E-ring saga, part 2

[Aspen714]

My stolen ring was recovered & I finally got to see my engagement ring. The ring was a total surprise, and my new fiancé is totally fine with me picking out a different one. Despite my folder of diamond & ring info & pictures saved to my desktop, the only research my man did was checking my internet history once & taking his sister along to look at rings. Sigh. He picked the a high pressure, shady chain store & was suckered into buying the ring that day. I'm a more simple pave band, quality diamond type girl but he picked a verragio insignia 7050 setting with the most god awful horribly cut princess diamond. I've grown attached to the setting, it is quite pretty & I am leaning towards keeping it because he picked it out & I like that feeling. The diamond has so go back. So problems:
1. Diamond is supposedly 1.02 ct F/G SI1 princess cut (yes, the store used IGI certification).
2. It looks slightly yellowish to me (especially compared to verragio diamonds in the setting).
3.Within a minute of staring down at it I could see a black dot in the center. From the side & bottom there are a few more.
4. It's not truly square so it looks twisted in the setting.
5. I entered in cert. # online & I got stats back for a cor cut rect mod brill, E color, SI1, weighing 0.7ct! What!
6. Verragio set the stone, I don't want to deal with that store so I think we should just return the whole thing, oh but wait, he doesn't know the return policy only that they said it was exchangable (whatever that means).
7.I had wanted an oval but I am not sure if it would/could go in that setting.

Do I have grounds to demand they take back the ring (misrepresentation?)?
If I stick with that verragio setting, should I give up the oval? Then what shape should I pick (not princess)? I loved asschers, drooled over octavias but don't want them to look small because I can't justify spending ten thousand on a diamond right now.
We want to stick with approx. 1 ct. I don't know how low I can go in color with the verragio setting. Clarity lowest probably VS2. Max $ for the stone, ~$6,000
Sorry this is so long & rambling, I am just getting all my thoughts out! I feel like everyone is judging me for not wearing my ring/not liking the center stone but I hate that my fiancé got ripped off & he is 100% ok with me picking whatever I want. This whole thing has been a disaster, except for the part that we're engaged! That makes me very happy.

 

[CanuckAB]

Congratulations on your engagement! Sorry you don't like the ring. I'm too new to help you find a replacement but will be following you here on your journey. Good luck!

 

[Tourmaline]

Yes, you have grounds based on misrepresentation! Absolutely! Tell them you'll be writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper if they give you trouble.

 

[Aspen714]

I'm going to have to dig deep, Usually I am more of a lamb that turns bright red & splotchy when arguing with someone. It seems like when I am put on the spot I get all panicked & jumbled. I'm trying to gather all the facts I can so I feel more prepared. I am glad my fiancé is quick thinking & great at arguing. Hell, he gets me to admit he's right most of the time.

 

[msop04]

My stolen ring was recovered & I finally got to see my engagement ring. The ring was a total surprise, and my new fiancé is totally fine with me picking out a different one. Despite my folder of diamond & ring info & pictures saved to my desktop, the only research my man did was checking my internet history once & taking his sister along to look at rings. Sigh. He picked the a high pressure, shady chain store & was suckered into buying the ring that day. I'm a more simple pave band, quality diamond type girl but he picked a verragio insignia 7050 setting with the most god awful horribly cut princess diamond. I've grown attached to the setting, it is quite pretty & I am leaning towards keeping it because he picked it out & I like that feeling. The diamond has so go back. So problems:
1. Diamond is supposedly 1.02 ct F/G SI1 princess cut (yes, the store used IGI certification).

Did the IGI cert say 1.02 ct F/G SI1 or did the store's description say it, like could it be total carat weight (stone + setting)? If the IGI actually said that, then you can file a complaint on his credit card (I'm truly hoping he didn't pay cash or use "their store card")

2. It looks slightly yellowish to me (especially compared to verragio diamonds in the setting).
3.Within a minute of staring down at it I could see a black dot in the center. From the side & bottom there are a few more.
4. It's not truly square so it looks twisted in the setting.
5. I entered in cert. # online & I got stats back for a cor cut rect mod brill, E color, SI1, weighing 0.7ct! What![qquote]

If you find that it's been misrepresented, this is a probelem... see above statements.

6. Verragio set the stone, I don't want to deal with that store so I think we should just return the whole thing, oh but wait, he doesn't know the return policy only that they said it was exchangable (whatever that means).
7.I had wanted an oval but I am not sure if it would/could go in that setting.

