pretty, then no stone is.

(3) Politeness, or fear of offending a vendor who many purchase from, can have a chilling effect. If you have a quibble with the substantive nature of my criticism of Dan Stair (that multiple posters have reported that the stones they receive don''t match the pictures on his website), then that''s a legitimate complaint. I feel that a vendor coming into a thread where his stone was criticized and stating that he hopes not to do business with those who critique his stones is exactly the kind of discussion-quashing behavior that people on a forum dedicated to the consumer should rally against.

Date: 4/23/2010 3:09:47 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds

Date: 4/22/2010 10:48:04 PM

Author: dzop

I think that''s really not an attractive stone. It''s almost completely unsaturated, is more grey than anything else, and has so little blue in it that I hardly can see how it qualifies as an aqua. It''s really more of a faint greenish-grey beryl. And it looks nothing like the picture.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and commenting on whether a stone is attractive or not wasn''t asked for. That''s a personal preference and if the OP didn''t think the stone to be attractive she wouldn''t have gone through with the purchase. In fact if you re-read the first post you''ll see she says that she thinks it''s very pretty and sparkly. If I had just purchased a stone and read this comment I would be incredibly upset. Even though the OP has invited comments this is just a little too blunt IMO and I can see how it would upset Dan and the OP.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 4/23/2010 3:46:46 PM
Author: dzop
I have three thoughts on this:

(1) It''s a bit of a gender thing. The posters on this forum are, I think, primarily female, and there''s a lot of concern with other poster''s feelings. On another forum I post at, where the posters are primarily male (and, I think, of equal maturity and knowledge in their field), a post asking for honest opinions would be met with blunt, but honest opinions. You could even argue that blunt, honest opinions is what the internet is best for: gathering (and offering) opinions that might not be expressed without the veil of quasi-anonymity.

(2) OP specifically stated that she had just received the stone 1 day ago and was soliciting feedback. There''s value in shaking someone and saying ''GOOD GOD MAN, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?'' I know there are a few stones in the bottom of my drawer where I wish someone had done that to me while I was still within the return period; I suspect that''s true of everyone. Also, to paraphrase the movie, ''The Incredibles'': If every stone is pretty, then no stone is.

(3) Politeness, or fear of offending a vendor who many purchase from, can have a chilling effect. If you have a quibble with the substantive nature of my criticism of Dan Stair (that multiple posters have reported that the stones they receive don''t match the pictures on his website), then that''s a legitimate complaint. I feel that a vendor coming into a thread where his stone was criticized and stating that he hopes not to do business with those who critique his stones is exactly the kind of discussion-quashing behavior that people on a forum dedicated to the consumer should rally against.

While I agree for the most part with what you said above (besides the maturity comment, which really just implies that the maturity here does not compete with your other forum, having nothing to do with the posts at hand) it still can be said in a nicer tone. That goes across the board. PS is a nice place with nice people who are considerate and for the most part, very kind.

There is constructive criticism and there is saying things to be mean. I think you were saying things to Dan to get across your displeasure in your previous purchases with him. Guess what? Everyone has a few learning stones. It happens.

Just remember, PS is about being respectful and being helpful. I did not find your posts to be in the spirit of PS.

 

[dzop]

You'll note that I said the other forum was of equal maturity to this forum. Equal, meaning no better.

The person for whom I purchased my "Dan stone" from was delighted with the stone. It was exceptionally well cut and dispersive. It was 3 years ago.

I've also complimented other Dan Stair stones in other threads (at least, I think that I have).

I don't have any particular quibble with Dan or anyone else. I will admit I found the the poor showing of Dan's gemstones in that vendor pic/customer pic thread very interesting: for years, I just thought I got a rare "lemon", and then all of a sudden I learned there were others out there like me!

Date: 4/23/2010 3:54:39 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 4/23/2010 3:46:46 PM

Author: dzop

I have three thoughts on this:


(1) It's a bit of a gender thing. The posters on this forum are, I think, primarily female, and there's a lot of concern with other poster's feelings. On another forum I post at, where the posters are primarily male (and, I think, of equal maturity and knowledge in their field), a post asking for honest opinions would be met with blunt, but honest opinions. You could even argue that blunt, honest opinions is what the internet is best for: gathering (and offering) opinions that might not be expressed without the veil of quasi-anonymity.


(2) OP specifically stated that she had just received the stone 1 day ago and was soliciting feedback. There's value in shaking someone and saying 'GOOD GOD MAN, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?' I know there are a few stones in the bottom of my drawer where I wish someone had done that to me while I was still within the return period; I suspect that's true of everyone. Also, to paraphrase the movie, 'The Incredibles': If every stone is pretty, then no stone is.


