gemesis inc. , now known as pure grown diamonds , is a privately held company located in new york city .

the corporation grows synthetic diamonds using proprietary technology .

gemesis has the world 's largest facilities for both the high-pressure high-temperature ( hpht ) and chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) diamond production methods .

using these methods , gemesis has produced high-quality colorless and fancy color diamonds that have been offered for sale at 20 – 30 % lower prices than mined natural diamonds of similar quality ( and , from some suppliers , lower prices than that ) .

gemesis is the principal producer of gem-quality lab-created diamonds and jewelry .

the company was renamed as pure grown diamonds in june 2014 .

gemesis started marketing its diamonds by cutting and polishing them and then selling them to jewelry retailers on the wholesale market .

in 2012 , the company began also selling polished diamonds and diamond jewelry directly to consumers through its website .

gemesis

gemesis <EOT> gemesis manufactures and sells diamond jewelries . gemesis is a private company . lisa bissell is the president & ceo of gemesis and has an approval rating of 52 from owler members . gemesis has 3 followers on owler .

gemesis diamonds , sarasota , fl ; ( 941 ) 907 - 9889 , www . gemesis . com .

gemesis manufactures and sells diamond jewelries . gemesis was founded in 06 / 1996 . gemesis ' headquarters is located in new york , new york , usa 10036 . gemesis ' president & ceo , lisa bissell , currently has an approval rating of 52 % . gemesis has an estim . . .

owler has collected 11 screenshots of gemesis ' website since jun 2014 . the latest gemesis website design screenshot was captured in sep 2017 .

gemesis ' s president & ceo , lisa bissell , currently has an approval rating of 52 % . gemesis ' s primary competitors are

gemesis currently has 28 followers on twitter . as of july 2014 gemesis had 2 followers . that ' s a 1300 percent increase in 3 years

gemesis diamonds have exceptional clarity . our gemesis diamonds range in clarity from slightly included ( si ) to internally flawless ( if ) - in fact , it can be difficult to find natural diamonds with as much clarity as gemesis .

constantine gemesis , washington , washington , district of columbia b . 1899 , greece

major gemological institutes certify gemesis , and gemesis diamonds are graded using the same strict standards of the gemological institute of america : clarity , cut , carat weight and color .

gemesis blog pure grown diamonds | your story : katie b . & ryan p .

leave a message to start a discussion about the gemesis family with other ancientfaces members .

lawsuit from stephen lux , former ceo of gemesis , is latest setback for firm .

" cvd diamonds , whether made by gemesis or others , will be indistinguishable from each other , " he wrote , adding , " just because an unscrupulous supplier may have cvd diamonds that demonstrate the high quality of gemesis does not mean they are gemesis . "

but what got me a little more interested in this company is its seeming connection to gemesis corp . , even though it never acknowledges or references gemesis in its company history .

a further source of much industry confusion came with the emergence of a second gemesis company based in singapore that features an entirely different board to that of gemesis ' american operations .

lab - grown diamonds manufacturer gemesis inc . has renamed itself as pure grown diamonds inc .

the gemesis facility in florida operates 24 diamond presses producing about 7 , 000 carats a year . there is room at the facility for about 600 presses . photo courtesy of gemesis diamonds .

for participating retailers , profitable sales are already translating into requests for gemesis to produce more goods .

certainly , the connections appear to be there . iia technology’s board includes vishal and sonia mehta , both of whom were involved in gemesis . there’s a linkedin profile that calls gemesis “the former name” of iia . it is also based in singapore , where gemesis has an office , according to a speech by the country’s prime minister ( who calls gemesis an “indian company” ) . and finally , look at that iia logo . the exact same insignia can be seen on the gemesis site .

gemesis diamonds are diamonds ! unlike other simulated diamonds , gemesis diamonds are chemically identical to diamonds . starting with a small natural diamond seed , gemesis creates the perfect environment for common carbon to rearrange its atoms into a superbly grown diamond crystal - essentially reproducing the natural process by which diamonds are made .

mrs . slygh , the local customer who bought a gemesis stone , knew what she was getting .

photos , 2 biographies , and last name history of the gemesis family , shared by ancientfaces members .

gemesis recreates natural diamond growth in its labs , growing real cultured diamonds from a small natural diamond seed .

under mehta , the gemesis corporation changed names to gemesis diamond company and shifted its diamond manufacturing operations from florida to malaysia in a bid to lower production costs and better protect the company ' s intellectual property , according to a may 2012 report by even - zohar titled the mystery of two gemesis companies under one hat .

we don ' t have any information on the history of the gemesis name . have information to share ?

we don ' t have any information on the origins of the gemesis name . have information to share ?

these jewels , which are created when a small diamond seed is ekati mine in canada against the lab - created diamonds produced by gemesis in the us . according to the research , gemesis ' lab - grown diamonds produced

physically and chemically identical to natural diamonds , gemesis cultured diamonds represent an amazing breakthrough in fine jewelry . with all the durability , clarity and brilliance of a natural diamond , fancy - colored gemesis diamonds have made the luxury of high - priced designer jewelry available to more buyers than ever before . but how are gemesis diamonds created ?

you can afford more diamond with gemesis . jewelry featuring gemesis costs half as much as similarly sized natural diamonds , so you can buy a bigger diamond for less . stones range from one - half to two carats in size , so it ' s easy to shop for gemesis rings , pendants and earrings in any size you choose .

the gemesis way : high pressure , high temperature . crystal is created in a chamber that mimics geologic conditions .

create a free family tree for yourself or for mary gemesis and we’ll search for valuable new information for you .

uncover your ethnic origins and find new relatives with our simple dna test . get dna matches with gemesis relatives .

we don ' t have any alternate spellings or pronunciation information on the gemesis name . have information to share ?

gemesis rings , earrings and other jewelry are great choices for engagements , anniversary jewelry , birthday gifts and more - even as a gift to yourself . here are our top five reasons to choose gemesis jewelry for your next purchase :

press release : gemesis – the world’s principal distributor of gem - quality lab - grown diamonds – today . . .

man - made diamond company gemesis has named a new president and ceo and changed its name to pure grown diamonds .

during his tenure , lux remained determined to assure the industry that gemesis had a non - negotiable policy utmost transparency .

we don ' t have any information on the nationality / ethnicity of the gemesis name . have information to share ?

brilliant , beautiful and affordable , fancy - colored gemesis cultured diamonds are indistinguishable from natural diamonds - at half the cost .

average gemesis life expectancy in 1983 was 86 years . this was higher than the general public life expectancy which was 72 .

gemesis recently signed up retailers in cleveland and arizona and is in negotiations with jewelers in chicago , los angeles , and sarasota .

just how do you make a real diamond in days ? to see how gemesis does it , click here for photo tour .

" the industry didn’t like us . debeers was not very favorable . they’d pound me on the head and say nobody’s going to buy this thing . . . . but the customers liked us . " — gemesis founder carter clarke [ photo courtesy gemesis ]

rapaport . . . pure grown diamonds , formerly gemesis inc . , launched a new website , which is now optimize . . .

rapaport . . . gemesis inc . rebranded the company as pure grown diamonds inc . effective june 27 . pure g . . .

rapaport . . . gemesis inc . appointed lisa bissell as the company ' s new president and ceo . the company . . .

gemesis lab - grown diamonds are selling briskly , say jewelers who carried them this past holiday season . the stones , grown at gemesis headquarters in sarasota , fl , were introduced at five jewelry stores across the u . s . in the last few months of 2003 .

no one will know it ' s not a natural diamond . gemesis jewelry is undetectable to anyone but a trained gemologist - and even then only with correct gem - testing equipment . when you choose jewelry featuring gemesis lab - created diamonds , it can be your little secret .

stephen lux , who served as ceo of lab - grown diamond producer gemesis for the past six years , has resigned from the company .

a 1 . 05 - carat colorless round diamond from gemesis with very good cut , j color and vvs2 clarity , certified by igi .

stephen lux , gemesis president and ceo , said in a statement that price alone will not be the only selling point of these diamonds .

gemesis declined to say when it expects to be profit making , but meyer said management was " very pleased " with performance against plan .

david clugston yellow diamonds manufactured by gemesis , the first company to market gem - quality synthetic stones . the largest grow to 3 carats .

gemesis has also developed its own fine jewelry line . in addition to selling these products via its website , which includes a " create your own " jewelry component , gemesis will offer parallel sales through select retailers and provide consumer education about lab - created stones versus mined diamonds .

as the dispute over what to call gemesis’ stones evolved , so did the company’s business plan . by 2002 , gemesis had solved its technical issues and began producing stones . the company started out by cutting and polishing its own diamonds and distributing them directly to retailers . that changed , however , after clark mcewen , gemesis’ chief operating officer and a veteran of the diamond industry , joined the company in 2005 . mcewen convinced the management team that gemesis would be better positioned if it sold uncut , unpolished diamonds in the rough , as de beers does .

