Purchased from e-vendor: Ring not radium-plated; w/small scratches b/w prongs

[DoctorDan]

I recently bought a diamond engagement ring from an internet vendor and am really happy with the diamond, which appraised at nearly three times as much as the diamond's original cost. I had the company set the diamond onto an 18K white gold ring I also purchased from them.

However, after taking it to the appraiser, I learned that the 18K white gold was poor quality, so much so that she called the company to confirm that it was actually 18K white gold ('18K' was not inscribed anywhere).

Furthermore, suspected by my appraiser, and confirmed by a jeweler, I found out that my 18K ring was not even rhodium-plated.

There were small scratches between the prongs, which I did not know what to make of, and I was told by a jeweler that any scratches which occurred during setting should have been polished out by the setter.

I am completely new to purchasing rings, so my questions are these:

Are all of these findings completely normal upon buying a ring from an e-vendor???

Are small scratches between prongs normal?

Is non-rhodium plated, less than pure 18K white gold (so much so that the appraiser calls the company to inquire about its genuineness) normal?

I undrestand I only paid for 18K white gold. Is there some cutoff regarding "white gold precentage content?"

 

[oldminer]

Crankydave has a certain point of view which is correct, but may not be the total package.

Gold rings are not required to be karat stamped at all EXCEPT if they are also trademarked. If there is no trademark, there is no requirement, possibly with the exception of Hawaii, that there is to be a kt stamp. If a karat stamp is in a piece and there is no trademark, then the SELLER is the one holding complete liability for the karat of gold, and the item is not to be sold in interstate commerce.... Many rings are karat stamped and not trademarked. There is little call for vigorous enforcement. Sure enough, the FTC and JVC rarely act in these matters.

The matter of proper finishing of prongs and metal surfaces is always with us. All workmanship issues are problematic. If you buy a finished item from someone who is distant and price is part of the equation, you probably need to be aware that deficient workmanship may play a part in the reasonable nature of their asking price. They may have great intentions, but just not be good at quality control. This is guesswork. If you deal with someone on a personal basis they can see your reaction and may get a better feeling for how well made a piece you will want to pay for.


Rhodium plating is pretty much the norm with white gold, but it is not long lasting. In a few weeks most of the plating will wear off while the ring gets dings, nicks and scratches in it. That is part of the patina effect, and, over time, your eye accomodates to the somewhat modified shine of the surfaces that have a little wear on them. It probalby is not worth the shipping cost to have a ring polished and rhodium plated at a distance. Possibly someone could do it locally for you.

I am suspicious that the appraiser is potentially attempting to make you feel that you made a mistake by buying your diamond or ring from someone else and not right from them. If the appraiser is not a retailer, then I could be mistaken. If they are a retailer, then they might be leading you a little by creating some doubts. If someone came to me with an unstamped ring I simply either acid test or electronically test the gold. I don't make them think that this is a difficult test to do or doubtful in results. Gold testing is easy. I have never yet needed to call a manufacturer to confirm the nature of the metal or karat content. That part just sounds completely unlikely or suspect. A little caution is called for. Just be sure you don't get misled.

 

[valeria101]

Appraisal three times the purchase price !!?

Now, that''s good news ...

Seriously, that is one piece of "feel good" gossip on paper. Was it given *free* by the seller ?

 

[DoctorDan]

Thanks for the replies.

My fiancé is the one who actually took the ring to the appraiser and I am conveying what she told me the appraiser and a jeweler said. From all I heard, I have absolutely no reason to believe that the appraiser had ill intentions. On the contrary, my fiancé conveyed to me just how kind and helpful the appraiser was. Furthermore, the appraiser knew I had no intentions of buying anything at all from her, but rather was solely interested in appraisal for insurance reasons. Anything negative she said was far outweighed by the positive she said regarding the stone.

Regarding sending the ring back to be polished/plated, I am unlikely going to go that route, as it is simply not worth it (the time nor the money) for what I hear is a fairly simple thing to do, that being rhodium-plating. Also, I am very pleased with the diamond, and these minor problems with the ring are overshadowed.

I’m still a little confused regarding a couple of things, one being rhodium-plating.
Are you telling me that this is done and only lasts a few weeks, and then the ring is returned to the state it was in before it was rhodium-plated?

As said, I am new to purchasing, really, any kind of jewelry. Would it be correct to say that a customer should be satisfied with, or even expect scratches on the ring where the prongs originate?

I am interested in what customers/setters have to say about what they expect/expect to give.

 

[DoctorDan]

Valeria,

The appraisal was for the whole ring was not close to three times, but rather a little over twice as much as whole ring purchase price. Sorry for any confusion.

