horror story....diamond switching..ADVISE PLEASE

[glt4392]

I posted here a while back, I did a lot of research about diamonds and quality and ended up finding the perfect stone. An ideal cut, SI1, E color stone of 1.31ct, excellent/excellent symetry and polish. I bought it from a very good local store. They have been in business for a long time and are locally owned and very well regarded.
Here is where the story goes south:
I bought it in July 10th. To avoid taxes I had it shipped out of state. The store threw in a plain white gold mounting. I have an appraisal from the store and all the certificates and documentation. I then had the ring shipped back to me. A month or so later, I had it mounted in a heavy platinum ring with .40 ct of side stones channel set. I had it done at one of those "mounting shows" at KAY Jewelers...I know, I know, you guys don't have to say it....The jeweler then sat in front of me and unmounted the diamond and put it on a tray on the top of his cart where he did the mounting work. I recall him saying "here is your diamond so you know where it is at all times". He then took 45 minutes of very detailed work putting the head and working on the mount (filling, shapping, setting it on fire...). Then he mounted the diamond in the new ring. It looked beautiful, everything is great at the time.
So I propose on August 31st, she says yes, we are getting married in 8 months. Just now (she lives another state), I had the ring taken into a local lab that does independent appraisals and estimates. I had the gemologist look at the ring so I could have it insured. Then the sky begins to fall. After several minutes, she says that she does not beleive the stone matches the certificate. The dimensions are off and she estimates the stone to be .2 to .25 smaller, the plotting is off and does not match but she thinks the color is about the same. We immediately call the store and take the stone in. She has been great and willing to help. The stores takes an hour to came back and say that the stone is not the one for that report and that it is not the one they shipped. The store owner gave me a letterhead statement saying that because of their checks and balances they are 100% sure they shipped the stone that is described in their appraisal and that matches the report. They will check their inventory to see if there are any stones that are mismatched and by some mistake they switched stones while we looked at their stock. We really looked at about 20 or so all within the same range. But they claim there is little chance of that because they are supposed to weight the stone before showing it and before storing it so if anyone would have shown the stone after they would have noticed it.
That leaves the mounting event people as possible thieves. I felt comfortable that I kept my eye on the stone, but it is a small thing that does not take much to switch.
The thing is that the gemologist says that from just the analysis she did (she stopped after determining she was not looking at the correct cerficate), she does not think the quality is that far off. She can not tell the color exactly because it is mounted but beleives it could be from E to G, SI1. The biggest difference being size. But she believes the quality is not that far off for someone to take that big a chance and get cought.
Well, now I don't know what to do, she is mortified because now we can insure the thing. I am angry that either there was a mistake or a crime. But more concerned that noone will ever know what happened.
Any ideas what I could do? Any stories like this out there? Any suggestions?

thanks guys, I guess I stayed away from shopping online to be secure I saw the goods before and that I was getting what I paid for...now I wish I had bought online and paid less than what I did to be SECURE...

 

[Mikesgirl]

What a terribly sad thing to have happen! I can't make any suggestions. 20/20 hindsight - I guess it should have been appraised before it was set, so you'd know what happened. At this point, I can't imagine what you could possibly do. I hope someone else can give you some good advice.

 

[illusivone]

The guy who mounted it did it. Who else could it be? He palmed it and switched it.

Why did he match it with a similar, cheaper stone? Simple. It's like a pick pocket who takes the money out of your wallet, and then hands you your wallet, "hey, buddy...did you drop this?"

It creates enough confusion that you don't press charges. You're not sure what to do. If he had switched it with a cubic zirconia, you'd be pressing charges by now.

Unfortunately, the way the law is written, unless you actually, "saw" him steal your stone, they can't touch him, but I would reccomend filing a report with the BBB and the cops too. You wont get your money back, but maybe you can help the next guy....

 

[Richard Sherwood]

I feel the odds are much greater it was a mistake with the original vendor than a crime with the setter.

The setter has little to gain by switching for a 0.20 carat difference in weight. There's no real money there (and a considerable risk to his livelihood, which IS real money), and he would have to had a similar quality diamond on hand in a slightly smaller size. Most setters don't have the funds to carry a personal inventory of diamonds of various different sizes for the possibility of switching with a stone that came close to one of theirs. Not only that, but he left the diamond in plain sight for you to watch.

On the other hand, it would have been much easier and more likely that a diamond vendor showing you dozens of diamonds could have gotten it mixed up.

