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Platinum Doping II
When does milk stop becoming milk? We all know what it is-- a whitish liquid containing proteins, fats, lactose, and various vitamins and minerals. Should there be a point when, if we tamper with its composition, we should no longer be allowed to call it milk? The answer would seem to be no if you go to your local grocer. There is soy milk, 2%, low-fat, skim, lactose-free, and whole milk just to name a few. There appears to be no end to the amount of diluting or modifying of milk that will cause the consumer to yell foul. But, what if they start marketing a type of milk called "Royal Milk," "Tru Milk," or "Simply Milk" and told you it was "dip your chocolate chip cookie in it" good! Tasty and more affordable than regular milk. Would you go buy it? What if you discovered that these new milk products were simply one gallon of fresh, cold delicious milk and one gallon of tap water; does that sound like "Royal Milk," "Tru-Milk," or "Simply Milk?" How much tap water would you allow to be mixed with your precious milk before you simply wouldn’t drink or buy it anymore? One gallon? Two gallons? Or, would you allow three gallons of tap water with your milk?
A few months ago I raised my hand (politely) and helped tell anyone who would listen that companies were watering down platinum and I didn’t think it was right. In my first article "Platinum Doping" I explained all the pitfalls to diluting platinum and how you the consumer could protect yourself. Unfortunately, manufacturers are trying to stay one step ahead of all of us. Instead of picking a new name for their product that would easily identify it for what it is, they are riding platinum’s coattails and clever marketing to get you to purchase their product. It reminds me of the folks who like to put "low fat" in front of everything they sell to make you feel better about eating an Oreo cookie. "Low fat" and "No fat" is hardly the same thing. Platinum and low platinum aren’t either. By introducing products into the market under the brand name "Royal Platinum," "Tru-Platinum," or "Simply Platinum" when they aren’t royal, 100% True, or just simply platinum is crossing the line. In my last article I reported how copper and cobalt were being used to dope platinum. Now these pseudo-platinum products are being created by mixing $889 an ounce platinum with $200.00 an ounce palladium, then marketing them with a lot of interesting claims: "As good as," "100% hypo-allergenic," and "Pure precious metal."
If just one person gets a piece of cheap imitation platinum jewelry and believes it to be the real thing it is one person too many in my book. Obviously, we all understand what the marketers are trying to do. They are trying to bring platinum to the masses. If the masses can’t afford it we’ll just dope it down and dilute it ‘till they can. They believe that the average Joe is just too stupid to understand he’s being screwed! Guess what? I’m an average Joe and I’m not stupid. I’ll write a new article every time someone pulls a fast one. I’ll keep you informed. In the mean time, if someone wants to put the word "Royal," "Tru," or "Simply" in front of your platinum please know it isn’t really platinum. Now I’ve got one more question for you:
"GOT MILK?"
What Can We Do About It?
Currently, this issue is before the Federal Trade Commission (F.T.C.). You can make a difference by combining voices. Follow the steps below and let your voice be heard!
- Go to: http://secure.commentworks.com/ftc-jewelry
- You will see a welcome screen that contains a Federal Trade Commission "Comment Form."
- Insert requested contact information, and comments, into the "Comment Form."
- Click "Continue" and follow remaining instructions in order to submit the document to the FTC.
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by Fred Cuellar, author of the best-selling
book "How to Buy a Diamond." More questions? Ask
the Diamond Guy®
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