Selling CZ as a "Man Made Diamond" -- Fraud? Absolutely.

You know, I think the internet is a fabulous thing---you can find out all kinds of information in just a few seconds; you can have an online business, which is a wonderful thing for people who need  or want to work out of the home; the list goes on.  I'm ALL for people, men and women, who have their own Etsy shop and it's so fun to go shopping there.

But on etsy, just like anywhere else, there are some "less than honest" sellers.  And I'm not talking about sellers who might not realize something, or have been led to believe something that isn't true from a vendor (example: buying loose gemstones that aren't what they're told).  I'm talking about the unscrupulous ones who will say anything to make that sale!

Here is a photo of my 3-stone pink CZ ring in sterling that I want to list on etsy:

Basically identical ring, different sellers--one honest, one not.

Tonight, I was searching on etsy for rings similar to a pink CZ 3-stone ring that I have been trying to photograph.  No matter what lighting, indoors or outdoors, even in very dark lighting, the pink stones look purple in my pictures!  (Pink CZ are color-shifting stones.)  The picture above is the best one out of hundreds of shots so you can see it was difficult!  So I was searching etsy to see how other sellers have photographed their pink CZ stones---indoors? Daylight? So forth.  And I came across a ring that looks identical to mine, but I read their description---it's THE WORST pile of, well, b.s.!  Good God!!

I would like EVERYONE to know that:

1. There IS such a thing as a "man made diamond" or a "created diamond".  Gemesis and Diamond Nexis are companies that make pure carbon diamonds, in a lab.  These created (or synthetic) diamonds ARE actual diamonds---they have the same physical and chemical properties as a natural "mined" diamond.  These are 100% PURE diamonds---just made in a lab.
2. Created real diamonds are very expensive---almost the same as a mined diamond.
3. A created canary 1-carat round stone runs about $4,000---not at all inexpensive. 
4. Created diamonds, just like mined diamonds (remember--they are THE SAME) both have a Mohs hardness of 10. 
5. Created and natural diamonds CAN GET SCRATCHED and can chip over time!  Diamonds are not indestructible.
6. Created real diamonds are available in clear and canary (yellow)----they do NOT come in PINK!
7. Anything else that has been made to LOOK like a diamond is just that---a diamond SIMULANT.  These include CZ, Moissanite, Swarovski crystals, glass, and some clear gemstones as well, such as topaz and white sapphire.  These stones are not diamonds, but just look like diamonds and are used in jewelry as affordable alternatives to diamonds.
8. Pink CZ have been around for awhile and were called "Pink Ice" long ago.
9. Pink CZ are color-shifting stones---different shades of pink or lavender or even blue-purple in different lighting.
10. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "COLOR CHANGING" DIAMOND, real or man-made.
11. All CZ will cut glass, like a diamond will cut glass
12. CZ have a Mohs hardness of 8.5; rubies and sapphires have a Mohs hardness of 9; Moissanite has a Mohs hardness of 9.5; Diamonds have a Mohs hardness of 10. (See below)
13. If you shine a UV light on a diamond and it fluoresces (blue is the most common color), then it is a REAL diamond, mined or man-made.  To test a blue diamond, it will fluoresce red or green.  However only about 1/3 of diamonds do fluoresce---but those that do, are real.
14. Also, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MAN-MADE TANZANITE.  There are lab grown SIMULANTS which look like Tanzanite, but without the chemical properties of the gem. 

 Gemologists can identify stones by their hardness, among other tests.  The Mohs scale  runs from 1 to 10, with 10 being the hardest mineral of all, Diamond.  Nothing else is a 10.  Synthetic Moissanite is a 9.5---nothing else is a 9.5.  Sapphires and Rubies are a 9---only corundum is a 9.  CZ is an 8.5, and so forth.  This seller is claiming their "created diamonds" are a 9.5----well that would mean it's moissanite, right?  So why don't they say so?  Because they know if they say "moissanite", then Charles & Colvard will come down on them HARD for lying.  C&C doesn't mess around!! ONLY MOISSANITE HAS A MOHS HARDNESS OF 9.5.  No other diamond simulant is a 9.5.  CZ is an 8.5---still very hard, still cuts glass, and is THE most diamond-like simulant.

AND MOST OF ALL, I'd like everyone to know that there is NO SUCH THING as a "created diamond" or "man made diamond" that is pink.

The seller offering this "man made diamond" in pink is selling CZ and making outrageous claims that the stones are something they are not.  They are NOT diamonds; they are NOT moissanite; the old claim that somehow Russian CZ (or in this case, "Russian man-made diamonds") are superior is simply not true and is an outdated selling point from the '90s.  If, for example, they were offering actual clear "man made diamonds" in a ring the size of their pink 3-stone ring ($89.99) it would cost somewhere in the $30,000+ neighborhood. 

The seller is also offering "aquamarine" which is obviously NOT the genuine gemstone---looks like green glass, or perhaps quartz (I'm being generous).   I have seen virtually ALL of their rings on Thai auction sites, as well as on dhgate (a Chinese "factory" sweatshop type of website) including their "created Tanzanite" which again is either CZ or treated quartz or glass.  There is a lot of "tanzanite quartz" in Thailand and China these days.

It's just SO SAD that there are people like this, taking advantage of others by selling them CZ (or perhaps even glass, who knows?) while claiming these are "diamonds" in any way.  FRAUD FRAUD FRAUD and this seller should be ashamed!!  Their feedback is ridiculous to read: "

Absolutely Beautiful!! The pink diamond turns different shades of pink - depending on the lighting ...and ohhh how it sparkles! I love it!! Thank you ... for your outstanding customer service and integrity!! i will be back!!

I underlined the "integrity" comment---how very sad!!

It's too bad etsy allows shops like this.  It will just take ONE buyer who takes the ring to a jeweler to realize the fraud involved here, and then a lawsuit... but by then the seller will have closed up and moved to another venue.

SICKENING.

This goes beyond "creative marketing" to all-out lying about the "value" of a piece of jewelry.  What's wrong with saying that it's a CZ?  CZ are beautiful stones (considered gems!!) that are graded in quality, like diamonds, and will remain beautiful for a lifetime.  No need to make false claims!

I generally mind my own business but in cases like this, with blatant lies with intent to commit fraud, I get very angry.  You should be, too.