Bad Experience with Natural Sapphire Company (long)

[purrfectpear]

Date: 3/24/2009 5:10:33 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 3/24/2009 4:45:51 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Based strictly on what has been posted, I don''t see anything wrong with NSC or the way they have responded. No red flags for me.

They''ve replaced/repaired it twice. That''s at least once more than they were obligated IMO.

For a lifetime warranty?

Customer abuse suspected.

 

[strmrdr]

Send it off to Neil, Richard S. or Dave A. and get an independent appraisers opinion on the damage.

My problem is this:

According to the Fox2009''s story each time the damage was a result of the ring taking a hit.
So NSC may be right that it is abuse not covered under the warranty we can not know if that is true or not.
The jeweler saying it is a defect is biased so that is no help.
I for one am reserving judgment until one of the above pros have seen and reported on the ring.

 

[Linda W]

Date: 3/24/2009 5:39:25 PM
Author: purrfectpear

Date: 3/24/2009 5:10:33 PM

Author: FrekeChild

Date: 3/24/2009 4:45:51 PM

Author: purrfectpear

Based strictly on what has been posted, I don''t see anything wrong with NSC or the way they have responded. No red flags for me.


They''ve replaced/repaired it twice. That''s at least once more than they were obligated IMO.

For a lifetime warranty?

Customer abuse suspected.

Yep PP, me thinks like you do.

 

[TravelingGal]

So can anyone find what the lifetime warranty covers on NSC''s site?

 

[Inanna]

Date: 3/24/2009 6:06:10 PM
Author: TravelingGal
So can anyone find what the lifetime warranty covers on NSC''s site?

From their FAQ Section: http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Faq/#9

The Natural Sapphire Company Warranty & Guarantee

The Natural Sapphire Company proudly stands behind our products and offers a full lifetime warranty.

We guarantee our sapphires and jewelry to be as described in our documentation and reports. If the sapphire or jewelry is not as stated in our documentation, we offer a full return policy.

This warranty is based on the condition of the item at the time of sale.

This warranty remains in effect during your lifetime for so long as you own the sapphire or jewelry.

If you make a claim under this warranty, you must allow us to try to resolve your claim amicably; inspect the sapphire or jewelry and conduct a gemological evaluation to assess your claim.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/24/2009 6:15:39 PM
Author: Inanna

Date: 3/24/2009 6:06:10 PM
Author: TravelingGal
So can anyone find what the lifetime warranty covers on NSC''s site?

From their FAQ Section: http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Faq/#9

The Natural Sapphire Company Warranty & Guarantee

The Natural Sapphire Company proudly stands behind our products and offers a full lifetime warranty.

We guarantee our sapphires and jewelry to be as described in our documentation and reports. If the sapphire or jewelry is not as stated in our documentation, we offer a full return policy.

This warranty is based on the condition of the item at the time of sale.

This warranty remains in effect during your lifetime for so long as you own the sapphire or jewelry.

If you make a claim under this warranty, you must allow us to try to resolve your claim amicably; inspect the sapphire or jewelry and conduct a gemological evaluation to assess your claim.

Sounds fair enough...if not kind of vague.

 

[LD]

It's under the FAQ section

9. The Natural Sapphire Company Warranty & Guarantee
A. The Natural Sapphire Company proudly stands behind our products and offers a full lifetime warranty.

We guarantee our sapphires and jewelry to be as described in our documentation and reports. If the sapphire or jewelry is not as stated in our documentation, we offer a full return policy.

This warranty is based on the condition of the item at the time of sale.

This warranty remains in effect during your lifetime for so long as you own the sapphire or jewelry.

If you make a claim under this warranty, you must allow us to try to resolve your claim amicably; inspect the sapphire or jewelry and conduct a gemological evaluation to assess your claim.

You should direct inquiries to: The Natural Sapphire Company: 6 East 45th Street, 20th Floor Penthouse, New York, NY 10017 or call (212) 869-1165 and we will work to resolve your claim.

This warranty is subject to the conditions stated above.

Whoops! Beaten to it!

 

[Inanna]

Date: 3/24/2009 6:18:43 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 3/24/2009 6:15:39 PM

Author: Inanna

Date: 3/24/2009 6:06:10 PM

Author: TravelingGal

So can anyone find what the lifetime warranty covers on NSC''s site?

From their FAQ Section: http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Faq/#9

The Natural Sapphire Company Warranty & Guarantee

The Natural Sapphire Company proudly stands behind our products and offers a full lifetime warranty.

We guarantee our sapphires and jewelry to be as described in our documentation and reports. If the sapphire or jewelry is not as stated in our documentation, we offer a full return policy.

This warranty is based on the condition of the item at the time of sale.

This warranty remains in effect during your lifetime for so long as you own the sapphire or jewelry.