gemesis , the company specialising in synthetic diamonds , has undergone a rebranding and appointed new leadership after what could be considered a rocky few years .

gemesis , whose machine - made diamonds closely replicate the natural gem but are priced a fourth as much , has the international diamond industry abuzz . and the jewelry store on navarre avenue in oregon last week became the only one in the country to have the man - made diamonds , gemesis said .

this does not guarantee that the diamonds are in any way associated with gemesis and any connection between the two companies remains opaque if existent at all .

founded as gemesis inc . in 2013 , pure grown diamonds creates type lla gem - quality colorless and fancy color lab - grown diamonds and jewelry .

all of gemesis ' s diamonds are accompanied by grading certificates from the international gemological institute ( igi ) and are fully disclosed as lab - created .

gemesis will submit all of its created diamonds over 0 . 25 carat to the international gemmological institute , new york city , for identification . each stone will be laser - inscribed and documented . gemesis - created will be on the stones girdle along with a serial number stored in igis database and matching the labs identification report number . igi developed a specific lab - created identification report for gemesis , including cut , dimensions , weight and a photo illustration .

join the fancy - colored diamond trend with gemesis cultured diamonds . at half the price of mined diamonds , these lab - grown diamonds offer all the brilliant color , dazzling look and incredible durability of their natural counterparts . choose from vibrant pinks , bright blues and canary yellows . learn more about gemesis »

on gemesis , mehta said the company had been a “diamond grower in the past” and that he had been interested in their cvd technology for producing diamonds .

pure grown diamonds , formerly gemesis inc . , has announced the creation of a 3 - carat k , si1 , round brilliant - cut grown diamond .

an array of fancy intense to fancy vivid gemesis lab - grown diamonds ranging from 0 . 66 to 1 . 06 carats . photo by robert weldon .

created in a state - of - the - art growing laboratory , gemesis diamonds are physically indistinguishable from natural diamonds , yet cost up to 50 percent less . available in several fancy colors , including canary yellow , blue , pink and more , gemesis diamonds make today ' s fancy - colored diamonds trend affordable .

but the question remains : just how many diamonds does gemesis have ? lux was quick to point out that gemesis production levels as of october 2012 presented no threat to the natural diamond sector : " this is not going to threaten the mined diamond industry ; it will be generations before there are such quantities . "

gemesis does not offer diamond sales to the general public , but numerous jewelers throughout both the united states and canada are authorized dealers of these exquisite colored diamonds .

gemesis , the us cultured diamond producer , said it expects to triple production capacity this year both in carats and the number of so - called diamond cultivators .

the yellow diamond on the left is a mined diamond , costing about $ 20 , 000 . the gemesis , right , costs about $ 3 , 800 .

how does gemesis synthetic diamond production work ? in contrast , synthetic diamond production takes place in gemesis ' labs , where manufacturers start with a small natural diamond seed . placed in an environment that contains carbon , the seed is heated and put under extremely high pressure , which causes the gemesis diamond to grow , molecule by molecule - just as it would in nature . as gemesis diamonds grow , they gain layer after layer of material , eventually reaching anywhere from one - quarter to more than two carats in size . synthetic diamond production can produce diamonds in a wide range of colors , although the most common are popular fancy colors like yellow and pink .

the diamond industry is in fact even more concerned about gems made using chemical vapor deposition than it is about gemesis stones , though gemesis poses a more immediate threat . the promise of cvd is that it produces extremely pure crystal . gemesis diamonds grow in a metal solvent , and tiny particles of those metals get caught in the diamond lattice as it grows . cvd diamond precipitates as nearly 100 percent pure diamond and therefore may not be discernible from naturals , no matter how advanced the detection equipment .

his store has sold a 1 . 18 - carat gemesis diamond for $ 4 , 500 . he found a similar natural stone priced for $ 22 , 700 .

historical records and family trees related to mary gemesis . records may include photos , original documents , family history , relatives , specific dates , locations and full names .

these addresses are known to be associated with atn gemesis , llc however they may be inactive or mailing addresses only . please verify address for mailing or other purposes .

but gemesis believes that calling its stones “synthetic” would signal to consumers that its diamonds are not real . the ftc has yet to issue a statement on the dispute .

with gemesis , you can have the high - fashion diamond jewelry you ' ve always dreamed of . from cut to clarity , fancy colors to carat weight , jewelry featuring

some jewelry retailers have sent back inventory for the laser inscription and certification . our retail partners are all disclosing the lab - grown origin of these diamonds , as required ,  says david hellier , marketing manager at gemesis . if a customer wants to have a gemesis diamond they bought inscribed retroactively , we will address that request positively .

“everything that happens below ground in nature happens here — the only difference between our diamonds and mined diamonds is their origin , ” says britta schlager , gemesis’ marketing manager .

the company also flagged ambitions to move to a direct - to - public e - commerce sales model , something that eventuated in 2012 with the launch of gemesis . com .

stresses that none of this is any proof that the company has been acting improperly . what is clearer is that the mere allegation of gemesis ' involvement in the igi scandal has unequivocally undermined the group ' s big 2012 developments – colourless gems and a new online website – both of which had the power to dramatically boost gemesis ' reputation and sales .

new york - - following the appointment of a new ceo , lab - grown diamond company gemesis inc . has announced that it is rebranding itself as “pure grown diamonds . ”

gemesis plans to help jewelers introduce and maintain their programs by funding product - launch events and public relations initiatives . weve been on abcs good morning america ,  the today show , fox and others ,  says hellier . advertising will focus on local markets . gemesis offers consumer - friendly brochures , generic displays for single stones and duratrans light boxes .

to that end , gemesis is pursuing an aggressive marketing push that has included hiring former de beers’ executive joan parker as its “ambassador” and signing golf phenom morgan pressel to a multiyear endorsement contract . the teen golfer — the youngest winner of a major lpga golf tournament — now hits the links wearing a pair of gemesis cultured diamond earrings and a necklace .

perhaps the biggest strategic decision for gemesis has involved what kind of diamonds to produce . so far , the company has chosen only to produce fancy colored diamonds — stones ranging from yellow to orange that are scarcer in nature than traditional “white” diamonds . gemesis plans to begin marketing pink diamonds sometime next year and then blue diamonds — both rare commodities in nature .

" diamonds mined in florida ? " he asks a gemesis rep . " i can & apos ; t believe it . give me your number – i will be calling . "

gemesis corp . of florida and alan miller , of alan miller jewelers in suburban toledo hope consumers don t care . but both are on the leading edge of a rocky debate .

gemesis , founded in 1996 by retired army gen . carter clarke , needed five years and several million dollars in research and development costs to begin producing gem - quality diamonds consistently .

census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your gemesis ancestors , such as occupation . occupation can tell you about your ancestor ' s social and economic status .

bissell , whose past employment includes 19 years with diamond wholesaler m . fabrikant & sons , was appointed ceo of gemesis last wednesday . she will spearhead pure grown diamonds’ rebranding campaign .

how is a gemesis diamond finished ? after they ' ve been cut using traditional diamond finishing methods , gemesis diamonds are measured and sold using the same standards as diamonds : cut , color , clarity and carat weight , as determined by the gemological institute of america . at completion , gemesis diamonds are optically , physically and chemically identical to diamonds - but at a substantially lower price . by taking the labor , danger and costs of diamond mining out of the process , synthetic diamond production allows all of us to enjoy beautiful , colorful diamond jewelry .

within two years , however , the company abandoned that marketing strategy . for one , most of the jewelry designers using gemesis diamonds create pieces that also contain mined diamonds . “we’re part of the diamond industry , so something that is bad for the diamond industry in general is not going to help our case , ” says stephen lux , ceo and president of gemesis .

lux says the company may introduce cultured white or colorless diamonds in another five years , when a projected shortfall in mined white diamonds is expected . in the meantime , gemesis is taking pains to differentiate its product from mined diamonds — in part to ease fears in the natural diamond industry that lab - grown diamonds might flood the market without being identified as such . to avoid any confusion , gemesis’ stones carry a unique inscription that says “laboratory grown” or “gemesis created . ” the tiny inscription can be viewed through a loupe , the eyeglass used by jewelers .

