I''m engaged!!!! RB Pave w/ Halo...

[BlackIsland]

Your ring is beautiful - I am partial to halo's myself. Your engagement story is so lovely and fun.

Many years ago (first marriage) I had a lovely little stone in my ER. The ring was a bit tight so I took it in to a very well know jeweller in my home town (where my husband had bought it). I got it back and they had made it larger but you could see that it was a different grade of gold they used on the band to make it bigger!! So I took it back and they re-did it. When she handed it back to me she said, "Oh by the way, did you know you had a big chip out of the side of the stone". I was very young and inexperienced with jewellery stores and I didn' t know how to stick to my guns. After many tears and upset, they "graciously" agreed to cover half the cost of a new stone. BIG DEAL. Considering the markup on diamonds I probably ended up paying for the whole thing myself. I have never bought another thing in that store and that was 36 years ago.

I hope you can get some satisfaction from this jeweller. He needs to know that you are a member of this website and whatever money he is going to save himself by not making this right can be undone by the fact that you can tell all of us who he is and we can avoid his store like the PLAGUE! Tell him he cannot spend enough advertising money to overcome this kind of bad press, especially with they type of knowledgeable diamond lovers on this site. You go girl!

PS - good thing you had such a nice manicure to show your new ring off with!

 

[Mchllmarsh]

Sera I totally agree! It really makes me sad...

I''m very optimistic though, and I try to learn from my mistakes. So from now on I just have to pay a little more attention. Who knows maybe for a wedding gift we''ll get me a bigger stone, and one thats not cracked!

 

[sera]

Date: 3/17/2008 6:28:26 PM
Author: Mchllmarsh
Sera I totally agree! It really makes me sad...

I''m very optimistic though, and I try to learn from my mistakes. So from now on I just have to pay a little more attention. Who knows maybe for a wedding gift we''ll get me a bigger stone, and one thats not cracked!

Good to be optimistic It''s still a pretty stone and it does look really nice on you... just be careful with it! Then, yeah, get a different stone (not sure how a larger stone could fit in the setting?) and also get insurance on the new one.

 

[Circe]

Date: 3/17/2008 6:11:21 PM
Author: Mchllmarsh
Thank you all for your lovely coments!


So I went to the jeweler today... he wont replace my diamond. he said that when my FI walked out of the store, that the diamond was perfect. But on our side it sat in a sfae from the day he picked it up to the time he put it on my finger. Plus the fact that my FI doesnt know a crack from a piece of dirt, doesnt help.


The jeweler did say that he would incur half of the cost for a new diamond... but that going to be close to 1400.00 still that i have to pay.


Honestly im really upset about this whole thing... I guess I just have to enjoy what I have for now, because even with the crack, its absolutly beautiful!

You''re a better person than I - good on you for not letting this glitch spoil your joy in your engagement.

That said, there''s no reason not to - happily, joyously, merrily, and with a light heart - encourage this jeweler to take responsibility for his actions. Step 1: take the ring to an appraiser ASAP. Bring your receipt and any paperwork that accompanied the ring along with you: make sure that all of the specifications concerning the stone match. If the stone was listed as being of a caliber that would include this kind of feather or crack, you may be out of luck ... otherwise, the jeweler is in trouble. Step Two: Ask your appraiser to provide you with their assessment of whether the marks in your stone are natural, or caused by mishandling in setting: insofar as I''m aware, the two kinds of damage can be differentiated. Step Three: Return to the jeweler with documentation in hand, invoke the wrath of the better business bureau, and see if he doesn''t change his tune. Somehow, I''m betting he will ....

 

[dec2410]

as much as its horrible that your stone is cracked, AT LEAST YOU''RE ENGAGED!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS CHICA!

specs of the stone?

 

[Mchllmarsh]

Circe: I wish I had the you-know-whats to just march in there, but hes a family jeweler. Im kinda stuck in a corner.

Julie: The center is .71ct it was a VS1 I, and all the side stones are .58tcw.

 

[lotsofsparkle]

Congratulations on your engagement! As for the ring, as long as you''re ok with it, I guess that''s all that matters in the end... but if it were me, I would do what Circe recommmends, it sounds like good advice. Family jeweler or not, what he did to you and your fiance is not right.

