750 is 18ct

Thank you.

whilst on the subject of dodgy jewellers dont trust the all the 'magic' diamond tester wands they use either - the ones that they hold to a 'diamond' and a light comes on if the stone its held against is a genuine diamond, i had a jeweller in candolim ( one ive heard recommended a few times on this forum) hold one of these wand thingys against a diamond i wear on a chain, the red light came on ( as opposed to a green light on the diamonds he was selling) and he told me the stone on my chain was not a real diamond.
my diamond was bought from one of the worlds biggest and well known reputable diamond sellers/dealers and i KNOW 100% its genuine. needless to say i did not buy anything from this jeweller and probably wouldnt buy anything expensive in goa.

sorry to hear about your bad experience though its not a nice feeling to be ripped off at anytime never mind when you're on holiday & dealing with people you used to trust.

Cariad
Tomitma has already answered your question but this is what the mark means:
pure gold is 24ct so 100%
18ct gold is 3/4 gold so is 75% or 750 parts of 1000, that's why they stamp 18ct as 750.

14ct is 583 and 9ct is 375.

The diamond testers I've seen in the UK 'buzz' when it's a diamond.

Diamond testers do 'buzz', although they will do so if you accidently touch the metal, it is a different sound when on the stone. If the stone is a diamond the lights will go up the scale, the further up the better the quality of stone, a good quality stone will have the guage shoot up. If there is no sound and no lights then the stone is not genuine. Some sapphires can also register on the tester.

Just googled "diamond testers" and some aren't over expensive - maybe for those who buy a lot of jewellry it might be worth investing in your own tester. When the guy appears with your "made up" item you can then test it yourself - catch the blighters out if they are trying to rip you off - play them at their own game How I would love to see their face if that happened

Fizzy it's certainly worth considering if you intend to spend a lot on a diamond. But please bear in mind my earlier comments regarding Moissanites, you will need a tester which can differentiate, otherwise not much point. Also a good jewellers loop is a worthwhile investment, it is a good thing if you find carbon in the stone, it's one way to prove that it is genuine, just so long as there's not a lot in there!

If you can't tell the difference then who cares ?
Yes, I know you have been ripped off but the point is valid !People are spending money on something that they are told is special but can't really appreciate for themselves. Funny how people's opinions of things change when they are told it's valuable.

The idea of going shopping in India armed with all sorts of technical equipment is slightly eccentric don't you think. Better just keep your hand in your pocket and don't spend the money in the first place.
The moral of the story is that if you try to get something for next to nothing you might end up getting next to nothing for something.

hi
Yes i agree with you.
If you like it, buy it. It should be for you only.

I love diamonds and buy a lot out in Goa. The person I purchase from will alway let me trade in (for what I paid the year before) and looks after his clients.

Yes I would be miffed it things did not come up to valuation - but if I liked what I purchased I would not be too upset (hopefully).

Only once have I had my purchases valued - now I go on trust with my guy, I may be a fool but at least I am happy with my purchases.

There are shops which have been mentioned on this site, as "excellent" I would not purchase in, as when I went into their establishments the owners/staff gave out bad vibes.

Diamonds or Gold or in fact anything are only as valuable as someone tells you they are.A market is created by making us think something is rare.So we are led to believe diamonds or gold is rare so the price is driven up.

In fact the opposite is true,there is no shortage of diamonds or gold or many other so called precious metals.How can they make us pay over inflated prices if we think there is no shortage?

The diamond and gold merchants keep a tight reign on supply in order to create demand.This is precisely why I place so little value on such transient things that glitter and shine the only people that profit are the people who seek to make something valuable that indeed is as about as important as a glass bead.

Sorry to upset people who place importance on such things but that is just the way that it is.

However none of the above makes a blind bit of difference to the OPs post.If she was charged for something that in fact she did not receive then she has been defrauded and I can only wish her the best of luck in obtaining recompense.

Good Luck

Papa

Again apologies to the many people who are happy with their purchases.Please do not shoot the messenger.

If you can't tell the difference then who cares ?

IMHO, I think this is a strange statement.

If you've been sold an item of jewellery as a diamond or 18ct gold and it turns out to be cubic zirconia or only 9ct gold, surely anyone would care....because you've paid for something that is of less value than you were led to believe by the vendor.
I have diamond rings and I have cubic zirconia rings, but I did know at the time what I was buying and I paid the appropriate price.
For a shopkeeper to pass something off as of a higher quality than it really is is just dishonest.