“these do have the same physical properties that a natural diamond has , ” mr . miller said . “the only difference is gemesis has speeded up the process used to make them . ”

lux ' s attorneys , robert persante of clearwater and cynthia fallon of sarasota , couldn ' t be reached for comment today . an official with the public relations firm that represents gemesis , raleigh , n . c . - based french / west / vaughan , responded via email that as a private company , gemesis " doesn ' t publicly discuss financial or legal matters . "

previously , it has been reported that gemesis was owned by jatin r . mehta , the principal of india ' s winsome diamonds ( formerly su - raj diamonds ) . mehta is reported to have invested us $ 8 . 4m in return for 50 . 1 per cent of the group when gemesis was approaching bankruptcy in 2010 , and later acquired the remaining shareholders by october 2012 .

sarasota — stephen lux , the former ceo at gemesis , a synthetic diamond manufacturer , has sued the company for wrongful termination and not paying him at least $ 500 , 000 in wages .

today , conflict continues over exactly what to call gemesis’ stones . gemesis uses the term “cultured diamonds” — arguing that its stones are identical to mined diamonds in the same way that cultured pearls are man - made but chemically identical to natural pearls . de beers and other diamond industry leaders , however , would prefer that gemesis call its product “synthetic . ” last december , the jewelers vigilance committee and 10 other associations filed a petition with the federal trade commission to amend ftc guides so that the term “cultured” could only be used to apply to pearls , not diamonds or other stones .

for now , fancy colored gemesis - created diamonds remain comparably priced with natural colorless diamonds . however , they sell for about one - quarter the price of a comparable fancy vivid color natural diamond , hellier says . the focus will remain on fancy colors ; in fact , gemesis plans a fancy blue line for next year . given consumer interest in colored diamonds , its a timely strategy .

with fancy colored diamonds becoming ever more popular , different companies are creating techniques to culture these exquisite gems and gemesis is at the forefront of providing stunning orange and yellow diamonds for use in breathtaking jewelry .

he does not expect the manmade stones to have a big impact on the diamond industry . and as long as gemesis production remains limited , it unlikely will make a huge dent in natural diamond sales .

atn gemesis , llc filed as a domestic in the state of california on tuesday , may 17 , 2011 and is approximately seven years old , according to public records filed with california secretary of state .

before leaving the company , lux listed gemesis ' central 2013 goal as boosting consumer education , stating that the aim in the coming year was to inform consumers that lab - created diamonds were indeed real diamonds .

census records can give you a fascinating window into the day - to - day lives of your gemesis ancestors - like hours worked per week , level of education , veteran status , employers , and more .

the marketing of an undisclosed batch of synthetic diamonds , first attributed to the american company gemesis ( who denied they were theirs – read the article gemesis : it’s not us… ) , has recently caused controversy within the diamond merchant fraternity . a news item that will at least have put a key question in the forefront : what should we think of synthetic diamonds ? where will they stand in a not so distant future ?

i’d like to have you think finding those links was the result of hard - core investigative reporting , but really , it took about 20 minutes tops . even though iia’s press release repeatedly talks about gem diamonds , it does seem a little more oriented toward producing diamonds for industrial uses than gemesis . and the two companies do have different pr firms—neither of which have answered my queries about any connection between gemesis and iia . in fact , iia sent me a release , and then told me to send some queries . i did , and then the pr people told me they wouldn’t answer any questions about the company . gemesis told me last week it would get back to me but hasn’t as of yet . ( update : gemesis has now declined comment , saying it is a private company , albeit one that may have two pr firms . )

the technology for lab - created diamonds has officially arrived – heralded by companies like gemesis diamond company – and although presenting new opportunities for the jewellery industry , it also raises a number of ethical and control issues .

use census records and voter lists to see where families with the gemesis surname lived . within census records , you can often find information like name of household members , ages , birthplaces , residences , and occupations .

retail sales may have been helped by the attention the company drew from the mass media . ever since an article about a revolution in synthetic diamonds appeared in the september 2003 issue of wired [ in which gemesis was featured prominently ] , weve been receiving literally thousands of inquiries from retailers and consumers ,  says david hellier , marketing manager at gemesis . the most common question we get is where can we buy these ?

mr . parker of gemesis said his firm s diamonds are not being marketed as natural stones . the company provides brochures explaining the diamond - making process and issued certified documents stating where and when the diamond was grown .

rock garden : hundreds of gemesis machines grow diamonds at a rate of about half a carat a day . the company plans to market pink diamonds next year and then introduce blue diamonds . [ photo : mark wemple ]

there arent enough of the synthetics to allow them to be widely available . speaking at the rapaport diamond conference in october , gemesis founder carter clarke explained his company produces a little over 7 , 000 carats a year . he said gemesis has 24 operational diamond presses producing an average of 200 rough stones per month in the range of 3 carats . clarke says these stones yield polished goods up to 2 carats in clarities ranging from si to vvs .

in a letter to gemesis customers obtained by jck , bissell promises “many positive developments and changes” to come . while the company has sold direct to consumers via the web , it now seems to be targeting the trade . its home base will be new york city , rather than florida . intriguingly , a statement describes gemesis as “founded in 2013 , ” although its roots go back to the 1990s . ( the company underwent a restructuring in 2012 . )

" in light of the entire customer movement toward environmental sustainability , this is the perfect time to bring gemesis lab - created diamonds direct to consumers , " said rick french , the president of french / west / vaughan who handles public relations for gemesis . ' ' we feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity to help launch this exceptional choice in fine jewelry and look forward to continuing to educate consumers on its beauty , quality and value . "

cvd synthetic diamonds produced by gemesis . the 0 . 39 ct . round brilliant on the left was graded f color and vvs2 clarity ; the 0 . 83 ct . sample on the right was graded j color and vvs2 clarity .

pat slygh , an oregon business woman who recently bought a gemesis diamond , said she was thrilled . “the brilliance of these is just unbelievable . the quality of it is there . you can see it , ” mrs . slygh said .

" in the past , the high prices and scant availability of fancy color diamonds drove designers and consumers to non - diamonds gem stones for color . now gemesis can offer the market color , price , and the incomparable qualities of diamonds . "

gemesis , which had been using the chemical vapour deposition ( cvd ) technology , vehemently denied involvement . after the incident , the firm was bought out by an entity controlled by mehta and his mother , and its manufacturing facilities relocated to malaysia .

among other companies currently marketing jewelry - quality synthetic diamonds 3 , we can mention gemesis ( type iia diamonds ; from 0 . 50 to 1 . 50 carat for colorless diamonds for example ) and apollo diamonds as two of the most famous ones .

hi , barbra . thank you for the list of diamond producers - i am sure it will come in handy . the new name for gemesis is interesting . to me the name is a little more misleading with the words " pure grown " . . .

pure grown diamonds inc . is a privately held company based in new york , ny . founded as gemesis inc . in 2013 , pure grown diamonds is the principal distributor of type lla gem - quality grown diamonds and grown diamond jewelry in colorless and fancy colors .

french | west | vaughan built a full - scale integrated marketing strategy for gemesis , including research and discovery , brand identity development , banner advertising , pay per click ( ppc ) management , search engine optimization ( seo ) , email marketing and website analytics oversight .

fyi adamas bsu ( hpht ) aotc d . nes ( hpht ) chatham ( hpht ) gemesis ( hpht and cvd ) malossi ( hpht ) new age diamonds ( hpht ) scio diamond technology ( cvd ) tairus created gems ( hpht ) washington diamond corp ( cvd )

james shigley , gia’s former director of research and now distinguished research fellow , credits gemesis as being “quite responsible in helping the jewelry trade to understand this new technology and feel comfortable with this product . ” he believes gemesis’ biggest challenge is not its natural diamond competitors in as much as it is the public . “i think their production is small compared to natural diamond production , but i think they also have the challenge of just educating people about what their product is . it is a diamond . it’s not an imitation material like cubic zirconia . ”

later , gemesis laser - etches its name microscopically on the diamond . the letters can be seen under machines by gemologists at jewelers , but otherwise the only way to tell the stones apart from a natural stone is with sophisticated detection equipment generally available only at specialized gemological laboratories .

the diamond industry fought back . early last year , de beers began shipping improved , even more sensitive diamondsure machines to labs around the world . meanwhile , industry groups led by the jewelers vigilance committee have pressured the federal trade commission to force gemesis to label its stones as synthetic .

the processed diamonds have potential beyond jewelry . eventually , the gemesis method and another approach used by apollo diamond of boston may yield inexpensive diamond - backed computer chips that could significantly outperform today s silicon - based chips . that would permit computers to operate many times faster than current versions .

for the last several months , gemesis has proven a lot more interesting for its behind – the – scenes machinations than for its diamonds . perhaps this new company is an attempt to have a fresh start . but it doesn’t look like the people involved have learned much from the past .

