I don''t know what to do!!!!!

[Lauren523]

Hello. I've recently received an engagement ring for Christmas!! Yay! WEll, let me just tell you the aggrivation I've been through with it. First of all, I've returned the ring to the jeweler my fiance purchased it from THREE times due to platinum prongs being warped, bent, and scratched, and it's still not fixed right!!! I made a mistake of getting it appraised there, as well. They appraised it in oh,like 3 minutes and said it was a 1.00 J color, SI1 and $2500. Nice specifics, huh? Well, I took it to an independent appraiser and I was shocked! Well, turns out it is an excellent cut diamond, VS2, but I almost cried when I found out that it was a P COLOR!!!!! I didn't think it was that poor in color (maybe cuz it's in platinum?) Um, that jeweler was way off and I don't want a brown ring. Any advice, PLEASE!!????
P.S. Also my ring was appraised @ .93 and not a 1.00!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Hopefully, the ring was purchased on a Credit Card. If so you have lots of recourse here. You can approach the jeweler for a full refund of the purchase price. If they refuse, then you contact your CC company and dispute the charge. You have sufficient documentation, with all the repairs for the CC company to act on your behalf.

If you did not use a CC for the purchase, look at the terms of your purchase agreement or sales receipt. You may have a return period of 90 days or some other such loop hole to use for a full refund from the jeweler. Sometimes there will be a statement about color/clarity grade varying by 2 grades from the sales statement. Since you had an independent appraisal done, you have proof the diamond is not as stated when sold. J to P color is more than a 2 color grade jump. Also, with 3 repairs on the prongs, there is something up with that "platinum" setting.

Last, least expensive recourse if you did not use a CC and cannot get the jeweler to budge, depending on how much you paid for the ring, is small claims court. Check out the maximum limit you are allowed to sue for in your area. Our local limit is $3000 + costs. You have enough documentation to support your claim and get back the full amount or the court limit, whichever is lower, + any costs to file your claim and serve papers.

Good Luck and let us know what happens.

 

[Lauren523]

Thank you very much for your advice! Unfortunately, my fiance did not pay with a credit card! However, they did not inform him of their return policy and it isn't stated on the receipt. It just stinks. Other than the color of the stone and the warped setting, I love the cut and it sparkles like crazy. If I do return it, I'll be sad because it's the ring my fiance gave me and we'll have to go shopping for one all over again.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I completely understand your sentiment there, Lauren.

 

[tessa]

ouch!
that has got to hurt!!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Can you tell that your diamond has a yellow or brown tint? I got some earrings once that were supposed to be "H-I" color, but they were obviously tinted yellow, and they turned out to be "N-O." I'd be surprised if a P would face up white.

If it's truly a P, I would return it. A 0.93 P VS2 is not worth anything near a 1.00 J SI1.

 

[aljdewey]

I'm guessing that it might not matter what their return policy is. If the sales slip specifies that the diamond is a J, SI1, and you have documentation from an independent appraiser that the diamond is a "P".....I think it can be returned as misrepresented goods.




Begin nicely with the jeweler explaining that this purchase didn't live up to its promise.....and then apply heat if you don't get results.

 

[valeria101]

Of course it is wrong to misrepresent a product, and unpleasant to find out. But: the price does not seem bad for the actual grade (faint yellow & 1 ct = 2k + setting) and changing the grade did not change the look of the stone, of course. Whether you believed it was a J and it turns out not to have been one, the diamond is what it is. Is it a hideous stone? I doubt strongly.

Not sure what to make of the weight variation: it is common for lower grade diamonds to round up weight like this, especially at wholesale level. Another issue could be that the appraiser evaluated weight based on a formula without unmounting the stone - a rather imprecise cut (far from the mathematical model) would cause the estimation to be imprecise.

You do have a case to return to the seller, tell him that you hope he can tell an O-P diamond from a J and a VS from SI (this is his job, right?) and demand reparation. You must have a receipt for the ring (or the initial appraisal done by the seller) stating the grades. I hope this seller values his reputation and business more than 2.5k. I hope you can get a refund this way.

Also, if you did used to like a P color diamond by some other name, you will probably find plenty of properly graded stones with better color, if this is your choice. I am a serious fan of the 'capes' - so I could not argue, in full sincerity that a tinted diamond is a BAD one... far from that - the seller was, though. Sorry to hear all this

I hope this message does not sound wrong for you - I am sorry that a dishonest seller made this so umpleasant.

