Advice please!
3 years ago I bought my wife a ring – 18ct yellow gold, flush set with 15 round full brilliant cut diamonds of VS clarity and G/H colour ot total weight .25ct - from a local and very reputable jeweller (‘Why’ in Corfe Castle - www.whyjewellers.co.uk). To the non-expert (me) its basically a gold band with these 15 diamonds of varying sizes flush inset. Cost then was £615.
Now 3 and a bit years later, my wife has noticed the two largest diamonds appear to be damaged in some way. Difficult to tell exactly what has happened but the exposed tops of the 2 stones seem to have crumbled off!
On taking the ring back to the original jeweller, they first of all were very sympathetic and offered to replace or repair it, but now the workshop has looked at it they are saying that it must have had an impact or been heat damaged in some way and want to charge me £160 to repair it.
The fact is my wife wears the ring pretty much all the time, but is never aware of having hit it with a hammer or put a blowtorch on it. So my question is: is it plausible that she could have damaged these diamonds through normal everyday wear? I had understood diamonds to be pretty robust (although not indestructible) which would imply that the kind of impact required to caused the diamonds to crumble in this way would also damage the band or my wife’s finger - both of which are intact.
Could any of you experts give me any comment on whether the level of impact required to cause this damage would be feasible from normal wear – which of course will include the odd scuff of the ring against a door or wall or something, or whether there must have been some weakness with the diamonds in the first place?
Also what should my next step be if the jeweller does not change his position? Perhaps I should try to get an independent apprisal to 1. Check out the damaged and remaining stones, and 2. See if the damaged stones have any clues as to what happened?
Any ideas much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Kev
3 years ago I bought my wife a ring – 18ct yellow gold, flush set with 15 round full brilliant cut diamonds of VS clarity and G/H colour ot total weight .25ct - from a local and very reputable jeweller (‘Why’ in Corfe Castle - www.whyjewellers.co.uk). To the non-expert (me) its basically a gold band with these 15 diamonds of varying sizes flush inset. Cost then was £615.
Now 3 and a bit years later, my wife has noticed the two largest diamonds appear to be damaged in some way. Difficult to tell exactly what has happened but the exposed tops of the 2 stones seem to have crumbled off!
On taking the ring back to the original jeweller, they first of all were very sympathetic and offered to replace or repair it, but now the workshop has looked at it they are saying that it must have had an impact or been heat damaged in some way and want to charge me £160 to repair it.
The fact is my wife wears the ring pretty much all the time, but is never aware of having hit it with a hammer or put a blowtorch on it. So my question is: is it plausible that she could have damaged these diamonds through normal everyday wear? I had understood diamonds to be pretty robust (although not indestructible) which would imply that the kind of impact required to caused the diamonds to crumble in this way would also damage the band or my wife’s finger - both of which are intact.
Could any of you experts give me any comment on whether the level of impact required to cause this damage would be feasible from normal wear – which of course will include the odd scuff of the ring against a door or wall or something, or whether there must have been some weakness with the diamonds in the first place?
Also what should my next step be if the jeweller does not change his position? Perhaps I should try to get an independent apprisal to 1. Check out the damaged and remaining stones, and 2. See if the damaged stones have any clues as to what happened?
Any ideas much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Kev
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