help! custom ring gone awry

[valeria101]

I am sorry to hear this....

It may have saved you some grief if the jeweler would have provided HIS sketch of what he will make, or at least choose a drawing/model as the agreed-upon representation of the finished product. Perhaps not all jewelers are good draftsmen, but something could be done. Besides, someone working with CAD could make a great picture anyway. Some go to great length - exchanging pictures of semifinished jewelry (wax models or whatever applies).

Btw. there must be many cathedral settings with pave on the sides as you say. One from Precisionset has just been posted a few days ago on the 'Show me the ring' forum. That ring is set with a round, but the head can obviously be changed to accommodate a pear. If the ring is anything as you'd like, perhaps starting with an example like that as opposed to imprecise sketch would leave less leeway for overly biased, exaggerated interpretation

Is this anywhere close to what you are looking for?


Obviously the jeweler chose a quick&easy solution... what I don't understand is the huge gap between your description and the outcome. There surely are easy off-the rack cathedral settings for pears out there. One might look like THIS. It could probably be made loser and perhaps a cathedral-style bead set shank can be found too without custom work. The respective page gives an idea of how these rings are put togteher.

The parts... and the ring



Even the Precissionset ring above looks like a 'modular design' with the head holding the stone easy to change.

 

[mrssalvo]

bump for effie, did you see ana''s pictures?

 

[effie]

i did. they''re not QUITE what i''m looking for (the slope is a little too dramatic for my taste, i was looking for something a bit lower. hard to find, thus the custom work.)

i do want to point out that that drawing was HIS. thats what he gave us. we assumed that since the drawing was so very sketchy we naturally would see a wax. Well I guess you know what they say about when you assume.

In fact, when my fiance called to request to see a wax it was his impression that jeweler was never going to call us to ask if we wanted to check in on the process. All my fiance got to see was the finished shank, with the head laying next to it. My fiance not being a jeweler himself, didn''t realize that he was just going to plop the head on, not inset it into the ring. I think if i had been there I would have realized that (as would anybody on PS)...but alas. Besides, even if he had understood that the prongs wouldn''t be incorporated as we though, what could have been done? the plat was already cast.

 

[mrssalvo]

well, i think the fact that it''s HIS sketch and the ring looks nothing like it only helps lend to your side. in HIS sketch the head in down into the shank and not plopped on top. In his sketch there is a slight cathedral slope with NONE on the ring. He did not even come close to his own sketch. He needs to remake the ring at no charge or give you a full refund.

 

[decodelighted]

This stock setting kinda reminded me of the original ring sketch ... also, p-scoper SoulSis has something like it ... maybe she can weigh in with details on her ring.

 

[decodelighted]

I also saw this ring by Whiteflash that is about $1600

 

[mrssalvo]

effie,

here''s a Whiteflash custom ring...was yours to look something like this?

 

[mrssalvo]

Good find Deco

 

[decodelighted]

Or this one from Whiteflash that reminds me of Soulsis''s ring ... sits low like you want, but has a semi bezel .. $1580

 

[mrssalvo]

she''s a a pear shaped center stone...

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 12/3/2005 1:16:21 PM
Author: mrssalvo
she''s a a pear shaped center stone...

Ooopsise. Guess ya can''t semi-bezel a pear shaped stone, at least not in a stock piece

I like the pear custom one you found at Whiteflash, Mssalvo!! This whole thing is frustrating cause it seems, well, so DOABLE! (If the jeweler had know what he was doing)

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/3/2005 12:35:50 PM
Author: effie

i did. they''re not QUITE what i''m looking for (the slope is a little too dramatic for my taste, i was looking for something a bit lower.