" full disclosure has been and will continue to be one of our very basic tenants , " lux said in october . " we inscribe all of our diamonds to ensure they are unmistakably gemesis , and every diamond on our website carries a pdf certificate that can be viewed immediately . "

we just sold our 29th stone ,  says an enthusiastic alan miller of allan miller jewelers , oregon , oh . since his store launched the new product , these fancy intense to fancy vivid yellow synthetic diamonds have become a ray of florida sunshine in his ohio winter . in mid - december , miller felt secure enough to predict he would easily attain his stores goal of over $ 100 , 000 in gemesis sales for the holiday season . the 29 stones were sold in custom - made jewelry in a little over six weeks , notching $ 94 , 000 in gemesis - related sales .

modern technology can be a beautiful thing , and nowhere is that beauty more pronounced than with gemesis diamonds . grown from a single seed into luxurious , high quality gems , these stones are set to usher in a new era of luxury at more affordable prices for consumers interested in stunning colored diamonds .

gemesis , however , is interested only in carving out a niche in the jewelry market : selling colored diamonds , yellow , yellow - orange , and orange . it is not looking to make white or colorless diamonds because they are more plentiful and the profit margins on them are not as high .

an unusually short lifespan might indicate that your gemesis ancestors lived in harsh conditions . a short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family . the ssdi is a searchable database of more than 70 million names . you can find birthdates , death dates , addresses and more .

our customers rely on igi to provide the correct identification of all precious gemstones ,  says jerry ehrenwald , igi president and ceo . in todays market , our clients cannot afford any erosion of consumer trust . by providing this service to gemesis , we continue to assist and protect jewelers and consumers .

crystals have begun growing at a rate of about half a carat a day . within four days , they will be diamonds . real diamonds . the gemesis stones aren’t imitations or “simulants” like moissanite and cubic zirconia . they may emerge from machines , but they’re visually and chemically identical to those produced naturally .

ian white " i was in combat in korea and & apos ; nam . you better believe that i can handle the diamond business , " says gemesis founder carter clarke , center . his lieutenants have 27 diamond - making machines up and running — with 250 planned — at this factory outside sarasota , florida

institute president william boyajian said the gemesis stones are “as good a product as we have seen , ” and he called them attractive . but he questioned how well the stones would sell , thinking that the price , even though it is considerably lower than natural diamonds , may still be too high for consumers .

debeers , however , clearly is concerned . the cartel , which reportedly controls nearly two - thirds of the world s diamond market and has been accused of artificially controlling prices , has been vocally opposed to gemesis , calling its stones cultured . a debeers executive called the stones “imitations” in a september news report .

said jeff parker , gemesis vice president of marketing : “people think of cultured diamonds as being all the same but actually each one is unique . that s because each machine has slightly different characteristics and there are 500 variables controlling the process . if any variable is just slightly off , it changes things . ”

new york , ny : today , gemesis inc . , a leading retailer & wholesaler of lab - grown diamonds has rebranded itself as pure grown diamonds inc . lisa bissell , president and ceo of pure grown diamonds , will spearhead the rebranding campaign . from jewelry - united states - latest news urltoken via ifttt

one such group – headed by the choksi family – bought a $ 35 , 000 batch of preliminary gemesis research stones last year and is currently selling them in india at a 10 to 20 percent profit . i met sabin choksi , one of the company & apos ; s principals , at a jewelry convention in las vegas . he admitted that his customers don & apos ; t know the stones are synthetic , but says they don & apos ; t care one way or the other . in other words , gemesis may be fully disclosing the nature of its stones , but already one of its wholesalers is not .

gemesis was founded in 1996 by retired u . s . brigadier general carter clark after he was first exposed to the idea of artificial diamond growth for use with electronic applications . the beauty of the gems and their high desirability for jewelry led to the fledgling company exploring how to create colored diamonds at its florida facility .

hellier says gemesis carefully parcels out the diamonds under 0 . 25 carat ( which are not laser - inscribed or certified ) . these are reserved exclusively for our retail partners on a selected basis ,  he says . because our partners are fully disclosing each and every product they sell , we feel its not a problem .

clarke’s diamond machines arrived a year later , but the crystals they produced were small and an ugly brown color . the yields were terrible . abbaschian and a small team of russian scientists had to help gemesis re - engineer the equipment . meanwhile , clarke , currently co - chairman of gemesis and still actively involved in the company’s operations , faced another obstacle : opposition from the natural diamond industry , which feared the impact of lab - made diamonds with the same physical , optical and chemical properties as earth - grown diamonds . big quantities of lab - produced diamonds selling for a fraction of the cost of mined diamonds could cripple the $ 60 - billion industry .

the tussle goes to the heart of the marketing problem for gemesis or any maker of synthetic gems : how will consumers feel about them ? the mystique of natural diamonds is anything but rational . part of the allure is their high cost and supposed rarity . yet diamonds are plentiful – de beers maintains vast stockpiles and tightly controls supply .

pure grown diamonds was created in 2014 after a re - structuring at gemesis diamonds , which has been at the forefront of diamond manufacturing since the mid - 1990s . they initially began selling their proprietary lab - grown diamonds through a network of retailers , but have since begun to offer their own line of jewelry directly through their website .

the issue intensified further with news reported in january 2013 that steven lux didn ' t resign but was terminated from his position . lux is now suing his former employer for wrongful termination . the legal papers carry the revelation that " 100 per cent of gemesis was acquired by power capital ventures ltd ( pcv ) on 31 october 2012 " .

could the company have been tarred with the wrong brush by an industry nervous about the emergence of the gia report ? the group ' s production levels are comparably low , suggesting any such paranoia would be misplaced , and gemesis ' penetration of the global consumer diamond markets remains modest at best , and almost non - existent here in australia .

the article in wired really did a lot to push curiosity and demand .  if the wired article was too much of a good thing , however , its not intimidating gemesis . the company says it has the capacity for 600 diamond presses when its fully expanded . but gemesis wants jewelers to always make money on the product . we expect jewelers to be able to make keystone profits ,  says hellier . we also tell a lot of people were not interested in memo programs . we want only jewelers who are willing to commit to buying and selling our product . we look for jewelers of integrity , with ample trade references and financial ability who are members of associations .

jewelers are learning the ropes with their new product . weve found design is critical . our jeweler mounts the gemesis - created diamonds with white diamonds for accent and contrast ,  says alan miller . we also like to keep our stones in the vs clarity category . si stones carry some metallic inclusions that we find a little distracting .

furthermore , the gemesis group ' s consistent achievement of vvs and vs type - iia diamonds within the 0 . 40 - carat to 1 . 30 - carat range sends a clear message to the industry that the company can now comfortably and confidently provide direct competition in the young bridal market " sweet spot " of 40 points to 1 carat .

the gems , which gemesis calls “cultured diamonds” to distinguish them from natural stones , are physically and chemically diamonds in every respect . from russian - designed machines at a plant in sarasota , fla . , they are created using the same process , albeit accelerated , that mother earth uses - a combination of intense pressure , heat , and various gases .

in a report on the diamond industry in 2012 , bain and co . and the antwerp world diamond center , pointed out that the entire batch was synthetic . several media reports had linked these stones to florida - based gemesis diamond co . that had claimed to be the “the world’s principal producer of gem - quality lab - created diamonds and jewellery” .

but the suit is the latest setback for the firm , now called gemesis diamond co . the company , which once operated out of a 60 , 000 - square - foot facility in lakewood ranch , has moved into a smaller facility nearby . it also recently changed its business model , from selling to wholesalers to a more retail - focused approach .

the general and his newly minted gemesis needed help . he turned to iranian crystal expert reza abbaschian , head of the university of florida & apos ; s materials science department in gainesville . abbaschian agreed to try turning the russians & apos ; hit - or - miss method into a rigorously controlled and more reliable technological process . with the aid of some graduate students , he ripped out the analog knobs and dials and installed a computer control system . they upgraded the power supply and methodically tracked the slightest variation in each diamond synthesis attempt . with more than 200 parameters to control , it was painstaking work , and by 1999 – three years after gemesis was founded – the general needed another infusion of cash .

when i heard that i vomited in disgust . i guess they do not mention the metallic catalysts used in hpht growth which they have to saw off before cutting . gemesis got its start at the university of florida in gainesville using russian - developed growth methods . i remember carter clark inviting me to see the operation and meet the staff back in 1998 .

gemesis , which has been in business since 1996 , can produce tens of thousands of carats’ worth of diamonds in a year , and it can sell its stones for a fifth of what mined stones cost . all that additional low - cost supply creates interesting dynamics in an industry where the ability to charge big prices for tiny stones depends on their scarcity .

i head to las vegas to check it out . the gem and lapidary dealers association show is held in a large room at the back of the mirage . here – amid purveyors of quartz - encrusted , electric - powered water fountains ( " be amazed by their magic ! " ) , lithuanian amber salesmen , nigerian tanzanite dealers , and vegas - style cowboys in ostrich skin boots – is the gemesis booth , which displays more than 1 , 000 carats of yellow diamonds . the show ends tonight , and jck starts tomorrow morning , so the last few hours see a whirlwind of recently arrived jck - bound buyers . efraim katz , a yarmulke - clad , heavily bearded gem wholesaler from miami , literally jogs through the room but pauses in front of gemesis .

but gemesis , the suit alleges , rejected the resignation and deactivated lux ' s email on dec . 17 . the company then gave lux another resignation letter to sign . “at the same time that lux was provided the new resignation letter , ” the suit contends , “he was also provided with a termination letter in the event that he did not sign the new resignation letter . ”

lux says it would pose a “tremendous threat to our business” if unscrupulous individuals tried to pass off gemesis’ stones as natural diamonds . “we will go to great lengths to make sure that there is no fraud perpetuated by someone who could take our diamonds and try to pass them off as mined because they do sell at a price that’s less than the price of a mined diamond . ”

in a letter written to even - zohar at the time , lux stated " with 100 per cent certainty " that the undisclosed cvd diamonds did not come from his company and that other companies exist that are capable of supplying quantities of cvd diamonds equal to the amount discovered in antwerp . lux also dismissed claims that gemesis cvd diamonds were more recognisable than cvd diamonds created in other laboratories .

in fact , even - zohar reported no connection at all between the two companies except for the involvement of investor mehta , and who does not occupy a board seat recruitment advertisements placed by each firm suggest singapore specialises in cvd technology for the purposes of growing rectangular crystals for industrial use and gems for jewellery use , while malaysia ( gemesis ' us operations ) specialises in gems created using hpht technology .