 

[chris-uk04]

The good is that you have some recourse. Hopefully you have a sales slip saying the clarity and color. Calling a 0.93 carat, a 1.0 carat is against the federal rules. Calling a P, a J, is also against federal rules. You have recourse because the diamond was severely misrepresented. Talk to the jeweller and threaten to call the better business bureau and threaten to make a stink around town. Threaten to put up fliers around town saying how crappy you are. Make stuff up… say your sister is a lawyer who would happy to file a civil suit, etc. Bad reputations will destroy a jeweller. If you make a big enough stink, he’ll cave to save his rep very quickly.

The bad news is that for $2500, (the complete ring in platinum), at best the stone is $2000. If he gives you the money back (which I would get on principle), it will be impossible to find a 1.0 carat, J, SI1 for $2500. If I were you with your budget, I would look for 0.9 J SI2. Try here for starters: 0.9 J SI2

Then I would set it in white gold. I know you don’t want to not upset your fiance, perhaps he would like to return it just as much as you do. I would if I was taken for a ride. I think it would be more upsetting to keep a ring and have grave misgivings about it for years and years.

 

[Lauren523]

Hello!

Thank you everyone for your responses and opinions. I feel a lot better knowing that most of you agree with me and have the same thoughts that I do! Thanks

Luckily I do have the receipt and their appraisal in writing, stating it is a J and SI1 and a 1.00 carat. I think I'll be taking a little trip to that jewelers this week! Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions! Take care!!!

 

[mike04456]

Chris is correct. Forget the color or clarity--selling a 0.93 ct stone as a 1.00 ct stone is fraudulent. The FTC guides are quite specific about this:

(c) If diamond weight is stated as decimal parts of a carat (e.g., .47 carat), the stated figure should be accurate to the last decimal place. If diamond weight is stated to only one decimal place (e.g., .5 carat), the stated figure should be accurate to the second decimal place (e.g., ".5 carat" could represent a diamond weight between .495-.504).

In other words, if their appraisal/receipt calls it "1.00 ct" the weight must fall within 0.995-1.005. Carat weights are tracked very carefully in the wholesale diamond business. I find it extremely hard to believe that they could mistake a 0.93 for a 1.00.




You have been ripped off. Do not let this go.

 

[Lauren523]

Hello all!
Well, I've decided I'm going down to the jewelers tomorrow to complain about the misrepresented ring my fiance bought from them. I am nervous about this and I don't know whether to ask for my fiance's money back, since I don't want to hurt his feelings. I tried explaining to him that I'll love anything he gives me because it's from him, but I am upset that they misrepresented a diamond, my diamond looks pretty yellow, and the fact I've brought my diamond back 3 times to be fixed (and still doesn't look right) is just ridiculous! I told him what they did was against the FTC regulations and I really don't want to do any business with dishonest and rude people. He agreed and feels bad, I told him it wasn't his fault, but I also don't want him to think I'm ungrateful. Any advice? Once again, thanks everyone for the replies and the info.

Lauren

 

[pqcollectibles]

That ring is a symbol of that special moment when he asked and you said "Yes". It is understandable that you would both grieve over the loss of that symbol.

Look at it as your first life experience together. Regular folk don't buy diamonds every day. It's not something we know every thing about. You trusted the Vendor to be reputable and the Vendor wasn't. That is not your fault. That is not your FI's fault either. The best thing to do is get the situation rectified with the jeweler and move on.

Take your time, learn about diamonds, and make an informed buying decision. Once you get your new ring, have a special evening together. Maybe go back to the same spot and relive the original proposal with the new ring. Have a party to celebrate. Many couples go thru the buying process together, then he gets the ring and keeps it for a special moment. Maybe let your FI keep the ring and "surprise" you at the time and place of his choosing. There are any number of things you could do as a couple to create a new moment in your lives together.

 

[Lauren523]

Just wanted to say what a nice person you seem to be, pq! Thank you for your advice and for understanding our ring situation. I am just unsure of how to go about this tomorrow with the jewelers. I have all my paperwork to defend myself and my fiance but I guess I don't know how to approach the jeweler and Eric is probably coming there with me. I was thinking of just explaining why I'm there and asking them what they plan on doing about it and take it from there. I hope it goes well. Thanks again for your imput!!!

Lauren

 

[Lauren523]

PhoenixGirl,

Thanks for your advice and for the diamond info! I also hope it goes well @ the jewelers and I'll let everyone know how it goes! I've learned a great deal about diamonds from everyone here and I'm glad to have found this site! Thanks again!

 

[frugal]

I am just unsure of how to go about this tomorrow with the jewelers. I have all my paperwork to defend myself and my fiance but I guess I don't know how to approach the jeweler and Eric is probably coming there with me. I was thinking of just explaining why I'm there and asking them what they plan on doing about it and take it from there. I hope it goes well. Thanks again for your imput!!!