If you make a claim under this warranty, you must allow us to try to resolve your claim amicably; inspect the sapphire or jewelry and conduct a gemological evaluation to assess your claim.

Sounds fair enough...if not kind of vague.

Yes, it sounds very vague to me, particularly this portion:

If you make a claim under this warranty, you must allow us to try to resolve your claim amicably; inspect the sapphire or jewelry and conduct a gemological evaluation to assess your claim.

Are they saying THEY are the only ones allowed to "inspect" and "assess" a claim? If so, can''t THEY make any judgement THEY want? That''s a big red flag to me. Fox2009 has made it clear on this thread that she is willing to have an independant appraiser evaluate the setting. She has also made it clear that she is willing to accept a refund of the setting ONLY. Conversely, I see absolutely no openness to negotiation or objective analysis on the part of NSC.

 

[azelismia]

I am very glad that I did not go thru NSC for my ring.. I don''t think I would go thru them after reading his reply''s. I doubt that if I had just read Foxes emails that it would have made a difference but I see no customer service coming from NSC on this.

any company can have a failure, how they respond to it is what separates the good from the bad imho.

 

[purrfectpear]

This is what they are guaranteeing;

We guarantee our sapphires and jewelry to be as described in our documentation and reports.

Nowhere are they warranteeing that nothing will ever happen in the lifetime of wearing the ring, nor are they promising to fix a ring THREE times. Twice was already at least once more than most vendors would have offered. The setting IS as described. Certain number of diamonds, certain karat of gold, etc. The lifetime warranty is stating that if you discover that it is not as described, you have the lifetime of ownership to present your claim. This is not a warranty of damage by consumer.

The OP has knocked the ring several times resulting in damage.

 

[Fox2009]

"customer abuse suspected"

There is nothing in their warranty saying that customer abuse bars recovery.
And, NSC can "suspect" customer abuse all that they want--but the fact is, they have no reason to suspect it, and it is easier, and more profitable for him to make up a story to fit his beliefs, and not refund my money.

He won''t consent to have it evaluated or anything, he just has come up with a story to fit his paradigm and he is sticking to it. I am more than willing to have it appraised/valued, as I have stated. I want to be as transparent as possible and get this resolved.

The fact is the damage that has occurred to my ring (picture attached, my husband took them) is NOT normal for an engagement ring. This happened for the first time about a month after I got it (it bent). That is not normal, no matter how hard you are on things. And, I am not hard on things, at all. As I said, at the time I got this ring I was a massage therapist and I was wearing my ring on a chain 80-85% of the time.

Also, in the pictures (especially a couple I am posting a bit later after they''re formatted by my lovely husband!) you can see pitting and pock marks on the metal, which is undisputable evidence of poor casting. More pics to come...

 

[Fox2009]

2nd picture

 

[Fox2009]

3rd pic

 

[Fox2009]

4th pic

 

[Fox2009]

5th and final pic!
I know these won''t "solve" anything, and I don''t feel like this needs to be adjudicated on a message board, but, these pics have been requested and I understand why. Hopefully they will serve as a warning about palladium castings from NSC.

 

[cushioncutnut]

YIKES! I can see why you would have problems hitting it as it is set extremely high. Maybe you can have the stone set lower....but YIKES...it look like it broke precisely at a spot that makes me suspect it may just be a defective setting???

 

[coatimundi_org]

I''d stick to platinum and gold from now on.

 

[strmrdr]

looks like damage to me the ring is beat to all get out.
Even a bad casting would not explain the ring being that beat up.
It is even clear how the damage happened.

A very high top got caught on something and was torqued sideways.
The first 2 times it was straitened and likely some small cracks repaired hence the $200 repair bill then it was torqued again and it broke.
That would also explain why your finger was not hurt.

Turn it in to your insurance and have them replace the setting.

 

[Fox2009]

All rings become scratched, etc., due to normal wear, strmrdr. The finish has never been perfectly smooth, even brand new out of the box.

It is a high setting, but I don''t see how they can sell a setting like that if it is so liable to be structurally weak. The part that has me so upset is that I DIDN''T bump it that hard. Both times my finger was completely unharmed. And, it wasn''t because the bezel caught on something.

Like I said, you can also see flaws in the metal under the bezel where it is very hard to have normal wear and tear. This is evidence of poor casting.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/24/2009 7:47:12 PM
Author: Fox2009


Like I said, you can also see flaws in the metal under the bezel where it is very hard to have normal wear and tear. This is evidence of poor casting.

evidence of poor polishing but not poor casting that is normal casting marks.

 

[T L]

Is that really an NSC ring???!!

