Enough is enough.....

[TheManWithNoName]

Hello. Just joining to post on this thread. A fortnight or so ago I complained to the ASA about Jess Foley. She was selling Bermainty Rubies which are filled. She said they were the best rubies in the industry and leading everyone to think they were incredibly special and really worth thousands. She was laying it on very thickly. It was awful to watch because I thought it was very unfair to many uninformed viewers as even the GIA says filled rubies are very far from the best. The ASA is looking into it. I will let you know what they say.

Well done for reporting them. They're getting away with far too much this year.

We need to keep reporting them to get the ASA to take harsher punishment because these ludicrous claims just keep coming and coming - and all they keep getting is gentle warning after gentle warning with no tough action.

The more we keep reporting them, the more the ASA will get sick of us and, hopefully, finally stop Gemporia with these antics once and for all.

Jess 'absolutely' Foley is by far the worst "presenter" on that channel - completely out of her depth.

 

[rubia]

I can't even watch Gemporia for more than a couple of minutes now. I find it so insulting and disgraceful. We have Lynn again spouting the chakra benefits yet again this morning. Her Sundar items leave a lot to be desired ugly comes to mind! Angelina with her passive aggressive sales techniques, Ellis is so very delusional about her worth. The others are just plain awful and they are ALL deceitful. The lies they tell. I can't stand to watch Steve he has lost the plot! the others spout whatever comes into their heads. Even Rosie appears to have gone to the dark side now! While it saves me lots of money by not buying they still irritate me with their insulting twaddle. They sell either complete tat at ridiculous prices or expensive Cavil products which I still wouldn't dare buy due to lack of confidence in the very poor ethics of Gemporia.

 

[historymystery]

This is another problem with the ASA. In my opinion, EVERY bit of action they take should be listed on their website.

However, they only put cases on at their discretion. The case I reported earlier in the year WAS listed on their website. However, this latest one wasn't (even though Gemporia were given instructions to make changes to their on-air presentations).

I feel that this latest case was probably more severe and misleading than the one that I reported earlier in the year - so it's odd that this one wasn't listed on their website.

I've noticed a few things about the ASA from past experience:

1. If the same person reports the same company close together, the ASA either ignore the second complaint or don't take any action. I think the ASA see it as a bit of a vendetta / attack on the company - so they don't bother investigating multiple complaints from the same person.

2. It depends on the person dealing with the complaint. I've found some ASA members of staff to be VERY proactive and they take things very seriously - whereas other seem to be less interested, and, dare I say, probably can't be bothered

3. They RARELY give out 'punishment'. The old Price Drop / Bid TV channels were ALWAYS getting warnings - yet never ever faced any serious consequences.

I'm also not sure how much 'final' power they actually have. Are they limited in their powers? Some of the supposed regulatory bodies have limited powers.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is one example. They can find that a Company is guilty of breaching the Data Protection Act - but they don't have the powers to make any offending companies pay compensation to individuals affected. You have to take Court action instead - and the Courts, generally, rule in favour of the individual based on the findings of the ICO. All that does is clog up the Court system. The government could easily take out that need to go to Court by giving the ICO powers to force offending Companies to pay individuals instead.

I find it baffling that the government set up these regulatory bodies of various industries - but fall short of giving them any "final" powers that can actually make positive changes to prevent the same things from happening again and again.

These selly-telly TV channels would soon change their antics if, for example, three warnings resulted in a 24-hour ban from broadcasting - followed by having their broadcasting license revoked completely and / or an unlimited fine if they continue to break the rules after 3 strikes and a 24-hour ban.

I've always said this, there should be a penalty and I'd go for longer than 24 hours. Three strikes and you're out from broadcasting for 48 hours seems fair to me if they repeatedly flout the truth. And if they continue then their licence should, as you've said, be revoked. This is the problem with the ASA - no teeth, and organisations like Gemporia know it. Twas ever thus, and no sign of it changing.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

I've put a three-part complaint in to the ASA tonight.