If you bought a new car and it was badged as a Ferrari and you found out that it was really only a Skoda apart from the badge (apologies to Skoda owners, no offence intended), would you think the same?
No, I don't think you would.

The moral of the story is that if you try to get something for next to nothing you might end up getting next to nothing for something.

I don't think the majority of people who buy jewellery in Goa think this.
I certainly don't, I know a bit about gems (courtesy of a Sri Lankan jeweller friend) and I'm happy to buy something if I think it is GOOD VALUE (not the same thing as something for next to nothing) and in this case, Tomitma the OP just wanted something made from gold that she already owned.

So in actual fact Tomitma has been stolen from, not lied to about the value of an item, correct me if I'm wrong the gold belonged to her.

Lozza
That's EXACTLY what's happened to Tomitma:

Last year in my jewellery box, was an old bracelet made of 9ct gold, it weighed 100 grammes, as it was so heavy I very rarely wore it, So I decided to take it to Goa and have it made into something else. We used the same jeweller as usual. I decided to have made, a pair of earrings studded with diamonds, and a matching ring, a pendant that was is my name in Hindi, a pendant in the OM shape, and a fancy gold chain the chain was to weigh 70 grammes, last week I put the items in for valuations.

This is what I said last week:

I've just checked gold price on one 'gold for scrap' website and 9ct is £4.54 per gram.
So, they've ripped you off to the tune of almost £320, in addition to the amount you actually paid for the chain to be made.

So this is not just a case of 'trying to get something for almost nothing'.
As you say, Tomitma has given up a very heavy gold chain and has ended up with cheap crap in return.
I don't know Tomitma, but I'm angry on her behalf at the way she's been treated by a jeweller that she'd actually been friendly with.

Sorry Davewales but I think you would care, whether or not you could tell the difference. If you are given to understand you are buying 18ct gold, 9ct gold, diamonds or any other gem then that is exactly what you should receive, and I am sure that should you chose to purchase something in India, whether it be jewellery or some other 'high value' item, you would also only want to pay what that item is worth and not well above that value.

Tomitma has not only been the victim of burglary but has also be defrauded and this is totally unacceptable and needs to be addressed.

The ensuing posts were made to point out some of the pitfalls to people reading the thread who may decide to purchase jewellery whilst abroad, not necessarily India, as these practices are found the whole world over.

If in doubt it's best to hang on to your money, but when on holiday people are generally relaxed and more inclined to be tempted.

I hope that this thread has helped some, or will help those who still wish to purchase whilst they are on holiday, at least it has given some pointers as to what to look out for, which is much more useful than putting people down who wish to made a purchase.

Absolutely, miccie.

This is what I find so shocking about what's happened to Tomitma:

The two blokes that run the shop have become like friends to us, we have always had a meal and a drink with them, visited there homes and have been introduced to there family, and we are always treated with great respect by them.

To be conned out of something that is yours in the first place is bad enough, but when it's someone who you thought you could trust it's an absolute betrayal.

Tomitma, I do hope that us discussing this occurrence is not too upsetting for you.

it is a good thing if you find carbon in the stone, it's one way to prove that it is genuine, just so long as there's not a lot in there!

On the contrary, a diamond should be almost 100% carbon with only minute quantities of other trace elements. Diamonds are simply the crystalline form of carbon that has been subjected to intense pressure and heat - the chemical content is the same as Graphite which is the non-crystalline form. The process by which graphite is turned into diamonds is now relatively easily mimicked in the laboratory and it is getting harder and harder to distinguish between 'natural' and man-made ones. Most of us just have to take it on trust, the 'artificial' ones are now so good that that in the end it can be extremely hard ofr even a diamond expert to tell the difference. And don't forget that 'real' diamonds are expensive because they are rare, and they are only rare because De Beers and other mining companies tightly control the market and only release for sale a very controlled number of them.

This is not to get emboiled in the debate around on the OPs situation which was a gross breach of trust and she has every right to feel aggrieved in MHO.

SM

after discussion with Tomitma it has been decided its best to lock this thread for now. We will of course re-open it when she has news.