To settle any doubts, it was a PS recommended independent appraiser, for whatever that''s worth.

 

[qtiekiki]

I thought not all white gold are rhodium plated, especially the one with palladium alloy.

Question for the expert: how can you tell if a ring is rhodium plated??? how do you test it???

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/21/2005 2:474 PM
Author: DoctorDan

Valeria,

The appraisal was for the whole ring was not close to three times, but rather a little over twice as much as whole ring purchase price.

Well, ok. Thrice sounded a bit much so I expected that the paper was one of those free appraisals provided by stores here and there. Twice (the usual, it seems) is quite enough to cover periodic price rise and what not... Of course I do not know who these apparisers are or anything.

For what that''s worth, I second your view about the setting issue. It may be easier to have it refinishes locally, which can include polishing scratches or whatever those are. 18k can be tested by any jeweler - no need to confirm with the seller or read a stamp. If you do have the ring plated it will wear away, sure so - perhaps in a couple of months instead of weeks but for sure, as far as I know.

 

[Brian Knox]

Date: 1/21/2005 2:43:14 PM
Author: DoctorDan

...

I’m still a little confused regarding a couple of things, one being rhodium-plating.
Are you telling me that this is done and only lasts a few weeks, and then the ring is returned to the state it was in before it was rhodium-plated?
Hi Doc,

A well done rhodium plating job can easily last for a year, of course any area on the ring that gets scratced will show the base metal. This is not a big deal to most people

Almost always it is the bottom of the ring that gets all the scratches, and the top 2/3''s of the ring looks fine for a long time.

Results do vary, get a good benchperson that will do a thourough preparation and plating.

As said, I am new to purchasing, really, any kind of jewelry. Would it be correct to say that a customer should be satisfied with, or even expect scratches on the ring where the prongs originate?

No, absolutely not!
...

 

[Brian Knox]

Date: 1/21/2005 2:55:45 PM
Author: qtiekiki
...

how can you tell if a ring is rhodium plated??? how do you test it???

It is pretty easy to tell, it is very white, bright and shiny.

Looks like chrome plating which is very different looking than platinum or silver.

Very easy to distinguish visually from 14w or 18w

I have never tested for it,

 

[DoctorDan]

Alright, thanks for the input.

I guess what I should do is kind of biet the bullet and be thankful that I have a nice diamond. It's probably not worth getting upset over.

It's just annoying to have to go find a jeweler to do what probably should have been done before.

Actually, here's a question:

If I have something done by another jeweler, what kind of liability for the setting will my e-vendor have in the future? One of the reasons I had the vendor so the setting was because, from what I understood, they lose all liability when someone else handles the diamond. If I have someone else plate/polish it will that completely free them of any liability at all?

 

[denverappraiser]

DoctorDan,

The difference between appraisal value and purchase price can often be attributed to a difference in the market involved. The appraisal is describing the expected price for your ring in a particular marketplace and if this is not the same marketplace where you actually bought it, there can be a substantial difference. The market being described should be explained in the fine print of the appraisal report itself.

The scratches at the base of the setting sounds like a finishing issue for the original manufacturer. Finish quality of the metal is an area of great concern to the bench jewelers and it can be pretty time consuming to do a top knotch job. Sometimes they get rushed and the work gets sloppy. It’s likely that a quality local jeweler can fix the issues an they should be able to give you an estimate of what is required as well as the cost and time requirements before beginning so that you can make a decision about sending it back to the manufacturer for rework.

Some manufacturers have warranties that will be voided if you use a local jeweler for this kind of work. If you are covered under this kind of program, you should consider using the original manufacturer even if it is inconvenient. This will be discussed in the paperwork you were given at the time of your purchase.
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[DoctorDan]

Let me know your thoughts on this. I may be way off.

If internet vendors'' profit margins are so slim, would my taking advantage of my vendors'' PriceScope matching policy and an additional 20% off jewelry (on the ring, not the diamond) through an internet promotion make the profit even slimmer, so much so that this particular company was inclined to save money doing a "less than satisfactory" job setting (i.e. not finishing/rhodium plating)?

 

[denverappraiser]

DoctorDan,

I''m with Dave. If their pricing model doesn''t generate enough money for them to deliver what they promise, they should either raise prices or promise less. ''Taint your problem. By standing your ground you are helping out the next customer. If they just screwed up, they should be happy to take care of you.

