Diamond from wifes engagement ring was switched out during service HELP!!!

[bnchad]

I bought my wifes diamond engagement ring from a diamond broker here in new orleans. I bought it in Jan of 2016 proposed feb of 2017. We bought our bands from the broker too. he uses local jewelers to set stones and make pieces for him and he has a big catalogue of bands and settings etc we ordered from. Here is the problem. I took it back to him before the wedding to pick up the bands and he kept the engagement ring and took it to his jeweler to have it cleaned. We got it back got married and my wife kept telling me that it looked yellow and dirty. I told her we just needed to clean it. Then one day in the sonic cleaner one of the small pave stones in the settings came out. So i took it back to the broker and he took it to his jeweler to have it re-set. we get the ring back wife still complains about the yellow ness. She says the diamond has been switched cause its not the same. I assure her she is crazy, so i take it to an independent jeweler and ask him to verify the diamond is the same one that is on my gia certification etching matched my certificate and it is not!!!!!!!!. so im blown away here I bought and had the certification for an 2.00 carat I color vs2 oval diamond and what was in there was another gia certified diamond with laser etching saying it was a 2.00 carat K color VS2. I took the diamond to my broker told him it had been switched out and he looked at the numbers with his loop and sure enough it was a different stone. He has offered to replace the stone with an EGSL certified stone that is a 2.00 carat G color si1 oval stone.

My wife is unhappy its not the stone i proposed with and I dont even know if it is as good as the stone i originally bought. PLease help me i dont know what to do or accept?

 

[AprilBaby]

Ask for a refund for fraud and start over here. If he says no, threaten to go to the media.

 

[EvaEvans]

Ask for a full refund!

 

[whitewave]

I bought my wifes diamond engagement ring from a diamond broker here in new orleans. I bought it in Jan of 2016 proposed feb of 2017. We bought our bands from the broker too. he uses local jewelers to set stones and make pieces for him and he has a big catalogue of bands and settings etc we ordered from. Here is the problem. I took it back to him before the wedding to pick up the bands and he kept the engagement ring and took it to his jeweler to have it cleaned. We got it back got married and my wife kept telling me that it looked yellow and dirty. I told her we just needed to clean it. Then one day in the sonic cleaner one of the small pave stones in the settings came out. So i took it back to the broker and he took it to his jeweler to have it re-set. we get the ring back wife still complains about the yellow ness. She says the diamond has been switched cause its not the same. I assure her she is crazy, so i take it to an independent jeweler and ask him to verify the diamond is the same one that is on my gia certification etching matched my certificate and it is not!!!!!!!!. so im blown away here I bought and had the certification for an 2.00 carat I color vs2 oval diamond and what was in there was another gia certified diamond with laser etching saying it was a 2.00 carat K color VS2. I took the diamond to my broker told him it had been switched out and he looked at the numbers with his loop and sure enough it was a different stone. He has offered to replace the stone with an EGSL certified stone that is a 2.00 carat G color si1 oval stone.

My wife is unhappy its not the stone i proposed with and I dont even know if it is as good as the stone i originally bought. PLease help me i dont know what to do or accept?

Make a sheriff's report. Your stone was stolen.

 

[metall]

Absolutely ask for a Full Refund! You have a clear case for Fraud here.

 

[kenny]

Don't use a diamond broker.
They make you broker.

Learn here, buy it yourself, and save money and get a better diamond.

 

[Matthews1127]

Full refund!! No leg to stand on!! You can PROVE the diamond doesn’t match the certificate!!! Full refund, and take your business elsewhere!!!

 

[JDDN]

Do not continue to do business with this person. You have a strong case to get all of your money refunded and you can start over with someone reputable. I understand your wife will be upset because the original and sentimental stone is gone, but.....it is gone. An EGL G, Si1 will not be the same as a GIA G, Si1, so you are not comparing apples to apples here and you will be losing out on money. I know you have a relationship with this person, but to save yourself trouble, heart ache and money, ask for a refund and move on. I'm so sorry!

 

[HappyNewLife]

full refund. Do NOT accept a replacement, especially from EGL. I'm so sorry this happened, this is fraud!

 

[MonkeysInk]

Also, I’d be curious if you have the original GIA cert if there’s a way to see if it’s back in someone’s inventory?

 

[scarsmum]

I wouldn’t even accept a refund. Sue him for punitive.

 

[OoohShiny]

If you paid by credit card and he won't refund, the CC company may refund you on the basis you didn't get what you paid for.


I'd still be tempted to call the police if he won't refund (and even after he has...) - who else has he done it to?

