Gem Shopping Network Inc

I've gotten addicted to GSN and now think I have it figured out- SOME of this jewelry is not worth it, ""Things too good to be true are still not true."" Lighting is used to greatly accentuate the brilliance and clarity of the stones - be wary. Size is another fooler -- check for a point of reference before you buy. I've gotten burned when things just did not look the same in life size and on my hand.. so be judicious and be careful and you can get an excellent bargain very occasionally. These so-called ""expert hosts""can be the real joke. Steve goes from ""celebrity owned"" $49,000 bracelet to celebrity red carpet $79,000 same bracelet to finally selling it at $7,900.00. He is the celebrity-driven nut case: I mean who really cares? Hunter and Kurt need to be sent to broadcasting school, and taught not to holler. Can you see the salesman at Tiffany, leaning across the counter, screaming at the customer: ""YOU NEED TO BUY THIS RING RIGHT NOW!!!!"" I had hoped the new owners would bring some class and action to bear on these jokers -- but so far no results and no changes. But there are -- every now and then -- good deals. more

I have made many purchases on Gem Shopping Network for a year now and I have been really, really pleased with the quality of the jewelry. I had watched the channel on and off a few times, and one night they featured some 18 inch amethyst necklaces that were $85. I thought they were beautiful, so I made the purchase. When you make your first purchase, you have to register, so they will ask you for your address, email, etc. From that point on, you will be able to bid on auction items, and your whole transaction will be very quick. \r \r Several days later I received my necklace via Fed Ex, and it was really beautiful! I had never seen anything like it in a store. I have been hooked ever since!! I see a lot of negative posts online and I cannot imagine what the issue is. THEY HAVE AN A + RATING on the BBB!! They also have been in business for 16 years -- if they were scamming people, they would not be able to stay in business. You cannot find in any store many of the pieces that they often feature -- beautiful one-of-a-kind estate pieces, and beautiful rare gemstones that most people probably have heard of. \r \r This past Christmas my husband bought me a beautiful sapphire ring from Mike (the best host in my opinion.). He was very, very skeptical to purchase expensive jewelry from TV, but he was really shocked when he saw how beautiful it was in person. Again, all things will arrive Fed Ex, and will require your signature upon arrival. They also come in a nice blue box which tucked inside a blue organza bag. \r \r I would say if you are thinking of making a purchase, do a little research on the gemstone you are thinking of buying. Price out mountings with their carat weights -- then you can determine if the price is fair. I look on sites like Blue Nile and GSM is so much less expensive. The estate pieces always are especially, and they are truly stunning. I think they have some really loyal, very wealthy customers that purchase some of those major pieces. Most stores don't carry what they sell such as spinels, or Mexican fire opals. And forget mall jewelry stores -- a total rip-off and poor quality. \r \r I also really enjoy watching Asian Collectables with Max. He has these amazing rock specimens, really cool jewelry collections, jade carvings, fossils, things you would never, ever see in any retail store. I bought my son a meteorite specimen and he was totally thrilled.\r \r The only negative to Gem Shopping Network is that it is highly, highly addictive. My husband is telling me he is going to call Direct TV and have it blocked!! : )\r \r For years my husband bought me thousands of dollars from a local jewelry store. They always assured us we were getting the best price. Now, I see I was grossly overcharged.\r \r I would defiantly recommend buying from Gem Shopping Network. Start with a small purchase first if you have doubts, but if you love jewelry like I do, you will not be disappointed! \r \r I hope this review helps. \r \r more

I've been buying from Gem Shopping Network for several years. I've never had to return a defective item and have been quite happy with my purchases. My fav is a champagne/cognac diamond 1.28 ctw. The estimated the value to be $4500. and I paid $2200 quite sure it would be appraised for more. Imagine my surprise when the appraisal came back at $8,320.00. I always watch for items that are top gem world class as I know it will be of highest quality. I love all the host except for Steve because of his foul language, and refuse to buy from him. However I have noticed its getting better. I bought a $5000 TGWC Tanzanite at auction for $400.00. I do think, however, that some of their item prices are inflated because I have seen them on other sites for less. The determining factor would be comparing quality to quality. It's hard to tell. I would have to give this company a 5 star rating. But stick with the top gem world class items. That would be your best return for the money. more