I also tend to think that mistakes are much more common than thieves in this business.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

It would be interesting to know the difference in value between what you have and what you had purchased. Then you would know exactly where you stand in terms of loss, and possibly be able to recoup that amount through your homeowners insurance (which automatically covers you up to $1000 in the event of jewelry loss).

Or, possibly work something out with the original vendor. A credit, perhaps.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 10/26/2003 12:45:44 AM Richard Sherwood wrote:

I feel the odds are much greater it was a mistake with the original vendor than a crime with the setter.

I also tend to think that mistakes are much more common than thieves in this business.

----------------

This is my sentiment as well. The vendor can not prove they shipped out the correct stone. From what I understand, mixing up stones (while fairly rare) happens. If I recall, someone on PS had a stone shipped to them. After the purchase, turns out it was a *different* stone than ordered - a better one though.

I think your recourse is with the original vendor. It makes no sense that Kays (a really big conglomerate) or the setter would risk switching stones.

Good luck.

 

[diamondsman]

I think that it was done unintentionally in the store when you first purchased it.
But then again who is to say that it was not the jeweler that unmounted it for you.
We have developed a very good technique in order to avoid these type of incedents,this is how it works.
after the purchse we send the stone with it's original cert. to an world renouned independent gemological laboratory where they identify that the stone matches the cert. that it came with,
after an inspection they send it to the consumer on our beahlf, thus protecting us and the consumer.
As far as the switching, If i was the jeweler i would see what the other stone is worth,and get you a simlar stone to the one one that was switched, give it to you for cost, and then charge the difference between the one you have.


best of luck

 

[Mara]

I agree also that it may have been the vendor's accidental mistake. It may be that the jeweler who set the stone palmed the diamond and switched it, but what would the motive be for doing that? If the color and clarity is very similar, and ctw is very minimal in difference, why expose himself to the possible risk that could cause should the owner find out? Esp with a well known brand named store (Kays)? Plus the original vendor saying 'well it couldn't be a switch becuase our guys are 'supposed to' check the weight of the stone, etc before shipping' totally doesn't fly with me..supposed to does not always happen 100% as everyone well knows.




If you said you looked at multiple stones at the vendor, mistakes can be made easily...I would definitely keep plugging away on that lead...I would not be surprised if someone didn't realize..etc etc. I would see if you can get some recourse from the original jeweler, possibly a credit as others noted...or you may have to shell out some additional $$ if you want the ctw you wanted, or similar. If they can't PROVE they mailed you the right stone, then in the interest of customer satisfaction...I would see if you can get some assistance there.




You noted you had the stone shipped out of state to avoid taxation. Who did you have it shipped to? A friend? A jeweler? Sure they aren't involved?




This is an excellent example of why one should always get a stone independently appraised when they get it. To be sure that all matches, and it's the same stone. A mistake such as this could have been found out months ago. Now the waters are muddy and so much time has passed.




Unfortunate story...sorry to hear it!!

Hope it all works out well.

 

[Rhino]

I agree with Rich's assessment. It most likely sounds like the mistake was made with the person you got the diamond from although none of us know for sure. Were there other diamonds on the jewelers bench while he was working on your mounting or was your diamond there by itself? Most likely it was by itself. If it was put with a batch of other stones I can see it getting mixed up but diamond setters (I would think) would avoid that from happening especially when you're standing right next to him.




What diamondman says is really the BEST precautionary step a diamond buyer can take. If you find a diamond you like (locally or via the Internet) put down a deposit to secure the stone (and make sure that deposit is refundable), have it sent immediately to an independant appraiser (like Rich!), once he gives the green flag, pay for it and YOU KNOW you got what was being advertised. That is the most fail safe method for purchasing a diamond anywhere.




My .02c


Rhino

 

[jenibear]

I'd just like to say that whether it was kay's or the original vendor, you have the right to go to the cops, provide all your info and have them investigate. If you stay silent this could happen to someone else. I say this because my boyfriend is a reporter in Massachusetts and wrote a story about a store here that had been switching stones for years - either when they were being set or cleaned or even during the purchase. No one went to the police because they decided to either live with it or got the store to give them a new stone. If people had gone to the police earlier then maybe others could have been spared. It took one woman who had the hootzpah to come forward to stop the switching. Now everyone is coming out of the woodwork to say it happened to them - and they all have legit stories.
The worst? This jeweler did this to his own nephew.
I urge you to go to the police. If it was a mistake it will light a fire under the butts of those who made a mistake or you will find out you are not alone.
Good luck.
Jenibear

 

[RockDoc]

Check out :

Http://www.gemprint.com

Gemprint coupled with a lab cert is very good in establishing the identity of a diamond.