" gemesis consumers know they come away with a diamond – it ' s not a question that it is a diamond and that it is conflict - free . they also have the assurance of a diamond certificate , our generous return policy , eco - friendly comfort and an attractive price . ultimately , it ' s hard for someone to sit there and say they disagree with all those points . "

gemesis produced its earlier synthetics by the high pressure / high temperature ( hpht ) process . originally introduced by general electric in 1954 , the hpht process mimics the intense heat and pressure that produces diamonds deep in the earth . the laboratory - based process requires costly equipment to maintain a stable temperature and pressure , and produces mainly yellow - colored stones because trace nitrogen is captured during diamond growth and becomes a coloring agent .

july 01 , 2014 new york - - following the appointment of a new ceo , lab - grown diamond company gemesis inc . has announced that it is rebranding itself as “pure grown diamonds . ” “the new name reinforces our commitment to disclosure and transparency , ” pure grown diamonds president and ceo lisa bissell said . “we will continue working to make lab - grown diamonds a choice for consumers and a valuable opportunity for the industry . ”

i have no idea what this means for gemesis , which is still doing business under that name . but we have talked about problems in the lab - grown sector , and here is another one worth discussing . many years ago , someone involved in the “created” business told me a wise thing . he said , it’s in the companies’ interests to make the industry comfortable with the product , because people only buy products they are comfortable with .

clarke slaps me hard on the back , and we set off on a tour of his new 30 , 000 - square - foot factory , located in an industrial park outside sarasota , florida . the building is slated to house diamond - growing machines , which look like metallic medicine balls on life support . twenty - seven machines are now up and running . gemesis expects to add eight more every month , eventually installing 250 in this warehouse .


urltoken is a canadian company , which publishes reviews written by homeowners about home improvement professionals such as repairman , contractors , renovators , and retailers .

homestars was formed in 2006 by nancy peterson .

the globe and mail ran a feature on the company shortly after its foundation .

the company began as an online community of homeowners , sharing reviews of their personal experience to help other homeowners find reputable contractors .

each review can contain details on the delivery of the work , contractor ’s work habits and the quality of the follow-up .

similar to other review sites such as tripadvisor , contractors are able to respond to any reviews that are written about them .

the national post announced in 2015 , that homestars had over two million companies listed on its website and hundreds of thousands of consumer reviews about those contractors .

in 2015 , profitguide ranked homestars as the 77th fastest growing company in canada .

founder and ceo , nancy peterson , also won an award in 2015 as one of canada 's top female entrepreneurs , where she ranked in 71st position .

homestars

homestars <EOT> with the acquisition of homestars , homeadvisor strengthens its north american market leadership position in digital marketplaces dedicated to home services . homestars joins homeadvisor market leaders in

company profile information is not moderated by homestars . ask the contractor to verify before hiring .

the reviews on this page are the subjective opinion of the author and not of homestars inc .

a lot of reviews on homestars are very positive . is the platform as effective as it could be ?

plus , homestars is an easy way for companies to reach out to new customers . between mid - july and mid - october this year , 100 , 000 companies in the gta were contacted through homestars . com .

nancy peterson , co - founder and ceo of homestars . com , poses for a portrait at the head office in toronto

gardin had experience . he had accolades from homestars . com . and , until the collapse , he had impeccable references .

, a proprietary score out of 100 % that grades each home improvement company . to learn more , visit @ homestars on

homestars worked hard to change that perception . how a company responds to a negative review can build its credibility , peterson explains .

homestars : a website where homeowners can post reviews of contractors , painters , electricians , plumbers and other renovation - related service providers .

to fund homestars , she used her own savings , took out a loan and then fundraised among friends , family and angel investors .

a feast for crows if you ' re a lawyer . homestars has introduced a bully warning for businesses that have sent it or reviewers legal letters .

canada ' s largest & most - trusted website for connecting with home service professionals . find a pro & start your next project on homestars . # yougotthis

we receive hundreds of reviews every week from people just like you . see what fellow homestars users are up to in this review round up ! click here to write a review :

with canadian cities now packed with reviews , the company is turning its attention to the united states . over the next 12 months , homestars plans to start building its reviews of companies in american cities .

in this month ' s small business success stories profile , we spoke to nancy peterson , the co - founder and ceo of homestars , an community of homeowners and home improvement companies throughout canada and the u . s .

a quarter of companies have taken legal action over online reviews . in nine - tenths of cases where a review is removed , it is because of a threatening legal letter , says canadian home - improvement ratings site homestars .

we receive hundreds of reviews every week from people just like you . see what fellow homestars users are up to in this review round up ! ready to write a review of your own ? click here to get started :

tonight , homestars founder and ceo , nancy peterson , will be speaking at tech toronto ' s july meetup . check it out if you ' re interested in hearing from some of toronto’s tech leaders , innovators , and enthusiasts .

however , even sites like homestars can have their problems . one issue that zavitz has come across is the fact that most contractors with 10 - star reviews will be booked for months in advance and unavailable to take on new jobs .

“we backtracked and really focused on toronto and the golden horseshoe , ” peterson says . then , as toronto really started to pick up the next year , homestars began to focus on building reviews from vancouver , calgary , ottawa and hamilton .

from the beginning , homestars has encouraged companies to respond to reviews on the site “because when people are reading reviews , they are going to trust the company that is responding and also being accountable for a bad review , ” peterson says .

when planning the business , peterson searched for people with complementary skills . that ' s how she met andrew goodman . the consultant , who specializes in search engine marketing , is a co - founder of homestars and plays a strategic role in the company .

early on , homestars also put together a team of advisors , people with a wealth of experience and contacts . aside from their contacts , the advisors are very helpful to bounce ideas off , peterson says . “it ' s good to get outside opinions . ”

we have a chinese wall [ an information barrier to prevent conflict of interest ] between our sales team and our content team . homestars is really for homeowners and our number one stakeholder is ensuring that we have a trustworthy site they can rely on to help them make better decisions .

initially , homestars was launched with a dot - ca domain , which made sense since the site was geared to toronto . “but our vision was to really scale this up in multiple cities across north america . we realized we needed a dot - com domain , ” peterson says .

to help spread the word about the website , homestars is active in many charitable events . it also participates in home shows . with up to 40 , 000 homeowners under one roof for four days , home shows are a great way to meet homeowners and facilitate reviews , peterson says .

instead of simply searching the internet at large , zavitz recommends using a site like urltoken to narrow down your search field . homestars is " a really good shortcut to finding a good contractor because you ' re getting genuine , unfiltered feedback from clients that they ' ve had , " he says .

while the company ' s mission is to help homeowners get the best - rated tradespeople for their projects , it ' s the contractors and vendors who provide the revenue by advertising on the homestars website . good reviews are a powerful driver for business so a connection with homestars can be highly beneficial – or not , if they garnered negative comments . there ' s no charge to the homeowners using the site or any obligation to write a review although users are encouraged to contribute , both positively and negatively . the company currently has hundreds of thousands of reviews specifically relating to major cities across canada , excluding quebec .

although homestars has encouraged homeowners to post reviews since the beginning , there have been changes to the site over time . in the first year , it focused exclusively on toronto . there was also a book version , but it quickly became out of date . the company axed the book to focus on the website .

word of mouth is often considered the best source for finding home renovation professionals . unfortunately , it ' s not always possible to get a referral from friends or neighbours . that ' s why homeowner nancy peterson started www . homestars . ca , an online resource listing that lets homeowners post reviews of companies providing home - related products and services .