I love Gem Shopping Network...especially my dealings with Clay at customer service. Anytime I have encountered a problem with the merchandise, he has gone out of his way to accommodate me. I've read all the negative reviews, and find them hard to believe. \r Any newbies and first time buyers need to know some tips before you make a purchase....I have found that certain hosts will give you a better price; my favorities are Mike and Sam and they are usually on at night. They are both very honest and the items they show are there own items that they have handpicked and purchased for themselves. They are never junk. Also, Rafie with his estate jewelry will bargain with you.. and his items are outstanding and are always a good buy. Another important tip: The jewelry is magnified a hundred times, so don't be fooled by the look of the diamonds; if the item has less than 50 pts of diamonds, don't buy it unless there is another stone featured with it, that you like better, because when you get the item home with only 16 pts of diamonds, you are going to be disappointed and will be wondering where the diamonds are...another tip: always have the model wear your item. Also, if you have made a big purchase it is wise to get an outside appraisal on it before the timeframe for returning it has expired. It should appraise for almost double the price you paid for it to be sure you paid a fair price for it. If you are hesitant to buy a ring, don't have them size it for you, because you may not be able to return it, and if you are allowed to return it, there is a restocking fee of 20% I believe. Do not remove the tag! you will not get a refund. I am hoping you will follow my tips to make sure you get that quality piece of jewelry to enjoy as much as I do with my purchased from them. more

I have purchased items from GSN and have been happy\r with all my purchases. One multi-colored sapphire bracelet I had\r purchased years ago had an orange sapphire come out. I\r lost it and took the bracelet to my jeweler to repair it, replace\r the sapphire so I can enjoy my bracelet. When I\r picked up the bracelet, my jeweler told me This is a\r very expensive bracelet. That made me feel real good. It\r wasn't junk. I have had some pieces where little diamonds fell\r out and I need to have them repaired, but I will take the\r pieces to the jeweler to repair and not ship it all the way back\r to Georgia for the repair. I am rough on my rings. I'm sure\r the little diamonds came out just digging for stuff in my purse\r and probably caught on something or snagged on an item\r of clothing. I have put a stop to buying items only\r because the high cost of gold has made it cost prohibitive\r when you have to operate on a budget. I started buying\r when gold was hovering at $400 an ounce. I just can't\r afford to buy at the inflated prices. I miss those days.\r I never had to return an item. I only bought items that\r I just had to have, not because it was a good deal. \r I've never been disappointed. People who speak\r negatively about GSN should do their research before\r buying. I do miss Treasures With Sue. What's the Muffin\r Club going to do now? more

more, more, more Gem Collectors w/ Shawn... Please. :-) more

I have been purchasing jewelry and gemstones from Gem Shopping Network for more than six months. Until today, I was mostly happy with GSN. However, there have been some mistakes with Customer Service. I have purchased over $13,000 in merchandise; I have returned approximately $33,000 in merchandise. There is a learning curve when beginning to purchase jewelry on on TV. Items look much larger on TV, as they are magnified. They look different when you get them home. Sometimes they don't look good on your hand or the color of the stone does not match other items I had purchased. Many items were gifts and not liked. Some were of poor quality, defective, looked cheap and not worth the money!! I returned them and each time I called Customer Service, gave them the reason for the return and was given an RMA number, (an Approved Return Merchandise Authorization). \r \r I purchased a Jade carving that was chipped, but it was past the 7 day return limit. They would not replace the defective merchandise and would not accept a return.\r \r On two occasions I requested that a House Credit be applied to to two rings. It wasn't done and I used the House Credit on other purchases. I think they were going to ""push through"" a payment from one of my credit cards when credit was available, they had done this before causing me to exceed my credit limit!\r \r I purchased a Sunstone ring for $2,650.The Sales Rep for this Sunstone told me that I had a remainder House Credit that could be applied. I asked the Rep to check to see if I had ANY outstanding unpaid items. I specifically asked if the two rings had been paid for, as Customer Service mistakenly failed to use the Credit that I told them to apply previously. I was assured that everything was paid and correct. \r \r Still no rings. I called and was told that they were PAID, and would ship out shortly. I called again and was informed that the rings did not ship because they were waiting for payment. This was the 3rd time! \r \r Frustrated, I cancelled the order for the 2 rings, as well as, a Mandarin Garnet 1.06 ct gemstone that I won at Auction for $250. I had already purchased an Auctioned Star Sapphire for $400. Then, I won an Auction for a Larger 1.36 ct Mandarin Garnet for $150. I did not want to pay shipping, insurance and return shipping for the smaller gemstone. (which expensive, beware! I request Postal, which takes a little longer, but is much less) \r \r It was at this point that Kye, the Customer Service Rep, informed me that MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN RESTRICTED. NO FURTHER PURCHASES WOULD BE ALLOWED!!! \r \r Next, I spoke to Customer Service Supervisor, PAT. He informed me that I am NOT ALLOWED TO PURCHASE ANYTHING for up to six months, at which time, I should call Kye to learn how I must get my account to a 50% RETURN RATE. \r \r In order to do this, I must agree to terms and conditions, including lessons for purchasing properly. Then, I would be ALLOWED to purchase jewelry, but NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES ALLOWED!!!! NO MATTER WHAT THE REASON!! \r \r I told the Supervisor that I would NOT AGREE to purchase items from TV or Internet without the ability to return for any reason. The Supervisor then told me there was nothing more to do since I was not willing to ACCEPT their RULES AND RESTRICTIONS, even though Customer Service APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED THE REASON for all returned merchandise. \r \r I spent $13,000 with GEM SHOPPING, but it was not enough as I was a customer whose return ratio was higher than 50%. \r more