Rockdoc

 

[glt4392]

I figure I update how this very mortifying issue is going...
I don't expect anyone to accept any wrong-doing or do anything for me but I figure I raise the issue and hell as much as possible since they put a sour note on my engagement...
I took the stone again to the original store and talked to the owner again. She had the salesperson and herself go through their entire inventory to see if anything could have been missplaced by accident. She then put in writing that the stone had to be weighted and checked by the salesperson, gemologist who sets the stone and the working manager when a sale is made not only to avoid this from happening but to make sure also you are not sending the wrong stone which could be a bigger stone as well.... She also put in writting that herself as an owner as well as the salesperson have gone through the inventory to check and verify that an honest mistake was not made and that no stone was mislabeled because every stone was weighted. She also put in writting that the stone in the ring is not the one they sold to me, that it is not the one described on the paperwork given and that it is not the one they shipped to me.
With that said, I called Kay's manager and she told me to call corporate customer service. I called customer service and told them exactly what happened and how I was receiving legal council on this and that I had already contacted the original store and they have verified that a mistake was not made, gone through their inventory to see if it could have honestly slipped by and that they have a process of checks and balances to avoid mistakes in thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. Not only that but they have already put in in letterhead. Which I assume would be their possition anyway but they were more than willing to give me this so I figure it could not hurt more to use.
They (Kay) has now contacted me and said that they want the ring taken into the store so it can be shipped to IGI to be re-certified and appraised. This would take from 2 to 3 weeks. They are not saying what they would do either way, but that is what they need from me. Now, the certified gemologist and very reputable gemlab member who looked at the stone and found the issue estimates that the difference from my original stone and worst case scenerio she could determine from the evaluation she did without the stone out of its setting, is that I am out from $1000 to $2200 if the cut is bad but she thought it was at least good/very good from just using the dimmension she read and without putting it through a sarin machine and of course it would make the biggest difference. I know the IGI is "loose" on their grading and appraisals specially for chain stores, so what comes back will be fun to see. At the very least I know the stone is smaller and the plotting is off. I also would like to take it out and weight myself even if front of them to see what is there before it is taken out...but they say they want the entire ring.
Now, I will probably do it hoping someone, somehow will do the right thing if their a doubt anywhere in the process....but ofcourse I am not holding my breath. Also, my soon to be wife will have to say yes or no to it since she already loves the ring and will have to part from it for that long to see if we get anywhere not knowing where that really is.
At the very least I told both organizations that I will file a report with the BBB describing what happened. The local store claims they move 100's of thousands of dollars in loose stones, more in set jewerly and others like coins and stuff and would not in any way benefit from doing an intentional switch. The manager claims that she is mortified because of the way her store is now thought of by me because of this and that she has really tried herself to see if there was a mistake and there is a mislabeled stone out there in her vault. She said "I kind of wish I find one so we can all just relax and not think I would do this intentionally"....
We shall see what comes out of this but at the very least, I am making the effort noone who deals with these two businesses gets into soemthing like this....
now, It is interesting that most here thought that the issue was with the original store and that it was a mistake..the AGA gemologist that helped me...contacted some in the AGA and JVC and they most think it was the re-setter.

hope this at least saves someone out there...

 

[spicolicpa]

Spooky....my baby is NOT taking her ring off!

I did get the Gemprint though....this makes that service all the more relevant.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

A real fubar situation. My heart goes out to ya.

What lab appraised the stone orginally?

 

[spicolicpa]

Yes , a Goat Rope of monumental proportions

 

[barry]

Very sorry to hear about your situation.

Previous posters are correct about Gemprint.
Gemprinting at purchase gives you added and
valuable protection.

