The Presidium II Gem Tester is a waste of money. Here's why.

[@MariaNickLambert]

Great video Laura 😊🌸🌼🌸Maria

[@Lauraetcetera]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Maria!

[@jewelrescue]

Hi Laura! I’m so glad you made this video as I’ve been thinking I’m just not doing something right with mine… I think I have the same calibration issue as you. Basically everything tests slightly higher than it should. Thankfully I know enough to work it out and I do find it very useful to confirm my thoughts. I did a video comparing it to a cheap diamond tester after discovering a cheaply tested diamond showed clearly as a spinel on the presidium. It’s got rid of the frustration I used to have not knowing for sure what was CZ/spinel/diamond 💍💕

[@Lauraetcetera]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Yes, I do agree, best to confirm your suspicion, not as the only resource. I've seen people open theirs to try and fix the calibration themselves but I wouldn't know the first thing about that...but maybe something to look into?

[@jewelrescue]

@ oh gosh I don’t think I could be trusted to try that 😂 I emailed a support request to presidium about it and they took so long to respond that I’d passed my warranty period (coincidence?!). I answered what they asked me to confirm and they never replied so I’m just muddling along 😳

[@Lauraetcetera]

@@jewelrescue ugh that it truly a shame. Bad customer service is a special kind of torture for me lol. Well hopefully they will still be will to help since you reached out before warranty expired :/

[@jewelrescue]

@ me too! I gave up 🙈 maybe I’ll try again in the new year!

[@PickyNiki]

Great video, Laura!!! The Presidium is helpful sometimes in confirming what I already believe to be true, with familiar gemstones. But so many other times it just leaves me with still not knowing, but it’s reading as Iolite lol 😂 Would love to see you do a more in depth video on the refractometer!!!🩷💜🩷

[@Lauraetcetera]

Thanks Niki! I’ll have to make a video testing things with the refractometer. I have a whole box of loose gems I need to test so it’s in the pipeline!

[@PickyNiki]

@@Lauraetceterayasssss!!!!!

[@stateofdisorder1]

I think it’s a tool to help. If you know MOH and appearance, I think it would help. It’s so funny how I never owned one but would help people identify them even with the Presidium 😂😂

[@Lauraetcetera]

There is no substitute for experience!

[@randyromines7364]

The Presidium is like any tool, if used incorrectly its worthless. The biggest mistake I see is people think it will tell them what a stone is - this is wrong. I have even seen it used to determine if glass or plastic - how idiotic! One absolutely needs knowledge of gems and stones currently used in jewelry. It will help you confirm what you already think a stone is. It used to be easy - blue its sapphire, red its ruby, green emerald or jade. Now it is not easy, what looks like topaz might be spinel. Aventurine looks like Jade, topaz can be pink or red like a ruby, sapphires come in other colors than just blue. Peridot has the same reading as a citrine actually. I personally have found it to be very useful, however I also have a knowledge of gemstones, and am constantly learning. It will also not tell you if a gem is lab made or not, only your eye can do that based on the color saturation. I have bought jewelry items that were assured to be something specific, only to find once I tested it myself - they were wrong.

[@Lauraetcetera]

To sum it up, I think this is best used as a tool for confirmation of your suspicions, not the one and only test, and it should not replace your own intuition. But I do think it has a place to be very useful. If I still sold jewelry in the volume I used to, I'd be tempted to replace it, but as it stands, not worth it to me.

[@KristenDanotherchanceresale]

Yes most of them arrive damaged/out of calibration because they’re so sensitive and mail carriers drop kick packages most times 🤣🙄

[@Lauraetcetera]

@@KristenDanotherchanceresale 😂 that scene from Ace Ventura comes to mind

[@KristenDanotherchanceresale]

@ 🤣

[@stinkymccheese8010]

It’s not inconceivable that the producer was intending for it to be used as an aid to be used in conjunction with other methods to confirm the type of gemstone in question.

[@Lauraetcetera]

@@stinkymccheese8010 indeed, however this is not how I’ve seen it used, down to someone debating with me that a stone they were testing (a stone I easily identified as something outside the spectrum of the 16 aforementioned stones) was undoubtedly quartz, as displayed. That person was an exception; most of the time people state “this tested as xyz”, which I think is appropriate . However I’ve seen many make definitive declarations based on the read out, which is not always accurate. I do think you’re right though, the manufacturer makes no such declarations that it can identify “all” stones; moreso that it can “help” differentiate between the 16.

[@vruth23]

I agree. Its worthless. The cheap diamond testers are great. Learn how to identify gems and make friends with your local gemologist jeweler.

[@Lauraetcetera]

Yes, that's helpful too and a good point -- consulting an expert will be more of an affirmation than the "gem estimator" if you really need a positive ID.

[@stateofdisorder1]

I think it’s a tool to help. If you know MOH and appearance, I think it would help. It’s so funny how I never owned one but would help people identify them even with the Presidium 😂😂

[@Lauraetcetera]

exactly! it can certainly help but it's not a replacement for knowledge/experience