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Am I being too picky?? Please help!!

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medigirl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
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Hi everyone,

I would like to get advice on my E-ring. I recently had it re-set because the mom & pop jeweler that my husband bought it from unfortunately did an AWFUL job with it and apparently mixed in some gold with the platinum for the welding, etc. It looked pretty bad. I took it to a well known Chicago "Jeweler''s Row" jeweler, who after THREE TRIES has been unable to get the prongs straight (according to my highly acute vision!) I am fed up and by now they think I''m an absolute headcase. I paid $200 for this head. They want to fix it AGAIN by using a "straight edge to measure" or something, but all I want is my $200 back so I can take my money and buy a brand new setting from Whiteflash and have them set it - because I KNOW they will do a good job!

So I want to know from all you people out in PS land... since you look at diamonds more than I do, what do you think? Do you see these prongs as crooked? And do you think I should demand my money back or just cut my losses and go to Whiteflash?

Thanks a bunch!

MyRing0980.jpg
 
Here''s another picture that I think displays the crooked prongs well. The jeweler had been so nice up until now - but today he actually asked me, "You do realize that these are human beings setting these stones and not machines?? They have to take into account the girdle, the size of the stone, yada yada yada..."

The setting I am planning on getting is the Fine Lines from Whiteflash. Anybody have any pictures or opinions about it they''d like to share? Thanks!

MyRing0981.jpg
 
Here''s another picture which might be helpful.

DSC00989.jpg
 
They should fix it - I do notice that they''re slightly off. The prongs are off on my ring too which drives me crazy, but instead of just fixing it, I was planning on getting a new setting next year, so I''ve just decided to live with it until then, but it bothers me.

If you''re still not happy with it after several tries, they should refund your money.
 
Date: 9/9/2008 6:59:20 PM
Author: vespergirl
If you''re still not happy with it after several tries, they should refund your money.
Click to expand...
You know ... I''m not sure if I agree. If a hairdresser cuts your hair THREE times and you still think your bangs are "crooked" ... do you get the $ for the whole cut back? There is labor involved ... and that setting was cut with seats for her particular stone. It can''t be reused for someone else "like new". And we''re talking about a TINY discrepancy that most people wouldn''t notice. What kind of quality standard do they need to adhere to: perfection or reasonable to most people?

I agree, if you''re not happy that you should have it redone by someone else. I don''t agree that you should get (all) your money back.
 
Well, I would be fine with those prongs. They look like standard jewelry store issue to me.

I doubt that you should get your $200 back. Keep the setting and someday you can put a nice colored stone in it.
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I can see where they are crooked but I have no advice, sorry
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They might be a little bit off, but I don''t see the big deal, really.

Each of the prong is over a bezel main facet. They might not be perfect, but for naked eye symmetry they aren''t that bad either. Not Mark Morrell workmanship, but certainly not schlock workmanship either.

I think you might be expecting too much.
 
I can see where they are a little crooked, but to be honest mine were more crooked than that and I never thought to have them fixed. Now my ring is at Whiteflash, and they''ll be switching out my prongs to sit the diamond lower. I guess I''ll see if they still are crooked or if WF gets them more straight. I doubt you''ll get all your money back, I''d be willing to bet most peoples'' prongs are at least a tiny bit off anyway.
 
They are a teensy bit crooked. This is where I think PS is a blessing and a curse! Before finding PS, I didn't notice things like this. I recently had a new head put on my setting and the prongs are not quite right. I made my husband hide my loupe from me because I was literally driving myself CRAZY!!! Your ring is beautiful!
 
Hi Medigirl,

I too, am going through the same thing, wondering if my diamond has set properly. You can see the pictures in the other thread found here

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/did-i-do-ok.94126/

After some reflection, I think we (as in PS ) tend to be overly critical of the minute defects/issues with our rings.

With that being said, i think overall your prongs look fine. The top left and bottom right look a little bit off (but with you zooming in on the ring). If anything, whomever set your ring seemed to a better job than on mine.

Hope this helps a little bit and alleviates some of the tension that you feel against the jeweler. I know how tough it is to have a peace of mind with the ring.
 
Hi Medigirl,
Part of your problem is the head itself. Any prong setting like that is prone to get bent from just normal wear and tear. I have seen many a four prong setting where a client bent one or two of the prongs way out of position. With a four prong setting if just one prong gets severely bent or gets worn out you can loose your diamond. You might want to look at other setting styles that are more secure that prongs. There are many options, bezel, half bezel, or even tension settings. And yes be kind to your jeweler, he or she is just a human doing the best they can do.
 
I think you might be over doing it. With the degree of crookedness as it is, to me, it seems almost over obsessing the details. you have to remember there is no "perfect" in manufactoring/crafting things... theres only "within tolerances". But it is your ring so if you have a problem with it i would get it fixed but after a while and with such a minute error in detail you cant expect to get the rework for free.
 