Where is Sue..? more

Nice glass of wine...maybe some fav cheese... turn on the shopping network because I want to treat myself... Yes!!! I say..\r Then I turn on the channel 228 in my area.. Gosh darn its kurtfullofhimself & overpriced Ralphie... At least Ralphie does not talk about himself and how this should not be on the tray or turntable!!! That is a constant from Kurt.. This is not suppose to be on the turntable.. Then don't put the darn thing on it!!!!!!!!! Yada Yada Yada.... Been there done that.... more

Do not shop here. I've purchased many things from this show,4-5 of the items were defective,they over price there stuff,they tell you a over inflated price in the beginning,then tell you a sale price to make it look like you have a deal. The stones that they sell at auction a usually flawed and you can see this if you look at the mirror reflection instead of the stone. I've personally been lied to buy Steve,Marvin,Kurt. I've been told that there appraisals are done buy a former imployee,can you say conflict of interest. We,the customer set the price, don't fall for there cheap sales tricks. This is one,they ask 2000 for a stone that's worth 200 ,then say look,and set it in a 8000 dollar amount and thy to tell you how beautiful it looks,I could pick a stone off the ground and place it in a 8000 dollar mount and it would look beautiful,that's a sales trick. I could go on,but as I said we set the prices and if people don't bid 3000 for a 1000 piece of jewelry,they would have to sell it for the true price. Think about this,they pay 10,000,000 a year in air time fees,where do you think that cost goes to,that's right,the customer. KEEP YOUR BIDS,OFFERS LOW and you can get a deal. Not everyone is a celebrity and can afford a 250,000 piece of jewelry. Respectfully your neighbor and friend. more

I've made several purchases over the past year. Some small and juicy and some large. Customer service is overly accommodating. I didn't like the first loose stone I purchased,( too large for the mount). Customer service let me return the ring, removed the stone and kept my mount on hold until I purchased another stone. Second stone much better and the ring is just what I had in mind. The small purchases were affordable and very nice quality. Customers need to educate themselves before making a purchase. No different than buying a car or house. Know what you want and know what you want to pay. Remember that the light is much brighter in the studio than in your home and the merchandise is magnified. Unrealistic expectations will bring disappointment every time! Did my homework! more

I am addicted to GSN. I love the items and most of the persons on air and off. I have been buying from them for a couple of years now and they are the best. Service is excellent and they stand by thier word. I had a mistake on one of my items purchased and they are not only fixing it but refunding any expense plus time to do so. I have found, over time, that thier appraisals are normally on average to low side, they ONLY do replacement values in-house and it is much cheaper then taking to your local jeweler. Also they will send an item direct from time of purchase to GIA to have certified for you! I have had no issues with returns and if you stop to think about it for just a second, it does not make sense not to insure the item being returned, its insured when sent! Also if you do get the added appraisal (which I do on all items purchased) and you decide to return, as long as you return appraisal too, they reimburse you for the appraisal as well... They really do want you to be a happy shopper and you can really find some great deals. Note: where do you think half the people on Ebay and such are getting those awesome gems from??? And PLEASE Stop compairing to JWT, they are not even in the same class.... Hope this helps anyone who is just starting... One more note. The first item I bought was a Signed Multi-Gemstone Necklace from an Estate in Florida. I was really scared and it was a lot of money to spend... Appraisal came with it, but was done outside of GSN. (I am assuming came with item) this was in 2010. I bought item for less than half the value of the appraisal, a recent appraisal of this item is double what initial appraised valued. This particular designer has become HUGE in Dubai and Brazil. So yeah, good buy! Good Items! Great Service!!! Thanks for reading ... more

