Unfortunately - a typical problem

I recently received an email from someone with an appraisal problem which I thought was well worth answering here, so I have added both the question, together with my answer in the hope that it helps.

QUESTION....?

I am an event concierge at the JW Marriott hotel. One of the meetings that I was caring for was a group called [BLANKED OUT]. Their website is [BLANKED OUT].

I bought a tennis bracelet for my mother from this guy there and he claimed it was a 14k gold, Class A man made sapphire and man made diamond bracelet. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought the bracelet without doing some research but I bought it for 211 dollars.

When I got the piece home, I looked it over and it is stamped 925 which is silver instead of gold. I was concerned that the piece was gold plated so I called the number listed on the website and spoke with this lady who told me that the bracelet was indeed 14k gold but it was reinforced with a silver wire thus the .925 stamp.

She said it was not considered goldplated b/c it was thick gold mostly solid gold over a reinforcing wire of silver. Does that make sense?
The piece is also stamped CZC. What does that mean?

I am concerned that I was taken for a fool and bought something that is nowhere near its worth. Can you tell me if I goofed up or not. The lady that I spoke with assured me that it would not tarnish and that it was not plated so it wouldn't peel or chip.

She said it had a lifetime warranty as long as I didn't wash my hands in acid. Im a bit worried. How much would you suspect my 50 stone (25 man made sapphire 25 man made diamond), 14k gold stamped 925 czc to be worth?


ANSWER....!

G'day and many thanks for your query

The first thing I would be doing is check to see if there was any form of guarantee or money back available for this item and get a refund - if possible.

Now don't get me wrong here. The item is priced quite fair for what you paid and is comparable with similar items in retail stores - but you certainly have purchased a silver bracelet plated with 14k gold and set with all synthetic gems.

Man made Sapphires are STILL real sapphires except they are made by man instead of coming out of the ground. In many cases they are almost too perfect because they still have the same optical, physical and chemical properties as the natural gem - so they are real - just not natural.

Sapphires like this are fairly cheap and Cubic Zirconias (CZ) are even cheaper. All in all you received what you paid for, so you are not a fool.

But if you are not happy - get a refund.

Hope this helps.

MORAL OF STORY - Buyer Beware....