1. About the nonsense name 'Ruby Quartz' - a dyed Quartz with no association with Ruby whatsoever. Blatant misleading.

2. Adina's 'Baltic Blue Amber' speech - for implying it was a 'work of mother nature', and for comparing it, three times, against natural, rare, 'proper' blue Amber from Burma. In particular, a $6.5m piece. Gemporia's is COATED!

3. A misleading sales pitch about Silver purity by Lindsey Carr.

I've also pointed out that NOT ONCE did Adina refer to her Amber as being coated - and NONE of the graphics stated that it was coated either. This is a clear breach of the ASA's own warning of less than three months ago when they told Gemporia that treatment graphics must be more prominent. On these items, they LEFT THE TREATMENT DETAILS OFF COMPLETELY! I've told the ASA that if they have any authority, giving another warning about the same issue makes them unfit for purpose. Ignoring a warning SHOULD be an automatic escalation to some more severe action.

 

[AndyW]

Well done.

I think that the most egregious is no. 2. The other two are essentially market stall shystering and ignorance but no less worthy of reporting at all; both had a strong leaning towards misleading people who aren't so informed.

I did start to listen to Adina's spiel about the three red, green and blue dyed Ethiopian opal rings but my collection of jadeite carvings needed dusting.

 

[Schmoo]

Angelina has just said "Kyanite is a derivative of Nilamani".....

No pet, they are the same thing.

 

[Pebbles]

I've just referred Gemporia to the ASA again.

I usually like Adina as a presenter, but 5 minutes before she finished, she was waffling absolute nonsense about two rings - one being a Ethiopian Paraiba Blue Opal Ring and the other being an Ethiopian Paradise Blue Opal Ring.

First of all, she described the Ethiopian Paraiba Blue Opal ring as the "Miracle of all Miracles".

Then the real shystering began with the Ethiopian Paradise Blue Opal Ring. She said, and I quote, "Paradise blue. Top grade" - followed by, around 15 seconds later, her saying ""It's extraordinary. That illumination of colour changes every time you catch it. So the backdrop is this velvet, almost Nilamani blue right, it really is a rich blue, and then that backdrop is juxtaposed against the green, the performance of light of the opal itself. You know, it's scintillating organically in the light. Again, its a mix of alchemy and extraordinary mother nature to produce something quite miraculous. And look at it glow......"

That wasn't enough though. She then went on to say "You've got these classified opals like this from Ethiopia that expose these kind of colours. Needless to say they're rare."

Treatment of both gemstones in the rings: DYED!

Artificicially coloured stones ARE NOT and NEVER will be rare. You can pump as many as you like full of dye to make them that colour.

I've had enough of these ludicrous claims now. Hype up the stone and colour by all means - but sell it for what it is and be honest about it. A bog standard Ethiopian Opal with hardly any play of colour, that has been dyed blue from its original colour of white / yellowish-white isn't rare. It isn't a miraculous work of mother nature. It isn't comparable to the expensive pieces of Harlequin Opal and Black Opal she compared it to. Its nonsense.

I doubt the ASA will do anything with my complaint on this occasion because it's too close to the last complaint that I made - so they see it as a bit of a vendetta against the channel, so if anyone else wants to do the honours too, the information above, and the date and time of Adina's ludicrous claims began at 10.53pm on 29th October 2023. Here's the ASA's complaints page:

Make a complaint

Quickly and easily submit your ad complaint with us online.

www.asa.org.uk

I think Adina, ooops, I automatically thought her name was "Edina" prior. Sorry all, is one of the worst for these type of shenanigans on UK shopping TV.

When I've watched her, she does the imo Peter Simon style of roaring the bs & all positives & unicornary out at the start of a sentence like a lion. Then any item specifics that she doesn't want to enthusiastically broadcast get mumbled at the end of her selling sentences. Then, deep breath & she's off at it again, often all gushing smiles & laughter. Unless she wants to "treat" her viewers to a "serious" gemstone lecture lol. Then rinse and repeat.