 

[seaglass]

That's grand theft isn't it? I'd get the refund, but still file a report with the police. Silence is acceptance.

 

[Queenie60]

Yes it is grand theft. Happened to me several years ago. I called the police and found that the jeweler had done this to many other customers and was already under investigation. My insurance company paid me for the stone and went after jewelry for fraud. Needless to say, he went to prison for 4 years however the sad part is that he is out and probably doing this elsewhere under an assumed name. Sorry for you OP however there is recourse.

 

[Bron357]

Interesting. You don’t “accidentally” set a different diamond into a ring. It’s not as if while working on your ring it’s sitting amongst a “sea” of same size diamonds and “oops, I dropped it, now which one was it?”
Switching out and replacing with a very similiar diamond Im wondering if it was because your diamond somehow got damaged. Nevertheless, you do not replace someone’s diamond without telling them.
I’d demand a full refund plus some and go elsewhere.

 

[tanalasta]

Oh! What an experience... it's not just colour and clarity ... but cut. And an EGL graded diamond often isn't comparable to GIA as others have said.

But the trust is no longer there. I also recommend turning a bad experience into a better one and buying elsewhere, demanding a full refund. Let us know how you go...

 

[doberman]

I'd file a police report and demand my money back. DONT settle for the EGL diamond, that would be a serious downgrade.

 

[GliderPoss]

Definitely go to the police! He could be stealing from many others too so time to stop it!!!

 

[denverappraiser]

Right up until the very end of your story I was hoping for the jeweler on this. A lot of people worry about this and usually, they’re wrong. It could have been anyone in the chain who did you wrong after all. That makes it an insurance problem. Then he offered to replace it. What? That’s an admission that it’s his fault and it’s a problem with the original transaction, which occurred before the insurance was in force. Insurance wouldn’t apply. So……

#1 Get a full refund on everything. Real money, not a credit. Undo the whole deal. Diamond, mounting, setting fees, shipping, taxes, whatever was in the deal. All of it.

#2 Shop around. Find a stone and a ring you like. If the jeweler wants to bid to keep your business, that’ll be fine but there’s no obligation that you accept his offer. Maybe buy the ring from him to preserve continuity but it’s up to you, not him. Frankly, I wouldn’t. Chances are good that the catalog you saw is from one of the big industry providers like Stuller Settings or Overnight Mountings. Your appraiser can probably tell you based on the marks in the ring. Nearly every jeweler works with all of these big companies and can get everything they make.

#3 Live happily ever after. This is a fluke, but it’s not a disaster. All of this is readily solvable and he’s already taken responsibility. That’s a really good sign. There’s even a pretty good chance that it wasn’t deliberate fraud. Mistakes happen although it doesn’t really matter. If what you got is different from what you paid for, he needs to make it right.

 

[denverappraiser]

Don't use a diamond broker.
They make you broker.

Learn here, buy it yourself, and save money and get a better diamond.

Every dealer you can buy from, including every dealer here, is a broker. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with that.

 

[whitewave]

I live part time in NOLA. Can you give a general area where this jeweler is? Thanks.

 

[WillyDiamond]

As someone said earlier, if you insured the ring, you have a claim (It was stolen).

 

[Maggiemeans]

I just want to say I am sorry for what happened. It's really crappy.

 

[GearGirly]

Oh wow, definitely do not accept another stone from this person. That is theft. Your stone was stolen. As everyone said, get your money back and file a police report.

 

[Bonfire]

Wow! Who’s stupid enough to switch out two laser inscribed stones?

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

It never occurred to me to say "thank goodness for crappy prongs" until now.

Informed advice ^. Outside of that, I am sorry for your trouble. Truly.

Sharon

 

[AdaBeta27]

I wonder if these are some of the same crooks from Boca Raton. They got the diamond earrings my aunt left me in her will. And at least one large diamond.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamonds-switched-for-cz-or-lesser-diamonds.19749/

 

[Allisonfaye]

I wonder if these are some of the same crooks from Boca Raton. They got the diamond earrings my aunt left me in her will. And at least one large diamond.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamonds-switched-for-cz-or-lesser-diamonds.19749/

I think I might know who this is, too. I had been in the store a few times and I was reading reviews and it said they did this.

 

[Rubylou]

This is bad. I feel bad for your wife - understandably she does want the one you proposed with! I would report the theft and don't be quiet - that is what he wants.

Can't you report a theft to GIA? If the diamond was inscribed and you have the original report...

 

[bmfang]

Refund and complain to your local better business bureau/consumer affairs entity. Then, if all else fails, go to the media.

This jeweller is scum in my books for doing this to you!!!