Do I have grounds to demand they take back the ring (misrepresentation?)?
If I stick with that verragio setting, should I give up the oval? Then what shape should I pick (not princess)? I loved asschers, drooled over octavias but don't want them to look small because I can't justify spending ten thousand on a diamond right now.
We want to stick with approx. 1 ct. I don't know how low I can go in color with the verragio setting. Clarity lowest probably VS2. Max $ for the stone, ~$6,000
Sorry this is so long & rambling, I am just getting all my thoughts out! I feel like everyone is judging me for not wearing my ring/not liking the center stone but I hate that my fiancé got ripped off & he is 100% ok with me picking whatever I want. This whole thing has been a disaster, except for the part that we're engaged! That makes me very happy.

OP, this sounds shady as he**... I'd do everything I could to get my money refunded in full... stone and setting. That whole story just makes me ill. I'm sorry you're having to go through this!!

The good news is... YOU'RE ENGAGED -- YAY!!!

 

[msop04]

Yes, you have grounds based on misrepresentation! Absolutely! Tell them you'll be writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper if they give you trouble.

If they give you any trouble whatsoever, this is exactly what I'd do.

 

[momhappy]

That's a good point - could the difference in size be total carat weight vs. just the size of the center stone?

 

[Amour_Et_Diamants]

I'm so glad they recovered your ring, and it wasn't just a total loss. It sounds like the center stone is a radiant shape not a princess, so I would talk to the jewelry store where he purchased. IMO- I would try to just return the ring and start over completely since you have had a lot of trouble with this ring being stolen and then misrepresented. Congrats though and maybe picking out a new ring together will be fun

 

[Aspen714]

Nope, not total carat weight. I will try to post a pic of what I know.

 

[Aspen714]

Okay, I hope these aren't too big or too small!

 

[mrs-b]

Hi Aspen714

My thinking is - if they lied about the center stone so blatantly, it's possible all sorts of funky stuff might have gone on with the setting. I'd take the whole thing back. Start fresh with a setting chosen precisely for the diamond you choose - rather than making a new stone try to fit into a setting possibly made for a stone of entirely different shape to what was originally in it.

Just my 2c. Good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh absolutely return the whole thing. Even if you decide you like that setting, you'd want Verragio to make a new one to go with the diamond you choose.

Regarding the wrong cert, I would go get an appraisal immediately, like tomorrow, and have it with you when you attempt to return the ring. I wouldn't necessarily want an inflated value on there, but I would absolutely want to know if the diamond is a .70 or a 1 ct as stated on the receipt. That is how you can prove they misrepresented. Be SURE you keep all original documents at home and only take copies to the store.

Can you take a magnified photo of the top of the stone?

 

[Aspen714]

Will they still be able to assess that given that it's already set?

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

Hi Aspen -

You should read the receipt very carefully to see what that store's return policies are. You will have an easier time getting refunded if your fiancé paid with a credit card. Timing is essential here.

If I were you, I would not waste any money on an appraisal. I would take the ring off and put it back in the box so they can't claim you damaged it in any way. First thing: contact the credit card company and put them on notice of this problem purchase, don't process a chargeback just yet, just find out what their procedures are if you need to start a dispute. This way, when you speak to the vendor, you know what you're talking about. Second, do print screens of the information you found online that doesn't match the certificate you received - save those to your computer as evidence. Third, call the store and find out the manager's name and email address if possible. Write a nice professional letter stating your position, the problems with the purchase (be descriptive and explicit, while concise), your desired resolution and when you expect to hear back from him/her. Email/fax to the manager. If they only do exchanges, you might have some trouble as by purchasing the ring, your fiancé entered into a contract. However, contracts are based on terms and if the ring was misstated in any way, the contract is void.

When you speak to the manager, you now have that letter to help you as a sort of script to discuss the return of the ring. If the manager is non-compliant, you tell him you've already spoken to your credit card company and are prepared to file a chargeback and that you were just giving him/her a chance to accept the return before you do it and take more aggressive action. Chargebacks are dings to a vendor's merchant account credit, like late payments are on your credit. It takes more than one instance, but repeated chargebacks can cause a vendor to lose his merchant account or pay higher rates on every transaction.

If they try to get you to exchange for buy something else from the store, your argument is that regrettably, you no longer have any faith in their tactics and procedures after this incident and prefer to shop elsewhere. Like in all things, your posture should be one of confidence in your position and resolution to this incident your only goal. I would be willing to bet this isn't their first go-round with an unhappy customer, so they will likely know how to handle you - which is why speaking to the credit card company first is constructive.

If you succeed in getting a refund, do yourself a favor and do some reading about diamonds and rings. Becoming an educated consumer will ensure you make an intelligent decision when the time comes.

