Damaged Platinum Ring

[PhairPhair]

At the end of last year I purchased a shared-prong eternity style engagement ring from a very reputable Chicago area jeweler. This jeweler has been discussed in glowing terms on this and other sites.

The band is platinum, size 4 1/3, with 1 total diamond carat weight, not including the solitaire diamond.

The problem is that the ring can literaly be bent with your fingers, and without much effort. For example, if you were to look at the ring from the side you could squeeze the sides of the ring to change the shape from round to oval.

My fiance has found that normal wear will leave the ring with an oblong shape by the end of the day.

Of course, I have brought this to the attention of the jeweler but his response to this point is that it must have been due to wearer abuse. He does not seem to believe it could possibly be due to a manufacturing flaw.

My fiance and I both know that she has not had any mishaps with the ring that would have been forceful enough to cause this type of damage.

My question: Does anyone have recommendations as to how I can get a third-party opinion on if the damage is due to an inherent or manufacturing flaw? I don''t feel that arguing the point with the jeweler will lead to a resolution.

Thanks for the help and I look forward to comments.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome to PS

Someone else may be able to advise you better, but I have heard of 'forensic' gemologists etc who evaluate rings for insurance claims etc. They can tell in some cases what caused damage to cracked diamonds, broken prongs, shanks etc to help the insurance companies fight and prove fraudulent claims, also for the jewellery owners to prove their claims.. It might be worth speaking to one of these guys who can look at the ring for you and give you a report so you can take the next step to resolving this. This sounds extremely odd expecially if the ring is plat, however I am no expert and manufacturing flaws aren't unknown. Look at the page under Resources at the top right, there is a list of appraisers and probably one in your area who can point you in the right direction.

Best of luck and I am sorry this happened - I hope you get it resolved and let us know how you get on! Is the ring insured?

 

[robbie3982]

Phair Phair, I know exactly what you''re talking about! I have an antique diamond platinum ring that was given to me by my grandmother when I was a baby that this happened to. I didn''t actually get it in my possession full time until I went to college and by that time it was oblong shaped like you''re describing. I thought I must have done something to it when I was a kid playing around with it so I hesitated saying anything to my parents.

One day we were in a store looking for a new setting for my mom''s e-ring and I happened to mention it to the sales woman. She said it was very common for a platinum ring to get bent out of shape like this especially since mine was so delicate. She put it on a ring sizer and slid it down until it rounded it out again. I couldn''t believe that the platinum was so soft that she could do this with no heat or anything! I figured maybe it was because it was so thin or maybe platinum was a bit different a long time ago.

Then my aunt told me about a similiar problem that she had with her newly upgraded wedding band. It''s platinum with baguettes and she rarely wears it, but one day she noticed that a baguette was missing! Because the ring had bent! The ring was only a few months old and she definitely hadn''t done anything to cause it, so she complained to her jeweler. I''m not sure if she got the following info from the jeweler or someone else, but apparently there are many different mixes that can be considered platinum. Some are softer than others. I''m not sure why any jeweler would use a soft platinum since it obviously causes so many problems (must be cheaper?), but it''s my guess that this is what your problem is.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 7/23/2006 12:01:11 PM
Author:PhairPhair


My question: Does anyone have recommendations as to how I can get a third-party opinion on if the damage is due to an inherent or manufacturing flaw? I don''t feel that arguing the point with the jeweler will lead to a resolution.

Take it to an independent appraiser.