(3) Politeness, or fear of offending a vendor who many purchase from, can have a chilling effect. If you have a quibble with the substantive nature of my criticism of Dan Stair (that multiple posters have reported that the stones they receive don't match the pictures on his website), then that's a legitimate complaint. I feel that a vendor coming into a thread where his stone was criticized and stating that he hopes not to do business with those who critique his stones is exactly the kind of discussion-quashing behavior that people on a forum dedicated to the consumer should rally against.

While I agree for the most part with what you said above (besides the maturity comment, which really just implies that the maturity here does not compete with your other forum, having nothing to do with the posts at hand) it still can be said in a nicer tone. That goes across the board. PS is a nice place with nice people who are considerate and for the most part, very kind.


There is constructive criticism and there is saying things to be mean. I think you were saying things to Dan to get across your displeasure in your previous purchases with him. Guess what? Everyone has a few learning stones. It happens.


Just remember, PS is about being respectful and being helpful. I did not find your posts to be in the spirit of PS.

 

[LD]

Dzop I don''t necessarily disagree with anything you''ve written and I too have some wonderful learning stones that will never ever see the light of day.

What I do think is there is a difference between somebody saying "I''m considering this stone, what do you guys think" and "Look what I''ve just bought, what do you think?". The first I believe is more open to critique because then the purchaser buys knowing whether it''s generally considered a good/bad or indifferent buy. However, when somebody has actually bought a stone, a bit of diplomacy and tact wouldn''t go amiss. There''s being straight forward and then there''s being blunt - us ladies, if we ask "does my bum look big in this?" prefer to hear, "I like you in the other dress as it makes you look very slim" as opposed to "yes"!

 

[T L]

Date: 4/23/2010 3:46:46 PM
Author: dzop
I have three thoughts on this:

(1) It's a bit of a gender thing. The posters on this forum are, I think, primarily female, and there's a lot of concern with other poster's feelings. On another forum I post at, where the posters are primarily male (and, I think, of equal maturity and knowledge in their field), a post asking for honest opinions would be met with blunt, but honest opinions. You could even argue that blunt, honest opinions is what the internet is best for: gathering (and offering) opinions that might not be expressed without the veil of quasi-anonymity.

(2) OP specifically stated that she had just received the stone 1 day ago and was soliciting feedback. There's value in shaking someone and saying 'GOOD GOD MAN, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?' I know there are a few stones in the bottom of my drawer where I wish someone had done that to me while I was still within the return period; I suspect that's true of everyone. Also, to paraphrase the movie, 'The Incredibles': If every stone is pretty, then no stone is.

(3) Politeness, or fear of offending a vendor who many purchase from, can have a chilling effect. If you have a quibble with the substantive nature of my criticism of Dan Stair (that multiple posters have reported that the stones they receive don't match the pictures on his website), then that's a legitimate complaint. I feel that a vendor coming into a thread where his stone was criticized and stating that he hopes not to do business with those who critique his stones is exactly the kind of discussion-quashing behavior that people on a forum dedicated to the consumer should rally against.

I actually agree with much of this too. As for point 1, I don't know what male forums you belong too, but with gems and jewelry, they are a somewhat personal thing, and people try to be polite when giving opinions here. A forum on car parts on the other hand. . . . LOL!
I've also been accused of sounding harsh in the past, and perhaps some people still thnk I'm harsh. I really have tried to tone that down. Hopefully, we can all get our points across, while not trying to sound too harsh. I guess there's a fine line between the two. There is for me.

I do appreciate your honesty.

 

[dzop]

If I was brusque to OP in a way that might have been hurtful, I apologize- it was certainly not intended and I interpreted her post, perhaps incorrectly, as a "I can return this and I'm equivocal, what do you think" post which was soliciting harsher feedback than a "look at my beautiful stone!" post. Seriously, I didn't meant to hurt OP's feelings and I was just trying to help. I'm waiting on pins and needles for a stone myself (which is why I'm haunting Pricescope these last couple of days) and I wouldn't want someone to rain on my parade if I liked a stone I had bought.

EDIT: And here is the stone: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350343365310

Feel free to tear me a new one for my ill-advised purchase!

Date: 4/23/2010 4:15:45 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Dzop I don't necessarily disagree with anything you've written and I too have some wonderful learning stones that will never ever see the light of day.