I have placed a total of 4 orders with Gem Shopping as of the date of this review. I was thrilled with 3 of the items, the one I did not care for I returned. I had no problems with the return and I got a refund within a couple of weeks. I have gotten a bracelet, a pendant and a ring that I will surely be keeping, they are all stunning and were decent values. I haven't had them appraised, but I feel like I got a good value. I made an offer on all three and they were accepted. The problem with the item I returned was not the quality of the item, it was the size. It was a bracelet and it was too small to fit even an average size woman. One would have to be VERY petite for this bracelet to fit. I feel they should have stated this when presenting the item, but it is possible the host did not realize this. You really couldn't tell by looking at it. Overall I am extremely pleased and will definitely be returning for more jewelry. I really like that they have estate jewelry and not the cookie cutter stuff you see on other shopping channels. I also like the fact that you can ""haggle"" the price. more

i too purchased an expensive tanzanite 8+ ct that was said to be top gem word class... bull.... i finally had it appraised, work nothing. i mean nothing, several hundred at the most !!!! i can not return due to time and now stuck with a stone they gave an appraisal of 19k.... paid 4500.00 more

they never tell you that if you don't like or if the item turned out not to be of the quality, you have to call them within 7 days of receiving it.\r and they don't pay the return s/h if the item is of bad quality. i bought several jade items, was told that they were natural and not treated, took them to my jeweler, who is GIA certified and told me and showed me they are treated (light up like neon light under those light instrutment)....called the customer service, asked them to pay for s/h or refund the original s/h, was told ""no, we had to pay to ship the item out to you!"".....\r \r they always talk about how they are a high end jeweler, high end jeweler does not treat their customer that way.\r \r the customer service rep then said all their products were inspected (not sure what that mean) but then she could not provide me any proof of that the stone was not treated. she said they offer appraisals that i can ""purchase"". so if i buy a stone, tell them it is not real, they want me to buy ""their"" appraisal!!! more

I used to work for Bailey Banks & Biddle Jeweler's, and I love the Gem Shopping Network. Everything I purchased has been beautiful and exactly what they said it was. I like that they follow the guidelines of the GIA. I recently bought a Sean cut Rasberry colored Tourmaline and a custom mounting, and it gets more compliments than my three carat diamond engagement ring. It is nothing short of spectaculor! I am a big fan! Pros: Quality and strict GIA standards Cons: returns more

Refunds are very slow. I was promised a very large refund w/i 3 to 5 business days. It is now 10 days and counting. My shipping and insurance costs on one item amounted to over $1,000.00; $858.00 out to me and $200.00 back to them. Even though they receive Huge discounts from FedEx they are refusing to refund any of the returned item's s/h costs. Watch Out for the S/H if you buy a high cost item from these people. Remember these ""Hosts"" are commissioned Salespeople not jewelry experts, I may have learned an expensive lesson. I have hired an attorney. Pros: Can be Entertaining Cons: Can be an Expensive Mistake more

I recently purchased a fire opal, I got to see on TV and everything. I bought it for $10.00 and it's worth about $85.00 so right there that's an amazing deal. \r \r I've been learning about and buying gemstones since I was 15 years old. I just love this company, just one of the two companies that I have been watching on the television that I trust. \r \r There was a bit of confusion over my shipping address they were very nice and understanding and willing to help me, I think I called them about four times each time they were as nice as the first. They also upgraded my shipping to FedEx 2Day, for the price of standard. :)\r \r I recently made another purchase of a mandarin garnet, I hope when I receive it. Its as nice as my other purchase.\r \r It also brings comfort to me to know that they are connected with the GIA (Gemological Institute Of America.) I Love It. :D Pros: Great Value,easy to deal with,friendly people,fast shipping. Cons: I don't think there are any... more

i bought a ring. followed the instructions to the ""T"" on how to make a proper return. received and return my ring within !0 days. it is now 56 days later. no refund. I caled twice to inquire. my refund is in ""que"". which to me they are holding my refund til they are in a better place financially to give me a credit. I explained to the customer rep (of which they only have one when you are trying to make a return) and of course no supervisor to speak to. They say her name is Erin. explains the policy of refunds be given after 2 billing cycles. they don""t tell you this when your buying. if they received the merchandise, and have acknowledge that. then where's the refund???????? i also bought two other pieces of jewelry. the jewelry is beautiful!!!!!!!!! the customer service is the worse. I contacted the BBB. Pros: bad business practice Cons: slow slow slow with a refund more

Unless you have money to burn don't buy from Gem Shopping Network. Because it takes them a long time for them to put your money back on your credit card once they get it. In my case, i ordered 2 gemstones to make earrings out of but, one was the size i ordered and the other one was alot smaller. Anyone who has good eyesight could see that. BEWARE!!!!! THEY ARE A CHEAT & BEAT COMPANY!!!!!!! STAY FAR FAR AWAY FROM THEM!!!! UNLESS YOU WANT TO LOSE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!! =( more