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Is this glass-filled?
Dear Parasawalaito Parasawala, I have seen many glass-filled rubies in my life and this does not look like one of them. I'd say these inclusions look like natural ones. They have neither the form, nor the color characteristic of glass-filled rubies. Gas bubbles are the characteristic inclusions forRead more
Dear Parasawalaito Parasawala,
I have seen many glass-filled rubies in my life and this does not look like one of them. I’d say these inclusions look like natural ones. They have neither the form, nor the color characteristic of glass-filled rubies. Gas bubbles are the characteristic inclusions for lead glass-filled rubies, and I don’t think these look like such bubbles.
Sincerely, Editor
See lessTanzanite ring on Etsy – is the price a fair one
Dear Tudor, First of all, you are absolutely right about the color - it is quite far from great. It is rather easy to understand why they have used 10ct gold for this ring. I mean, 10ct gold is normally used for inexpensive jewelry with rather low-quality gemstones. I have bought and sold may piecesRead more
Dear Tudor,
First of all, you are absolutely right about the color – it is quite far from great. It is rather easy to understand why they have used 10ct gold for this ring. I mean, 10ct gold is normally used for inexpensive jewelry with rather low-quality gemstones.
I have bought and sold may pieces of tanzanite jewelry in my life, and my estimate is that this ring’s true market value is around $200. I would never pay more than that for it. So, yes, $552 is rather steep.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been dealing with 10ct gold jewelry for some time now. Therefore, I cannot suggest you any alternatives right away. However, it might be a good idea to browse through eBay, for example. I’m absolutely sure you will find much better deals there in no time. Use the keywords “gold”, “ring”, “tanzanite”.
As a matter of fact, $552 would be an adequate price for a 14ct ring with a better-quality tanzanite.
It would be great if you could come back afterwards and tell us how did it go.
I hope this helps.
Best regards, Editor
See lessTrusty seller?
Dear LR, I would say this is not so much about trust in the seller, this is rather about trust in the item. As you didn't share the link, it is impossible to evaluate whether the seller is reliable. Thus, it might be a good idea to edit your question and share the link to this auction. In any case,Read more
Dear LR,
I would say this is not so much about trust in the seller, this is rather about trust in the item. As you didn’t share the link, it is impossible to evaluate whether the seller is reliable. Thus, it might be a good idea to edit your question and share the link to this auction. In any case, the mere fact that the seller has been selling alike necklaces in the past does not mean anything. A seller can have several similar items available. That’s perfectly ok.
I believe, the main question here is whether these pearls are real. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to tell for sure on the basis of this single image. You have to look for the growth marks. Natural pearls always have growth marks. Very high-quality pearls have very few growth marks but still, they have them, and a professional seller will take images showing them. Faux pearls, on the contrary, have no growth marks. So again, it might be a good idea to share the link to see more images.
The clasp in itself does not prove anything. I have seen both Akoya pearl necklaces and faux pearl necklaces coming with clasps like this. JKA stands for German company J. Köhle GmbH. To the best of my knowledge, they have been manufacturing both real pearl and faux pearl necklaces in the past. More importantly, it is not uncommon that pearl necklaces get re-strung. Thus, this is not necessarily its original clasp.
To sum it up, the first impression is that this is a legit Art Deco Akoya necklace. However, more close-up images are needed to tell for sure.
Last but not least, do not rely on the price estimates given by Catawiki’s experts. These estimates are highly inflated (especially for items with reserve prices). I have been following thousands of Catawiki auctions, and there is always the same pattern – the true market value is 20 – 30% of the estimate. This case is not an exception.
Best regards, Editor
See lesseBay – private listing – bidders’ identities protected – is it a scam?
Dear Nena, It is not necessarily a scam. I know at least a few absolutely reliable and honest sellers that make bidders' identities private. It is somewhat hard for me to understand why they are doing this as the real identities remain hidden at all times anyways. With that being said, I have to notRead more
Dear Nena,
It is not necessarily a scam. I know at least a few absolutely reliable and honest sellers that make bidders’ identities private.
It is somewhat hard for me to understand why they are doing this as the real identities remain hidden at all times anyways.
With that being said, I have to note that private listings are indeed a factor that should raise a red flag.
According to my personal experience, private listings are mainly used by dishonest sellers. For the most part, it is being done to hide shill bidding (placing bids on your own lots).
You see, in order to engage in shill bidding, sellers have to create new fake accounts (users) all the time. Thus, these fake bidders have extremely limited feedback scores or none at all. If bidder identities are not private, you can easily notice that one and the same bidder with no feedback score is continuously bidding on that seller’s lots. Or there is a bunch of no-feedback-bidders competing for that seller’s lots. So, there is a good chance you’ll get suspicious that something fishy is going on. They (dishonest sellers) don’t want that. Therefore, they make bidders’ identities private (hide them), and bidders have no idea with whom they are competing.