I totally see it, and I would expect my money back. I believe you should only pay for what is expected. If you decided that you would pay him less than the price if the ring was perfect, do you think he would just hand it over even if you bargained up to paying 75% of the total price? NO of course not! I would demand it be corrected to the expectation, or my money back in full! Who cares if he tried, unless it was what was expected and previously determined he is not living up to his end of the deal and you should receive a full refund. Common sense.
 
It looks fine to me. I don''t think it''s reasonable to expect to get your money back if they don''t deliver superhuman perfection. If it were terribly off or unsafely set, maybe, but this is well within reasonable standards in my opinion.
 
I sympathize what you are going through. I went through exactly the same agony myself. I also reset my diamond after 2 weeks I got my new ring because the first setting was not set properly and the prongs were too small to hold the diamond safely. The bench person who set the ring was supposedly very experienced. I too went to a different jeweler, one who is a GG and an appraiser, bought a brand new setting and had he reset the stone. I thought my diamond was in good hand. Boy, I was wrong. With all the knowledge from PS, I could tell how the prong were not set right, I went back to have him fix it 3 times and each time, he fixed one problem but also made another thing worse -- he shaved the prongs so they don''t look nice like they should be before. He also tried to explain to me that was the best thing I can do and my ring is "perfect". I found out by this experience that if I want to get the perfectness I want, I''ll make myself crazy, because both "experienced" jewelers could not do it perfectly. (In fact, mine is worse than yours after all tries)

Oh well, I told myself if I don''t look through the loupe or stare at the prongs, it''s a beauty. Now I can enjoy my ring a lot more because I shift my focus to the main thing -- the beauty of the diamond, how it shines in brilliance and fire.

Hope it helps.
 
I can see the problem, and I''m sorry they haven''t been able to fix it! I think I would probably cut the losses and go with WF at this point. I doubt the 4th time is going to be a charm. And with each reset, your diamond runs a risk of being damaged; I''d just send it to WF and get it over with instead of having them fuss with this one again. Save the old setting for a future colored stone that you could buy (or might already have?).

A word of caution, though; WF has an excellent benchman who did an awesome job with my custom designed ring, but unfortunately my prongs have a similar issue to yours (2 of them are closer together than the other 2, if that makes sense). So even the best jewelers can have issues with this. I''m planning on getting mine fixed when I send it back to WF for polishing just before my wedding; for now, I''ve just been living with it because it''s subtle.

Also, I think what bothers me the most of this is what you said about the "mom and pop" jeweler mixing gold in the setting with platinum...is that even legal? Did they bill it as a platinum setting and then send you one that was mixed with gold? That just seems really deceptive to me.
 
I am not sure what I am seeing...if they are crooked, then it looks to be very slight. If it bothers you, then it bothers you...I don''t really know what to say about the refund. I agree that there is labor and materials involved and that it is not fair for the jeweler to lose out, but I also sense that you are not happy with what you paid for
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I personally think you are being a tad too picky.....meaning......you have the right to be as picky as you want on your own expense, but not at others.

Now, if you dont like the setting or the shape of the prongs or the actual design it is your choice to get it reset at your own expense. But to say that these prongs are crooked & want a refund is pushing the boundaries a bit imo. I cant see the issue of crookedness even at high magnification. I think you should let it go and move on.

I am also in a situation where I am planing a redo after an unsatifactory result. Im taking my time because so much can go wrong even with the best jewellers with custom. I suggest that you scrutinise the quality and style of the jewellers other finished pieces to see if you are on the same page.

Good luck!
 
My take is that if you are unhappy than get it fixed. It seems that your jeweler has been trying hard to make you happy but they just can't do it. Are the prongs slightly crooked - yes they are based on the lines I drew below (but I don't have photoshop on the computer I am using so the lines may not be exact).



http://i33.tinypic.com/1ffn2q.jpg

symmetry2.jpg
 
Hi medigirl, do you have an update for us? I am sorry you have had so much trouble with your ering, I can imagine it would be distressing.
Others in this thread have made good points - these things are done by hand, that is true. But, if it bothers you, You are the one looking at your ring every day and need to love it.
I would suggest coming to a "happy medium" with the jeweller - after all, it doesn''t sound like one of the cases we hear about where they have been flippant or sloppy. Perhaps ask for a partial refund minus their labour expense or something to that effect?
Its nice to have a relationship with a local jeweller, perhaps you can emphasize repeat business so as not to offend.
Either way, I hope you have it resolved soon, do let us know how you go
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I took the liberty of throwing some tolerance zone lines on CharmyPoo''s picture. It seems to me that the prongs are within a reasonable tolerance zone. Not perfect but reasonable.

I agree with arjunajane to try to find a middle ground with the jeweler since this isnt exactly a clear cut case of sloppy craftmanship.

symmetry_tol.JPG
 
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