Is this an example of the lower setting you are after? The peg heads or any that have all prongs come at a point under the diamond are usually high and definitely higher than a basket setting. It may help to show your next custom jeweler an example or detailed drawing. However, this is part of their work - and some shops go to great length to use Cad design software or detailed hand drawing when custom work is commissioned. It does help hold both parties responsible for the original agreement - with a scribble on the corner of a notebook anyone can pretend ''this is what I thought you wanted'' etc. Too bad it ever gets there

 

[effie]

mrs salvo- that ring is the closest i''ve seen in concept...

the whole problem presented to the jeweler was "we need a ring to accomodate a pear, but the pear has to sit relatively low b/c A. I HATE high pear settings ( i feel like i can poke an eye out) and B. Pears look a little funny to me in those high prongs esp from the side(rounds look much nicer) just my opinion...dont hate me those of you who may have something like that. And I want a cathedral, but nothing too dramatic, just a gentle slope (since i wear a 7.5 and the diamond is about 5 mm. wide, that should be easy). AND the basket can''t sit too low becuse i''d like to wear a wedding ring flush next to it. " I armed my fiance with pictures i drew (the jeweler specifically warned us not to bing pictures from a catalog etc, b/c he didnt want to feel he was copying anothers work. In any case, he assured us all things could be done. And as illustrated by that whiteflash ring, has been done. Though those diamonds are channel set, I would change them to pave, and maybe even that "fishtail" pave so that there is not too much metal on either side of each little diamond. THIS is exactly why we sought out custom work...because I can''t find the exact thing I''m looking for.

Actually, the original idea i had was to have a thin micro-pave band like one the one from vatche but just give it a little lift into a cathedral. We were told we wouldn''t be able to afford that in plat, and that the best he could do was three diamonds on either side, descending in size from .03 to .015. Obviously, since I spent months researching and poring over rings online, I knew that if we bought a stock piece we could get a hellofalot more for our money, but I considered that since this guy "handmade" his work, and since we were buying it from a boutique-ish shop, we were going to pay more for all the benefits that come along with that ie. artistry, personal attention etc. How dumb were we?

 

[valeria101]

... I wouldn''t know to do any better. You guys were out of luck, it seems.

 

[portoar]

Effie, I''m interested to know whether you ever got a resolution with the jeweler on your ring. I followed your thread and feel very sorry that you didn''t get what you want. Even inexperienced newbies like me can tell that the ring you got is not what was discussed and pictured. I would put future communication with this jeweler in writing to establish a paper trail of the defective work, demand a full refund, give him his platinum back, threaten to go to the bbb with the sketch, the finished ring, and a description of customary practice in custom work (i.e. providing wax model for customer approval) and then take your business elsewhere. It looks like WF has something close to what you want. Everyone here loves WF, and you know how exacting this group is.

 

[effie]

Is there a resource out there that describes this customary practice (wax etc) that would be excellent to have! If anyone knows of anything like this please PLEASE let me know.

you are all going to kill me, but i just looked at the "stone setting policy" that was given to my fiance for the millionth time and on it, staring me in the face is "CUSTOM ORDERS ARE NOT RETURNABLE" so tahts that- I can''t dispute this through visa thats for sure. Although isn''t that the policy for most custom jewelers?

So what legs do i have to stand on now? I suppose that I could argue that just as we agreed to his return policy, by drawing and signing that sketch he made an agreement to provide the pictured ring.

Oh my god. So much for reading the giant bold print. Now that I''ve seen that a lot of my conviction is gone...I mean I still think we were wronged, but I can''t see how we can get the 500 back. Ugh. what a waste. I guess I can insist that he produce the ring pictured, and when he doesnt I guess i could have a case then?

we''ll find out on tues. i''m actually nervous now. all this time i thought we were completely right (on a moral and common sense level i think we are...but maybe not so much on a policy level)

 

[decodelighted]

IMO your "custom order" was for the ring in the picture HE drew. That is where the implicit contract was violated. If he''d handed you a bubblegum ring would it not be returnable? That''d bear as much similarity to his drawing as your ring did. The only hitch is that you accepted it.

Small claims court may be in order if he doesn''t do the right thing. I hope you get your $ back. Every penny. Both parties assume risk - but it seems to me he never even intended/tried a bit to give you what you wanted and just hoped you''d take what you were given.

INFURIATING! (ohmigod - that PMS is really kicking my a** today.)