What I do think is there is a difference between somebody saying 'I'm considering this stone, what do you guys think' and 'Look what I've just bought, what do you think?'. The first I believe is more open to critique because then the purchaser buys knowing whether it's generally considered a good/bad or indifferent buy. However, when somebody has actually bought a stone, a bit of diplomacy and tact wouldn't go amiss. There's being straight forward and then there's being blunt - us ladies, if we ask 'does my bum look big in this?' prefer to hear, 'I like you in the other dress as it makes you look very slim' as opposed to 'yes'!

 

[LD]

Date: 4/23/2010 4:24:55 PM
Author: dzop
If I was brusque to OP in a way that might have been hurtful, I apologize- it was certainly not intended and I interpreted her post, perhaps incorrectly, as a 'I can return this and I'm equivocal, what do you think' post which was soliciting harsher feedback than a 'look at my beautiful stone!' post. Seriously, I didn't meant to hurt OP's feelings and I was just trying to help. I'm waiting on pins and needles for a stone myself (which is why I'm haunting Pricescope these last couple of days) and I wouldn't want someone to rain on my parade if I liked a stone I had bought.

Well I won't tell you your bum looks big in it then!

 

[DanielStair]

I started to respond to all this about two hours ago, then got sidetracked by some visitors, and now a lot of what I wanted to say has already been said by others, and probably in a better, more tactful way than I could have expressed it today.

I can understand the issues with color, price, etc. and didn''t take that so personally as I did just the general negativity. I''ve worked as an artist of one kind or another most of my adult life, so I''m pretty accustomed to being criticized and have learned to try and look for the good in it, within reason.

Since I''m not trying to sell anything here, hopefully it''s okay if I just elaborate a bit on that aqua (which the person is returning to btw).

I try to price stones fairly, and as with most all sellers, price them by the carat. Generally speaking, aquas tend to go for $70 or less per carat for lighter shades, more like $70 to $100 per carat for medium blues (by aqua standards) and more than $100/carat for the deeper medium to darker stones. I get as many requests for the greenish ones as for the pure blue ones, so in ligter tones, I don''t know if there is a huge value difference.

I see other vendors trying to sell light aquas for $200/carat, which is more than I would ask for anything short of an amazing, super dark blue aqua.

I sold that aqua in question for around $65/carat rather than the price posted on my website. Also, I realized that the photo of it leaned too much toward blue and that the actual stone was more greenish in person, depending to some extent on the light source. That was clarified in the description even though I couldn''t seem to get the color exactly perfect in the photo. I try as hard as I can to be as accurate and honest as possible. Nobody''s a perfect gemstone photographer, myself included, and it wouldn''t matter if they were because most peoples'' computer monitors come set way too bright from the factory anyway and are never calbrated by the user.

I''m not sure exactly how it is that I have done something so "appalling" and just had to roll my eyes at that comment from dzop, but have "chilled out" a bit about all that now after reading more of the posts.

I think it was amethystguy that was trying to calculate the cost of the stone. Something that people might consider when trying to come up with a guess at how much a seller profits from a stone is that when a cutter buys rough, a lot of the time there are bad stones in the parcel that drive up the actual cost of the better ones. Sometimes I make good money, and sometimes I get to work on a stone for most of a day, only to have it crack or find a flaw in a critical part of the stone that leads me to throw it out rather than sell it to anyone. So, it''s pretty hard to go out and look at the prices of rough, and think that it will give you an accurate indication of cost or how much profit someone is making.

Sorry if my participation in this has created some drama. I do realize that ths is a consumer forum, and really try to be respectful, or more correctly, appreciative of that.

People also need to remember, though, that everything on here is documented, and it''s not like a private phone conversation. There are nasty people in this world just looking for someone to drag into a courtroom, and that is something I always keep in the back of my mind when posting anything anywhere on the internet.

Thanks to those that understood where I was coming from and stuck up for me.

Thank you also to everyone on here who has been so nice and supportive of my rock polishing over the years.

--Dan

 

[oddoneout]

Date: 4/23/2010 6:18:00 PM
Author: DanielStair
I started to respond to all this about two hours ago, then got sidetracked by some visitors, and now a lot of what I wanted to say has already been said by others, and probably in a better, more tactful way than I could have expressed it today.


I can understand the issues with color, price, etc. and didn''t take that so personally as I did just the general negativity. I''ve worked as an artist of one kind or another most of my adult life, so I''m pretty accustomed to being criticized and have learned to try and look for the good in it, within reason.


Since I''m not trying to sell anything here, hopefully it''s okay if I just elaborate a bit on that aqua (which the person is returning to btw).


