can't tell if a seller is genuine

Padma

copper is cheap, and those will be the lowest grade of sapphire and ruby, the stuff the jewellers won't touch, that has been made into beads.

When it starts that low, well, sorry, but you get what you pay for! ;)
 

MandMaud

That's what I thought about the prices! I wonder why I got a good feeling though (before noticing the prices).

Hadn't thought about grades of the gems. Does it make a difference to their efficacy in spiritual ways? For example, I used to collect onyx animals and always preferred flawed - if the flaw looked "right" - and yet that made them cheaper. :confused:
 

Tigerangel

I make jewellery mostly with semi precious stones because it's cheaper, sapphire and rubies are precious stones are among the top 4 most valued precious stones and at the price these necklaces are going for I would assume that these stones are mostly likely to be coloured quartz, sometimes it's a hard to tell in a photo but real sapphire and ruby beads should be completely oquaqe, as beads are a lot cheaper than stones that are transparent like the ones created for ring and pendant settings they are still far more expensive to buy than semi precious stones.

There is also a chance the beads could be lab created which also makes the beads cheaper to buy, lab stones however still carry the properties of the natural stone but won't have a raw energy that a natural stone is more likely to have.

The seller most likely buys the beads wholesale, unfortunately there is alot of wholesale sellers from China who claim they are selling high grade natural beads, this seller may may be unaware of the quality of the bead used and going on the description of where they bough the beads from, and Cooper wire is extremely cheap to buy in bulk.

After looking at a close up of the necklace I'm more inclined to think the ruby is colored quartz it's alot harder to tell with the sapphire.
 

MandMaud

You're right, on really close inspection they do seem translucent. Maybe. :) This is just one of the things I was interested in from this seller, including kyanite, sodalite and malachite. I still may go for a little carved bird - cheap enough that I don't really mind if it isn't the real thing. That's what caught my eye, and then I looked at their other listings because shipping is less than on the first item.

They're in the USA, and yes, I almost always avoid the sellers in the Far East. It's a shame as there are a few great sellers based out there, but so many selling tat for pennies. I usually filter to European Union for that reason. :(

I'm still left with why I got such a good feeling about this seller - but I suppose the combination of high quality photos and their innocence of selling poor stuff (assuming they are innocent of it) will have to explain this.
 

re-pete-a

From an outsiders point of view and using your intuitions What does it matter about the value ...Place a bid and enjoy the intrigue...It's a very affordable gamble....You'll either laugh or be surprised...

Follow/honor the FEEL....
 

MandMaud

Well, I've almost decided to bid on the first little piece I saw. But for jewellery, I'd rather get something that definitely wasn't created in a laboratory, and really is what it's listed as. I don't get a strong sense of anything from most crystals so I need to be careful... whereas I can trust my gut with people. It's not just whether my intuition is right or wrong, it's whether it speaks to me at all on something!
 

re-pete-a

MM...You'll never win the wrestle between your ego and your ego....Unless your prepared to be the FOOL...
 

Padma

might be dyed chalcedony.
 

Aunty Anthea

I thought I had a "Good Feeling" about this seller, but the prices seem low to me. But what do I know?

Are these prices suspiciously low?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FABULOUS-WH...633220?hash=item5d5edf0744:g:9yQAAOSwYHxWPVpA

It says that this is a 'private listing'

Personally, I would not buy anything from any such seller :(

I only buy from sellers with proven track records and as I am in the UK I only buy from the ebay UK

Remember the old adage:

If it looks too good to be true then it probably is ;)