 

[windowshopper]

NO--you are incorrect. you did not order the ring you received so the contact does not apply. I GUARANTEE you if you write a letter to the BBB--and get the ball rolling with serious actions he will comply

 

[effie]

I''m right with you with the infuriation, decodelighted. and I agree, is the customer just expected to take what they get? i don''t know what to do now...i thought i was so RIGHT! like, of COURSE he can''t do this...theres no contract..when i think it actually appears now that hes working with us by offering the 1000. at least thats what visa says. according to them it''s a "good faith gesture."

i think the best likely outcome here is that he fixes it. ( i wont say redo, because he seemed opposed to that) but i don''t to wear a ring made for me by that #$&@!

and actually, to answer a previous post about whitefalsh- we did initially go to them, but they wanted us to mail them our diamond, understandible, but since this is an inherited diamond, on the off chance that it got lost my mother would have my fiance''s head on a platter. so we just didn''t feel comfortable.

 

[effie]

thanks windowshopper- please ignore my "#$&@!" as i know you have had good experiences with this guy. the more time i have to fret over things the worse things seem...i''m really hoping he''ll see my point on tues. and if he does, and it goes smoothly, i''m going to feel like dork for freaking out on here.

but knowing that so many people are in agreement makes me feel a lot better. i just break out in a cold sweat when i think "small claims court" or whatever horrific process i might have to go through.

 

[windowshopper]

Date: 12/3/2005 10:41:27 PM
Author: effie
thanks windowshopper- please ignore my ''#$&@!'' as i know you have had good experiences with this guy. the more time i have to fret over things the worse things seem...i''m really hoping he''ll see my point on tues. and if he does, and it goes smoothly, i''m going to feel like dork for freaking out on here.

but knowing that so many people are in agreement makes me feel a lot better. i just break out in a cold sweat when i think ''small claims court'' or whatever horrific process i might have to go through.

no do not apologize.............by the way I asked my friend from home who has bought quite a bit from him and she had a major problem with him as well. he always seemed so easy going.............but then to really think about it, the things i bought from him were his own designs............i think he may be one of those designers who cant do anything (really, well, true custom) but their own stuff

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/3/2005 10:34:46 PM
Author: effie

i think the best likely outcome here is that he fixes it. ( i wont say redo, because he seemed opposed to that) but i don''t to wear a ring made for me by that #$&@!

Between what you asked for (similar to WF ring, as far as I understand) and what you''ve got is such distance that this would take making a new ring. I can''t imagine what ''fix'' could bridge the gap there.

A little pressure (writing to BBB and/whatever professional organization the shop is part of) should help recuperate your cost. Even if these guys can''t exactly force the seller to do anything, I don''t think they would risk a pesky customer for $500.

If you can write those messages asap and have them (and the potential polite reply) down in a folder by the time you pass by the shop, it should do some good.

The ''good will'' gesture is also sign that the seller recognizes there is something wrong they need to make good for. And.... they will just go a step further, hopefully.

 

[TheDoctor]

Custom means custom.
You asked for a custom ring. You agreed to purchase the ring based on a picture.
The ring you received isn''t what was pictured, nor is it custom.

Obviously, the jeweller didn''''t have anything to do with the ring being made, other than shopping it out to the cheapest source. (A trained monkey could have made the ring you received)

You won''t likely get a refund, but you will probably get a credit. Have the jeweller send it to someone who knows what they are doing. You don''t need to go through this again.

 

[effie]

interesting info window shopper...was it a similar issue that your friend had? and was she satisfied with the outcome? it seems to me that all he had to do was show my fiance the wax....his reason for not doing so was "you can see it better with platinum" yes...you can... but its too late, sir. And according to my fiance he WAS very easy going. In fact, he really felt good working with him. It was really hard to make that call to let him know there was a problem...and i was so shocked at the reaction we got. I could hear him snapping at the poor boy over the phone.

Dr, i hope you''re wrong about the credit thing, because I definitely don''t want to have to work with him again.

valeria, do you think i should give him a copy of my letter of complaint to the BBB (should i have to file one)? As for professional organizations...i cant seem to find him on the JA or JVC list. What a mess! Obviously we didn''t do our research.

