Chip on new Garnet ring

GOLDFinger007 · Feb 14, 2024

I have just bought this brand new gold ring with a garnet gemstone online. On inspecting it with a jewellers loupe I noticed a small chip and some light scratches on the top facet of the stone as shown in the attached photo (sorry difficult to get a good image). The stone was described as AAA and the cut 'very good'. Does this match those quality standards? The blemishes are not really noticeable with the naked eye but I wonder if the chip could be a problem in the future? For reference the garnet is 0.93 carat.

Avondale · Feb 14, 2024

GOLDFinger007 said:
The stone was described as AAA and the cut 'very good'. Does this match those quality standards?

Only the vendor knows. These quality standards are not universally recognised. They’re internal and only apply to the specific vendor. And what the vendor implies by AAA or very good cutting is an open question. In short, their quality standards have little meaning or purpose beyond marketing. I personally haven’t shopped from Glamira but my impression of them is that they sell commercial quality products, not so much actually fine stones. Besides, the dealers that sell high quality stones don’t use made up quality standards and instead stick to the usual descriptors that define a stone’s quality - transparency, clarity, colour, treatment, origin and a number of photos and even videos to allow the customer to judge the cut with their own eyes. As far as I’m aware, Glamira uses stock photos and you see the item you’ve bought for the first time when you receive it.

My suggestion is to post a bit more photos of the stone and the ring so that the experienced eyes here can give you an idea where it stands objectively in terms of quality. If you share the price you paid for it, people will also be able to advise you on whether it was fair.

In any case, it appears that you’ve received a damaged stone which in general is considered unacceptable. So you should be in your full right to return it.

GOLDFinger007 · Feb 14, 2024

Thank you for your reply Avondale. I actually just heard from back Glamira Customer Service and they suggested returning it for a full refund so that's what I've done. I'll feedback on how the return/refund process goes in case it's useful to anyone else.

The main ring was 9ct gold and the garnet was a 0.93ct princess cut stone. I don't have anymore photos of the actual ring but here's an overall picture from the website.