I try to price stones fairly, and as with most all sellers, price them by the carat. Generally speaking, aquas tend to go for $70 or less per carat for lighter shades, more like $70 to $100 per carat for medium blues (by aqua standards) and more than $100/carat for the deeper medium to darker stones. I get as many requests for the greenish ones as for the pure blue ones, so in ligter tones, I don''t know if there is a huge value difference.


I see other vendors trying to sell light aquas for $200/carat, which is more than I would ask for anything short of an amazing, super dark blue aqua.


I sold that aqua in question for around $65/carat rather than the price posted on my website. Also, I realized that the photo of it leaned too much toward blue and that the actual stone was more greenish in person, depending to some extent on the light source. That was clarified in the description even though I couldn''t seem to get the color exactly perfect in the photo. I try as hard as I can to be as accurate and honest as possible. Nobody''s a perfect gemstone photographer, myself included, and it wouldn''t matter if they were because most peoples'' computer monitors come set way too bright from the factory anyway and are never calbrated by the user.


I''m not sure exactly how it is that I have done something so ''appalling'' and just had to roll my eyes at that comment from dzop, but have ''chilled out'' a bit about all that now after reading more of the posts.


I think it was amethystguy that was trying to calculate the cost of the stone. Something that people might consider when trying to come up with a guess at how much a seller profits from a stone is that when a cutter buys rough, a lot of the time there are bad stones in the parcel that drive up the actual cost of the better ones. Sometimes I make good money, and sometimes I get to work on a stone for most of a day, only to have it crack or find a flaw in a critical part of the stone that leads me to throw it out rather than sell it to anyone. So, it''s pretty hard to go out and look at the prices of rough, and think that it will give you an accurate indication of cost or how much profit someone is making.


Sorry if my participation in this has created some drama. I do realize that ths is a consumer forum, and really try to be respectful, or more correctly, appreciative of that.


People also need to remember, though, that everything on here is documented, and it''s not like a private phone conversation. There are nasty people in this world just looking for someone to drag into a courtroom, and that is something I always keep in the back of my mind when posting anything anywhere on the internet.


Thanks to those that understood where I was coming from and stuck up for me.


Thank you also to everyone on here who has been so nice and supportive of my rock polishing over the years.


--Dan

Very well said.

 

[AprilBaby]

 

[Barrett]

Well I must say..that second post, Dan, was great..much better than your first post which sort of..seemed..I guess ...hastily written..glad you could come back and elborate a little more. Well done, sir!!

 

[alene]

I just wanted to come back and clarify a few things. First, I really don''t think that Dan was misleading in any way. He told me in his very first email that the stone was different from the picture in color. I was not disappointed in the color when I received the stone, I really see no gray in it either. I do think it''s a pretty stone (not that I''ve seen a lot of great aquas to compare it to). My photography skills, however, are not the greatest, I really think it looks better in life than in my pictures. Honestly, the main reason I''m returning it is that I really would like something that has more of a "classic" asscher look. As for the price, I looked at the comparable stones from other precision cutters and Dan''s price seems quite reasonable to me.

I do appreciate the feedback on the stone. Although it''s certainly not what I was hoping to hear, I''d rather hear it now than when it''s too late. I thought about posting before buying but since Dan only had one picture available I''m not sure how helpful it would''ve been. I''ll definitely post again to get more feedback on other stones.

 

[dzop]

I''m surprised that no one else seemed to notice the veiled threat quoted below. I''ll let other people decide if they want to buy from a vendor who feels the need to "remind" people who complain about their product that those comments could get them sued.

Vendors also need to remember that they don''t have a valid cause of auction against customers who express subjective opinions about a product or who state true facts. There are many consumers in this world who are lawyers and have the ability to defend themselves against frivolous lawsuits. That''s something you should keep in mind, too.

Date: 4/23/2010 6:18:00 PM
Author: DanielStair
ealize that ths is a consumer forum, and really try to be respectful, or more correctly, appreciative of that.


People also need to remember, though, that everything on here is documented, and it''s not like a private phone conversation. There are nasty people in this world just looking for someone to drag into a courtroom, and that is something I always keep in the back of my mind when posting anything anywhere on the internet.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 4/23/2010 10:16:48 PM
Author: dzop
I''m surprised that no one else seemed to notice the veiled threat quoted below. I''ll let other people decide if they want to buy from a vendor who feels the need to ''remind'' people who complain about their product that those comments could get them sued.

