Disaster.

[beowulf33]

I''m going to vent to you all because this is the one thing I can''t tell my girlfriend about:

The background:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/urgent-need-nyc-jeweler-to-set-stone-asap.14500/

The update:

The store called this evening to tell me the ring was ready for me to pick up. I asked if it looked right this time (it had been set improperly two times previously), and the salesperson said yes, but that I should come see it myself. I went to the store and got the ring, and immediately I knew something was wrong. Within a minute, I realized that (i) the prongs looked flattened and hammered-down and chunky, which is not how they''re supposed to look, (ii) the prongs were set unevenly around the stone, and (iii) one prong was noticeably lower than all the others.

The salesperson ultimately acknowledged all these problems and apologized. She offered 10% off and said they would send the setting directly to Michael B to be set and repaired (since the basket and prongs now appear to be irretrievably messed up).

The problem, as I mentioned earlier, is that I was planning to propose on Saturday, and had numerous plans in place. I had been gearing up all week for this, and now it has to wait another week, perhaps two. It''s hard for me to believe that a reputedly top-flight jeweler would have employees or contractors that could botch a job so badly -- and they botched it *three times*, ultimately mutiliating the ring in my view!

Normally I would just say forget it and ask for my money back, but the setting is so perfect I don''t want to start over again. And the store has offered to pay whatever it takes to have Michael B set the ring perfectly. So hopefully this will turn out OK in the end, but for now, it''s a complete disaster.

Anyways, thanks for reading and letting me vent -- I know plenty of people out there will be able to imagine just how annoying this is.

P.S. One thing the salesperson told me at first is that it''s "normal" for prongs to be somewhat unevenly spaced around a round stone. This strikes me as totally false -- am I wrong here? She backed down in the end so it didn''t matter, but I was surprised to hear her try to defend the way this thing was set at first.

 

[baltneu]

Hey Beowulf33

That is a bad story, given that you have plans in place this weekend to propose. Can they be canceled/postponed without financial loss?

Perahps you can still propose. Tell her the truth, that you got the ring, they screwed up the setting and you love her so much that you wanted it to be "perfect" for her and that you will have the ring soon. It makes a great story( a true one) that you will both never forget. Just a thought, could you give her something temporary?

As far as the setting is concerned with the jeweler, 3 strikes and he is out! Find someone else. I know this is Good Friday and Easter so the deck is stacked against you, but keep trying. Good luck.

 

[valeria101]

If this is a setting with a name (Michael B.) there are others like it. Not irreplaceable. I'd get the money back, put the stone in a holder (free from the same darn store) and go on with plan. Not sure tehse guys would handle any setting right. Next time - what if the ring is still crooked and the diamond chipped or worse? Someone is learning the trade on your ring - given the description.

It is by now plain clear what they can do and what not. Why change plans for this kind of reason? I would bet no girl would be upset to choose a ring for herself.

And no, it is not acceptable for those prongs to show off crocked or uneven. Rings are not supposed to show detail upon magnification (so at 3X the salesperson could be right

), but they shoud not show mistakes at 1X either.

 

[beowulf33]

Thanks for the replies. I have calmed down a bit and I'm just going to wait until next weekend. The plans can be moved with little or no financial impact, and I want to do it like I pictured it in my head. Plus, she probably wouldn't want the temporary setting -- she wanted me to pick the ring out on my own and she gave me minimal input. And my proposal plan involves a fake ugly ring -- more on that later -- so I have to have the "real deal" on hand.

I agree with the three strikes theory. I definitely wouldn't give them anything to do again on their own, but if they're sending it back to Michael B to "make perfect," it could still turn out ok in the end. Fingers crossed!

 

[Nicrez]

I am so horrified by your story. I'm the kind of gal who stares at my ring waaaay too often to not notice such tiny details. I think it's so sweet that you do want things just PERFECT! She's a lucky gal!

Sorry to hear the third time wasn't the charm. I understand the prong problem. NO prongs are not always set so sloppy. A friend had her prongs looking funny, so she went once to have them reset it. They did. It came back with one prong all pointy and larger. So, she had them file it down, and now it's set JUST RIGHT. Perfectly spaced, perfectly equal. I think it takes a good eye, a good hand, and perhaps skill of having done it...ohh...more than once...Ana's got a sad pojnt...looks like some kid is wetting his little jeweler's block with the work of your ring... Sorry!