Peter Simon used to do it frequently when mumbling the basics about paying by installments on IW. Amongst other things.

I can only watch "Hemporia" for a few minutes when flicking through. Out of fascination re how they flog stuff. & yep, even I've noticed how more pushy they are at selling these days.

The really sad thing is, old folks & others, have undoubtedly fallen for this bs & bought. In some cases I suspect a lot. Some will have degrees of hearing & sight loss. Or spend on the basis of this guff, really believing they've bought "investment, heirloom grade" gemstone jewellery.

Selling dyed opals & not clearly stating them as verbally such is imo deceptive & absolutely not on. Same goes for other treatments that significantly compromise a gemstone. Imo Adina must've known exactly what she was doing. I've seen her do similar many times. Even going back years when the channel was considered good.

You are absolutely right to report it. Bravo. If I personally catch anything similar, I'll report it too.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

Angelina has just said "Kyanite is a derivative of Nilamani".....

No pet, they are the same thing.

What that really means is, someone has text in to the studio to query it.

So rather than just saying "Yes, we've been rumbled - you are correct - it is Kyanite", it means they still want to get around the shystering by doing a bit more shystering by not being completely honest.

Gemporia are about as clear as that so-called 'translucent' Jadeite that Troth has to force light through by holding a torch 1mm away from the back of it......

Well done.

I think that the most egregious is no. 2. The other two are essentially market stall shystering and ignorance but no less worthy of reporting at all; both had a strong leaning towards misleading people who aren't so informed.

I did start to listen to Adina's spiel about the three red, green and blue dyed Ethiopian opal rings but my collection of jadeite carvings needed dusting.

If I was the ASA, I'd be taking number 1 just as seriously. I think to use the word 'Ruby' when there's absolutely no association with Ruby whatsoever has to be done for no other reason at all other than to deliberately mislead - otherwise, they could use a non-misleading and more appropriate name such as 'Ruby Coloured Quartz' or, better still, get to the point and just called it 'Red Quartz'.

'Ruby Quartz' gives a perceived 'value' to it because people associate Ruby as being one of the top 5, and 'expensive' - as opposed to just Quartz which is perceived as 'cheap' and 'common'.

Gem Collector were at it in the last hour too with "Fuchsite Magnesite".

Absolute nonsense.

It's either Fuchsite, Magnesite, Fuchsite in Magnesite, or Magnesite in Fuchsite.

 

[Ostrichkeeper]

Jessica now just said that a piece of white beryl has ‘a Golconda secondary blue’ which is nuts. She seems to make it up as she goes. And she’s taken to saying Literally for no reason at all and completely out of context. Type 2A purity, what’s that? It’s a colourless beryl.She’s just compared it to a blue Golconda diamond ffs. Grrrrr. Nepalese beryl has bugger all to do with anything in India.

 

[Ostrichkeeper]

Jessica has said that they were challenged to make 100 necklaces about ten times already. She’s made a point of saying that they have made sure to put the same amount of beryl beads in each necklace. Surely that’s normal practice when you make a batch? I mean, aren’t they meant to be the ****** same length surely?She also said that there’s cats eye/ green in there but there isn’t. She showed a graphic of a different shaped green cats eye as an example. How are they allowed to get away with this daily? Literally,literally….

 

[TheManWithNoName]

Jessica now just said that a piece of white beryl has ‘a Golconda secondary blue’ which is nuts. She seems to make it up as she goes. And she’s taken to saying Literally for no reason at all and completely out of context. Type 2A purity, what’s that? It’s a colourless beryl.She’s just compared it to a blue Golconda diamond ffs. Grrrrr. Nepalese beryl has bugger all to do with anything in India.

I saw that presentation too and it was just pure nonsense coming out of her mouth.

