Crooked setting- Need advice

[angiemac75]

My fiancee gave me my engagement ring two weeks ago. We had some trouble (found out it was EGL Israel) so we replaced center stone with GIA. Also the setting was crooked and I brought that to their attention. When I went to pick it up it was better but it was still crooked. I went ahead and took it home b/c my folks were coming and I wanted them to see it. But the crooked setting is bothering me. The center stone appears to lean slightly and I think one prong is higher than the rest. I love the ring and want to keep it but I want the setting straightened. Should I take it back to where I bought it and ask them to do it again? If they could not do it right the first time I hesitate to do that but I really don''t want to pay to have it fixed. Plus how would I know what jeweler to trust if I do not take it back there? Any advice??

 

[verticalhorizon]

First, congrats on your engagement!

What type of setting is it and what material is it made from? Is this a chain retailer or a privately owned jeweler?

I ask b/c...

1.) I think it's the jewelers resposibility to do the job right to your satisfaction
2.) If they work on the same setting over and over again... well, that can't be good. If the head can be replaced and re-set, that might be something to insist on
3.) If you don't have confidence in them anymore, you may want to insist that you have it worked on by someone else and have the original jeweler take care of the bill (may require small claims court however)
4.) The only way you find good jewelers (or anyone) is by recommendation

It's a rough situation to be in. Please post pics so we can get a look.

 

[angiemac75]

The setting is white gold. The head could easily be replaced and re-set. I cannot send pictures now but it looks like the Peter Storm floating diamonds setting except the center and side stones are princess cut. The head should be easily replaceable- Thanks for the advice and I will post pics as soon as I can.

 

[angiemac75]

Also the jeweler is a local, family owned store with a great reputation (that's why we went there in the first place). However they did not behave very amicably when we complained about the EGL Israel cert.

 

[verticalhorizon]

The Cert really isn't that big of a deal if it: 1.) checks out pretty decent, white, and eye clean when you view it and; 2.) final sale contingent upon an indep. appraiser confirming the cert says.

 

[WinkHPD]

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On 4/29/2004 1:36:16 PM angiemac75 wrote:

The setting is white gold. The head could easily be replaced and re-set. I cannot send pictures now but it looks like the Peter Storm floating diamonds setting except the center and side stones are princess cut. The head should be easily replaceable- Thanks for the advice and I will post pics as soon as I can.----------------

I think you should take it back to the jeweler that sold it and point out to him exactly what is bothering you.

Part of the problem lies in the shape of the stone. When the jeweler cuts the seat for a round stone he has a burr that will cut all four prongs simultaneously and as long as he is holding it level it is a no brainer. With the princess cut stone however each prong must be cut separately and it is very difficult for each prong to be cut perfectly in the right place. This can result in stones being set crooked as in not level as you have received, or stones being set at 2-5 degrees from perfectly square to the ring. These problems can be a nightmare for the poor jeweler, but that is not excuse to let him off the hook.

We are having discussions here about raising the price to set a square stone by $15 to make up the cost of all of the redo's that have to be done. We do not get to charge our clients, but it does cost us money when we have to install a new head in order to try to get a proper setting on a ring. Squares are the hardest for us to get perfect, because even a degree or two will look off and unless you are using some kind of a jig they can be next to impossible to get just right.

None of this relieves your jeweler from the responsibility of doing the job correctly, but is offered as an explaination that he is not doing this on purpose. If he is only looking at the ring from the top, it is easy to miss the slight tilt that you are observing while admiring your new ring.

Wink