diamond set crooked. ask jeweler to re-set?

[nclrgirl]

Hey again!

When I originally got my engagement ring, it had a CZ in it. My fiance and I picked out a diamond together (same size as the CZ within <0.1mm) and had the jeweler (who is a long-time acquaintence of my family) set it. The ring now looks slightly different (the prongs now don''t look like v-prongs) and the stone is slightly off-center. I think I''m the only person who notices, but it''s driving me CRAZY!!

Should I ask him to re-set the stone and make the ring look like it did before? Should I worry about the integrity of the prongs if he does more work on it? Should I expect to pay for his work, even if I''m asking him to "correct" it? I appreciate all input. Thank you!

 

[nclrgirl]

Oh, one more question... Should I also look into having a different jeweler re-set my stone? It''s driving me CRAZY!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I was in the same boat with some things that were driving me crazy abut my ring and I ended up going back to the original jeweler and asking he fix it, and he did, for free. (see here for more info https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-setting-for-my-sapphire-and-diamond-ec-three-stone.77743/). I''d say that should be your first plan of "attack", because really he should fix his mistakes. Just be polite when you point it out, these types of things happen a lot it seems, and I''m sure he will gladly fix it.

If he isn''t responsive, well then you can take it from there and make a plan B.

DD

 

[nclrgirl]

Wow dreamer, your ring is gorgeous!! Thanks for the insight

I''m worried about going back to the same jeweler because I wasn''t happy with his work...the metal on the top of the prongs looks like a sloppy soldering job..I''ll take some current pics with the diamond to post along with the "before" pics with the CZ. The new prongs actually make the stone look much smaller as well. The size difference is < 0.1mm, which I can''t see when looking at them side-by-side...

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Yes take it back to the jewelers. I am sure they would be happy to fix their mistake.

 

[nclrgirl]

Thanks for your opinions! Here is the ring now, showing the prongs. See how the metal is kind of asymmetrical? (Note I took this pic, not that good at it yet. The "before" pic that I''ll post next was taken by my FI, who is much better at it!)

 

[nclrgirl]

This is the before pic. I really liked the prongs better this way... Any opinions?

 

[Lurchie]

Wow, from the pictures it looks like the jeweler did a number on your prongs. The two pics are taken at slightly different angles and it''s a little hard to make out the E-W prongs. But judging from the top and bottom ones alone, I''d say you have a very strong argument. I don''t think you should have to pay for corrective work. If this kind of setting is difficult to work on, then that should have been communicated to you up-front and reflected in the price you paid.

 

[nclrgirl]

Thanks Lurchie! Do you think he''ll be able to make the prongs look like they did before?

 

[Sparkles22]

That would bug me too (so you're not alone) I would get it fixed. Has this jeweler done any other work for you? I wasn't happy with a local B&M and kept sending it back to be fixed, and in the end (after months of sending it out, getting it back, sending it out...etc) it was totally buchered. I wound up going elsewhere and have been very happy since. Needless to say I would NOT shop at that B&M again!!!

 

[Sparkles22]

Here is a picture of the finished project (center stone removed) of what the jeweler thought looked great

Notice the huge gap between the e-ring and the wedding band (they sodered them like this) the wedding band was even made to sit flush with the e-ring. Also it isn''t even straight

Okay I am done thread-jacking! Sorry this happened to you

 

[nclrgirl]

Sparkles, I see what you''re talking about! I''m glad you were able to get your ring fixed. Thanks for your input!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

I would talk to that jeweler and see what he says and possibly give him one try to fix it (for free, of course). FWIW, years back I had a pair of diamond earrings that were set terribly and I took them to another jeweler and he made them look a bit better, but still they weren''t perfect like I had hoped. There''s no guarantee a second person will make the ring as you had hoped and you''re right to worry that the integrity may not be the best. Did he say if this was a concern of his?

 

[nclrgirl]

I''m such a wimp! I have not asked him about it yet so I don''t know if it''s a concern... I hope someone can return my ring to its original splendor.

 

[meganpepi]

Date: 2/15/2008 5:04:43 PM
Author: nclrgirl
This is the before pic. I really liked the prongs better this way... Any opinions?

What a stunning and absolutely beautiful ring. No wonder you want the prongs fixed. It''s as if the jeweller was more concerned about protecting the corners of the stone and forgot about the visual side of things.

I would show the jeweller the original picture - it''s hard when friends, rels. etc of the family are involved.

Don''t give up...

G.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I would most definitely take it back to the same jeweler and have them fix it. If you take it elsewhere, they will charge you, and you should not have to pay (twice) for the jewelers mistake. If the prongs bother you, then I would tell them that you want them to be v-tip like they were in the first place. You have to live with this ring for the rest of your life, you need to be happy with it!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Wow! That picture really shows the damage. I would take it with you when you go back to the jeweler. They should be embarrassed!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Absolutely take it back!!! Also, what are the stats of your diamond...it looks so beautiful!!

 

[denverappraiser]

I don’t know how much you paid for this work but, frankly, I would go somewhere else. The head needs to be replaced and the stone needs to be reset. This is probably what needed to be done in the first place and he didn’t do it in order to save you the cost of the new head and save him the labor to install it. This made the original job cheaper but the results are, well, cheaper. This makes it not entirely his fault but I suspect you were relying on him to give you good advice and it’s not clear you got it. Doing it right isn’t that difficult a job and heads aren’t all that expensive, even at today’s metal prices. If the jeweler recommended this and you argued him out of it over the price I’ll cut him some slack but if the take-in conversation went something like this I would take it as a sign that he misunderstands what’s required to do the job properly.

You: I would like this stone set in this ring please.
Him: OK. That’ll be $xxx. It’ll be done next Thursday.
You: OK.

By the way, the original prong work looks very nice. Was this done by the same store? If so, you may just be talking to the wrong worker.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[nclrgirl]

Nope. He didn''t give me options. Just said it''ll cost this much and take this long. Didn''t even say it would be difficult or a risk... Turns out I need to send it back to the manufacturer, so I''m on the search for a dealer that carries their work today. Thank you for all of your feedback. Here I go!

 

[nclrgirl]

Italiahaircolor, Thank you so much for the compliment! It''s G, VS2, 5.84x5.84mm, faint fluorescence. My FI has the GIA cert right now, so I don''t know the table and depth percentages at the moment.