www.creativegem.com - Too good to be true ?

[garfield]

Hi,

I would like to hear your experience or comment on CreativeGem.com

This is a Thai based company - Today was the first time I run into their website .

Their Gem selection is huge and very strangely low priced.

Take for example Tanzanite - It is priced on average for $300/ct. for a good looking stone (not the terrible washed out colors). I have searched through hundreds on-line gem dealers and Creativegem were the only ones to offer a good looking AA+ graded (according to them) Tanzanite for $120/ct. see this link:
http://creativegem.com/gem_deals/includes/details.asp?ID_NO=9155&header=report

You must agree that this stone looks good for such a price and there are others at the same price range - so this is not a mistake or a single piece.

Their pictures look different and real for each and every gem and they seem to be Huge dealers so that might explain the good prices... BUT my suspicions rose as I noticed that they are also selling CZ, YAG and lab created gems - I tend not to trust someone who sells both natural and lab created stuff - that''s why I respect David Weinberg from Multicolour.com who only sells naturals.

What do you think ? DO creativegem are that cheap with their Tanzanite or there is something wrong here ?

Would appreciate your comments on this issue.

Thanks !

 

[mike04456]

I don't know anything about CreativeGem (though I've been to their web site), but you should be very, very careful about trying to judge gem color on a computer monitor. In almost all cases, you have to see the gem in person to judge its value.




Generally, though, when one gem web site is selling tanzanite at $120/ct and another at $300/ct, it's because that's what the stones they're selling are worth.

 

[diamondcut]

> but you should be very, very careful about trying to judge gem color on a
> computer monitor.

Check this article by David Weinberg
Describing Color in Gemstones, Color Communication
and buy stones from Internet dealers who do colour grading. It's a shame
that not many do this. Here is few:

Icgems.com
Multicolour.com
Echinastone.com

> I would like to hear your experience or comment on CreativeGem.com

Creativegems was not that bad when folks from Ganoksin were behind it and I heard some positive and some negative feedback. Well, at least not only negative like for Thaigem

But I am not sure about current situation, since they been down for some
time and I believe there are some issues between webteam and Topaz Group management (owner of the project).

 

[esttorpag]

Light colored tanzanite, off colored stones with underlying green, and included stones can be bought at a major discount. I you plan on buying stones I recommend that you not confirm payment until after you take some time to inspect the goods. I would not buy stones any other way. There is no known synthetic version of tanzanite. Substitutes would include a Japanese glass simulate marketed by MP Gems in LA, synthetic forsterite marketed by http://www.morioncompany.com/, and natural high quality iolite.

 

[garfield]

Thanks for your replies.
I agree the GIA color grades are the only way to go when trying to buy gems on-line and that is why I like MULTICOLOUR so much. add to this the XX Days inspection period and you have a safe way to follow.

Regarding Tanzanite - someone within the industry told me that it's not such a good time to buy Tanzanite as the prices are too high for that stone right now - he predicts Corundum will maintain it's price while Tanzanite will go down in price to a lower level than sapphire - So I guess it's back to ametrine for now.

 

[Nicrez]

I actually saw this post and decided to put them ot a test...I also went a little nuts on their website, so each order was smaller than $50, and I spend a little under $150 for all the orders...It is actually arriving Fed Ex today, so I will say that their customer service was pretty good, as I changed my shipping from 7-15 day standard to Fed Ex in an e-mail, and they answered the enxt day, sending it Fed Ex, and gave me the routing number to track.




Their English isn't the best, but they are very helpful and curtious so far. I bought some natural colored and irradiated stones, just to test. I will let you know the quality of them, and how they compare to what they were represented like on the internet...more tomorrow, but their site is really simple and clean, which I am such a Shallow Hal, but I really liked shopping with. It made it easier to find more stones to buy!!!

 

[Nicrez]

Got my "gems" from www.creativegem.com and they actually are pretty. But I can't say I know enought to judge them. I will say that their customer service has been wonderful so far, so I give them an A for that. I will try to post the pictures soon, but again, I would recommend them from this purchase! Just know some are natural, and some are not...

 

[stepmars]

i also decided to put them to the test. i ordered $100 worth of tourmaline and blue zircon on april 8. transaction appeared on my credit card april 13. despite sending 4 emails requesting shipping details i have not received a reply.

 

[stepmars]

I've now received a full refund and am satisfied with outcome. Strangely, though, I never received any replied to my emails?