 

[windowshopper]

yes similar but it was for something much simpler -----------eventually she just said fine and walked--taking it as it was. Go online to the BBB of Virginia and file the complaint online---WRITE EVERYTHING in the letter then print--send a copy to your bank . Also called the state and ask about a fraud unit

 

[Gonzodogg]

all I have to say about this story is wow.
how could he have possibly thought that you would be happy with the ring he made for you? it looks NOTHING like the sketch

 

[TheDoctor]

I think "custom" has been re-defined in the last few years. It now means "not exactly out of the showcase".
I hope that you see a resolution to the annoyance with this jeweller.
The problem that you may have is that you initially accepted the ring.
The basic rule is, if it sucks, you mustn''t accept it.
The logical step is to return the ring, and express your disappointment while there are others in the store. You won''t need to perform in an angry manner if the owner is as reasonable to deal with as you have stated.

I hope that this all works out for you. Keep us posted.

 

[mrssalvo]

effie,
how it go with the jeweler?

 

[effie]

OK- Went to the jewelers today and heres how it went:

We got every dime back.

It wasn''t pretty- though I have to say the fiance did me proud. We showed him the drawing, and he did say he saw our point- but he was very defensive and insisted that he told my fiance about how it would look (i think he actually was insinuating that he offered to lower the prongs into the band, but my fiance said no...total fabrication). He very quickly asked us what we wanted, and I let him know that his hopes of keeping 500 dollars was not an acceptable arrangement. He said " So you think I shouldn''t get anything? For all the work I did?" We reminded hijm that it would have been less of a hassle if he had let us see a wax. He told us that there was a 350 dollar wax fee, which sounds fair except for the fact that he NEVER said anything about this before. So when he asked us again how much we would like back, we said all of it. And we got it...not without having to ignore dirty looks from the other two associates in the store of course. I''m sorry it ended that way, but I''m pretty convinced we were right. He does have a point that he spent time and money on it, but all of that could have been avaoided if he had been more straightforward with my fiance.

He left soon after, but he did shake our hands, offer us congratulations, and wished us luck. While we appreciate his attempt to make nice, (this seems to be his M.O....to act like a jerk and apologize a few moments later) I still obviously found the whole experience awful and would caution any potential customers about his poor (and SMUG- kept insisting that I need to go to a big jewelry store and find something there as if to say we''re too bourgeois to appreciate his work..all this tells me is that he doesnt understand the custom jewelry client) customer service. He did have really beautiful work in his cases (made by him), but unfortunately that didn''t translate well to his "custom" work. So if you''re contemplating a purchase from Marraccini Designs or Angelo, marraccinis shop in Charlottesville, buyer beware.

the one thing that makes me feel better about all of this is that we were nothing but complimentary and apologetic, and never once raised our voices. he did, and he was not apologetic, and i can only hope that realizes how poorly he treated us.

AND NOW FOR SOME UNEXPECTED GOOD NEWS: After we deposited the check we drove over to another C-Ville shop, Reines Jewelers, where I had eyed a few settings that were pretty perfect but out of our price range initially. The woman there was extremely nice and knocked over 500 dollars off an SES Creations plat micro-pave cathedral semi-mount that my fiance and i were in love with- so we bought it. So maybe the other guy was right- i needed to go to a "big" jewelry store to find what i wanted, but for just a little more money i got a finer, more graceful and more beautiful ring (and most importantly, with tons more melee diamonds!). I''m still a bit sad that my fiance didn''t get to help design a ring esp for me, but I feel like the whole thing was a little serendipitous (definitely impulsive...but i''ve learned so much about what i DONT want through this whole ordeal, that when I saw what i did want, i nabbed it.)

thanks so much to everyone that helped esp mrs salvo and windowshopper! i''ll post pics of the new ring once i get it...it''ll be after x-mas unfortunately, but will be worth the wait.

 

[mrssalvo]

Good for you

i know it was tough but you guys did good. congrats on finding a new ring and please post pics when you get it