First, I would definately have Eric go with you. This way you can double-team them. Second, I would bring up the situation with the setting, and the fact that it is still not done right. Then finally, plop down your appraisal and their receipt - and tell them there is definately a couple of discrepencies - big enough in one instance that you have found out you can report them to the FTC. In your situation, I don't think you have to go out of your way to be "nice". BUT, I would not go in roaring mad either. Simply state the facts and tell them at this point in time, it would be in everyones best interest if they fully refund your money. I would NOT "ask them what they plan to do?" You want to make it clear EXACTLY what you want them to do - and if I have read all the post correctly, you do not want anything to do with this store anymore. So, bottom line is you want your money back - don't give them ANY other options or let them think they have any. And remember, you can threaten FTC, BBB and I am sure a few other things if they don't want to cooperate.

Good luck - I hope all goes well for you.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Frugal makes some good points. Be civil. I almost said nice, but that was too soft a word. Civil works. But be firm!! Don't let them try to work you around to exchanging the stone and/or the setting. You'll have to play it by ear according to how they react. Don't let yourself get mad, blow up, or create a scene. Just continue to be firm. Let them know they can either deal with you privately and give you a full refund, or you will refer the case with your documentation to the proper parties. They can guess who you mean, unless you have to be more forceful.

BTW, LawGem is an attorney.

 

[Lauren523]

Hi all!

So, you're probably going to think I'm crazy but I still haven't gone to the jewelers. First of all, it's hard for me to get there with the hours they're open,( I work 2 jobs) and I just can't bring myself to tell Eric how I feel. I haven't mentioned anything to him about it since last week. I'm mad that we were both misled and I know it's fraudulent and I'm very unhappy about all of this, but I don't want to upset Eric but at the same time I don't want to live with something that was not what it was supposed to be. Eric is a very laid back person, at times lets people walk all over him, and is just too nice! He's a sweetheart and I just don't want him to feel as though I'm ungrateful, because I'm not. I'm just upset. I talked to my parents about it and they think I should go down and talk to them, tell them I've done my research, and they also mentioned they probably did this to us because we're young (23) and think they can take advantage of us, which makes me even more upset! WHAT TO DO? I was thinking back to when I last picked up my ring. I thought the whole situation was kinda shady because they told me I had to leave it there for 2 weeks, because they were busy. I told them I'd rather hold on to it and just make an appointment to have it fixed (they do all the work right at the jewelers) They told me that didn't matter(whether I left it there or not)it would still be two weeks and they basically talked me into leaving it there. I swear, when I picked it up, it looked pretty yellow. I'm starting to wonder if it was switched, due to the numbers being way off in color and carat or do they just don't know what they're talking about when it comes to diamonds?????? I apologize for the long post but I just had to get this off my chest and still looking for advice, I feel stupid. Thanks again to all of the replies and for all the info! I've learned a lot!

Lauren

 

[phoenixgirl]

Go to the jewelers as soon as possible if you're serious about taking the ring back. If you can live with it, then that's one thing.

Bring the receipt with you. Insist that you a get one carat J stone. If they prevaricate, then we'll take it from there, but their response is a big question mark since you haven't spoken to them yet.

I'm 23 too, but I wouldn't just sit around waiting for return policies to expire if I thought I had gotten something that wasn't right.

 

[Lauren523]

I know, I can't wait around much longer, it's just the whole "How do I bring this up again to Eric?" question that keeps going through my mind. I think that's the toughest part for me. I'm not afraid of what's going to happen with the jeweler by any means. Anyways, thanks Phoenix! Glad to hear we're the same age!!!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Well, I understand that you don't want to hurt your fiance's feelings. The symbol is certainly more important than the money. I know some people who might be sensitive about something like that, but I don't see the harm in at least verifying that it is a one carat J stone.

But maybe it's not really a P, because I think that would jump right out at you.

 

[Lauren523]

Well, like I said, the last time I got it back from the jewelers for repair, it looked YELLOW! I compared my rings to pictures of J colored rings from this site and mine doesn't look like any of them. I also took my ring to a GIA certified gemmologist to have the appraisal done right after I last picked up my ring. To be honest, I trust his evaluation over the jewelers. They spent a whole 3 minutes looking at my ring and jotted the specs (only color, clarity, and carat) on a piece of paper. The appraiser took about an hour and a half and used the appropriate instruments to look at my ring. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make a decision pretty quick at this point and hopefully by this weekend I'll have good news for everyone about my visit to the jewelers!