I'm convinced that Jess Foley spends five minutes on Google, see's something that sounds clever, and decided to use it in her pitch to sound clever.

She also said "it's the purest stone in our vault" - but then totally contradicts that by saying it has a secondary blue. Well the secondary blue is caused by impurities of iron - so therefore, it's not pure. If it was pure, it would be totally colourless.

It's also ironic that they're selling this 'proper' Goshenite as "Himalayan Beryl" - yet the irradiated crap with a slightly pink hue, they refer to as 'Goshenite'. You couldn't make it up!

Jess Foley is by far the worst presenter on this channel. She somehow manages to be worse than Lindsey Carr - and that's one hell of an achievement in itself!

 

[TheManWithNoName]

Jessica has said that they were challenged to make 100 necklaces about ten times already. She’s made a point of saying that they have made sure to put the same amount of beryl beads in each necklace. Surely that’s normal practice when you make a batch? I mean, aren’t they meant to be the ****** same length surely?She also said that there’s cats eye/ green in there but there isn’t. She showed a graphic of a different shaped green cats eye as an example. How are they allowed to get away with this daily? Literally,literally….

She's way out of her depth and just makes up complete nonsense.

If she ever got the sack from Gemporia, I'd be VERY surprised if she got a job elsewhere on TV. She's that bad, I doubt even the old Price Drop / Bid TV cowboys would have had her on there back in the day.

 

[AndyW]

Jess Foley is by far the worst presenter on this channel. She somehow manages to be worse than Lindsey Carr - and that's one hell of an achievement in itself!

Ooh. Now that's fighting talk .

 

[Ant7t]

I've just referred Gemporia to the ASA again.

I usually like Adina as a presenter, but 5 minutes before she finished, she was waffling absolute nonsense about two rings - one being a Ethiopian Paraiba Blue Opal Ring and the other being an Ethiopian Paradise Blue Opal Ring.

First of all, she described the Ethiopian Paraiba Blue Opal ring as the "Miracle of all Miracles".

Then the real shystering began with the Ethiopian Paradise Blue Opal Ring. She said, and I quote, "Paradise blue. Top grade" - followed by, around 15 seconds later, her saying ""It's extraordinary. That illumination of colour changes every time you catch it. So the backdrop is this velvet, almost Nilamani blue right, it really is a rich blue, and then that backdrop is juxtaposed against the green, the performance of light of the opal itself. You know, it's scintillating organically in the light. Again, its a mix of alchemy and extraordinary mother nature to produce something quite miraculous. And look at it glow......"

That wasn't enough though. She then went on to say "You've got these classified opals like this from Ethiopia that expose these kind of colours. Needless to say they're rare."

Treatment of both gemstones in the rings: DYED!

Artificicially coloured stones ARE NOT and NEVER will be rare. You can pump as many as you like full of dye to make them that colour.

I've had enough of these ludicrous claims now. Hype up the stone and colour by all means - but sell it for what it is and be honest about it. A bog standard Ethiopian Opal with hardly any play of colour, that has been dyed blue from its original colour of white / yellowish-white isn't rare. It isn't a miraculous work of mother nature. It isn't comparable to the expensive pieces of Harlequin Opal and Black Opal she compared it to. Its nonsense.

I doubt the ASA will do anything with my complaint on this occasion because it's too close to the last complaint that I made - so they see it as a bit of a vendetta against the channel, so if anyone else wants to do the honours too, the information above, and the date and time of Adina's ludicrous claims began at 10.53pm on 29th October 2023. Here's the ASA's complaints page:

Make a complaint

Quickly and easily submit your ad complaint with us online.

www.asa.org.uk

It doesn't take a genius to know 'dyed' is not rare. You may get 'some' of those colours in an opal, but when it's solid blue, or whatever, it's been tampered with, albeit legally, so why hype it up. 'This is dyed, it is still an opal, but it's not natural, it's all but man-made' kinda thing.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

It doesn't take a genius to know 'dyed' is not rare. You may get 'some' of those colours in an opal, but when it's solid blue, or whatever, it's been tampered with, albeit legally, so why hype it up. 'This is dyed, it is still an opal, but it's not natural, it's all but man-made' kinda thing.

