Yeah, with all due respect to the suggester (who, if I recall correctly, was part of that Dateline NBC piece), that episode sent a negative message overall, esp. since, again if I recall correctly, several well-respected jewelers were trashed in that piece, including Tiffany. Selling a negative is an interesting thing ... it's accepted wisdom not to do it, but some people, like political candidates, do it very effectively. Amd you are starting to see more ads that take a negative tack on the competition. In jewelry, there's plenty of "conflict-free" diamond sellers who are happy to proclaim that they are the only people in the industry with morals. And of course, we all know many jewelers bad-mouth their competition. Still, I can't help but thinking at the end of the day no one is helped when people knock each other. Short-term gain, long-term loss.

Dear Ms. Guliani, I read with interest your reference to one of our Las Vegas sessions, as well as the response from Mr. Bates and I feel that there is a need for clarification. It may be helpful for the readers of this entry to know that my quote you referred to took place during an open forum discussion on protecting the consumer’s interest and compliance with the FTC guidelines and state regulations for the proper disclosure of gemstones. As part of this discussion, it was addressed how in general today there is very little disclosure for colored stones at the retail counter when sales associates are dealing with the public. This is a potentially dangerous situation as the FTC guidelines and state regulations clearly indicate that all information that may have a significant impact on the value of a gem must be disclosed. This involves not only the identity of the species or variety of the stone, its weight, whether it is natural or synthetic, but also the presence or absence of any number of treatments that may be utilized to enhance its color and/or appearance. A failure to do so may lead to legal action against a retailer/seller. The reference to the Dateline and 20/20 episodes (which were both high profile, nationally televised exposes that addressed these very issues), was used as an example of what our industry faces if this situation is not reversed. And further, the point of my illustration was to spark a reaction and the interest of those attending to become more proactive in their approach on proper disclosure and communication with their clients on these matters. The focus of this session during the Couture Show at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas was to raise the awareness of jewelry retailers/manufacturers and highlight the consumer’s experience during a jewelry purchase. This was a program led by Diane Warga-Arias that was followed by discussions related to third-party authentication and grading and how these may be used as an integral tool for providing accurate and adequate disclosure, increase consumer confidence in their products and ultimately help them sell more goods. At AGL, we have developed a broad range of gemological services and reporting formats to accomplish just this task. By utilizing such documents, we are able to work together to bring greater transparency and increase the integrity of our industry. It has been demonstrated in many industries that a well-informed consumer leads to greater confidence in the goods being purchased and a customer that will purchase again and again. It is not only a good business principle, but it is also the law. We at the AGL have long held the position that the consumer is the most important link in the chain of supply and demand for our industry’s products. By protecting their interest, we preserve the integrity of the gemstone and jewelry market and we secure the long-term growth and stability of our industry for the future. Thank you, sincerely, C.R. “Cap” Beesley

In my opinion it ALL comes down to educating the customer! In my store I disclose everything, but the I think it is the way I go about it that puts my customers at ease. When I am showing them colored stone pieces I will start talking about the different treatments and explaining how most stones are treated and that opens the door to showing them and explaining all the different colored stones and different treatments. I am against certain treatments and explain to my customers that I do not sell stones with certain treatments and I do not suggest that they buy those stones. I give the customer the knowledge to make their own informed decision and if they do go and window shop at other stores, they will know what questions to ask and what to look for and when they don't get the answers they want they will be back in my store. I do not bad mouth my competition, I don't have to. I just have to educate and let them find out who is reputable and who is not and I also give them information in print, so it is not my word against theirs. It is proven legitimate trade information in their hands to read up on even more than what we talk about in store. I do not believe in bad mouthing anyone. I feel the customer, with the proper knowledge, can make their own decision and I don't have to say a bad word about anyone. I know and will always treat my customers with respect and if they do go somewhere else to question and research and compare shop, they will have to tools to ask the right questions and know if they are getting the correct anwers.