REALLY upset! Need to vent!

[BriBee]

Well, I''m really upset and need to vent (obviously, as this is the title of my topic). Today I noticed that if I held my ring up to my ear and moved it around, I could hear a little rattling noise. I don''t know why I was shaking my ring near my ear, but I was, and this is what happened. At first I thought I was being paranoid and maybe it was my watch or something. I took off the watch and tried it again and sure enough, I hear the rattling. I showed my mom and FI and they heard it too. I inspected my ring and couldn''t find the culprit, but I knew something was loose so I e-mailed my jeweler right away. Well, when I got home I inspected the ring more closely and found not only that several small stones seem to be loose, but the CENTER stone is loose as well

I''ve only been wearing the ring for 2 months and I''m devastated! Needless to say I''m NOT wearing the ring anymore, and I''m really sad/worried/upset by this. Thankfully, and amazingly, I haven''t lost any of the stones, they just seem to be loose. I know that losing stones or having little issues comes with the territory when you have pave, bead set, prong set, etc....but after only 2 months???!!!????
Well, I guess that''s all I have to say, and I know it may sound dumb, but I have a lump in my throat like I might really cry. It just sucks that we saved all this money and I got my dream ring that I''m supposed to have forever, and I feel like it''s literally falling apart!

Thanks for listening ladies (and any gents that might read this too)

 

[monarch64]

Whoa....Bribee....I appreciate the fact that you need to vent, but really...don''t worry. You haven''t lost any stones, and your hearing is fabulous because you could actually hear the rattling of your stones in their setting. That''s something to be happy about, now isn''t it?

I understand that you spent a lot of money on your ring and thought that you''d have no issues because of that, but unfortunately that is not always the way it works. Stones become loose in their settings all the time, whether it is from wear and tear, or workmanship, or whatever. It happens. You are so lucky not to have lost any stones, and now you can just go to your jeweler and have your prongs tightened ensuring that your stones really are secure.

I think that after maybe a year of wearing my solitaire, I started to hear a rattling sound when I wore it and quickly realized my center stone was loose. I even was able to jiggle it around within its four prong setting a bit with my fingers!

DH took it to our jeweler and they tightened up the prongs on site right then and there. No big deal, no stone lost, nothing to freak out about.

Looks like (from your avatar pic) you have a halo surrounding your center stone...so some of your melee have come loose as well as the center? I would have your jeweler inspect the integrity of the setting all around, tighten the prongs, and of course this should all be at no cost to you. Again, it''s good that you were so quick to notice your stones were loose and are not wearing the ring until it is repaired so you don''t risk losing stones. Everything will be fine, your ring will be fixed and as good as new.

As far as wear and tear on your ring...the littlest things can jar a stone in its setting and cause it to come loose. It is not necessarily the jeweler''s fault that loose stones happen...I''m not saying you are to blame at all but just remember that when we wear our rings on a daily basis things happen that we''re not even aware of sometimes that might compromise the integrity of the setting and cause a stone to become loose! No matter how much you spend on a ring, there is ALWAYS the risk that it will not just last forever, usual maintenance done on it or no, and regardless of its age.

Best of luck with your ring in the future...I hope your jeweler is able to resolve the issue quickly and you have your ring back on your hand in no time!

 

[Deelight]

Bribee I can fully understand how you would be upset I know I would be UBER anxious myself but like monarch said at least you have heard it and have not lost any stones.

Hopefully the jeweler can fix it you may just need to get the prongs re-tightened.

GL

 

[Dandi]

You poor love, that's not a nice feeling

All you want is to be able to wear your beautiful Ering and you can't for fear of losing a diamond! But like monarch pointed out, what a wonderful thing that you realised now, while all the diamonds are still present. When I received my Ering one of the claws was cracked, unbeknowns to myself, and it didn't come to light until I was inspecting it closely and found the centre diamond was spinning in its setting. EEK. NOT a nice feeling at all!

I hope it's all resolved for you very soon!

 

[Sundial]

I certainly understand why you are upset. You have a beautiful ring and you want it to be perfect and worry free, but as frustrating as it is these things do happen. As others have stated at least you discovered it and didn''t lose any stones. I have a pink sapphire ring in a straight bezel setting that had the same problem. Out of no where one day the stone was so loose I could actually see it move within the setting. My jeweler tightened it up though and now I just know that I need keep a closer eye on it. The same thing with my Tiffany Swing three row ring. I lost a little stone and never even knew where it fell out and I had only owned that ring for a few months. They replaced it for free, but it was a pain because I live 400 miles from the nearest Tiffany''s. As much as we love our jewelry and want it to be durable enough to never have any problems these are delicate complicated pieces that do require some maintenance at times. I hope your jeweler can at least fix things to a degree where you are comfortable to wear and enjoy your ring!

