Setting problems? Not sure if it's just my eyes, I can still return and have it reset.

[Forgiven888]

Recently I purchased a ring and the diamond in it is amazing. The problem is the setting has a lot of little flaws in it and It bothers me more than it should because want the perfect ring. I am wondering if it was the resizing/fiting that did that, or if it was the quality of the Ritani setting. This might be a long post but thanks in advance for any input.

The picture quality isn't great but I did my best.

This first picture is the part of the ring we are looking at, those 2 little holes.


Here on both sides, you can see one side has significantly bigger holes than the other side. It's not that bad since you only look at one side at once, but I noticed it since on the side with the smaller holes, it looks as if there is "gunk" stuck inside and it looks dirty where are the other side looks very clean.

Here is a zoomed in pictures but reversed, the one on the left is so "dirty" and visibly smaller compared to the clean holes on the right. Its a pretty visible difference and one side of the ring looks like someone got stuff inside and did not clean it out. I looked inside and tried to clean it with anything and everything I had, including a needle, but I think its just extra platinum that was not polished away correctly.


Another problem is the prongs.
The side is better than the other side since the prongs look similar but the bar is higher on the left side and makes it look uneven.


In this picture, the two prong is visible different from each other, the left side one looks bent and the right side one looks super straight. Also the bar looks VERY not even with the diamond edge, which makes it look like the ring is lopsided.



There are other flaws like one side tapers a lot more than the other, and the diamond seems slightly tilted, but I cannot capture those in pictures. Could these flaws be because they resize the ring near the top, instead of on the bottom? Or is it just poor craftsmanship? The ring is in platinum which makes it harder to work with also.

I have 3 options.
First is to send it back, and have them redo the setting, free or charge since it is still in the return period and hope for better results, but this runs into a time crunch since I am not sure it will be in time for my proposal, which is near Christmas.

Second option is to contact the company and see if they are willing to redo the setting later on, after my proposal but before my wedding. This would solve the time problem, but I'm not sure if my gf would want her ring to be "changed out" after I've already given it to her, but also runs into the same problem as number one, sending it to the same craftsmen.

Third options is to request a refund on the setting, re-buy the setting and have and have it set locally. Upsides to this is that it will be ready in time, Local jeweler says it would take 1 day max and I can see the quality right away, and have him fix anything I don't like. Downsides are that I would need to pay an extra $120-$150 to have it set and sized by a local jeweler, and I would no longer have the warranty from the original place I purchased the diamond from.


BTW this as good of a picture that I can get indoors with my light(the black parts are contrast not light leakage)

 

[kmoro]

First, I’m sorry you’re not happy with the setting!

I really hate to see posts like this. I can totally see the defects that you’re talking about. At first, I was prepared to see someone being too picky, but the things you have shown would bother me a lot.

I could almost see letting it slide until the view of the bent prong and straight prong. I would not be able to stand that, even if I could turn a blind eye to the rest.

It really bothers me that these things make it past QA. No one likes to get told there is a delay because their ring didn’t pass QA but receiving a defective ring is so much worse. Surely these vendors know the importance of quality work and how much these pieces mean to the customer.

Was this a PS vendor?

To those in the trade, how does this happen? I mean, I know benches have different skill levels, but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a post like this.

How disappointing! I hope all gets fixed for you in your time frame.

On a side note, $100-150 to set in platinum seems a little low (but don’t really know - just seems like that’s how much it would cost to set in gold), and I think it’s a risk to have the diamond set by someone else.

 

[elliefire99]

On a side note, $100-150 to set in platinum seems a little low (but don’t really know - just seems like that’s how much it would cost to set in gold), and I think it’s a risk to have the diamond set by someone else.

Just to clarify, I think OP means to say that it would cost an additional $100-$150 on top of the Ritani setting (for which he would get a full refund, and presumably apply the refund to the new, local setting). $150 is way too low for even a poor quality gold setting.

 

[elliefire99]

And sooo sorry that you are experiencing this! You are not being picky at all. This is sloppy craftsmanship and totally unacceptable, especially for a brand like Ritani. Re-sizing should not effect the head of the ring at all like this. This is just really bad finish work and QA/QC. Reply makes me think twice about going Ritani in the future.

As for what to do now...
I don't have any Ritani pieces (hopefully others can chime in on their experiences!), but I generally understand Ritani to be a solid, reputable brand. If you really like this setting, I wouldn't hesitate to give them another chance BUT I would definitely go the route of asking them to accept a later return (post-proposal). Given how busy this time of year is, I would be hesitant with any timelines that cut things close. My feeling is that they owe you that flexibility given how horrible this is.

Second choice would be the local jeweler if Ritani is unwilling to be flexible. My hesitation with this is that you introduce another element of risk worth an unknown factor (a new jeweler), BUT you have the benefit of immediate turn-around and fixes of something goes wrong. Another plus to this, is that local jewelers will often clean and service jewelry you bought from them for free. A perk of going local.

I hope it all works out, and best of luck on the proposal!

 

[Bron357]

Apart from the difference in the undergallery cut outs, that setting is skewed. In the “front on” photo, it’s the right side claws that aren’t right. They are further apart and set on a different angle to those on the left. That’s why it also looks weird in one of the side on photos.
Unless you resized by more than 3 full sizes ie a size 4 to a size 7, resizing a ring won’t affect the prongs.
I think it’s a poor casting / manufacture or perhaps the diamond was a tad too large for the setting so they had to bend the claws out to get it in.
I wouldn’t accept it in its present form, but that might mean you’re without a ring for the planned proposal.
Tough call to have to make but I’d go with option 3.