. it ' s a free service helping homeowners find reputable professionals through its database of two million companies and hundreds of thousands of reviews . homeowners write reviews based on their home improvement experiences - - both good and bad - - to help others make better hiring decisions . the integrity team at homestars validates every review before it is published . homeowner ratings , as well as many other data points , form the basis of

as a first - time home buyer , nancy peterson was just as confused as anyone when it came to renovating . despite being a corporate executive armed with an mba , she found the decision - making around who to hire " absolutely daunting . " that became her inspiration for co - founding home stars directory inc . , known as homestars , in 2006 – a toronto - based private company that posts online reviews by home - owners about their local home - improvement experiences .

companies may threaten libel or slander when somebody ' s written something negative . with homeowners in mind , we ' ll review these before they go up to make sure they ' re meeting the criteria . our legal team will reach out and help them write it in such a way that if they had to go to court , they ' d be able to defend it . truth is an absolute defense . we go through these thorough steps learned over the years to protect the review writers and homestars from hundreds of lawsuits .

a i called my contacts and because it was such a novel idea i got in front of venture capitalists fairly easily . writing business plans is a massive strength and i brought that discipline to homestars . we plan quarterly , semi - annually and annually . that is a big piece : when you are going in front of money , you have to have your answers down . i ended up getting a term sheet but did not close it , which was lucky because i would have been left a 35 per cent owner . i took that term sheet , which was a valuation of $ 2 million , and parlayed it into an angel round valuation of $ 1 . 75 million . i was able to close my first round of financing in 2007 for about $ 500 , 000 .

a we sell paid listings . we have 250 , 000 companies listed in canada and they are all basic , unpaid listings . if they subscribe to a paid listing , they can upload a logo , photos of their work and there are more tools for them to use . an account manager educates them on how to use our mobile app , for example , where companies can take before and after photos of current projects , write a description and text homeowners who can then either give permission or not to post them on homestars . we have several thousand paid subscribers now in major cities across canada . the first priority , however , is building trustworthy content . we have a lot of technology built around making sure the reviews are coming from real homeowners . our filters screen out spam ; 25 per cent of the information we receive never gets published and we have moderators that read and decide if they are going to investigate .

" it ' s the same way you would choose your friends , in a way , " says zavitz . " you have to use your intuition . "

if you ' ve ever hired a contractor for any type of project , you ' ll know that choosing the right person is the most important thing you can do to ensure the job gets done right . unfortunately , many homeowners , especially those who are buying in a new area , simply don ' t know where to start when it comes to finding the right person for the job .

there are plenty of good contractors out there , so why is finding a good one so difficult sometimes ? brian zavitz , a contractor with over 20 years of experience , and the author of the ebook " the homeowner ' s guide to finding a contractor , " thinks that most people simply don ' t realize how important finding the right contractor is .

" people don ' t treat finding a good contractor as a skill to be learned , " he says . instead , most people take what he calls the " shotgun approach , " where they simply ask a contractor : " when can you start , how long will it take , and how much will it cost ? " while it ' s important to get quotes before beginning a project , there ' s much more that goes into finding a good contractor than taking the " shotgun approach . " so in order to help you make the right decision for your next project , here are 10 tips you can use to find a great contractor .

the days of finding contractors in the yellow pages are over , but nowadays instead of pulling out the phone book , most people turn to google . according to zavitz , however , this is not a good way to begin your search .

" i don ' t think that going to a contractor ' s website is useful in the least , " he says . while positive testimonials on a contractor ' s website can be a good sign , zavitz points out that " they can be falsified . "

" my recommendation for something like that is to be patient , " he says . " don ' t go for the people who are getting 10 stars , go for the people who are getting 8 . 5 stars out of 10 , and read the reviews . " rather than simply looking at star ratings , carefully reading reviews can actually give you a better idea of how a contractor will work with you .

another search method to stay away from is picking a contractor based on a flyer you ' ve received in the mail . " i advise never to engage a contractor who you find out through a flyer that comes to your mailbox , " zavitz says .

this doesn ' t mean that all contractors who send out flyers are bad contractors , but , zavitz says , " there ' s such a possible high concentration of bad experiences coming that way that i say it ' s best to avoid it altogether . "

ultimately , zavitz says , " the people who are good in just about any market do not need to advertise . "

if the internet and your mailbox can ' t be trusted , then who can be trusted ? in most cases , the best way to find a contractor is through word of mouth . however , not just any word of mouth will do – getting a recommendation from your neighbour who had someone help them build a fence is much different than getting a recommendation from someone who actually works in the construction industry . if you have a plumber , electrician , or other tradesperson you trust , ask them who they would hire as a contractor to work on their home .

no matter how big or small of a job you ' re planning , it ' s always a good idea to seek out multiple quotes before making your final decision . how many quotes should you get ? that depends on how big the job is .

" at the very least , talk to no fewer than three different contractors , " says zavitz . the larger the project , the more quotes you should solicit . " you have to weigh the potential for loss , " he says . if it ' s a small renovation , then you have less to lose if you make the wrong choice , but if you ' re planning a major project , you ' ll be well served by soliciting as many quotes as you can , within a reasonable timeframe .

" people focus on price ; that ' s a mistake , " says zavitz . while price is always a factor that must be taken in to consideration , simply choosing the contractor who gives you the best quote is not the best way to find the right person for the job . in fact , this can often lead to problems later ; a price that ' s much lower than the comparables could be a sign of an inexperienced contractor , or worse , an unscrupulous one .

knowing what questions to ask a contractor during your initial meeting with them can help you narrow down your list of choices . here are a few good questions to use :

first , ask the contractor how much advertising they do . " it ' s a trick question , " says zavitz ; if the contractor just wants to impress you , he or she will start bragging about how much they spend on advertising . however , as zavitz has explained , this is usually a bad sign , and will give you an indication that you may not want to work with this person .

another important issue to ask about is how the contractor deals with unexpected issues . issues beyond anyone ' s control will arise with any major renovation project , and a good contractor is not one who avoids these issues altogether , as this can be impossible to do , but one who takes the initiative to resolve the issues as quickly as possible , without giving the client anything to worry about . " major renovations can be very stressful , and a good contractor has to be a bit of a psychologist , " zavitz says .

for more tips like these , you can refer to the list of sample questions provided in zavitz ' s ebook .

sometimes , bad contractor - client relationships can actually stem from a bad client , and not the other way around . what makes a bad client ? there are a variety of issues at play , but the biggest factor usually comes down to clear communication . are you clear about exactly what you want to be done ? do you fully understand the size and extent of the work you ' re asking for , and can you communicate that properly to your contractor ? the more straightforward and transparent you can be , the more likely you ' ll get an accurate quote , and the more likely end up with a finished product you ' re happy with as well .

another important factor to pay attention to when speaking to a contractor is their general attitude and demeanour . " it ' s the same way you would choose your friends , in a way , " says zavitz . " you have to use your intuition . "

some things to pay attention to are how much they listen , and how honestly they answer your questions . sometimes , admitting you don ' t know the answer to something can actually be a sign of wisdom rather than a sign of weakness .

the final step in choosing the right contractor is simply to have fun and enjoy the process . after all , you ' re making your living space more wonderful , so you might as well have a good time while you ' re at it .

and in the end , if you do end up with a bad contractor , you can always chalk it up to experience . " good judgement comes from experience , and a lot of that comes from bad judgement , " says zavitz , quoting will rogers . so don ' t worry too much about making mistakes ; as long as you learn from them , mistakes will only help you grow .

a friend of mine recently found his contractor to redo his kitchen in the paper edition of the yellow pages ! his approach was that he wanted an experienced contractor ; and it is less likely that new companies will pay for paper ads . older contractors running small businesses never turned to online advertising as they keep on getting jobs from word of mouth . i think it links to ‘ be wary of advertising’ . though it was a brilliant idea . guillaume – urltoken

great article , it’s very important to find a good contractor and i absolutely agree that experienced contractors don’t need advertising .

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® is a registered trademark licensed to sotheby ' s international realty affiliates , inc . independently owned and operated

the subject who is truly loyal to the chief magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures .

with 50 employees and current annual revenue at close to $ 5 - million , the company has grown 50 per cent year over year for the past three years .

ms . peterson , 49 , who ' s also the ceo , previously worked in senior management positions for p & g and then kraft foods for 12 years , on brands such as nabob coffee , philadelphia cream cheese and toblerone .

i could have created all sorts of other ideas – directories , photos , credentials and licenses – but really it all boiled down to what is a great predicator of having a successful outcome ? in hiring a contractor , you really want to know how they ' ve conducted themselves with past clients . it ' s sort of like a job interview . your past success will be a great predictor of your future success .

sure , no one is a perfect 10 . we tell this to companies all the time . they might have some bad clients along the way or miscommunication or maybe one of their employees did a bad job . but ultimately , if they make it right and are a good company doing great work time and time again , that ' s who people want to find and hire .

your advertisers are the same people being critiqued . what are your rules around that ?

companies can advertise , whether they have reviews or not . i look at advertising and reviews like church and state ; like movie advertising in newspapers . movies can advertise but it can ' t affect their rating .

we read everything before it goes up so we ' re actually not automating that process . we were the first to flag reviews four years ago , even before yelp , so if a review is taken down for any reason , we put up a marker for that user . it may be because it ' s being investigated or because a home owner asks us to take it down .