Barry
www.superbcert.com

 

[glt4392]

well, spicolicpa...the thing is that I am not a dealer, nor do I collect stones and getting engaged is supposed to be fun and a great time which it was, now the deeper I get into this mess the more angry I become because the more I know and I am reminded that someone out there had the kind heart to try to screw me over. Bottom line is that because getting engaged and putting a ring in a girls finger is a much BIGGER deal for women than for men. She is the one that sends pictures to her family and friends of the ring and who cleans it every other day and who gets to wear it every day. She was happy when she got it she has gotten plenty of compliments about it and she really loves it. NOW, I have to tell her that "honey, well remember I told you you had a colorless, ideal cut diamond...well it is not that big, it may not be that color and it may not be ideal...and there may be nothing we can do about it but you have to give me the ring for a month...THEN when people ask why you are not wearing your ring you can tell then that I your fiance spent months researching diamonds and still got taken for a a grand or two....but by the way I love you and be happy about.."
My concern is that while I am mad as hell and she has been great underdstanding the situation, how much of her already ruined impression about the ring which I gave to her a a symbol of my commitment do I want keep bashing going through this.
I want to take it as far as I can....make sure someone does not have it happen to them too, but is it worth maybe having her "engagement" time ruined by the situation of having to call, take the ring here and there, have lawyers call and do this and that....knowing they will do everything in their power to say "it was not me, it was the other". Maybe women out there can give me their views?! Is fighting this for 1000 or the principal of the thing, worth the pain of having someone tell you that your ring while beautiful is not what you thought it was and spending 1/2 of your engaged time, trying to figure who ruined it?
If she says she had enough, that she still likes it and does not want to spend time in stores or explaining to everyone why her ring is gone....and she would rather spend it planning a wedding...then I have to say what she says..(I figure she will run my life anyways so I have to get used to doing what the women says.. ) My ego while burning...and while I want to take it as far as I can....is not worth ruining the process for her as well...
Maybe that is why I hear so many may be getting away with it....not only is it hard to say who did what and when...it is a pain to fight.

 

[glt4392]

and the stone was GIA certified.. before.

 

[fire&ice]

I'm still not sure it was the resetter unless there was more than one stone being set at the same time. Could the setter had mixed up the stones? If I were the store, I would contact some of the people who had their stones reset at that time & see if someone's doesn't match up.

So, the original store went through their inventory. What about the one's sold since you purchased yours? My bet is still that someone innocently is walking around sporting a ring from the orginal store - *your* ring/diamond - and she is none the wiser.

 

[spicolicpa]

Damit man..this just burns me up. I know (from personal experience) the hours you spent doing the homework.

You make a valid point though, the diamond in her ring (Yes its hers now and she has emotional attachments) is not Fugley bad, hell it sounds respectible. In fact I think that if you had not done all your research you would find it quite beautiful, I know she does.

I say you talk with her about it, let her know you are bumm'd because you worked way hard to get her the best stone you could afford and what she thinks the "two" of you should do from here.

And for Gods sake, go have a beer or 6 and put this ring into a perspective. Its a token of your affection not your heart on a skewer to be applied to her finger....take a step back and get hammered tonight.

Its Monday Night Football, get ya ass into the game and stop fixating for at least one night....


If your broke like me go with Natural Light!

 

[fire&ice]

An unfortunate situation indeed - but, it's her call. My hubby of 20 years always says "if she's happy - I'm happy." And that's the bottom line.

Did you notice any difference? Do you have any pics of the orginal diamond? Where did you ship the diamond out of state to? Do you think a mistake could have happened on that end?

Edited to add - you could doggedly exhaust your energies on this one. Unless a clear resolve is in site - sometimes it's just not worth the energy.

 

[glt4392]

I think I will take your advise and drink a few...or a few too many.
It does bother me but it is more in regards that it is not what I told her it was "ideal cut" and that I spent so much time an effort looking everywhere, and SPECIALLY that I did not buy online because of fear sending $$$ to someone I don't know and getting something so small that at the end, I am no expert about. In reality, like you said I would not know the difference unless I would have had it looked at by a gemlab instead of some clerk at a store that would just look at my paperwork and receipts and give me an appraisal. But now that I know...because I am a guy...It KILLS ME!
This to me is as strange as it gets because the store I bought it at is locally owned, is one of the largerst in the KC area and they were recomended to me by several people who showed me incledible rings. The store is packed at all time, and I walked into a vault full of stones of all types and silver of all shapes and sizes. They had a large staff and had their own gemologist and setters/custom builders. they weight the stone before it is shown...I saw her do this with every stone she showed me.....and we looked at 20 or so. I do not know if she weight all the stones after...that I was not paying attention to while I was thinking of what I had just purchased. The weighing of the stone before showing it is one of the prcedures they described every salesperson does...so if my diamond was already sold..someone else had to have overlooked the weight process, then the setter would have had to also not weight the stone when set, and the manager would have had to not catch any of this when he inspected and approved the purchase. So that is why there was "hope" that the stone would still be there.
The re-setter...only handled...my stone....and I was the first customer there....I remember they complimented me on the color of the stone and that is as far as they got when asking about it or me telling them...I think...but he did the work in front of me.....so this one is not clear...

my gemologist just suggested this:
I have my original casting or ring....she says that ideally a stone of 1.1 or so would be set on a head for a 1 ct stone....the 1.30+ would have been set on a 1.25 head. So even if the head of the ring was not changed because the prongs where casted....then she would probably be able to tell the range of stone that was there originally and if it could have been a 1.30....
sounds to me like a valid point.....is it that straight forward?

