Help identifying a ring & opinions about a seller

[jsg0216]

Hello all,

First-time poster to these forums!

I found this ring in local consignment shop that specializes in jewelery. I was told it was a newer ring, and an estate piece. I was also told that it is somewhere around 0.20 total carats in diamonds set in rose gold (I forget the carats in gold, but I think it's somewhere around 14 or 1.



After obsessively looking at the ring while searching for others, I decided it was the one. But I also saw there was an imperfection in the little detailed swirly part (inner part of the compass north end of the ring, if that makes sense). I called to see if that was repairable, and if we could work the cost of the repair into the cost of the ring. The seller said that she can get a new one without that imperfection from her dealer.

This set off an alarm in my head because the ring was originally represented as a consignment estate piece (as opposed to a dealer-sourced resale). I actually asked the seller about this and she gave some vague, but acceptable answer involving "most of our rings are estate pieces" or something along those lines. She also mentioned that getting the piece from a dealer keeps the price down for me (not sure how that works for a business...). I asked if I could bring in an outside appraiser (no clue how much that would cost), and she said that for pieces under $1000 it isn't cost effective to have them appraised for insurance purposes. Instead you would just include the piece in your property insurance. She kindly informed me that in situations like this, "there has to be some degree of trust" between the seller and the buyer. Again, alarms...

So, before I put a non-refundable deposit on this ring, I was wondering if anyone has seen this ring before! If I can confirm where this ring comes from, I can get an idea of what it is, how much it actually costs, etc.

Thanks in advance for your help!

—Josh

 

[VRBeauty]

It sounds to me like you caught the seller in a lie. Whether that's enough to make you look for another source or not is up to you - I'd be tempted to walk just on principle, but since you've been looking for the right ring for a long time, and this seems to be the one for you... maybe not, in your case.

Years ago my mother had a favorite little antique jewelry that was located not far from where my parents lived at the time. For my birthday one year, she let me pick a silver and marcasite piece from their selection... I picked an art deco-style ring set with an amethyst (my birthstone). One day I wore the ring one day to my favorite local jewelry store. When the proprietor commented on it I mentioned that it was a vintage piece, and she told me it probably wasn't, and proceeded to show me a picture of the same style in a current catalog. I learned a lesson about "vintage" jewelry - and "trusted" jewelry stores - that day.

BTW I do see the flaw, and having seen it, it would definitely bug me.

 

[jsg0216]

Unfortunately, you are right about having found the right ring... Rings in this style aren't easy to come by at any price point, much less in mine! I'm willing to deal with the fact that the ring may be from a dealer, but I'm just concerned about the misinformation about the ring. If the seller is willing to stretch the truth (hard to call it an outright lie) about where the ring came from, what else are they willing to stretch the truth about?

They have excellent Google reviews from the past couple of years (and then some, with 30+ reviews), so am I at least safe in knowing that the diamonds are indeed diamonds and the rose gold is indeed rose gold?

I would never forgive myself if I get duped and end up proposing with costume jewelery!

 

[VRBeauty]

Is there a return period? You should be able to take it to another jeweler, or even a pawn shop, for an assessment of the metal and stones. It might cost you a bit. but probably less than $50.00.

If this is a ring you're planning to propose with, you should be aware that (from what I can see in the picture) this design will not allow a wedding band to sit "flush" against it. A "flush fit" is important to some women, but not to others.

ETA - one other thought. You might consider whether the broken part in the ring at the jeweler's indicate a weakness in the design... in other words, whether some of the corresponding design elements might also break once your gf has this ring on her hand and is wearing it on a daily basis.