This story was published February 14th, 2010 on Oregon Live.
A link to the original article can be found here.
Barbara Nichols couldn’t wait to show her rock club the turquoise necklace she’d bought herself for her 24th wedding anniversary.
She excitedly laid out the heavy strand, a $147 mix of beads in pinks, yellows, greens, oranges and browns that look a bit like half-licked jawbreakers.
But members of the Mt. Hood Rock Club just laughed.
Nichols and her husband, Greg, asked The Desk for help after becoming suspicious about the necklace they’d bought at Joseph K Wedding Rings at Clackamas Town Center. After the rock club incident, they tried to return the necklace, originally priced at $245 and wearing a tag stating “turquoise stone.”
And that’s exactly what it is, maintains store owner Joseph Kassab, a member of the local family with several jewelry stores that operate independently. He told the Nicholses at the time that he wouldn’t give them their cash back, pointing out the line at the bottom of their receipt that said “No refunds.”
“We are not lying to them,” Kassab said. “We wouldn’t sell it if it wasn’t turquoise.”
The Desk swung by the store last week and saw a similar strand on sale and was told by a salesperson that it was turquoise, possibly African turquoise. Now technically, African turquoise isn’t turquoise at all, but an agate called jasper that’s dyed a darker, more turquoise color.
So The Desk took the necklace to Pacific Gemological Laboratory Inc., in downtown Portland. There, director Mona Miller-Smith, a gemologist certified by the Gemological Institute of America and a master gemologist appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers, said the necklace may contain some turquoise.
It could carry a warning, she said, like those seen on some cookie packages: May contain trace amounts of nuts, as they are baked in the same kitchen as products with peanuts. In this case, the trace amounts would be turquoise.
Worth $147?
No, she said, more like $75.
Miller-Smith, who trains others in the trade, said she’s seen a rash of pricey “gems” that actually contain high levels of plastic.
She showed The Desk a packet of “rubies” she bought for $2 each. If they’d actually been rubies, she said, they’d run $3,000 each. A minute-long visit with a flame produced clouding and cracking on a few, she said. That wouldn’t have happened with an untreated ruby.
There’s currently debate, she noted, about how much filler a “real” gem should contain.
Kassab wasn’t convinced about Miller-Smith’s findings. He took his store’s strand back to Pacific Gem Labs, which in turn handed it over to local rock expert, Tom Handley, a supplier and retailer. Handley, who originally doubted its authenticity, cut two beads and, after looking inside, changed his mind.
“It cut like turquoise and smelled like stabilized turquoise,” said Handley, likening the scent to burning epoxy. “I’m not thrilled about the material — it’s highly treated turquoise. But it’s turquoise.”
And, he continued, if there’s some turquoise in a strand, industry standard says it’s fair to call the necklace turquoise.
What seems at issue here is exactly what customers think they’re buying.
To be sure, experts recommend asking specific questions before buying semiprecious stones and potentially, get the answers in writing.
In the case of turquoise, try: “Is it natural or stabilized?” typically meaning a small amount of clear resin — but no dye — was used to make the turquoise more rugged. Or, “Is it reconstituted?,” a common mixing of resin, dye and crushed stone.
Both can be sold as turquoise, though some jewelers say they’re careful to note whether stones were dyed or reconstituted.
Handley says a majority of turquoise in the market is stabilized or treated in some way and that he clearly marks the difference on jewelry. He said he wishes the industry would require all vendors and retailers to do the same.
Miller-Smith, who said she often evaluates jewelry bought on eBay or Craigslist, said customers should ask a jeweler whether they can have it tested before finalizing a sale. If retailers aren’t willing, she said, that’s a red flag.
Greg Nichols, who clashed with store employees when he tried to return the necklace, said he was planning to test the entire strand at the gem lab for $90. “That’s just not what we were led to believe.”
Kassab said he felt it was clear that the stones were dyed, but he doesn’t want unhappy customers. If the Nicholses return to the store and are nice, he said, he’ll return their money.
Ultimately, Barbara Nichols said if the necklace isn’t entirely turquoise, her feelings for it will be tarnished — hardly the best commemoration of her anniversary.
Though not quite as flashy and easy to buy for as the couple’s silver 25th anniversary next year, the 24th can be recognized by giving tanzanite, gift-giving Web sites say.
Tanzanite is rare, costly and, as some buying guides warn, often simulated because of its scarcity.
But the 24th can also be celebrated by musical instruments. The Desk has never heard of a reconstituted kazoo — though it does come in plastic.
Have your own consumer complaint? Contact Laura Gunderson at The Desk: 503-221 8378.