Vendors also need to remember that they don''t have a valid cause of auction against customers who express subjective opinions about a product or who state true facts. There are many consumers in this world who are lawyers and have the ability to defend themselves against frivolous lawsuits. That''s something you should keep in mind, too.

Date: 4/23/2010 6:18:00 PM
Author: DanielStair
ealize that ths is a consumer forum, and really try to be respectful, or more correctly, appreciative of that.

People also need to remember, though, that everything on here is documented, and it''s not like a private phone conversation. There are nasty people in this world just looking for someone to drag into a courtroom, and that is something I always keep in the back of my mind when posting anything anywhere on the internet.

OMG. Seriously?

He''s referring to libel and defamation. It''s not a freaking veiled threat. Have you ever even had a conversation with Dan?! He is one of the nicest vendors I''ve had contact with, and just not that type of person.

I think you''ve taken this vendetta too far, you''re now veering entirely too close to personal attacks upon Dan and his business. Which potentially means defamation.

Yeah, when you take it out of context, it sounds ominous, but he''s giving a warning that there are "people" (read: NOT HIM) who would sue for stupid things said about them on the internet.

BTW speaking from experience, lawyers are often the last people who want to sue people for stupid frivolity.

 

[Ella]

Please be respectful of everyone and their opinions.

 

[VapidLapid]

How did we get here?!?! Having gotten here, why do we continue to escalate?

I don''t think Dan was making a veiled threat, rather he was pointing out that difference between private speech and public speech in this case public speech that is archived and accessible. There is nothing threatening in reminding people in a public forum that their casual speculations do not die away in here as they do on the front porch. I think the right to freedom of speech comes with the obligation to use it responsibly. But even so, I am not comfortable with responding to a perceived veiled threat with another slightly less veiled threat. As people we should be better than that.

I myself regret having so quickly come to think that the OP was interested in looking at similar stones from other vendors. Also it was thoughtless and unkind for me to have said I prefer Peter''s cutting to Dan''s. I should have said only that he too, is a good cutter. Having said it the way I did could have been construed as a put-down to Dan that I did not mean, do not mean and I regret having put it out there. I thought of it more as comparing Katharine Hepburn to Lauren Bacall and saying I like Hepburn better (I do), but they were both very fine practitioners of their craft, as are Dan and Peter.

Also regrettable for me is that this was the OP''s first post. Not an auspicious introduction for her. I hope we can turn this around.

 

[DanielStair]

dzop, that was not a veiled threat. I was simply making the statement that nobody, including myself, has the privacy on the internet that they have when they talk to someone on the telephone and that there are people who would jump at the chance to sue when given cause. I''m not one of those people, have never sued anyone in my life, and did not threaten to do so here either directly nor indirectly.

First you accused me of being deceptive about that aqua, implied that I might have some hidden agenda of squashing peoples'' ability to speak freely on here and now are accusing me of threatening someone (who?) with a lawsuit, none of which is correct.

Amazing

--Dan

 

[marcy]

Alene, sorry the aqua asscher wasn''t what you wanted. I hope you find one; I am quite interested in finding one myself someday. I bought a few gemstones from Dan and found him a very nice and decent guy to deal with during those purchases.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 4/23/2010 10:54:49 AM
Author: Chrono
Others have correctly pointed out that in the gem market, a very light and pale coloured aquamarine isn’t highly valued. However, if you like it, it should not matter what others think. I agree with them though that a very pale and desaturated aquamarine should cost very little. Yes, a stone can still be light toned and very saturated but it might take longer to find and cost more since saturation is what counts for most gemstones.

You know I kind of agree with Chrono. If you want a pale aquamarine Alene, then it may well be worth it to you to pay more for a good quality cut from a precision facetor.

TL, I think we all see your point - even if you are not known for your love of aqua! If Alene is looking for a stone as an investment (and we all know how we should not to do this for virtually any stone at virtually any price), then perhaps a more saturated aqua would be something she should consider. Personally I love BabySteps Aqua and I snatch her hand off at the shoulder for it if she ever decided to sell it, but it''s far from being "top" colour.

 

[loriken214]

IMHO, this is a gemstone that I would jump on if I had seen it first. The cutting is amazing and the color is fine with ME. Dan is a Master at cutting and I trust him completely. He is honest and will accept returns/exchanges when/if necessary.

There is no need to be so critical of Dan when the OP was asking about the GEMSTONE! Either you like it or you don''t. Keep it or return it. Nuff said!

Dan, please DO NOT worry about this. This thread has only a few posters and those of us who know and love you will remain loyal to you.

Alene, please keep in touch and let us know what you find.

Lori