My estimate is that at least 9 out of 10 sellers who make their listings private are scammers.
Regards, Editor
See less925 Sterling silver Snake bracelet with ruby on Catawiki – what’s the true market value?
Dear Melany, I can see that you have received some quality answers already. I'd just like to add that the price in the screenshot shared by @Anna is still pretty high. Normally such bracelets sell at $40 to $60. I'm pretty sure if you are a bit patient, you can get a deal within this price range. GoRead more
Dear Melany,
I can see that you have received some quality answers already. I’d just like to add that the price in the screenshot shared by Anna is still pretty high. Normally such bracelets sell at $40 to $60. I’m pretty sure if you are a bit patient, you can get a deal within this price range.
Good luck!
Sincerely, Editor
See lessWhy do I keep getting outbid on eBay?
As @Eric rightly noted, this happens due to automatic bidding. However, it is important to note that automatic bidding, although it may seem a very convenient tool, is not a smart choice. It inevitably leads to paying more. There are other foolish mistakes bidders make, too. For example, engaging inRead more
As Eric rightly noted, this happens due to automatic bidding. However, it is important to note that automatic bidding, although it may seem a very convenient tool, is not a smart choice. It inevitably leads to paying more.
There are other foolish mistakes bidders make, too. For example, engaging in bidding wars. If you want to find out how to bid on eBay and pay less, read this post: https://www.shopperlib.com/how-to-bid-to-win-on-ebay-3-simple-tips/
This post describes in detail what mistakes eBay bidders make, how to avoid them, and what is the most effective bidding strategy.
It is not rocket science, but you’ll be surprised how many eBay bidders make mistakes and grossly overpay as a result.
Best regards, Editor
See lessAre jewelry certificates issued by Westfield Jewelry Appraisers credible?
Dear Paulo, There are two things I'd like to say about Westfield Jewelry Appraisers: The good thing is that they are perfectly clear and honest about the gemstone treatment methods in their certificates. For example, if a ruby is lead glass-filled, they state "treatment: glass & flux". Many labsRead more
Dear Paulo,
There are two things I’d like to say about Westfield Jewelry Appraisers:
The good thing is that they are perfectly clear and honest about the gemstone treatment methods in their certificates. For example, if a ruby is lead glass-filled, they state “treatment: glass & flux”. Many labs (or so-called labs) do not disclose such information. Westfield Jewelry Appraisers are not like that.
The bad thing, however, is that their estimated retail values are extremely inflated (as Anna has already mentioned). Actually, they are shamelessly lying about the market value of the items they certify.
Therefore, I find this lab very interesting – on the one hand, they are perfectly consistent and professional; on the other hand, they are just a bunch of scammers printing certificates with totally fake retail estimates.
Best regards, Editor
See less14K Yellow gold clasp for my pearl necklace. Where can I get the best deal?
I used to buy 14K gold clasps from es_store, too. Then about a year ago, I found this seller (see attached file). The good thing is that now I can buy these clasps at this price whenever I need them and I don't have to ask es_store for a discount each and every time. Regards, Editor
I used to buy 14K gold clasps from es_store, too. Then about a year ago, I found this seller (see attached file). The good thing is that now I can buy these clasps at this price whenever I need them and I don’t have to ask es_store for a discount each and every time.
Regards, Editor
See less925 Silver Ring – 6.52 Ct Green Emerald – Catawiki. How much is it worth?
It could be also fluorite or chrysoprase, but I agree that it is prehnite most likely. There is absolutely no doubt that it is not emerald. The market value of this ring is about $20 - $40. Scams like this perfectly explain the seller's poor feedback score. I hope this helps.
It could be also fluorite or chrysoprase, but I agree that it is prehnite most likely. There is absolutely no doubt that it is not emerald.
See lessThe market value of this ring is about $20 – $40.
Scams like this perfectly explain the seller’s poor feedback score.
I hope this helps.
How much this ruby pendant is worth?
Hi! First of all, the item's listing is not entirely fair. It doesn't say a single word about the ruby's treatment. This ruby is what is known as lead glass-filled ruby (aka "composite ruby"). Thus, it is not really correct to state it is a natural ruby. Composite rubies are extremely cheap. This isRead more
Hi!
First of all, the item’s listing is not entirely fair. It doesn’t say a single word about the ruby’s treatment. This ruby is what is known as lead glass-filled ruby (aka “composite ruby”). Thus, it is not really correct to state it is a natural ruby.
Composite rubies are extremely cheap. This is the exact reason why such composite rubies are frequently mounted in silver settings and surrounded by cubic zirconia (abbreviation CZ). CZs are cheap synthetic stones.
This is a readily available Thai-made pendant, and its true market value is $20 to $30 only. Thus, the present bids are placed by bidders who lack the necessary knowledge.
Hope this helps!
Regards, Editor
See less