Jewelers Manufactures Association

The Jewelers Manufactures Association (JMA) was formed on November 11, 2018 by Verified sellers from Gem Rock Auctions, who wanted to minimise the misrepresentation of jewelry online for buyers. With countless scams and fake gems online, the people behind JMA wanted to offer a reliable and honest online platform that held sellers accountable for their prices and authenticity.

JMA quite literally removes the middleman. Rather than the jewelry manufacturer selling to buyers through stockists and shops, they can sell direct to the consumer with the Jeweler Manufactures Association. The new software platform offers efficiency and reliability to both the manufacturers and customers, with a simple click of a button.

History of the JMA

When Gem Rock Auctions first formed in 2005, there were a lot of scammers selling fake or treated gemstones across a number of online selling platforms. This meant that there were a lot of sellers but little to no quality products. When Gem Rock Auctions established the Verified Sellers Program, buyers could be confident that they were purchasing from trusted sellers. Buyers were, and still are today, kept accountable by becoming approved verified sellers and having in depth product knowledge. Since implementing the Verified Sellers Program, Gem Rock Auctions have consistently increased customer satisfaction over the years, with over 350, 000 gems sold online!

However there are still scammers trying to take advantage of uninformed buyers. We are now seeing an explosion of misrepresented jewelry online, with deliberately deceptive and misleading product descriptions. In July 2018, we googled the search term ‘Opal rings’ and were surprised to see that the majority of opal rings offered were actually man made opals, however the majority of websites did not specify that the stones were not naturally formed. These cheap imitation stones were often set in silver and advertised with highly professional artistic images. This ultimately meant that many buyers today are wearing opal rings that are not genuine stones.

Today’s Jewelry Market

After researching a number of different sellers on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, we noted that certain countries, especially in Asia and Africa, had much more deceptive marketing for gemstones. Interestingly, we noted a different pattern for jewelry marketing. Although there were a number of obvious sellers from China that were selling fake jewelry with inaccurate descriptions and ridiculously low prices, we found other sellers were massively over pricing their products. Jewelry pieces were sometimes ten times the price, which meant that buyers were not getting good value for their purchase.

Consumers were paying excessive prices for jewelry because of the beautifully curated images and deceptive product descriptions created through clever marketing techniques on social media. Furthermore, manufacturers would employ online influencers to create visually appealing content of their products, which would ultimately convince consumers to pay more, simply because they wanted to buy the lifestyle depicted in the image, not necessarily the stone itself. For example, manufacturers were able to sell low grade Howlite dyed in a turquoise color as Turquoise jewelry, by employing attractive influencers to wear the jewelry in their photos. Well priced Ruby jewelry was often simply glass filled but sold as natural Ruby and even heated sapphires were sold with natural sapphire prices, which were often two to three times the price! It was because of this deliberate misrepresentation of jewelry that the Jewelers Manufactures Association was formed by Verified sellers from Gem Rock Auctions. By purchasing from manufacturers who have been approved by the Jewelers Manufactures Association, consumers are no longer being mislead from clever marketing campaigns. Instead they can buy direct from jewelry manufacturers worldwide, at the best possible prices.

Furthermore, changes within the jewelry industry have led to many retail shops worldwide closing because of high shop overheads. This means that online platforms like Jewelery Auctioned are much more appealing to not just the consumer but now the manufacturer, as the expense of a physical shop are quite literally cut. Our data also shows a shift with millennial buyers from older age groups in sales on Gem Rock Auctions. While older age groups were often happy to purchase jewelry with resins and plastics on them if it meant they were paying less, younger generations are more environmentally conscious. Because of this, Birthstone jewelry, Metaphysical jewelry and Holistic jewelry pieces are experiencing high growth in the industry. While older generations were often scammed into purchasing ingenuine jewelry for a cheaper price, millennials want to be assured that their purchase is accountable. This desire for accountability of manufacturers and sellers is a great example of why the Jewelers Manufactures Association is so important in today’s market.

The aims of the Jewelers Manufactures Association are as follows;

• To offer buyers direct access to jewelry manufacturers worldwide at the best possible prices
• All jewelry to be exactly described for silver or gold content
• All gemstones to have exact description if treated in any way
• All sellers to abide by ruling of the Gemstone Sheriff program
• Sellers who purchase jewelry from JMA members for resale can be associate members of JMA
• Sellers must prove to Gemstone sherif strong gemstone product knowledge and be prepared to keep up with new gemstone treatments.

Blood Gemstones?

