Jewelry

[Shanus]

I've been to many jewelry shows/sales and have a wholesale license. I have purchased Sleeping Beauty turquoise, which in person looks like plastic & customers need to beware. Other turquoise prices for Kingman and other turquoise are nowhere near the prices Q is charging considering 1. They are purchasing in large quantities at wholesale and below  2. Many pieces seem to be repeat designs so purchased at older prices and 3. Many stones are smaller than those that I've purchased for a fraction of the price.

Note:  Yes these pieces are set...but in factory made settings. Silver or not, settings are purchased w/prongs ready made & stones can be dropped in, prongs closed & there's a ring or necklace. There were no designs that required intricate work in yesterday's shows. 

Pieces that sold for over $250 should be more like $75-$100. Rip off.

[software]

Shame on them

@Shanus

[Sooner]

Jewelry isn't about the price of the components as much as it is the style and whether the individual finds it wearable and a good value for them.  Especially the non-precious gemstones like amethyst and garnet as nowhere near what their "value" if (little if any) in the set piece.

I don't expect my jewelry to be worth what I pay for it or anywhere that when factored out into material costs.  You just can't go there with most of what we buy.  It's price and value, what the market will pay for pieces.  Like handbags and shoes and clothes. 

[Shanus]

@Sooner. ITA that it's up to the buyer if they're willing to bargain shop and find the best prices or just purchase what they like without considering the value. 

[esmeraldagooch]

Higher than Wholesale?  Did you mean Retail?

[Kachina624]

@Shanus  Sleeping Beauty has been and still is a major rip-off for buyers.  It's a dream come true for sellers on TV shopping channels because it's clear with no variations,  like a manufactured product.   If and when they sell turquoise with matrix, a large percentage will be returned because the buyers won't like the color or distribution of the matrix. 

True turquoise collectors won't have anything to do with Sleeping Beauty as it has none of the characteristics which collectors prize.  I don't have any in my sizable collection. The hype about this mine closing is almost funny.  Many mines with truly high quality turquoise have closed but nobody mentions them.  The last few years SB was mined they were working the tailings, the junk pile outside of the mine.  It was basically chalk which was dyed and stabilized to hold it together.  It's very poor quality. 

Now they're continuing with the plan to call it "scarce" and hike up the prices.  There's too much of this stuff floating around for it to ever be considered rare.  It's a case of buyer beware. 

[sunshine 919]

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@software wrote:

Shame on them

@Shanus

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I thought the prices were  out of wack compared to the other channels.  I thought it was just me.

[Kachina624]

@sunshine 919  I think QVC's jewelry is very nice quality, with a few exceptions I've encountered in recent months.  Jewelry TV sells very inexpensive stuff but everything I've gotten, I've returned,  and I should have returned the piece I kept.   I like most of Michael Vallatuti's creations on Evine.  At least I know he's be there if I have a jewelry malfunction.  Chuck Clemency is hit or miss but he too will fix thing that break. Paul and Judy Deasy have second rate stones and workmanship and won't stand behind their products.  They have no repair service.   I've never bought from Shop LC but their wares are too cheap to be worthy of wear. 

[Shanus]

Hi @esmeraldagooch. I was figuring what I pay for turquoise at wholesale prices and adding markup to sell at retail prices and Q is still way over the limit. The usual formula is wholesale price paid and then doubled to the customer. With huge amounts of turquoise purchased by Q, they surely got a better than wholesale price & tripled it before passing it along to us. Beware these high prices. They do not reflect high quality of the stones.

[Sooner]

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@Shanus wrote:

@Sooner. ITA that it's up to the buyer if they're willing to bargain shop and find the best prices or just purchase what they like without considering the value. 

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The problem is most sterling jewelry has little value for resale at any rate because silver is really cheap now, and the turquoise itself often has little value either, so like you said, buy what you like.