Even though the the breakage is the showstopper here, what I noticed first was the lumpy and pitted metal. I also don't like how the surprise sapphire is bezeled either. Bad seams as well.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/24/2009 7:47:12 PM
Author: Fox2009

It is a high setting, but I don''t see how they can sell a setting like that if it is so liable to be structurally weak.

With that high a head it will not take a lot of force to bend it and those bends lead to a stress fracture.
It broke in exactly the right spot for this to be a case of damage.
The top was repeatedly bent putting a stress fracture in that area.
The force vectors are perfect for that to happen.
Since palladium is somewhat more brittle than gold it all adds up but even gold would have let go eventually.

If someone showed me that ring design I would have said it should hold up but if the head is hit enough times it will break right where it broke.
There are a lot weaker designs on the market so I don''t see a case for claiming bad design.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/24/2009 7:54:47 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Is that really an NSC ring???!!

Even though the the breakage is the showstopper here, what I noticed first was the lumpy and pitted metal. I also don''t like how the surprise sapphire is bezeled either. Bad seams as well.

The thing is, that is normal cast marks nothing special, that is how it comes out of the mold.
You normally don''t see it because it is polished away by the time the ring gets to the consumer.
Go to kmart or walmart and look at rings and you will see a lot of it.

 

[E B]

Date: 3/24/2009 7:54:47 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Is that really an NSC ring???!!

Even though the the breakage is the showstopper here, what I noticed first was the lumpy and pitted metal. I also don''t like how the surprise sapphire is bezeled either. Bad seams as well.

Exactly. The metal is even pitted under the head where she couldn''t have hit it.

 

[FrekeChild]

That reminds me of a certain model of tennis racket I had to have replaced 5 times. It wasn''t made from one solid piece of titanium, and instead was made of two pieces that were attached together. Each one of those broke with normal usage, however, tennis rackets were meant to be whacked.

Very interesting.

BTW, that racket was discontinued not long after the 5th racket was sent in. I loved it so much, and I was so sad...

 

[strmrdr]

Turn it into your insurance they will replace it with no problems.
That is the solution that solves your problem.

 

[T L]

Date: 3/24/2009 8:02:40 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 3/24/2009 7:54:47 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Is that really an NSC ring???!!

Even though the the breakage is the showstopper here, what I noticed first was the lumpy and pitted metal. I also don''t like how the surprise sapphire is bezeled either. Bad seams as well.

The thing is, that is normal cast marks nothing special, that is how it comes out of the mold.
You normally don''t see it because it is polished away by the time the ring gets to the consumer.
Go to kmart or walmart and look at rings and you will see a lot of it.

That''s good to know, thanks. Regardless, even if the pitting is caused by the normal casting process, I would expect higher standards from NSC than Walmart or Kmart. I have seen similar pitting on LOGR rings on the underneath (but those are very inexpensive settings). If I''m spending a premium on a nice setting, such as the pieces made by NSC, I would expect that the gallery should be polished, and the seams and overall polish be of excellent quality.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/24/2009 8:12:03 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 3/24/2009 8:02:40 PM

Author: strmrdr

Date: 3/24/2009 7:54:47 PM

Author: tourmaline_lover

Is that really an NSC ring???!!

Even though the the breakage is the showstopper here, what I noticed first was the lumpy and pitted metal. I also don''t like how the surprise sapphire is bezeled either. Bad seams as well.

The thing is, that is normal cast marks nothing special, that is how it comes out of the mold.

You normally don''t see it because it is polished away by the time the ring gets to the consumer.

Go to kmart or walmart and look at rings and you will see a lot of it.

That''s good to know, thanks. Regardless, even if the pitting is caused by the normal casting process, I would expect higher standards from NSC than Walmart or Kmart. I have seen similar pitting on LOGR rings on the underneath (but those are very inexpensive settings). If I''m spending a premium on a nice setting, such as the pieces made by NSC, I would expect that the gallery should be polished, and the seams and overall polish be of excellent quality.

Right it is a bad thing.
I am disappointed that it is there but it is a separate issue from the breakage.

 

[neatfreak]

The one thing I still don''t get in all this is that Fox has said she''s willing to get it independently appraised. SO WHY NOT DO IT???

I repeat myself-even if Michael hasn''t consented or requested it if you get it independently appraised then you can know for SURE why it broke.

Then, if indeed it was poor casting, you have EVIDENCE to take to small claims court to get your money back.

Seems pretty clear cut to me-I don''t understand why Fox is so resistant to this?

 

[Fox2009]

I agree, tourmaline. I expected more from NSC, too.

Although the casting is separate from the breakage, they all go back to the same point: the ring was poorly made. The result of the ring being poorly made is that I can''t even wear it now.

Re: insurance, we don''t have insurance on it. Good thought, but it won''t work. I didn''t think it was necessary because I thought NSC was a very reputable seller with a good lifetime warranty.