(The Post-Standard May 27, 2003)

Some Aren't Forever

Be wary of low-cost diamonds
By Sue Weibezahl
Staff Writer

When it comes to buying jewelry, if the deal sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is, Tom Marini said.

Marini and other local jewelers regularly hear the horror stories from customers.

It usually involves someone offering loose diamonds or gold chains for what seems to be a fraction of their retail price.

"You may get a really good deal," Syracuse police Lt. Joe Cecile said, "but you're probably going to get a really bad one."

Even the most cautious people can get sucked in and ultimately suckered, Marini said.

A recent example was a friend of Marini's who is a customer at Jewelry on James, where Marini is president.

The friend was approached by two men who claimed they were selling some expensive diamonds for an older relative who was having financial problems.

Although the friend was initially suspicious, his concerns were allayed when he and the two men went to Marini to have the gems appraised. Marini confirmed they were real and valuable.

What neither the friend nor Marini expected, however, was that the men would switch the real package for a substitute one that contained cubic zirconia, or cut glass.

"It was just a bait-and-switch," said Marini. "These guys were good. They made $2,000 in a couple of hours, then they jump on the Thruway and they're gone."

Unfortunately, his friend's experience is not an isolated one, Marini said.

It's human nature, he said, "to go for the deep discount, to think you're getting offered some great deal."

Local police regularly investigate cases involving people making expensive purchases from someone who approaches them on the street or randomly knocks on doors in more affluent neighborhoods.

Buying from "the guy off the street" is always a gamble, Cecile said.

"You have to recognize going into it that if you have a problem later or find out that you've been conned, you're probably never going to be able to find that person again," he said.

The smarter approach is to ask friends for names of reputable dealers or "go to someone you know and trust," Cecile said.

"The majority of people who get burned stray off the beaten path," Marini said.

Every year, around state fair time, "people come into town selling gold chains and bracelets with 14k marked very clearly on it. People hear the low price and but it. They bring it here to get appraised. They thought they were getting a bargain and find out it's worthless."

Typically, the "gold" is plated glass that someone has fraudulently stamped.

The other reason late summer is a hot season for such scams is that Central New York gets an influx of people from out of the area. Tourists come to the fair, college students are returning to school and that makes it harder for victims to help police track down the culprits.

Jewelers can usually tell by looking at the chains or gems which are real and which are fake.

"Most people can't, though," which is why the con artists prey on them, Marini said.

Although in other cities, some jewelers have faced criminal charges for switching gems themselves, that hasn't been a problem locally, police said.

Instead, the con artists usually approach strangers, often with a story.

"They live out of town and need to sell something of value to get the bus fare home, they've fallen on tough times, a relative needs the money, whatever. They all have a story," Marini said.

His advice is consistent: "First, don't do it, but if you're going to do it, bring it somewhere to have it appraised and don't let the necklace or the diamonds out of your sight until you buy them."