I have a few people I know who wear Michael B products and I have not seen bad workmanship on any of them, and they have yet to complain about the work. Maybe having the designer set it himself is wise.

If you are in NYC, I hope you didn't go to Michael C. Fina for this, because their service is at a premium, and they are "supposed" to be excellent, but I withdrew my setting request from them before I could find out!

Chin up, and I am sure it will work out better! As for the proposal, did you post your idea in the propsal forum...sounds interesting! Do tell!!

 

[Patty]

I hate to hear what you're going through. But be assured that when you finally have the perfect ring and present it to your girlfriend, you will be able to tell her what all you went through to get it JUST RIGHT.

I had no idea that setting a diamond was that difficult. Come on, guys, get it right!

 

[cmcwill]

You mention a 'fake ugly ring'...I hope your GF has a SUPER sense of humour!!

Colleen

 

[niceice]

We simply don't understand why the store would even try to pass such work off on a customer... You should contact Michael B. and express your disatisfaction with the ethical practices of the store because such practices are not conducive to the proper representation and growth of his product line. If the store doesn't value you as a customer, maybe they will value the input of a valued vendor.

 

[EdSkinner]

It is a shame you are being subjected to this. Alot of times when things are returned the only thing that goes through the jewelers mind is that it is cutting into his profit margin. So they try as cheaply as possible to try to fix it. And as you have found out, that rarely works. Most of the sales people are just sales people that have no real knowledge of the product. If they were not selling rings they would be at Sears selling appliances. But in the time that I have been in this business I have noticed that alot of bench mechanics have little or no quality control. And if you find fault with their work they come up with 300 excuses on why it is not their fault or why you broke it. I consider that group to be failed plumbers. Most of the good setters passed on 50 years ago. It is not uncommon to see stones come back set cockeyed, uneven or not even having the prongs touching the stone. Your lucky you cought the problems you did. I hope they get it right for you this time.

 

[wallace]

B - I am soooooo sorry to hear about your problems. I started joining in on this forum becuase the same thing happened to my BF. I am glad your plans can be re-arranged so you can do the proposal you planned (although I am sure she would understand...) Unfortunatley, I have learned that this problem happens quite a bit - as hard as it is to believe! Lots of people here have gone through this so we are more than happy to lend an ear, advice, let you vent spleen - and see you through.

It sounds like you have something really funny planned - and I am sure that I am not the only one who can't wait to hear it! But, we'll wait til you get to surprise her. Like valeria said, the designer can provide a new setting - maybe the store could work out for you that he (Michael B.) set the stone himself? I agree - three strikes is out. I hope this gets resolved for you soon.

 

[beowulf33]

Thanks for the replies and the kind words of support. I calmed down a lot over the weekend, particularly after browsing around the forums and reading about horror stories that are far worse than this (e.g., custom settings that were completely and fundamentally botched). Once it is all put in perspective, it's clearly not the end of the world. But if it doesn't turn out right the next time, there will be consequences.

I have considered contacting Michael B directly, but for now I'm willing to let the store deal with them. My presumption is that once the store sends it to Michael B for resetting, the designer will see for himself how the setting was mangled, and hopefully Mr. B has enough pride in his work and how it is represented to set it perfectly for me. The invoice doesn't make any attempt to hide what happened -- it says "mounting was done incorrect 3x". So hopefully the facts are clear.

Re the proposal idea, I'll save the details for the proper forum, but the nutshell is that I bought a fake ring to give in the first instance. I don't like to say the ring is ugly, since beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, but . . . OK, let's face it, the ring is just plain ugly. (I would post a picture, but I just know someone will have the exact same ring and get upset. . .) She does have an excellent sense of humor and we play jokes on each other all the time, so I see this as a fitting start to our "official" life together.

Of course, I don't plan to keep her nervous about the heinous rock on her finger for too long before I break out the real thing. Bwa ha haa!