i took a call from a homeowner this morning who said the contractor had threatened them over a negative review so we took it down . the review is then marked , ' removed by homeowner ' . that ' s a strong signal if the review is removed by the homeowner .

i ' d say 99 per cent of reviews removed by homeowners are because they ' re afraid for some reason or been harassed or bribed to take down their review . sometimes it ' s a positive review but they still want it removed because they ' re not happy with the company anymore .

sometimes a company says they don ' t recognize the work – for example , they ' ll say they ' ve never done work in aurora – but if we get back proof that the homeowner hired this company , then the negative review stays up .

it ' s a bit of a black box only because companies want to game . therefore none of us will communicate how we moderate but we look at the technical things that come in that we can check . then there ' s the actual moderated experience on the company . if they ' ve been gaming before , we do certain things based on the situation . we have a pretty button - down process but things can slip through the cracks . we also have whistle blowers . a company contacted us last week about suspicious activity on a competitor ' s page that we had missed , so we investigated .

how a company is ranked by reviewers can really affect how they ' re seen on the site – the more good things your customers say about a company , the higher they rank . contested reviews are immediately removed and fact checked . if something isn ' t legitimate , we ' ve done measures such as remove our ' best of awards ' rating or disqualified them from ' best of awards ' .

you wouldn ' t believe how angry companies get at us . we walk a fine edge . we ' re loved and hated . at the end of the day , we know we ' re doing the right thing if companies hate us . we ' re living up to doing what we ' re trying to do which is to be the most trusted source .

we just started by building a really good body of reviews in toronto . the first thing i did was go to a home show to find homeowners planning to work on their homes . that was a great move . we still participate at home shows across canada .

the other was finding individuals who are committed . my cto has been with me from the beginning . having pivotal people work with you can absolutely make or break a company .

we worked remotely for the longest time but now we have an office . we take a hybrid approach where we work both remotely and centrally . past 50 people , you need to have more of a core central space . rent is a big expense but it can also accelerate your growth if you bring people together . when you ' re starting a company , you really have to pick and choose what you ' re investing in .

we all use skype as a virtual water cooler for daily questions and funny stories going on across the country . then every month we have virtual calls we ' ve named " the heartbeat " . it ' s just a nice way of getting everybody up to date on all activities in the organization , past successes and what our objectives are for the month . we usually have about 25 per cent of the people in the office and the rest just patching in . it ' s a presentation so we use gotomeeting and google + . then we publish the video on google + private community .

for the annual meeting , we book a resort in ontario to bring every single person together offsite for three days . we ' ve done it for four years now . it ' s fantastic for our culture . we sit around the campfire and have fun olympics with people on different teams so they get to know each other .

the constant challenge is building that flywheel of relevant good content in every market . we ' re locally based so we have the constraint that , for example , you have to live in toronto and have hired somebody in toronto in order to write a review . you can ' t write a review on a company you ' ve never hired . other review sites allow that but what good is that ? it ' s irrelevant .

you can just use a translator . it requires dedicated new resources so we haven ' t crossed that bridge .

when we first first launched , we scaled so we could build in the u . s . , but realized it would have required tens of millions of dollars in venture funding , so we took a different track . we ' re focused on canada .

really define what you ' re trying to accomplish . we ' ve stuck true to our mission of helping homeowners since the very beginning . also , the ' hows ' and ' whats ' can be figured out , but answering your ' why ' will not only help shape what gets you up in the morning but why other people will want to work with you .

welcome to the globe and mail’s comment community . this is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and globe staff . non - subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way . click here to subscribe .

if you would like to write a letter to the editor , please forward it to letters @ urltoken . readers can also interact with the globe on facebook and twitter .

welcome to the globe and mail’s comment community . this is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and globe staff .

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information is the one tool that ' s essential for any job around the house . and while content about home ownership , renovation and maintenance is now widely available on all media , it ' s not always easy to identify reliable sources of unbiased , well - researched material . here are a few examples of books , magazines , and websites that offer up the best tool of all – good information .

the king of canadian contractors , mike holmes , believes that homeowners must educate themselves before starting out on any home project . to help with the process , he has released a new book , make it right : inside home renovation with canada ' s most trusted contractor , which is an a - to - z primer for home renovation projects .

the book includes advice on how to identify a good contractor , and direction on how to handle such issues as permits , deposits , contracts and material changes .

there are specific chapters on bathroom , kitchen and basement renovations as well as detailed sidebars with holmes ' take on features such as bump - outs , in - house sprinklers and ventilation . each of these chapters also provides a list of the top - 10 project - related issues holmes thinks homeowners need to know about .

there ' s also a useful glossary of building terms and products . with a list price of $ 33 , holmes ' book is an excellent resource for anyone buying a new house or renovating their existing home . for more information , go to the website www . holmesonhomes . com .

if you ' re in a bookstore looking for holmes ' book , stop by the magazine section and check out a copy of canadian home workshop . i ' ve just started picking up this publication , and have found it a great source of information on new products , fix - it techniques and design ideas – despite the fact that i ' m not a woodworker . i ' ve also become a frequent reader of the " ask a pro " forum on the magazine ' s website , where readers can post queries and get advice on everything from how to dry cherrywood to how to remove stucco from a ceiling . to check it out , go to urltoken and click on ask a pro .

reviews can include information on everything from a company ' s pricing , delivery to work habits and follow - up . to keep it fair , reviews are vetted , and the companies cited are invited to respond . launched just a year ago , the site already has about 14 , 000 listings of companies in the greater toronto area and about 6 , 000 in vancouver . there ' s no charge to use peterson ' s site .

and if you ' re looking for further proof that good information doesn ' t have to be pricey , visit the canada mortgage and housing site ( www . cmhc . ca ) , which is probably the most underutilized source of home - related information for canadian consumers .

cmhc covers a variety of topics related to home ownership , including buying a home , getting your home ready to sell and securing a mortgage . there are also step - by - step guides to renovating a home , creating barrier - free housing and using environmentally friendly building materials and processes . cmhc has also launched a series of online maintenance videos that cover such topics as roofing care , cleaning mould and adapting homes for seniors .

not all information on the cmhc site is free , but the average homeowner can find a wealth of material without having to spend a penny .

the website of the canadian home builders ' association is also a good source of information about all aspects of home building and renovation , and it can be accessed at www . chba . ca .

comprehensive information on sustainable building materials is especially hard to come by . however , there are two sites i ' ve found offering lists of companies that supply products and services to environmentally friendly building initiatives , and they are a good place to start .

one site is related to the sustainable condo project , built in collaboration with cmhc and the ecosmart foundation ( www . sbtc . ca ) and on view last fall in toronto as part of the green building festival . this educational display is designed to promote sustainable building design , products , technologies and systems . you can find a list of the companies that participated in it by going to www . sustainablecondo . com .

if green building sources are what you ' re after , you may also be interested in the all terrain cabin , a design project created by bark , a not - for - profit design collective based in vancouver . the atc was recently on display in toronto at the metro home show .

using a shipping container as a base structure , bark created a prototype for a sustainable cabin - like structure that would fit a family of four . it ' s still an exercise in design and not a product you can purchase , but it ' s a great showcase of homegrown environmentally - friendly products and services . the list of companies that provided materials or products for the all terrain cabin is available on the collective ' s site www . barkbark . ca .

is a toronto - based freelance writer whose work also appears on www . lovemyplace . com . write to her at vicky @ lovemyplace . com .

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after wading into the unknown for her own home renovations , nancy peterson launched a website where previous customers can post reviews - good or bad - about contractors , painters , plumbers , cleaners , etc .

nancy peterson wanted to give her 60 - year - old house a facelift — a new kitchen , an updated master bathroom , new windows and refinished hardwood floors .

there was just one problem . she didn ' t know any reputable contractors . “it was pretty daunting , ” she says .

realizing other homeowners faced the same situation , peterson decided to do some problem - solving . in 2006 , she launched

jump ahead four years . the site has 250 , 000 companies listed on it from across canada , including 50 , 000 in toronto . now , if you want to hire an electrician , you ' re no longer in the dark about finding someone other people liked . “homeowners are more empowered , ” peterson says .

there is no charge for homeowners to read or post reviews on the site , or for companies to be listed . companies can pay to upgrade to a premium listing , which includes photos , additional information and an ad on competitors ' pages . however , a premium listing does not guarantee a better ranking . companies with the most and best reviews rank the highest .

prior to launching the website , peterson held senior marketing positions at major corporations , including kraft foods and procter & gamble .

