Hi all,

It's another 80-hour work week so I haven't been here for a bit. Private messaging is good, because I see it ASAP.

Dotsie, I'll send your jewelry next week, if that's OK. I thought you were also thinking about some of the pink ribbon items, and I'll have a few new pics next week.

Ladybug, thanks for the pm. Topaz naturally comes in sherry, pink, yellow, blue-green, blue, red, clear, & brown. Jewelry sold as topaz can be natural or dyed, synthetic, or laboratory-grown. The terms you mention are unfamiliar to me, and may either describe the color or the treatment, but they're not "official" terms to my knowledge. For example, cherry quartz is the trade name for lab grown quartz with pink color added, and is not a natural stone although the name might imply that it is. Since I haven't heard those topaz terms, I really don't know one way or the next.

A store should have knowledge of what they're selling. If the sales clerk is clueless, then ask that your questions are forwarded to the jewelry buyer. The jewelry buyer HAS TO know if the stones are dyed, synthetic, etc. The person who sold the original gem is required by law to accurately represent its manufacture or origin, and that information should be passed down through the chain of buyers. If the jewelry buyer for the store claims to not know, then assume the stone is fake. I can't stress enough how important it is to buy from a reputable source.

I make it a point to know about the stones I carry, and would be happy to be very specific about any of my items. Anyone can pm me.

[ November 16, 2005, 04:23 AM: Message edited by: meredithbead ]