 

[spicolicpa]

If she can testify to this in a court of law I say you are not wasting your time. Expert witness testimony always was impressive on Law and Order Special Victims Unit.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 10/28/2003 7:11:02 PM glt4392 wrote:

my gemologist just suggested this:
I have my original casting or ring....she says that ideally a stone of 1.1 or so would be set on a head for a 1 ct stone....the 1.30+ would have been set on a 1.25 head. So even if the head of the ring was not changed because the prongs where casted....then she would probably be able to tell the range of stone that was there originally and if it could have been a 1.30....
sounds to me like a valid point.....is it that straight forward?

----------------

It's logical. But, I'm no expert.

I'm really sorry for your situation. But, to some extend I credit your fiancee for being so sweet natured about the ring. From what you have said, she loves it because it came from you. Sounds like she knows whatever you picked was perfect. Maybe this "new" one has better karma.

Good luck with whatever happens.

But again, repeat after my husband "If she's happy then I am happy". This is on several levels.

And have that Beer or two! (heck has frozen over spicoli - I agree with you!)

I wouldn't put it to rest. I just wouldn't expel untold amounts of energy on it either.

 

[spicolicpa]

HAHA-F&I

I knew we would come into accord at some basal level......

Can we keep a roll going....

Boxers or Briefs?

I am a boxers fan myself!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hi G!

Found your post over the weekend while I was out of town. Just had to check in and see what had happened.

Soooo very sorry for your horrible experience.

You are absolutely correct! This is supposed to be a very fun and enjoyable experience. Whether she loves the diamond or not, the whole thing has been ruined to a great extent for you.

Kansas City area here too. Just outa curiosity. The store's name you mentioned wouldn't happen to be "T"'s would it?

Quite possibly, F&I is onto something. While they went thru the inventory on hand, what about other diamonds that were sold around the same time?

Someone posted a similar experience on the Forum last spring. They accidentally received a nicer diamond than the one they actually purchased. Could be another customer received your diamond, and the store and customer are both completely unaware.

 

[Mara]

What kind of burns me in reading your post is that the store you bought from feels SO BADLY about this mistake and that you have this horrible experience now and think of them when you think of bad experiences....on and on and on. Then why don't they shut up, put their money where their mouth is and help you out? Obviously as you noted ... no one is really sure what happened. But the bottom line is you don't have your original stone! In the interest of customer service and hopefully salvaging some sort of future relationship with you, if I were that store owner, I would help you out!! Obviously the stone you got isn't a DUD and its not far off from what you bought. What skin is it off their back to help you find a stone that IS what you bought and eat the cost difference? They will be able to re-sell this stone, no problem.




It bothers me that you have to go through all of this and the store feels 'mortified' and yet they just are all lip service while they set out to prove that they weren't the ones who did wrong. Who really cares who did the wrong? You spent alot of money with them, and you are an unhappy customer who got screwed somehow. If I were them, I'd conduct the investigation behind the scenes and just try to help you out with a new stone...picked by you and your fiance...so that you both love it and can feel good about it.




I would ask for them to help you out. That is what I would do. Horrible situation. Regardless of how you got here.

Booo.

 

[glt4392]