 

[Circe]

I know it can be awfully intimidating to confront someone who''s an authority figure, even if the authority is spurious (based on age, or greater expertise, or what have you), but he really shouldn''t get away with cheating you *because* he''s intimidating you ... it''s kind of adding insult to injury, you know?

If he sold you the stone as a VS1, the marks are definitely cracks as opposed to feathers ... or rather, they should be. If an appraiser classifies them as feathers, he''s sold you the stone under false pretenses, and you should get your money back, end of story. If the appraiser ID''s the cracks as being caused by setting, same thing again. Now, don''t get me wrong: whatever you choose to do is right for *you*, and I actually quite admire you for being so cool about this. But if you have any qualms at all about how he''s treating you, or worries about the stone cracking down the line and it being tough to replace it, you''re in a good position to be reimbursed. Good luck, whatever you decide!

P.S. - You mention he''s a family jeweler ... would it be better for you to go in with a family member for moral support?

 

[LegacyGirl]

It''s so pretty!!

 

[honey22]

Gorgeous ring!! I am so sorry that''s is not perfect for you to enjoy now. How disappointing, but I hope it will be sorted out soon!

Now to the nitty gritty - sounds fishy about the cracks. I don'' think a VS stone would have feathers that would crack like that when set. The fact that the crack is near the prongs to me indicates that it was damaged during setting. If you bought both the setting and stone there, he should cough up the money for the new stone. I would take it straight to an appraiser and get their take on the damage and then march back in there and demand your money back.

It shouldn''t matter that this is a family jeweller - in fact, if that''s the case, it''s all the more reason for them to do the right thing by you. Sometimes it doesn''t pay to be too nice, I have this problem and I often get taken for a ride. You are not here to be friends with this guy, this is strictly business involving a lot of cash! I think that as he has offered to pay 50%, he is well aware that he''s at fault, and it trying to save some dollars. Don''t back down on this, $1400 is a lot of money!! Good luck.

 

[marcy]

Congratulations! Very pretty ring.

 

[diamondgirl5k]

BEAUTIFUL ring!! and great proposal story! congratulations!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Congratulations on your engagement! The ring is lovely! But I will have to agree with the others that if you paid for a VS1 stone, something is very wrong and I wouldn't care if it makes the jeweler mad or not. I would do as others have said and get an appraiser to look at it, and I would tell the jeweler I expect HIM to replace the stone. He should have had insurance to cover it while it was being set.

 

[diamondgirl5k]

Is it a crack or is it a feather? I have an SI1 stone that has a feather that could looks like a crack, but it''s a feather..

 

[Mchllmarsh]

Update!!!!

Ok, so I went back to the jeweler. We decided on a VS1 .72ct H. We did pay a little bit only 800.00. But we upgraded from an I to a H. The stone is amazing, I feel so much better about the whole thing. It was just a bummer that we had to go through all of this the day after we get engaged! I guess it makes good stories/memories... Thank you for all of you congrats! I really appreciate all of your guys'' support today. I really needed it!!!!

 

[Circe]

Yay! Good on you for standing up for yourselves and getting what you wanted and deserved. Can''t wait to see new pics ....

 

[Isabelle]

You need to hire a lawyer. This is outrageous. Your fiance did not crack that diamond, I would be willing to bet, and you can recover your attorneys fees depending on the state you are living in under the state''s "deceptive trade practices" Act. Almost every state has one. That jeweler needs another phone call explaining that you are hiring an attorney to seek triple damages from this outrage under the "DTPA".--Trust me, he has heard of it. He MUST replace that stone for one of like value. Call your local Bar Association to find a commercial attorney who will take your case on contingency if you cannot afford the attorneys fees. Based on the facts you have laid out, you have a VERY GOOD case, and you absolutely do not have to live with a cracked diamond based on the practices of this shady jeweler. Like someone else mentioned too, be sure to let him know that after you take him to court and win, you are going to share his name on Pricescope! Do not stand for this, and I wish you the best of luck. PLEASE let us know what happens next. BTW, the setting is GORGEOUS and your fiance is very clever with the way he proposed. You both deserve a center stone that is as special as you are. Good luck!