Why aren’t Gemstones called blood gemstones like Blood diamonds. Diamonds have an ethical problem which includes financing wars to child labour and so many other issues that are not ethical in today’s world. Gemstones on the other hand do not have these same problems. Majority of Gemstone businesses are Family businesses.  The term ‘family’ means that generations of the one family and many family units of brothers and sisters work in the business. Many Gem Rock Auctions and Jewelry Auctioned sellers are holders in mining operations or operating gemstone cutting factories. Our sellers have cutting factory’s in Thailand, Pakistan, India and many inform us how uncles and nephews are employed in the business. We were actually surprised to meet with many of these right hand staff that work in the factories that are now mechanised and need to be educated and trained. On a recent trip to Thailand we meet more University graduates from this region who worked in their family gemstone business that paid for their education. Education is very important to family’s in developing countries.

We have a third-generation gemstone family businesses in Brazil where they do not let the spouse into the business so as to stop in fighting. They keep the family unity and strong business.

Governments also have more control with Gemstones as the Ethiopian Government controls the export of Opals and the Tanzanian government takes control over Tanzanite operations in its country. Many gemstone business support local villages, and today gemstone business need well trained miners, cutters ,factors as better equipment is used .

All of our members must be verified sellers and prove product knowledge and commitment to the gemstone jewelry industry. This way, we can offer an online environment for consumers where quality at the lowest prices is assured.  

Jewellers Manufactures Association - Founding Members 2019

Our Verified Sellers program and successful Gemstone Sheriff programs from Gem Rock Auctions have been adopted by the JMA association.

Founding members as of June 2019

Gold Standard Gems 

is a Canadian gemstone seller who specialises in large and certified gemstone Jewelry. Gold Standard Gems selects large, hard to source clean gemstones such as Emeralds, Ruby’s, Aquamarine, Zircon and specialty Gemstones such as Titanite or Sphene.

Many of Gold Standard Gems designs incorporate Brilliant cut Diamonds of high standard.

Majority of his designs are a classical designs in 2 carat gold or simple modern design in Sterling Silver Jewelry
VIEW GOLDSTANDARDGEMS STORE

Sarah Creations

This company is based in Thailand and can source gemstones direct from the gemstone cutting factories. Sarah Creations specialises in modern fashionable designs with the majority of their designs using natural stone with cz's or man made diamonds to make elegant princess design jewelry 

 VIEW SARAHCREATIONS STORE

Gem Traders

Has been in wholesale jewelry supplier since 2005 when they purchased MyGgems as an opal and gemstone wholesaler that was registered in 1985. This company has world wide connections with manufacturing factories in Asia and Australia and Europe.

Gem Trader specialise in Gold gemstone jewelry with traditional popular gemstones such as, Amethyst, Peridot, Topaz, Ruby. Gem Traders silver collection consists of Amber Jewelry direct from the Polish factory and also silver chains direct from Italy and joined in Asia.

Gemstone jewelry comprises of many gemstones from suppliers built while visiting countries and trade shows over the last 30 years

 VIEW GEM TRADERS STORE

Shubham Jewells

Long established Indian Gemstone Factory with 3 generationS involved in the business. specialising in a full range of gemstone Beads. They manufacture and polishes these gemstones to make attractive necklaces, bracelets.

Shubham specialise in multi gemstone jewelry as they are experienced in making combination of gemstones that compliment each other and are fashionable.

Shubham also manufactures a full range of Holistic Gemstone Jewelry and full range of The Tree Of Life Pendants and Charka pendants and pendulums.

VIEW SHUBHAMJEWELLS STORE

Opal Plus

Experienced Opal wholesale company with over 30 years in the Opal industry from Opal mining to Opal jewelry manufacturing. Opal mining in Australia and Jewelry manufacturing in Asia

VIEW OPALPLUS STORE

Seda Jewelry

Seda Jewelry is part of the Seda group that has sold over 100,000 opals and gemstones online and has been in the opal and gemstone industry for nearly 35 years

30 years’ experience in the opal industry and worldwide connection for jewelry manufacturing for gemstones
VIEW SEDAJEWELERY STORE

Simply Jewelery

Established worldwide gemstone company with offices in USA and Australia.

Their parent company specializes in trade shows in the USA and Hong Kong as True-blue Logo, with stores on Gem Rock Auctions and Opal Auctions
VIEW SIMPLYJEWELERY STORE

Gem Land

Based in Bangkok Thailand this company has direct access to quality gemstones from Chanthaburi which is the gemstone cutting capital of the world.

Natural gemstones are set in modern design silver jewelry at affordable prices

VIEW GEMLAND STORE

Gemstone Sheriff

This program has been successful on our sister site Gemrockauctions.com for over 10 years with tens of thousands of audit request. A qualified Gemmologist will review and audit the item and leave publicly available report on the item page. Buyers can request audit and reply takes 48 hours maximum reply time.

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