pq- The response as to what if my salesperson did in fact mix up stones and put my stone in another similar pack is that another salesperson would have had to pick that pack and not weight the stone before showing it to a client or selling it...so in that case it would have to have happened twice once against a client...ME and once for a client....definately not me.
and no the store was not T's....it starts with an M....
I talked to a friend lawyer and yes, with the money they make overcharging for buying a stone they would be able to be pro-active and make things right....the a couple of reasons about why they would not act even if they fear the word of mouth...
-the stone was remounted so it is no longer how it was sold to me....
-if they agree to act and do something, they do not know what my intentions are, all businesses fear getting sued probably more than one person who can not prove or knows who did what, and also, if they say "maybe" we made a mistake so we will help you out and get you another stone....they open themselves up for getting sued for mental suffering and damages because their possible mistake has now ruined a once in a lifetime experience that is supposed to be the time of your life...in preparation for the biggest step of your life...at least for me up to this point. If they admit they could have made a mistake, they could be sued even in small claims court for up to $5000 for what they put me through and the burden of proof in civil court is preponderance of the evidence...or basically, was it more likely than not. So no lawyer, and I am sure they called theirs once I asked for them to put what they claimed did and what they said their procedures are to avoid this are in writting, would let them even hint they think they did it specially because there is another party involved and over 3 months time.
Because they have put in writing a description of everything that they have in place to avoid this and have even paxed a letter to Kay saying that the stone was correct when they shipped it, and it is not now that was remounted, there is the possibility that because there was no quality control at the mounting show, no measuring of the stone...no scale to weight it on...nothing...there is no real way they can claim the same. But I guess they can claim I can not prove that it was when it came in either. But anyways, kay has a process in place to handle things like this and if they determine that they could be at fault there is the slight chance they will use their insurance coverage against claims against them and just offer a IGI certified stone of same properties as the one I had and keep the one I currently have. I have to see if my fiance will go for us sending the ring in and see what they claim their position will be.
I have no intention or desire to sue because I am tired of it and want to get to an end soon...and because I can not prove exactly what happened. And, no the stone I have is not a dud, my gemologist is preparing a document instead of a report if I choose to insure this one and because she did not have the correct certificate and did not take the stone off the setting. She is estimating weight at 1.1 or so from the dimmensions, clarity at eye clean SI1, color at F/G mounted...her cut analysis is that is not good but with only measurements from a mounted stone using a mm ruler under a microscope and not a sarin report it can not be determined. So, it is a good stone just how good will not be known unless it is taken out.
I did get a stupid comment from the customer service at Kay. She asked me "how do we know you did not change the stone?"....after politely asking her if she was under the influence of any substance...I asked her if it made any sense to her to spend thousands on a stone....almost 2 thousand on a mounting THEN propossing....BUT 2 months later buy another stone for several thousand, change the stones, then taking the ring back from fiance and placing a claim while looking like an idiot trying to explain to her what happened...her even saying that completely irritated me.

I will take the cast of the original in to a couple of jewelers and ask them if they could fit a 1.3 stone in it. I noticed that the prongs were casted and were cut down and shapped to fit the stone so if the answer is a yes...then I really have no proof against the original store and they have put in writing what they have done to proof this. So I will have to concentrate on Kay's travelling mounting shows. If they say definately no, then I feel I have some real proof that it was never my stone on that ring to begin with...and probably comfront the owner with a jeweler/gemologist on one side and my lawyer friend on the other and politely ask them to make thing right...
But I have a feeling that because it is such a small difference in CT weight, .20 or so, you will be able to fit stones that are .1 mm off or small amounts like that if you really try....

 

[glt4392]

One more post today...I promise....and thank you all for your comments...

I have noticed that the original appraisal of the original white gold ring included a gram weight of the total ring. I think it was 4.42 grams total with the 1.3CT stone. On the new setting, The platinum ring with channel set diamonds weights 9.92 grams. Now, follow me on this one:
I know the original CT weight
I know what the original ring weight was when originally set.
I have the original mount so I should be able to get a weight for that easily.

Would a pro/gemologist/jeweler be able to estimate what a stone with those characteristics weight? Is is a noticeable diff. between a 1.1 and 1.3 in terms of grams?


Put that with whether the casting prongs can hold a 1.3 stone and I should be able to point at someone and say....well it looks like something is off.

PS- nevermind...I found that one ct is equal to .2 grams. So my original stone should have been .262 grams....I am in Seattle working and will not be back to KC for a week...but I am itching to find my original band and weight it in a jeweler's scale. They gave a total weight in the original appraisal done in the store..with their machines that are supposed to be very aquarate and calibrated specially if they are used for jewerly....If the band plus .262 is considerably more than what they have on the appraisal....then I would think that is my first real sign that there was something wrong to begin with, or in the other hand that things did add up in the original store....a .25 ct difference should be a .05 grams of weight difference which I hope a jeweler's scale would be able to pick up easily....I hope....and I hope I can find the darn thing too...

 

[fire&ice]

I'm still on board w/ the orig. jeweler.

How about the packages once packed are mixed up. I took a client's piece & my Cartier watch to a mail box place. I clearly labeled which went where. I received a phone call from Cartier that they did not receive my watch but something else. Needless to say, my watch ended up w/ the client. Honest mistake - but it happened.