Hello, there, everyone. I am also a heavy investor in this company's items, and I as well as you would like (or at this particular point in my life, pretty closely need) my money to be successful. I hope what I have to say here can give some of you some hope, and prevent our minds from assuming the worst.
I was able to speak with one of the agents (who for her privacy will remain nameless), who has invested more than 15 years of her career in the company, on the telephone. She was gracious enough to bare a lot of the truth to me. Here is what I was told.
The owner and chief certifier of their contracted laboratory, Larry Eisenberg, a man who has more than 30 years of experience in his field and with whom they have trusted and dealt for more than 15 years, was arrested for fraud of gem certifications. He has been arraigned in Canada. Because of this arrest, his certifications can no longer be assumed to be valid. What this means is that the sale of any gems on the certifications that his lab made can call the seller (regardless of who the seller is--even you or I) into a charge of fraud as well.
I have been asked to take one or more of my pieces to a local gemologist and have it recertified, and to send a copy of that report to Lucas Van Zenten. This will empower them to build their own case, present evidence against Mr. Eisenberg, see that justice is done. This I will be glad to do. Events will proceed from there.
I'd like you to imagine if the company you work for right now went through this chain of events:
- A reputable certifier and recognized expert in his field, who has more than 30 years of experience and with whom you have trusted and dealt for more than 15 years, is arrested for fraud.
- The arrest for fraud necessitates the assumption that any of his certifications--which were passed through your company and to your thousands of clients--are now questionable. This being the case, any sales made by anyone o (including the clients selling their own pieces) could entangle them in the charge of fraud as well.
- News spreads, and people just ship from your company all over the place, because they don't want their name (not just the company name, but their own personal legal name) tarnished--nor should it be, for the fault is not theirs. This leaves only a skeleton crew to handle the thousands of clients. This is the reason for much delay in answering and returning phone calls from clients.
- If you are loyal to the company and your clients, such as the agent with whom I spoke, and choose to weather the storm and face the music and try to set things right, then it is in the best interests of all involved to tell your clients of the situation, ask them to not sell any pieces to anyone under the assumptions of the original certificates, and ask your cilents to have some pieces recertified, and send copies of the new reports to you. This will empower you to present evidence against the fraudulent certifier and bring him to justice.
All of that makes sense, doesn't it? All of that is the correct and upstanding thing to do if you are a part of that deceived company, isn't it?
I admire this agent who has chosen to weather the storm and tell me what has happened, and I intend to see this through. Remember that the measure of a man (or woman) is not made when the sun is shining. The measure is made in the darkest hour. That is when you find out what you are made of.
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