Advice Please! Aprraiser lost my stones

[KatherineKelly]

I dropped off two sets of stones to be made into one set of earrings for my wedding in October ( now three weeks away). Pair 1 were .75 carat diamond earrings (very nice grade) given to me by my mother for my high school graduation. Pair 2 were of unkown origin, possibly synthetic. They were over 1 carat in size and given to my future mother-in-law in 1975 from an old aunt from Austria. She never wore them (not once) and gave them to me to wear on my wedding day. Since I had two sets of beautiful stones I wanted them combined to wear on my wedding day (that way no one's feelings were hurt).
When I went to the reputable store (where we purchased all our rings -1.5 carat engagement stone, etc) she told me that Pair 2 were not real but would conduct an appraisal more fully and get an estimate on making the new earings using them anyway. 1 week later they called to tell me they can not find either pair of stones (it has been over 1 week since they told me they've lost them. I'm giving them time to search the store again and call cusotmers).
I am so unhappy that I did not have Pair 2 documented before I handed them over to the store. The store lady only looked at them for less than a minute in the back room before telling me they were not real. Could she have been mistaken? How do I deal with the store? What can I ask for in terms of sentimental value, above and beyond the market price of the two pair of stones? I have documentation for Pair 1, but nothing for Pair 2. If anyone has any advice I would appreciate it. Thank you.

To Clarify: Pair 2 have not been seen by anyone since received in 1975. They were handed to Mother-in-law and said "these weren't cheap, keep them safe." They were put in a drawer until this year when I took them to the store. I only thought they might be synthetic because they were large and the family was not super wealthy. But they were from Austria, so they may have been family stones. No one knows much about them.

 

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Kathrine...I have no advice, but I must tell you how horrified I am by your story! I''m SO SORRY!!!

I guess I''m not completely clear on pair #2...did you assume ( is it the family lore) that they were synthetic??...or did you just "learn" this from the woman at the store?

I certainly wouldn''t use some counter person''s opinion as a basis for the monetary value of those stones!!

Whether one can be compensated for sentimental value, I don''t know. Hopefully someone else does.

Again...how AWFUL!!

You have my sympathy...

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[Shay37]

OMG, I don''t know what to tell you, but I sympathize with your situation. They created a bailment situation with you when they accepted your stones into their possession, and it is up to them to make you whole. Don''t give in. Good luck.

Shay

 

[thelittleguy]

That sounds down right shady to me...

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Hello Katherine,

You are sure to get some good advice and opinions on Pricescope.

It is understandable that you are upset about the two pair of earrings.I am certain the jeweler is also very upset.

My advice is to give the jeweler ample time to find everything. If they do not turn up, wait and see what they offer you in terms of replacement, then give it consideration at that time.

In my opinion, while the likelyhood is that the store and staff are honest, they should not have removed the suspected immitation or synthetic diamond earring from your sight without some identification process.The same is true for the other earrings.

A Certified Appraiser can do a hypotetical appraisal on the 2nd pair, but you may not need that.Can any of the family shed light on the identification or actual value at any previous point of time? Do you know what metal they were set in, by chance?

While not familiar with your states legal process, I would expect the jeweler will do the best possible to rectify your situation. Often a little time can solve the problem. Hope the earrings turn up!

Depending on the time the 3/4 carat total weight earrings were appraised, and how well it was done, could be important. Methods of description and valuation, as well as changes in prices, have changed over time. Possibly this will need be considered if their replacement is necessary.

Please keep us posted on your situation.

 

[mepearl53]

This is a touchy issue. Did you get a receipt for both pair of your earrings describing what the store had taken in? If so, what did the receipt say? You can politely ask (at first) what the stores policy is for lost items they have taken in. I think a week is a reasonable time for this. If they can''t find them after this time they should replace them with similar or like value. Sentimental value cannot be replaced and I would think the store should go out of their way here to make you as happy as you can be under the circumstances. The smaller pair should not be a problem. The unknown pair is. Simply stating that they are synthetic or costume is not good enough and this is something you and the store owner will have to (at first) negotiate. If it is not to your satisfaction tell them that you really don''t want to get a lawyer involved. Stores hate bad publicity. Also remind them that your wedding is coming up quickly so this will have to be resolved before hand. Let us know what they say.

 

[denverappraiser]

By all means, give them ample opportunity to ransack the store and locate the missing earrings. This is the best option by a large margin. Failing that, they are going to need to find suitable replacements or otherwise compensate you for your loss.

Pair #1 is pretty easy. Give them copies of whatever documentation that you may have about them. Purchase receipts, prior appraisals etc. will all be helpful. Give them copies, never the originals. They should give you a pair of earrings that is at least as good as what was lost and they should do it pronto.

Pair #2 is more difficult. As Bill suggested, carefully read the take in receipt. Even that isn’t likely to get them out of hot water here because their testing method for determining that they were synthetic is highly suspicious. If it was the salesperson who made this determination, and they are unqualified, it means very little. If there was some gemologist in the back who made the call, they should have put it in writing and signed their name to it. When you said that they were 1 carat in size, how did you decide this? It may be a stupid question but did the loss occur before or after the appraiser had an opportunity to look at them?

By the way, if you have a homeowners insurance policy, this may be a covered loss although they will almost certainly go after the jeweler for the damages. This would at least get you out of the loop. If the jeweler has insurance, they may have a valid claim against the stores policy as well. You should talk to your insurance agent and they should talk to theirs to see what coverages apply.

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