“it was hard to leave a good paying job and start a company where you are not going to make a salary for a long time , ” she says . but peterson believed in her idea — a sort of tripadvisor site for home renovations .

the site broke even in 2008 . since then , profits have been reinvested in the company to fund growth — building new markets and adding new staff . there are now 13 employees , compared to four at the beginning .

urltoken from its previous owner . “it wasn ' t a $ 49 buy . ”

there was also a staff transition . peterson realized the team that built the website focused on toronto didn ' t have the tools to build a scalable website , one that could easily add reviews about contractors from other cities .

in mid - 2007 , she let the original team go . “it was a very hard decision to make , ” she says .

a new team built a scalable site , which was ready for initial release in late 2007 .

the original plan was to launch the new site in canada and , at the same time , launch a site in boston . but that was too much to bite off at once .

the site not only benefits homeowners , it ' s also a useful tool for contractors — although they didn ' t all see it that way at first . in the early stages , some worried a negative review would drive away business .

that ' s a lot of homeowners grateful they could read reviews . and that ' s a lot of companies who will benefit from those reviews .

to think , it all started because peterson wanted a new kitchen . now , that ' s a renovation that has paid off .

a i realized the most fun was taking something that wasn’t doing so well but had potential and growing it . i had gone through a renovation and finding the right contractors was a daunting process . it blew me away that the companies i worked for spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on market research but there was nothing in the home improvement field for homeowners — a $ 40 - billion industry . at the time tripadvisor was in its nascent stage and seeing those reviews was my aha moment .

a right after closing that round of financing , i launched in both toronto and boston because all the vcs filled my head with the fact i had to go to the u . s . i kept hearing ‘we don’t want to fund a canadian - only company’ from the vcs . that’s still true today . we weren’t ready for boston . to launch in two centres when your content is very local requires a lot of resources . we hired a community manager in toronto who was able to get 1 , 000 reviews pretty quickly for us but we didn’t have the sales infrastructure set up to convert those to sales , which is difficult because it takes time for reviews to do anything for a company’s business .

a we’ve had to raise money about every two years . we’re in a position now where we can self - fund but that’s taken nine years . you can scale a lot faster if you’re venture backed .

bringing in key individuals during growth stages is important . i’ve had to make some difficult decisions in the past three years about senior people who’ve been with me when i realized they weren’t the right leaders to help us grow fast . one of two key people i’ve brought on is our head of engineering , who is focused on agile development . my first cto was phenomenal in the early days , but wasn’t able to scale the engineering team and get his hands off the keyboard . another person who has made a dramatic difference is our cfo . we had a pretty good grounding on churn and its economics , but until we brought on these two key people we didn’t think of ourselves as a software company . they’ve helped us get into that mindset .

a it’s fundamental to having a great business . the foundation of our culture is trust . our no . 1 stakeholder is the homeowner . everyone has to be aligned to that . if our sales team doesn’t feel a company is a good , ethical company , we don’t want their ads .

a we are focused on being the most trusted source for home - service contractors in canada .

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negative feedback : online review sites should push businesses to improve their facilities . some have decided paying for fake reviews is an easier way to go about things

this might sound a theatre critic ' s dream , but craigslist ' s " get $ 5 for yelp review " leaves less room for such notions .

it ' s the seamy side of an online reviews industry which has enticed clickfarms in bangladesh , lawyers in london , and new york ' s attorney general .

and now , the uk ' s competitions and market authority ( cma ) as well , which is opening an investigation using its consumer enforcement powers , and pondering further action .

the cma is also planning an international project on online reviews and endorsements , to coincide with britain ' s year - long presidency of the international consumer protection and enforcement network , which starts 1st july .

it ' s big business , these new crowdsourced yellow pages of the internet . a hearty 62 % of british consumers say they are likely to be affected by positive online reviews - with negative ones , that soars to 89 % .

once upon a time , we kept our stiff upper lips , and we kept online opinions stoically to ourselves .

then along popped amazon and ebay in 1994 and 1995 , and with them our habit of scrawling online our joy or chagrin with each latest acquisition .

we now measure ourselves and businesses against an economy of likes , follows , and stars .

one in sixteen of the people online across the world visited tripadvisor last july . the website gains 139 reviews each minute .

trustpilot ' s partnership with google means it provides many of the ratings provided with the search engine ' s results .

and yelp ' s 77 million reviews pulled in 142 million visitors in the first three months of 2015 .

restaurants which increase their ranking on the platform by one star raise revenue by 5 - 9 % , according to harvard business school assistant professor michael luca .

" negative reviews are the most useful because they continue to challenge our methods , and teach us more about what our customers want , " says charlo carabott , managing director of mazuma mobile , a watford mobile phone recycling company .

he says his company engaged with an early spate of negative reviewers , publicly answering their complaints , and now boasts a 9 . 8 out of 10 trustscore on trustpilot , with 100 , 000 reviews .

but for every business like mr carabott ' s , there ' s another with a more negative reaction . some will even turn around and sue their critic . others pen fake reviews , then slate their competition .

london - based pimlico plumbers sued yelp in 2014 for " defamatory and disgusting " reviews .

they were ultimately taken down as part of a settlement , says vince sollitto , yelp ' s senior vice president .

he says anonymous speech is better protected in america than in england and wales , where websites can be required to hand over a reviewer ' s identity under the defamation act of 2013 .

and new york attorney general eric schneiderman announced in september 2013 that 19 companies had agreed to cease posting fake reviews and pay penalties from $ 2 , 500 to $ 100 , 000 ( £1 , 600 - £64 , 000 , €2 , 225 - 88 , 990 ) .

the companies ranged from a dentist , a cosmetic surgery , an adult entertainment chain , and the charter - coach giant us coachways .

" it would seem 10 - 30 % of online reviews are fake , based on what i ' ve seen , " said a veteran of this investigation in the new york attorney general ' s office , who did not wish to be named .

the typical business leaving fake positive reviews - known as boosting - has either few reviews or a recent crop of negative reviews . companies also write fake negative reviews - vandalising - attacking the competition .

" at the moment , we will have around 3 % of the reviews that are flagged , that ' s either proactively by users or by ourselves , " says trustpilot ' s james westlake . by context , he adds , the website has one new review every five seconds .

" the reason is quite simple . when was the last time you checked a review of burger king or mcdonald ' s ? nobody does that , " says dr georgios zervas , assistant professor at boston university , who studies internet markets .

he says the number of reviews rejected as suspicious by yelp , 16 % , at present , has increased yearly .

there are several telltale signs of fake reviews . they are often shorter , and more extreme , clustered at either end of the scale .

too many reviews , or from the same ip address , at the same time is another sign , says jenny sussin , an analyst with technology research firm gartner .

tripadvisor uses " approximately 50 filters " , applied by automated systems , says adam medros , who heads its product development .

" you have interconnectedness of attributes between people , devices , and locations that aren ' t normal , and they stand out against backdrop of normal behaviour , " he says .

firms suspected of doctoring reviews receive a scarlet letter , a red badge alerting readers that reviews submitted for that business have raised suspicions .

it ' s a cat and mouse game , says mr medros , which he confesses he finds geekily intriguing .

" there ' s always going to be an arms race , a little bit , around the tech different people are using , and the ways we use to detect them , " he says .

" they ' re getting better , we ' re seeing this in past years , " says trustpilot ' s mr westlake .

" we identify fraudulent activity and it morphs , like a cold virus . "

many scammers are recent computer science graduates from developing countries such as bangladesh , india , and the philippines .

in the short term , it is easy for them to fake an ip address , but harder to manage this at scale without tripping alarms .

websites like yelp have also engaged in more cloak - and - dagger ways to tease out illicit behaviour , posing as scammers , or businesses searching to hire them .

if those caught cooperate , it is another source of intelligence into the other side ' s dark arts .

" it turned out we were able to get people to admit they were fake , " says the specialist from the new york attorney general ' s office .

" it was a combination of people coming clean , and the occasional email providing enough of a gotcha , " he says .

part of the reason , suggests yelp ' s mr sollitto , could be local small businesses are the last part of the business world to be brought online .

most still spend nearly all their advertising budget in traditional ways , even as studies show consumers searching for and finding them online .

" partly , they get to control the message , the copy , the one - way advertising , even though the reality is that no longer works , " he says .

it will take some time for the small business market to come to accept " all these old - fashioned methods are worthless " .

" what really matters is online , and online you can ' t control a message . you can only earn a reputation . "

the foreign secretary quits , telling theresa may " needless self - doubt " is leading to " semi - brexit " .

karim hajee , father of four , wanted to turn his two - bedroom bungalow into a five - bedroom dream home . like dozens of others , he entrusted his big renovation to adam gardin .

karim hajee stands in front of the big hole in the ground left behind after major renovations on his bungalow were halted . hajee is one of a group of people who say they have been left in the lurch after a builder , garcon building group , ran into financial difficulty .

karim hajee stands inside his gutted home after major renovations on his bungalow were halted . hajee is one of a group of people who say they have been left in the lurch after a builder , garcon building group , ran into financial difficulty .

hajee said gardin’s 10 - year - old company , garcon building group , gutted his north york house in october , dug the hole in november , and abandoned the site in the middle of december .