 

[BriBee]

Thanks for all the kind words and advice. Now that I''ve slept on it I feel a little better, just so BUMMED not to be able to wear the ring. FI has told me to wear something else he''s given me over the years until I get mine back, which is fine, it''s just not my baby

The only other thing that kind of stinks is that I''m on the Central Coast in CA and my jeweler is in So. Cal. so I have to ship the ring and all that which just adds to the waiting time and the nerves. I guess I knew going in that melee can come loose pretty easily, and I guess I just expected that it wouldn''t happen so soon, nor that the center would actually come loose. However, I have realized that I am SO LUCKY not to have lost any stones, esp the center! I must admit (a little shamefully

) that I did cry last night as FI and I were going to bed and he reminded me that it''s just a ring, and it doesn''t change the fact that we''re together and getting married and that it will all work out in the end, which made me feel better too (I guess that''s just another reason that I''m marrying him

)

 

[Mara]

why don't you just take it into a local jeweler that you trust and have them check the stones on the ring. i wouldn't have it shipped just to have prongs tightened or checked.

my center stone comes loose sometimes if i don't get the prongs checked (you should have this done about 2x a year), and i just take it in and have them tighten them. depends on how you wear the ring and the nature of the setting but stones coming loose is not unusual...many PS'ers have lost melee from rings like yours, they just have them replaced. even though i get most of my stuff through PS vendors, i have local vendors check and clean my ring 2x a year if not more just because it's easier that way. i have had local jewelers also resize my rings because i didn't want to ship them away.

no need to be so upset...i do understand it's a drag, but it is fixable quite easily, then you can wear the ring again. also not sure if you have insurance but i would get it, because then if something does happen, you are totally covered.

 

[BriBee]

Thanks for the advice Mara, I am actually in the process of getting it appraised/insured, but when I found the loose stones I figured that I should get those fixed before I go any further so that the ring is in tip top shape for the insurance. My jeweler got back to me earlier today and told me to ship it overnight tomorrow, and that I''d have it back by Wed. morning, so that turn arond isn''t so bad. If you don''t mind my asking, do your local jewelers charge much for the inspections, or little repairs that you have them do? That was the other reason for shipping it back because then I wouldn''t have to pay for the repairs. However, with the cost of shipping and insurance on the shipping, I wonder if it''s worth it to just take it to a local place, pay them, and then I don''t pay shipping and I have the peace of mind that it''s here with a local jeweler I trust. Also, if you come back and read this, I think I''ve read that you''re in northern CA, is this right? I''m wondering if you can suggest anyone to go to for insurance (preferably Chubb) because it''s becoming harder and harder for me to find someone. I''ve already exhausted my immediate local contacts, so now I need to branch out a little further. I figured I might also go through the link on the WF site and see where that takes me.

 

[BriBee]

PS...to myself....I did a search on Touchstone, and it seems like that''s a great way to get a Chubb policy, so I think I''ll do that. (is it OK that I thread jacked myself???

)

 

[Mara]

"If you don''t mind my asking, do your local jewelers charge much for the inspections, or little repairs that you have them do? That was the other reason for shipping it back because then I wouldn''t have to pay for the repairs. "

___________

Bri the place I take my ring to locally doesn''t charge me at all actually. I have never paid them a dime. They resized my rings, they check my prongs, they clean my rings. They are awesome. If I ever purchase something locally, it would probably be from them...but they are a tiny neighborhood shop that mostly sells vintage pieces (and Eightstars!) so I don''t know that I will shop there very often but I recommend them whenever I have the chance. However...I don''t think that small repairs at a typical shop would be all that much really. I know that there are some gals on here who have lost melee who pay to get them replaced and if I recall it''s not that expensive. So I would imagine just checking prongs is not going to be that much, maybe like $20?

For me when I find a loose stone or something bugs me, I like knowing I can just go in and have someone check it out. My stone and ring are so unique and I trust this place so I don''t worry about switching or anything like that. I also personally hate shipping my stuff out so whenever I don''t have to, I will try not to. I just am so paranoid about shipping overall, so I prefer to do it as little as possible rather than worry.

Also re Chubb, I got my insurance policy through HUB International in SF. I used Carla Yanese but I don''t think she is there anymore. However, not sure if HUB is still doing Chubb, so you might want to check. And yeah if you can do it through Touchstone, I''d use them for sure.

 

[Fly Girl]

You should find a local jeweler to inspect your rings. I have several jewelry stores that I drop into regularly. You take a look around while they are checking your rings, and maybe you will buy something more from them. It''s just a good business practice on their part to encourage people to come into their stores. You''ll quickly figure out who is interested in your future business.

 

[~*Alexis*~]

Things like that happen....I love my H VS1 .50 emerald cut that I bought on my own this past summer. I did not have insurance...I only had it for 2 months. So I can see why you are bummed.

Have a local jeweler check it out for you...hate to say it but on maul store in particular here has always been really helpful. But I would make sure that if you have a warranty on your ring that it would not void it because you had someone else take a look at it.

Glad you found out now rather than later....contact Chubb and get some insurance too...you will be glad you did!!