If a stone is available to the masses on selly-telly, day-in, day-out, then it's not rare anyway.

Not one stone that Gemporia sells is actually 'rare'.

Rae Carpenter summed it up perfectly a few years ago when she said there is 'perceived rarity' and 'actual rarity'.

Tanzanite is not rare. Diamonds are not rare. Sapphires are not rare. They are 'perceived rare'.

Benitoite is actually rare. Bixbite is actually rare. Painite is actually rare. There's a reason why they never sell these stones...........

 

[Ant7t]

If a stone is available to the masses on selly-telly, day-in, day-out, then it's not rare anyway.

Not one stone that Gemporia sells is actually 'rare'.

Rae Carpenter summed it up perfectly a few years ago when she said there is 'perceived rarity' and 'actual rarity'.

Tanzanite is not rare. Diamonds are not rare. Sapphires are not rare. They are 'perceived rare'.

Benitoite is actually rare. Bixbite is actually rare. Painite is actually rare. There's a reason why they never sell these stones...........

True, and I remember Rae. Thinking about it, it strikes me as Gemporia seem to sell on 'perceived' rather than 'actual'. That being said, I have seen Bixbite sold on Gems. I bought one purposefully. But the others you've mentioned, I've not come across.

Ooh. Now that's fighting talk .

Regarding Jesse, when she's on, I rarely watch. She is so annoying, and over the top. The only other one that got on my nerves was Jeff's sister. That voice :O But seriously, dare I say it, there are others who are becoming more annoying, but she's one of the worse.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

That being said, I have seen Bixbite sold on Gems.

The problem with that was, it wasn't pure Bixbite.

It was Bixbite in Rhyolite. A lot of that 'Bixbite' contained more white Rhyolite matrix than actual Bixbite.

True gem-quality Bixbite is ridiculously rare. I've only seen one 'true' Bixbite on Gemporia - and that was a Glenn Lehrer carving on Gem Collector.

Well, I've seen two - but the other piece was filled rather than natural.

Regarding Jesse, when she's on, I rarely watch. She is so annoying, and over the top. The only other one that got on my nerves was Jeff's sister. That voice :O But seriously, dare I say it, there are others who are becoming more annoying, but she's one of the worse.

Jess is the worst on the channel, closely followed by Lindsey Carr - but yes, apart from Jeff, they're all a difficult watch these days.

I wasn't keen on Jeffs sister either (Alexandria Hayden) - but if she was on Gemporia these days, she'd be one of the more watchable ones.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

Just reported Gemporia to the ASA yet again.

Lindsey Carr was flogging a MIDAS paperclip chain.

As per usual, up came the price comparisons against high end brands - and Lindsey was reeling off prices in the thousands. But the price comparisons were in GOLD!

Lindsey said "But you won't be paying anywhere near that - we're at £79.99p"

Shysters!

Its happening day-in, day-out now.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

Blatant misleading on this at Jewellery Maker - "Maw Sit Sit Jadeite".

Why is the word 'Jadeite' even there? Maw Sit Sit is NOT, in any way shape or form, a type of Jadeite. They're not even closely related.

Maw Sit Sit is a metamorphic rock.
Jadeite is a mineral.

Reported to Trading Standards.

 

[ianrobo111]

Blatant misleading on this at Jewellery Maker - "Maw Sit Sit Jadeite".

Why is the word 'Jadeite' even there? Maw Sit Sit is NOT, in any way shape or form, a type of Jadeite. They're not even closely related.

Maw Sit Sit is a metamorphic rock.
Jadeite is a mineral.

Reported to Trading Standards.




View attachment 28057

Jadeite is rare though