Informal take in process

[TLS]

I left my stone with a local jeweler. The take in process included the jeweler doing a map of the clarity characteristics of the stone that these would be re-verified once the ring was set and I came to pick it up. I think he does that standard to reassure customers that no mistakes have been made with the stone. I think he took some general info on the stone and then our name and phone number - we didn''t have to advance any money yet for the setting.

The information was all put onto some type of ticket and we received the stub of the ticket with a ticket number.

Is this typical? I am now worried that I have nothing in writing regarding what was on the ticket and I didn''t sign anything and there was nothing in writing about Insurance etc. during the setting process.

I trust the jeweler and they have been in business for many many years, but I don''t know them personally and now I am worried that I left something so expensive with no proof of anything. I am a wee bit paranoid as well

Can anyone reassure me that this is fairly normal?

 

[TLS]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the response. Yes I do have faith in him.... however on my first trip in I had lots of questions and he quickly saw that I was consumer who did a lot of research

He was very nice about my questions... I did ask him if my stone would be covered if it was damaged during setting and he said "yes" but he seemed to hesitate and then said, but I do warn people there is some risk whenever a stone is being set... not sure what that means? why would he have to warn someone if the stone is insured? Anyway it didn''t leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy even though he seemed like a genuine decent guy... i found the setting i loved after searching what feels like ages and he had it. He said he would be concerned if the girdle was very thin, but otherwise there shouldn''t be a problem.

The conversation never came up again. I am putting my faith in him that nothing will go wrong... I know that he was a bench jeweler before he became the owner (or-co owner, not sure). He seems knowlegeable and they have a whole shop where he basically told me can do anything custom I would want.

I am hoping for the best here. My girdle according to GIA is medium to slightly thick and the sarin said it was thin to slightly thick. He looked at it and was not concerned at all.

That is really where the risk is right? the girdle? I can''t imagine what takes place in the setting process, maybe I don''t want to know. Is there really a ton of pressure on the stone?

thanks again.

 

[TLS]

Yah I understand your point and it is well taken, I am sure that is why he sounded like that... it just sort of leaves the customer feeling a little more worried and not at ease, but from what i gathered he seems to have a lot of experience.

If a girdle was slightly chipped somehow would that really impact the beauty of the diamond from the top - actually mess up the brilliancy or fire. Just curious.

 

[strmrdr]

Getting the stub of the work ticket is how a lot of places do it perfectly normal.

Doing a plot before hand is something more and more places are doing.
Some make a photocopy and give you one and some dont.
Most will if you ask.
Either way they keep a copy.
Some of them are taking digital pictures at 10x and 20x with camera equipped microscopes for the same purpose.
The fact that he does the plotting is a good sign.

 

[Upgradable]

We made the same inquiry of our jeweler. We purchased our stone from a different vendor, and then picked our our setting from our local B&M. We asked about the process of setting the stone and he said they are covered by Jewelers Mutual. When I asked if they (B&M or Jewelers Mutual) would replaced the stone if damaged while setting, he said he'd check to make sure. I'm glad I had him. Since the stone wasn't one of theirs, it would be our loss. We talked about insuring the stone before setting, but apparently no one will insure a loose stone. So this was the strategy we decided: When we are ready to set the stone, the store will perform an appraisal, then appraise the setting at the same time. We'll then send the insurance paperwork and premium into Jewelers Mutual. This assures both the stone and setting are protected. The store will then set the stone for us and we'll all slept peacefully. Seems like a lot of hassle for what should be a relatively simple process, no?

 

[claimsjeff]

Okay, Okay....I hear you loud and clear. I will go back to Marketing/Underwriting on this issue. If the customer has a Personal Jewelry policy w/ JM and the item is damaged we pay for it.(no problem) The issue here is coverage from the commercial perspective(jeweler). As addressed above the concern stems from who is actually doing the work. Thus, a retail jeweler may take in the item in state X, but it''s actually getting sent to state y to have a third party to do the work. If we do not insure the individual in state y how do we know that they are performing quality work? Obviously, it could be argued that if we insure the jeweler in state x and they have enough confidence in the guy in state y, we should accept this. Thanks for threading us in....I will let you know what I find out.

Jeff A. Mills, SCLA
Vice President Claims
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co.

 

[Upgradable]

Wow! This consumer advocacy stuff rocks!!