I Was Misled!

 

                          I Was Misled!

                      (Swarovski crystal pearls, in green and maroon.)

 

I recently was looking at a pair of handmade earrings from another seller that came up on my Etsy suggestion list.  

I was looking at these earrings, admiring them, thinking they are nice looking.  Simple and nice.  I looked at how she wrote up the first paragraph of her earrings.  She really did a nice job at writing about the earrings.  Her writing was professional. 

This seller had thousands of pieces sold.  Because I don’t have many pieces of jewelry sold, I wanted to look at her pricing and how she wrote the earrings up. 

She had them listed as gold and Rose gold earrings under materials used.  She also had them listed as a gemstone earring- pearls!  I looked at her pricing.  She was selling them for $30.00 a pair.  What???  How can she sell gold earrings with pearls for so cheap?  It made my Cultured pearl, 14 kt Gold-filled earrings look overpriced. 

As I read her write-up on these earrings, I found I had to dig for the truth.  I read on, finding that she did list them as gold-filled, just lower in her writing.  

She went on to tell you that gold-filled is good quality and it lasts a lifetime.  I agree with the good quality, but I can’t agree on a lifetime.  She also brings said  the pearls were Pearlscent ones from Swarovski.

 Basically, it was the name of the earrings, “Gold and Mother of Pearl earrings," her listing materials and first paragraph about the earrings, that threw me off. 

I don’t know about you, but for me being in the business for making and selling jewelry, I found her writings about her jewelry to be “misleading”.  I found myself feeling mislead by what I was seeing and reading.  I found myself having to dig for the truth.  It made me feel a little bit angry.

My point in writing this is to educate you on jewelry pricing- what you get for your money.

There are millions of pieces of jewelry on the market.  There are thousands of sellers and makers of jewelry.  When you want to find a piece of jewelry to buy, know your prices and what the piece is made of-materials. 

In the story above, Pearlescent is a crystal pearl, made by a company called Swarovski.  In other words, the pearl is fake.  Mother of Pearl, like in the name of the earrings means (Wikipedia meaning), “a smooth shining iridescent substance forming the inner layer of the shell of some mollusks, especially oysters and abalones, used in ornamentation.”

I know for a fact that Swarovski crystal company does not produce organic pearls like the definition above suggests.  And so, the name of the earrings is  misleading.

When finding a piece of jewelry, you like, read more then the title and materials list.  Although, this should have been enough, but in this case it was not. 

In the description listed for these earrings- gold or Rose gold, is also misleading.  In the end, these earrings were made from gold-filled and not solid gold like the name and first paragraph suggests.

If you don’t know for sure what the item is made from, message the seller.  Get them to write it out in a message to you, so if there is any question concerning the materials and gemstones, you have it in writing.

Be aware!!!  Even if the seller has sold many pieces, look closely.  Know what you’re buying.  Don’t get sucked in to thinking you’re getting solid gold, solid silver or real gemstone for a small price.

Look at the metal.  There is a significant price difference between unknown metal (named metal), copper, Gold-plate, Gold-filled, and solid gold.  If it states the karat, it is higher quality precious metal.

Look at the gemstone.  Is it real?  Is it manufactured?  Is it real, but is man-made? (lab gems).

There is a price difference between: fake, lab-created gems, chips of gemstone, and different grades of gemstones, and AAA quality gemstones typically seen in big name jewelry stores.

I’m not saying the lower grades of real gemstones is bad.  I’m saying know the price differences before paying money.  If you’re looking for real gemstones, again, look at the price and if you’re not sure, question the seller.

All in all, I hope this article helps you to look closer at what you are buying.  I hope you will have good experiences in buying handmade jewelry. 

***I have to be fair to the Etsy sellers, in the materials section, sometimes Etsy only provides “gold” and not “gold-filled” description.

 By Cynthia Bergsbaken

Cyn Bergsbaken Jewelry

Https://Etsy.com/shop/CynBergsbakenJewelry

 

 

     Precious metal, gemstone, and stone handmade jewelry.  Harness the power of a real stones and gemstones.  Whether for healing purposes or for the beauty of the jewelry piece, Cyn Bergsbaken Jewelry has it.

Handmade jewelry that is unique, quality, and beautiful.

***All original content is copyrighted by Cynthia Bergsbaken, Perceptive Blogger & Reiki in the Prairie LLC.
Reiki in the Prairie LLC is a legal Entity under law,  2015.
April 11, 2020
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-Cynthia Bergsbaken
Reiki in the Prairie LLC, April 11, 2020