 

[Harleigh]

Congratulations on your engagement! I adore the basket on your ring and the proposal was just too darn cute!

I think it really stinks that you have to pay more for a stone when you did NOTHiNG to the other one, but I am glad you worked it out and are happy with it.

Please be sure to post more pictures for us when you get the new stone set!

 

[hairgirl95]

what a pretty ring!! I am so glad you were able to get the diamond problem fixed. Congrats on your engagement!!

 

[arjunajane]

Hi Mchllmarch,
Your ring is beautiful and your engagement story is so cute and funny

It seems to me that you don''t want this issue with the cracked diamond to impinge on this happy time in ur life, and as another poster said, I totally respect u for remaining so level headed. I would be hopping mad!

I agree that the fact he paid most of the new stone means he knows its his mistake - who would pay for something is their truely not at fault?

If you just want to walk away and enjoy your new ring than thats a fantastic idea, however i am of the opinion he owes you for the whole thing. To me, $800 is alot of money for someone else''s mistake!
Either way, would you be comfotable sharing the name of this store on PS? If you don''t want to thats totally cool, its just summin we do so as to avoid others having to go thru issues with undesirable businesses..

once again congrats on your engagement and a gorgeous ring

 

[2danes]

What a darling proposal!
AND a stunning setting!
I hope things work out with your diamond!

 

[777_LDY]

Congrats on your engagement!! Your ring is beautiful and I am glad that this has turned out ok for you.

 

[Omblita]

Congrats on your engagement!!! what a beautiful ring it is, sadly you and your fiance encounter a little hurdle on the way. But its the sentiments that counts. You are blessed with a good heart to stay positive, people like this needs to be stop at all cause. Perhaps, you can warn others about these people so, in the future no one has to endure this experience. God Bless you and your fiance!!!

 

[Mchllmarsh]

Arjuana: Thank you I LOVE

everything about my ring! Honestly the only reason i didn''t start this huge argument with the jeweler in Santa Ana, Ca. across from the main Place Mall...

is because my FI was already really upset because he felt sort of to blame as well for not paying more attention when he picked up the ring. I didn''t want to hurt his feelings, because he really did try so hard to get the perfect ring for me. he was also very angry that the diamond had a crack in it, he felt like every time he looked at the ring thats the first place his eyes went to (only after i showed it to him though.). Really we just wanted to be done this this dilemma and enjoy ourselves! As for the jeweler, I don''t think he knew that he cracked the diamond. My family has been clients of his for 25 years, hes known me since I was 2years old and I honestly don''t think that he would risk loosing our business over this. So I''m officially going to chalk this up to a learning experience, an expensive lesson, but I''ve defiantly learned that even if you truly trust someone... you need to still watch your own back. Especially when money is involved!

As for the new diamond:

i will be posting a bunch of new pics, so keep your eyes peeled!

Thank you for all of your support! My FI will come on here every now and again, and he loves all of the wonderful advise and kinda things you all post!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Can''t wait to see new pics! Glad it got worked out!

 

[Hera]

First of all, it's a beautiful ring!!!!!! but second of all if your jeweler has known you since you were two, then he should side with YOU knowing full well that it's way more probable that he cracked the diamond than you did, and that he should believe what you are saying (about it being in a safe). While, this is an emotional purchase, it's still a business transaction and should be dealt with accordingly.

P>S I know you're in happy land (as I was when I got engaged) but this is just making me mad that I feel you were taken advantage of

 

[Mchllmarsh]

Heraanderson: Oh please believe me when I say that I without a doubt feel taken advantage of! I was doing everything in my power not to rip this SOB''s head off! Excuse me.

I had been crying about it all day, and then to only find out that he will pay for some and not all just broke my heart. However, it was not the time to be getting into a bickering match with someone who would not ever change his mind. In his eyes the diamond left his shop in perfect condition... i really just wanted to forget about the whole and enjoy myself before I got so upset that I hit the the point of no return. I believe that you should pick your battles, and for me this was one that I dint want to fight. Dont get me wrong, I''m Italian and Irish... Its not a combo you want to mess with.

Haha.

Ok, here are some of the pics I just took!

 

[Mchllmarsh]

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[Mchllmarsh]

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[Mchllmarsh]

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