Congrats on the engagement!

 

[Tourmaline]

I agree with Sandy. Do it NOW.

 

[msop04]

Will they still be able to assess that given that it's already set?

They will have to remove it to weigh it... but I definitely do whatever it takes to return it as soon as possible, get all your money back, and start over. This vendor is shady.

 

[Aspen714]

We are going tomorrow. I will follow the steps Sandy posted above, thank you so much! I never dreamt he'd go out & buy a ring without asking what I like! I've been lurking on here for months & I would have told him to stay far, far away from that store!

 

[Aspen714]

Oh yeah, he did use a credit card (they were willing to give us a thousand when the ring was stolen). That's the other problem, the ring was stolen & out of our possession for about 48 hrs. We went to the jewelry store that caught the thief to thank them & they checked out the ring & said there was no damage. I am just afraid the store he bought the diamond from will give us more trouble when we try to return it because of this.

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

We are going tomorrow. I will follow the steps Sandy posted above, thank you so much! I never dreamt he'd go out & buy a ring without asking what I like! I've been lurking on here for months & I would have told him to stay far, far away from that store!

Working in the legal field can be helpful once in a while.... Hope it works out!

 

[Aspen714]

Does it matter when he paid for the ring? I know he ordered it feb 6th but it took verragio awhile to make it & set the stone. He picked it up the 14th of march, I think.

 

[Amour_Et_Diamants]

Does it matter when he paid for the ring? I know he ordered it feb 6th but it took verragio awhile to make it & set the stone. He picked it up the 14th of march, I think.

It may matter. The jewelry store may have a return period, and I think your credit card company may have a time limit for filing a dispute.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My reasoning for getting a quick appraisal was to find out if you even have the diamond represented in your receipt. They can easily say they accept no returns and I am willing to bet that is what they will say. But you CAN force the issue if the diamond is not a 1 ct G SI1!!!! And no, they do NOT have to take it out to weigh it. They can use calipers and measure the dimensions and they can look at the grading report and see if the inclusions match up. If you'd post a picture we can tell you if it is a radiant or a princess cut.

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

In this case, I would think the clock started ticking as of the date of possession, not from the date of the purchase, as it is understood that sometimes a setting may need to be ordered, and a stone set. I imagine he has a receipt or something from the day he picked it up?

Another thought, I imagine you two filed a police report for the theft? That'll be good to have for the credit card company. Finally, you should look into the credit card company's policies. Many of them have some sort of purchase protection on items for 60 or 90 days in case of theft or loss. Couldn't hurt to explore that avenue as well.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Since the ring has been returned to them in excellent condition, I do not see why the theft is an issue at this point. If we assume the store says no returns (and possibly exchange only), the only way I see getting out of it is if the stone was misrepresented. But it could be the right stone and they just made a typo on the receipt. In that case, they may have no grounds for a credit card dispute. So it still seems to me they need to know if the diamond is the one on the receipt or the one on that IGI report. Going in with knowledge gives them the upper hand in what to ask for, in my opinion. I'd just go back to the nice jeweler who caught the thief and ask him to measure the stone for you and see if it matches up close to that .70 stone. We are talking about a very quick visit.

 

[msop04]

My reasoning for getting a quick appraisal was to find out if you even have the diamond represented in your receipt. They can easily say they accept no returns and I am willing to bet that is what they will say. But you CAN force the issue if the diamond is not a 1 ct G SI1!!!! And no, they do NOT have to take it out to weigh it. They can use calipers and measure the dimensions and they can look at the grading report and see if the inclusions match up. If you'd post a picture we can tell you if it is a radiant or a princess cut.

I know thay could get the dimensions (to compare to the cert) and estimate the weight for the OP, but can you really get the precise weight of a stone? I'm asking for my own general knowledge (not how it partains to this case) because I was under the impression that weighing the stone sans setting was the only way to get an exact weight.

 

[Aspen714]

Here are some pictures.

 

[Amour_Et_Diamants]

The diamond is not a radiant, but i believe you said the certificate lists a "cut-cornered rectangle modified brilliant," which should be a radiant. The certificate may be for a different diamond, or that's the impression I'm getting.

 

[Aspen714]

Okay, I just want reassurance I looked at this correctly. I went to the igi online website & ran an online information report. Is this the same as a certificate?

 

[Amour_Et_Diamants]

That should be what IGI issued for grading, but the diamond matching that certificate is inscribed. It should be easy to verify the certificate doesn't match your diamond.

 

[AprilBaby]

Si1 with noticeable black dots? And a bit of a wonky shape.