 

[BriBee]

Thanks again for all the advice, thanks to Mara for the insurance info, I think I am going to try going through touchstone. I ended up shipping my ring this morning and since I haven''t gotten it insured yet, I insured the package through FedEx. In the end, I would have probably saved money going to a local jewelery since I had to pay FedEx for insurance and priority overnight. I think I''ll just have my jeweler down south handle this one, and then go to my local place from now on. Since I went through a family friend for the ring, there''s no store warranty attached to the ring.
I will be sending my ring to get appraised as soon as it comes back and then get insurance on it ASAP!!!

Alexis - you said that you bought a ring and did not have insurance and only had it for 2 months? I''m assuming the past tense (HAD) means you no longer have the ring, what happened?

 

[surfgirl]

Bri, Ralph at Touchstone is great to work with and very responsive to clients. We went through him for our Chubb policy and he made it so easy...

 

[~*Alexis*~]

I bought it and wore it around for the 2 months....my brother was getting married and I was on the way to the airport to go and pick some people up and my ring knocked against the window and it fell out....needless to say I never found the diamond...BUT when I junk my car...i will be TEARING it apart looking for it. Not kidding. I am going to rip out the carpet on the drivers side and everything.
I still have the setting, and since the setting was second hand I basically got such a good deal I bought it for the diamond. H VS1 .50 for $1,000 Emerald Cut.

If you do a search under my name you can find it I think...there are pics floating around...it was a depressing day thats for sure.

 

[BriBee]

Date: 1/7/2008 1:23:11 PM
Author: surfgirl
Bri, Ralph at Touchstone is great to work with and very responsive to clients. We went through him for our Chubb policy and he made it so easy...

Thanks surfgirl, did you work with him recently? When I was going through all the Chubb posts my biggest dilemma was finding recent ones that could recommend people, but it seems that Touchstone will work which is a relief since everything else has been a dead end to me, and partly the reason why I haven''t gotten insurance yet.

Alexis - wow, that stinks about your ring, but I would totally do what you''re planning and just tear that car apart! Who knows what else you might find

 

[surfgirl]

Bri, Ralph does a huge volume of business for Chubb on insurance policies for valuables like erings. Which is why he is easy to work with. Most Chubb agents have no clue as to whether or not they can even issue such a policy and aren''t willing to find out. Because of the volume of policies that Ralph writes, its a piece of cake to him, so long as your value is at a certain level...I think it has to be of X value but I''m not sure...

 

[sap483]

Bri- I''m so sorry you''re upset. I''m glad you noticed it before your stone was lost. Can I also say that I just noticed mine rattling too. This is the second time since having my e-ring that I''ve read a thread about someone stone being loose and then subsequently shaken my ring and noticed that it''s doing the same thing. So wierd. I too will be off to my jeweler to have the prongs tightened. I''m starting to wonder if I need a different setting as this is the second time this has happened in less than a year.

 

[waterlilly]

 

[waterlilly]

I was told when I first got my ring that I HAD to have it inspected at 6 months because it was not uncommon for prongs to be loose or not sit 100% once the ring started getting every day use. I wouldn''t freak. If it isn''t insured, you definitely should keep it in a safe place until you get them tightened. It''s not worth losing a stone for! I also purchased an ebay CZ ring that is identical to my e-ring to wear when I don''t feel comfortable wearing the real thing, check into one - it''s fun, and great for this sort of occasion!

 

[BriBee]

Date: 1/7/2008 9:27:20 PM
Author: waterlilly
I was told when I first got my ring that I HAD to have it inspected at 6 months because it was not uncommon for prongs to be loose or not sit 100% once the ring started getting every day use. I wouldn''t freak. If it isn''t insured, you definitely should keep it in a safe place until you get them tightened. It''s not worth losing a stone for! I also purchased an ebay CZ ring that is identical to my e-ring to wear when I don''t feel comfortable wearing the real thing, check into one - it''s fun, and great for this sort of occasion!

My dad actually suggested that I do this so I can maybe switch off wearing my e-ring and the "body double"

He told me I should get one custom made except with fakey stones, but after briefly looking into that, the cost was getting at or above 1,000 for that, which would kind of defeat the purpose. I''d rather get something small and simple and REAL for that amount (like a smaller ACA from WF, and then I could just upgrade through the years

)
I think I might check out e-bay though, thanks for the suggestion

 

[BriBee]

UPDATE: Shipped my ring to my jeweler Monday morning, and as of Wednesday morning at 9:44am, it is back on my finger, good as new!!! I''ll be taking it to the appraiser first thing tomorrow to get it appraised and get the insurance so I never have to stress out this much again!

 

[surfgirl]

So glad it worked out so well!

 

[ringplease]

So glad it worked out. I hope that I am as lucky next week when I send my ring back to Kelege! Enjoy it... and get it insured!!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

That is wonderful customer service, what a turn around! I am glad that it all worked out in the end!