Have you spoken with the dealer about this? Please do. If a local can fix it to your satisfaction quickly and for a reasonable price and the vendor agrees to continue any warranty coverage (if any), then everybody wins. You get a better ring, the vendor doesn''t have to deal with a headache and the jeweler gets to make a few bucks for an easy job.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[DoctorDan]

Just in case you all wanted an update, I contacted the vendor via email last night, letting them know how pleased I was with the diamond and politely explaining the problems with the ring. I told them that I was interested in however they thought fit to resolve the issue.

So, they are aware, and the issue is now in their hands. I''m still waiting for a response. This particular vendor''s 10-day return policy will expire in a few days, so I hope that doesn''t create any problems.

Thanks for all the helpful input so far.

Dan

 

[belle]

i think steve''s point was, that you should call them now.......i agree.

 

[niceice]

What a frustrating situation this must be for you... Please don''t misunderstand what we''re about to say because we recognize how frustrating it can be to order something so important and receive a ring which is not perfect... As a vendor, we would like to say that most of us take great care to deliver a perfect experience to our customers, however occasionally something goes awry and things don''t go perfectly. It sounds like a jeweler left some tool marks around the prongs or did not polish out the inside of the head. This is something easily solved by a skilled jeweler and a polishing wheel. Ideally (pun intended) the jeweler would have polished the head prior to setting the stone and then would have polished out any tool marks left by his tools during the setting process before the ring was shipped out. Obviously this didn''t happen, but we expect that the vendor involved will be more than willing to resolve the issue to your satisfaction regardless of the ten day inspection period being close to an end.

Email is often lost in the shuffle of a day and occasionally by a well intended spam filter so by all means, give the vendor a phone call...

 

[DoctorDan]

I received a response from my e-vendor about a week ago:

"I am not sure why the scratches are present at the base of the ring. We did have to place a special head on the shank since you did not want the v-corners, which are standard with this setting. The scratches may have occurred during this process, but should easily be polished out. Perhaps our jeweler overlooked this because of the delays we experienced and our anxiousness in having the ring complete... As for the rhodium-plating, I am not sure what was indicated. Did they say that the rhodium plating is done on top of white gold or the ring is plated white gold over another metal?" She then went on to say that she would look into it and contact me.

I am still waiting for them to let me know what happened.

Today, my fiance finally took the ring to get it rhodium-plated and, to our shock, the jeweler said that he knows why they didn't rhodium-plate it; it was because one of the prongs was chipped and the process of rhodium plating would have totally broken the prong; he further said that the diamond would have to be removed and reset with new prongs (I may have some of the logistics slightly incorrect, as I am gong on what my fiance told me the jeweler said to her).

Needless to say, this is quite disappointing. Do you all have any suggestions as to what I should do?

 

[DoctorDan]

My fiance said that he said the "rhodium and polishing" process could cause it to break off.

Any difference?

 

[MrsFrk]

Oh, what a bummer! By the way, the woman is the fiancee (2 Es) the man is the fiance (1 E). I don''t know how to make the little accent thing.

I agree, it sounds like there are multiple things that need to be addressed here, you should send the ring back and have it done properly, or get a full refund. Good luck!

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 2/8/2005 6:48:46 PM
Author: Feydakin
It''s time to send it back and let the original vendor fix the problem or refurnd your money..

What he said ^^^^^^


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[DoctorDan]

Perhaps you all are sick of this case, but here''s a little update:

I went to visit my fianceE (thanks MrsFrk

) last weekend and we went to the jeweler because I wanted to find out more about the chipped prong. I was mainly concerned about the danger of having a chipped prong and the jeweler said that the diamond was definitely not safe in the current state. Thus, I am going to pay to have it fixed, which will not be that much, really. It''s just disappointing that I might have been taken advantage of because of my naivity.

I am considering writing a long account about my experience with this particular company, but want to make sure I don''t misrepresent anything before I start fanning the flame unnecessarily.

I have one question, though. The appraiser never said anything about this chipped prong. It''s so large that it can barely be seen with the naked eye, although if no one pointed it out, it would be unnoticable. Is this easy to miss during an appraisal?

Thanks for all yalls'' help and advice,
Dan

 

[Demelza]

Just curious: Is there a reason you do not want to send it back to the original vendor for repair? It seems to me that you will have the best protection if the original manufacturer performs all the labor. That way, if it is not done properly, you will have recourse to get your money back. It seems to me that the more you use outside jewelers to address the problem, the less leverage you will have with the original vendor. I understand, however, that you may have lost faith in the vendor to fix the problem and that you probably don't want to part with the ring -- believe me, I've been there. I hope this gets worked out to your satisfaction. Keep us posted and good luck!