 

[lambskin]

Maybe wait until after the proposal in case she prefers a different setting. First, check with the ring folks if they could extend the warranty to accommodate this time frame.

 

[Forgiven888]

Some additional information, this is a 1.2 ct princess cut (5.8mmx5.8mm), which would mean the corners are about 8.2 mm apart, which would be similar to setting a 2 carat round diamond in this setting. I'm not sure if the size caused the prongs to need to be bent differently. I am glad to see it is not just me who sees these flaws. It is actually more noticeable in person because when you look at it, it just seems "off" instead of being able to see exactly whats wrong. In the face up pictures of the diamond, you can also see how its slightly twisted, and the orientation is not correct.

I also didn't even think about how busy the jewelers are before the holidays. I don't think I want to have them working on my piece on such a tight time crunch.

 

[elliefire99]

A thought. IF the current vendor allows you to extend the return policy, perhaps you can describe this as a "temporary" setting, and tell your SO that you can go out and pick/design the final setting that makes her heart sing.

This way, she gets both the surprise proposal and a guarantee of a ring that she loves I personally would have loved this approach for my proposal, haha.

If you do end up going with another setting, I would definitely stick to ones that are explicitly intended for princess/cushion stones. It will look better from a design perspective, protect those fragile corners, and reduce risk of similar warping problems. Though I personally think that this current situation is just a case of bad craftsmanship and finish work.

 

[Forgiven888]

A thought. IF the current vendor allows you to extend the return policy, perhaps you can describe this as a "temporary" setting, and tell your SO that you can go out and pick/design the final setting that makes her heart sing.

This way, she gets both the surprise proposal and a guarantee of a ring that she loves I personally would have loved this approach for my proposal, haha.

If you do end up going with another setting, I would definitely stick to ones that are explicitly intended for princess/cushion stones. It will look better from a design perspective, protect those fragile corners, and reduce risk of similar warping problems. Though I personally think that this current situation is just a case of bad craftsmanship and finish work.

That's good verbiage. I most likely say something along those lines, or say its getting cleaned.

Would it be rude/unreasonable to ask that a different person work on my ring instead of the person who originally did it?

 

[sonnyjane]

That's good verbiage. I most likely say something along those lines, or say its getting cleaned.

In my opinion I would *not* present this ring to her, even if to say it was a temporary setting. The problems you’ve highlighted are “bad” enough that if this ring were presented to me, I wouldn’t be excited to wear it, which is precisely what you really want to do as soon as you get engaged.

I recently had a setting issue with my ring. When I picked it up I was so bummed and I didn’t even accept it. I spoke to the manager, drew a diagram of what needed to be addressed, and was very specific. I was polite to the staff, but very firm that what was given was not acceptable. Hopefully they can remedy this or you can get a refund and go somewhere you have more confidence in.

 

[Forgiven888]

In my opinion I would *not* present this ring to her, even if to say it was a temporary setting. The problems you’ve highlighted are “bad” enough that if this ring were presented to me, I wouldn’t be excited to wear it, which is precisely what you really want to do as soon as you get engaged.

I recently had a setting issue with my ring. When I picked it up I was so bummed and I didn’t even accept it. I spoke to the manager, drew a diagram of what needed to be addressed, and was very specific. I was polite to the staff, but very firm that what was given was not acceptable. Hopefully they can remedy this or you can get a refund and go somewhere you have more confidence in.

It's good to get another point of view. I have contacted the vendor and they responded that they would be willing to go either route, just depends on what I decide. I have plans already around Christmas time so honestly I really need the ring(or some replacement gift) by then or need to change my plans a lot and propose around valentines day.

Another thing is I also wanted her to have the ring to show off to her family who are going to be around during the New years to its a big dilemma.

 

[sunandsky]

I’d say it is a temp setting and go ahead - I agree it’s the best of both worlds, and I don’t think the issues you’ve pointed out are enough to have her not be excited to wear it.

 

[Maisie]

I agree with sunandsky. I would present the ring when you planned to. I don’t know if she might be expecting/hoping the proposal will happen over Christmas? I can imagine how disappointed she will feel if you change to Valentine’s Day. To me the issues with the setting aren’t enough to warrant changing your plans. Once you’ve proposed (and she’s calmed down lol!) you can explain your concerns over the setting and tell her you can both decide what to do going forward. I wish you all the best!

 

[LLJsmom]

Get it in writing, whatever exceptions they have agreed to.

 

[MarionC]

I have had two wonky settings like that...one from a PS vendor and one from a local shop. Both
diamonds were square cut and the settings they used in both cases had to be modified. That setting looks modified since not only is everything out of whack, the lines of the openings look slightly melted.
As in my case, someone who is good at setting rounds didn't know how to set a square.
Calling it a temp setting is a great idea, then you can shop together and get the perfect one for her.

 

[tyty333]

I think the setting is just fine as a temporary setting. I would use it and go ahead and propose as planned. She will be thrilled to be engaged!
You can tell her after the proposal that you're going to have to have the setting redone. A pain yes, but believe me, she will be thrilled to be
engaged wonky prong and all!

Edit...with exception of the prong most of the issues are not noticeable without close scrutiny.