 

[Lauren523]

Hello!
Well, Eric and I talked about this whole ring situation today. What it came down to is he was very understanding and wants to do something about this, but told me he didn't want to deal with the jeweler. He basically said, "I don't have the *alls to talk to them" He wants to see if another jeweler will buy my ring and we'll trade it up for something we'll both like. I tried explaining that he won't get the money he paid for the ring back and he should get his money back from the jewelers, considering how bad they misrepresented the stone and what lowsy customer service they gave us. I asked him if he was upset and he said he is just mad that this jeweler did this to him. Now I don't know what to do. I told him we can't keep waiting around and he said "don't worry, we'll do something about this" I just want to stand up to these people but I don't feel I should do it alone, nor do I want to. Any advice? Thanks for listening and for the replies!

 

[phoenixgirl]

No, unfortunately your fiance's plan won't work. Reselling a ring might net half of what you paid, and you're trying to resell a 0.93 carat P stone, not a 1 carat J stone, so it won't be anywhere close.

You'll have to figure out how the two of you will handle things like this in the future, right? So maybe you have to be the one with the balls.

For all you know it could have been an honest mistake. You still need to go to the store. It may be that you are allowing their return policy to expire, and while they have defrauded you etc., you just don't want to sit on this. So take someone else with you, show them the receipt and the appraisal, and ask them to give you your money back. Do it now or tomorrow. It is just silly to give up without even trying to return it.

Then take your money to a different jeweler and get a new ring. If the jewelry store makes a fuss, then we'll deal with that, but not taking it back to the store as soon as possible is the same as resigning to keep it.

You can see this as the first test of your marriage . . . the hard part was addressing the issue, right? And you did that, so good! Now you need to figure out which one of you can best face the jeweler. Probably together would be best. Once this is over, it will feel good to know that you can "fix" things and don't run away from your problems, right?

Good luck! I don't mean to be bossy . . . I just sense that you need a kick in the butt to take it back to the store.

Can you take a parent or someone else with some chutzpah with you?

 

[Patty]

Lauren, if Eric doesn't want to deal with it, you will have to deal with it yourself. This ring is going to bother you forever. I suggest that you go in and calmly tell them that you want to return it. I hope it doesn't get ugly!

My husband and I chose my ring together (25 years ago). That night we discovered an eye visible inclusion in it. I didn't want to deal with the jeweler and the possible unpleasant encounter so I let my husband do the return. The return went fine and the jeweler put a new stone in my ring...BUT I always thought it looked smaller than my original diamond. 10 years later I upgraded and traded that diamond in at another store (for less than we'd paid the original jeweler) and my suspicions were confirmed. The diamond was smaller than what we'd paid for and what our receipt and appraisal claimed it was.

I always think that if only I'd been more assertive, this wouldn't have happened. Avoiding conflict does not always serve you well in the end.

 

[Cookiedough]

March right in there and return that ring. Don't keep thinking about it, just do it. You both will feel so much better. Why should you go around with this eating away at you. You can do it! Go on now!

 

[Lauren523]

Thank you girls!

I appreciate the replies. I also agree that we should just get it over with, I just wish Eric was just a little tougher when it comes to confrontation! Oh well, I just hope everything goes well and we can get our money back without making a big stink! Thanks again

 

[Charmed]

Hello Lauren,

I have been reading your situation. I went through the same thing when my husband and I were engaged. When I received my ering, the diamond was crooked and the prongs were very messed up. He noticed it as well and returned it to be fixed. It came back WORSE than before with the prongs appearing damaged and one prong appeared to be broken and crooked. I asked him to take it back and he didn't want to deal with that jeweler again. Sooooo, we took it to my jeweler who examined it and said that two prongs were broken and I could have lost my diamond! I have told this story on this forum before. Due to a natural, the jeweler was trying to hide it and manipulated the prongs around it. So our jeweler said it needed to be polished. Another $400 later, it was polished and smaller than before due to weight loss. So, the shape and size were different. We had it reset with my jeweler and can't say I have been happy since.

With the feedback of this great forum, we should have returned it to the jeweler my husband bought the diamond from immediately after we had a second opinion. But, we didn't. We are now, after three years, finally upgrading.

I urge you to confront this issue now because you will continue to be displeased. I know how AWFUL it feels to be in this situation. I really feel for you. This is the time you should be enjoying your cherished gift, not stressing over it. Best of luck!!!!! Keep us posted!!!!

PS, my husband responded very similar to your fiance too!!!

 

[caratgirl]

Hi Lauren,

I feel for you, but you really must do as everyone has suggested, or you will never feel happy with the ring. I couln't stand it. You have on one hand, an hour or less or unpleasantness, versus a lifetime of not liking it everytime you look at your hand. It's funny, because with my own purchases, I am kind of wimpy and my husband gets mad and deals with things. On the other side, when he gets bad service or a bad product, I deal with it for him, cause he just says...oh it looks okay...or it's not so bad. Heehee, sometimes you just get creative in a relationship, so it all works out.

 

[phoenixgirl]

What happened? (Please say you went back to the store!)