To all those interested in buying gems and jewelry on eBay, the following is a mix of Jewelry News and Updates in the Jewelry Industry. We also include some Jewelry and Gem Buying Tips:

Just got back from the Tucson Gem Show. No doubt, the Tucson Jewelry and Gem Show is one of the largest events in the industry. Spread over 48 venues, the Tucson Show offers everything imaginable under the sun.

We came upon a vendor offering what he called (and advertised as) re-crystallized Tanzanite and Emeralds. The vendor was from Japan and stated that this new process was basically taking the leftovers of Tanzanite cuttings and then through a proprietary process, taking those shavings and creating a NEW tanzanite under thermal (heated) pressure. He stated that they did the same with emerald shavings.

I spent a $1000.00 on a sampling of Tanzanite and Emeralds and then shipped it off to my office for testing via our GIA certified appraiser. As we were going to be in Tucson for a few days, I would get back the appraisal results within 24 hours and a verbal confirmation of exactly what we had purchased.

I stayed at the Loews Ventana Resort which is built into the mountains of Tucson. Lovely spot to wait for appraisal results. I spent the rest of my day shopping at the resort and picked up a few t-shirts and souvenirs for my office staff. I handed the cashier a $100.00 bill and she asked if I had anything smaller than a $100.00 bill. I told her "no" and she proceeded to put that $100.00 through every type of test imaginable to ensure it was indeed a "real" $100.00 bill. I asked her what all the fuss about and she informed me that during the Tucson Gem Show, those from Asian destinations attempt to pass off counterfeit $100.00 bills. I was told that the resort confiscates many of these bills during the show. In other words, unwary vendors are accepting counterfeit money for their precious gems and jewelry.

The following morning, I received  a call from my appraiser and he informed me that the Tanzanite were colored CZ's and the Emeralds were synthetic. I was told there was no such thing as a re-crystallized gem (which I suspected from the very start). No problem, the stones were sent back by overnight courier and I arrived at the show the following morning to return the stones. When I arrived at the vendor's booth, State investigators were waiting along with a reporter from NBC News. Seems the vendor had another problem, he was selling scales (to weigh gems) which were not certified by the State of Arizona. The very same scales he used to weigh the Tanzanite and Emeralds he sold to me.

Needless to say, I pulled him aside and told him that what he was selling was anything but re-crystallized Tanzanite. He was selling colored glass. Turns out he's been selling this stuff to unwary buyers for three years at the Tucson Gem Show. While he apologized, I did make a bit of a stink and raised my voice a bit so those rummaging through his products would also be aware that what he was selling was anything but the "real" or near the "real" deal. He asked me what I wanted him to do. I told him take down the signs advertising these gems as Tanzanite and Emeralds. I also asked him for a copy of his Japanese driving license to confirm he was indeed from Japan. No driver's license was forthcoming.

He pulled down the signs and we parted ways. However, he pulled down those signs reluctantly, as buyers were flocking to his booth to learn about this new process of re-crystallizing Tanzanite and Emeralds.

Just goes to show that "words" will assist us at every turn to open our wallets and pocketbooks to buy into the next grand thing that comes along in this industry.

Anytime you see any words used in a title or listing on eBay touting any gem or finished piece of jewelry as "certified" be sure to check out exactly who is certifying the product. Is it the seller? Does the seller have a direct connection to issuer of the gem card or appraisal certificate? Yes, it's very easy to buy a lamination machine and spit out gem cards all day long. It's also very easy to set the value of such items with "pie in the sky" values. Take the time to investigate the seller and always ask who is the issuer of a gem card or appraisal. It will save you time and money to do just a quick check online as to the validity of such an appraisal.