Experience going from bad to worse. Please help.

[magnoliasmom]

The ring was set/cross was made by The Gem Lab in Rochester, NY. Paul is a lovely man and his staff are terrific. Highly recommend if you are in the area, I couldn't be more happy with the service we received. I absolutely love this setting, it's perfect. I love everything about it, there isn't one thing I would change about the setting itself, the diamonds, the proportions, etc. It makes up for the crappiness with the original jeweler.

 

[tyty333]

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry your grandmother's ring was lost. That's awful! Your new ring is beautiful!
Glad you finally got what you wanted!

 

[soxfan]

I'm so sorry about your band Your new ring is amazing. The jeweler did an incredible job on the setting!

 

[magnoliasmom]

Thank you and yes, he did do an incredible job. That's why I'll now drive 2.5 hours one way and cross the border for other jewelry, and recommend him to my family and friends. The experience (between the former jeweler and this jeweler) -- like night and day. Great service matters.

 

[Austina]

Wow, it's stunning, and I love the modern twist on the cross.

 

[ac117]

Wow, I'm so sorry the original jeweler lost your ring sad You made a great decision going with another jeweler and they did a stellar job with your reset!! It looks fantastic and beautiful on you!!!

 

[Tekate]

Both ring set and cross was beautiful. Workmanship looks perfect. I am so so sorry about the loss of a family heirloom. Make sure you yelp this jeweler, caveat emptor, and your review would help.

Congratulations on your daughter's first communion !!!

 

[Matthews1127]

@magnoliasmom
I just want to sit & sob for days over the negligence & incompetence of your original jeweler. My. Dear. God!!!
I admire your husband's self-control; he had perfectly good motivation to wrap his hands around his throat & and squeeze the life out of him!! Of ALL things to "LOSE"!!! GAH!!!
Congratulations on your beautifully designed, bespoke creation!! I do hope your new replacement band will have sentimental value, at some point; I'm certain the 3 stone already does.
Blessings to you both for having the courage to trust someone else, after such a terrible, and heart-breaking experience. I do hope you will make the entire world aware of the Charlatain who did you such an irreversible wrong!!!

 

[mrs-b]

How lovely! Congratulations on your new pieces - I hope they go some way to eradicating the sour taste in your mouth from the first jeweler.

 

[partgypsy]

your new ring is beautiful and perfection, and I love the cross. I'm glad it all worked out in the end!

 

[Crazie4Cuts]

Love your new ring. Beautiful 3 stone with all the right proportions. BTW, Your original jeweler should redo the band that he made since he lost the original band and do whatever YOU want! I hope you went back and let him know that he is not off the hook, but you want the band remade to your specifications! Even if it costs more than the original! He's the one who lost it and you should have had input before he went ahead and remade one. What actually happened after you got the one he remade, I read that you had another one made at 1.5 mm in 18k, do you wear it? Did he take back the one he made that was too thick and said ok I'll make what you want? Hope he didn't charge you for it!

 

[Karl_K]

I was so sad when I read that your ring was lost :{
That just sucks.

The new ring and cross are awesome.

 

[dkata]

Such amazing beautiful ring! Really nicely done! And I absolutely love the cross!

 

[ChristineRose]

I just want to join in and say how sorry I am about the grandmother's ring.

 

[magnoliasmom]

Thank you, everyone.

The original jeweler made the new band, yes -- 18K white gold, 2 mm, supposedly. However, it's too wide and too thick to be worn with the new ring. I didn't ask him to fix it -- my husband picked it up, brought it home, and at the time, I said nothing, because to be frank, the entire experience with the original jeweler has left a very bad taste in my husband's mouth. We didn't pay for it -- we didn't pay the original jeweler a dime. He produced one bad CAD, was rude and uncommunicative, and lost a family heirloom. He got $0.

I ordered a thin 1.5 mm 18K white gold band from Etsy (only place I could find one) and it should be here within the next few weeks. I may wear the original jeweler's band when I don't wear my new three stone ring. I feel like it has bad juju though (I know, silly) so then again, I may not.

If he had to lose anything, I wish it hadn't been my wedding band. The diamonds are insured and can be replaced. The ring, not so easy.

Anyway, I'm getting an insurance appraisal on the new ring done this morning, as I intend to take out a separate policy via Jeweler's Mutual.

I really appreciate everyone's empathy and understanding. I felt so badly for my husband. The irony is, this was his idea (he's way more creative than I am) and it ended up sort of backfiring. That said, he is super-happy with the way the three stone ring turned out.

A question -- I'm curious -- does anyone know why the original wedding band never needed to be replated? Did they use a different alloy back in the 30s? As I said previously, my engagement ring needed replating once a year, but I never once had to replate the wedding band.

Here's a pic of the new ring with the original jeweler's band. It doesn't work. The band keeps smacking in to the baskets. It's thicker, rounder, heavier, wider than my original band. Oh well...

 

[farrahlyn]

Nothing of worth to add, i'm just popping in to admire your new setting again. seriously, it is INCREDIBLE. I hope the new band you bought on etsy works for you!

 

[SimoneDi]

@magnoliasmom I just want to say that your new ring is stunning. I am happy that in the end you were able to find a jeweler who listened to your requests and was able to deliver a ring that you now love.
I am also so very sorry that the original jeweler lost your original, heirloom wedding band this really hits home because my own wedding band which was an heirloom was lost/stolen. I still think about it sometimes, but life does go on. Honestly, I will check once in a while with the jeweler to see if it turns up in the store. It is just sad that it happened and that jeweler deserves no business, I am glad that you did not pay him anything.
I don't mind the look of the new band with the new ring, but I see what you mean, it does sit a bit higher. I hope that the Etsy band that you ordered meets your expectations
Regarding the alloy of your original.. it might have been a palladium mix which enerally does not need to be rhodium plated, it does have a bit grayish look, vs the rhodium white.

 

[magnoliasmom]

Thank you for the kind words, @farrahlyn. And yes, my original wedding band had a more flat, greyish tone to it -almost like platinum, minus the patina that platinum gets. @SimoneDi, your explanation on the alloy difference makes sense.

Another question, if I may, please? I tried on a Hearts on Fire .11 ct thin band while I was waiting on the appraisal, and really liked the look of it, alone, and with the new ring.

If I did something similar in rose gold (I love rose gold) -- would it look silly with the new ring? Would it detract too much? Should I just stick with this band in 18K white gold? Thank you!!

https://www.jamesallen.com/wedding-...se-gold-u-pave-wedding-ring-11-ctw-item-51327

 

[eldeeh]

Anyway...we pulled the project and I found a stock setting that I love. Except, I could not find anyone (we're in Canada) who carried this setting. So we ended up working with a jeweler across the border in the US. He was fantastic and I love my new ring. He also made a cross out of my old engagement ring setting, for my daughter's first Holy Communion next year.

Was it GemKraft?