It''s fixed..sort of...

[allycat0303]

Hey everyone,

Ring update, Leon sent me these pics of the fixed ring. So most of the major problems have been fixed except the metal on the miligrain of the band is still a bit crooked.... it was crooked when I got the ring three weeks ago, but a lot more then that, and there was NO milirgrain.

If you look at the two pics of it head on, I''m sure you can tell. Leon says the metal can only be fixed if he remelts the ring and starts over from scratch. But it''s going to be $4500 for that.

What I''m really hoping for is reassurance that it''s fine. And that no one can see anything would be really nice. I don''t know if I''m totally focusing on it because I know where it was, or if you can find it....

 

[allycat0303]

side

 

[allycat0303]

last

 

[allycat0303]

I basically need eagle eyed pricescopers

 

[Jelly]

If you look at the two pics of it head on, I''m sure you can tell. Leon says the metal can only be fixed if he remelts the ring and starts over from scratch. But it''s going to be $4500 for that.

$4500 to fix it? Who would pay for it? You or him? It doesn''t seem right that you would be paying for his mistake....

Otherwise, I''m glad your ring is on it''s way to recovery. It''s so beautiful!

 

[AndyRosse]

Ally, a quick glimpse at the photos and I don''t see what you are talking about, although to be honest, I''m not quite sure where I am supposed to be looking!

But either way, I don''t like Leon''s comment about the $4500. Didn''t he or his "people" screw up the ring in the first place? I don''t understand how this is your fault in anyway?! If I remember, this happened when the ring was being sized. Did Leon warn you that the ring would not be the same? If not, I would absolutely demand that the ring look exactly how it should, at his cost. And if that means remaking the ring, then that means remaking the ring on his $$.

Correct me if I''m wrong with any of my facts.

 

[blueroses]

Well I agree w/ Jelly--it was his staffer who screwed up the ring when it was just a missing melee stone and resizing, right?

But anyway, I see NOTHING wrong with the fixed ring--it looks beautiful to me. I don''t know where to look, granted, but I think it''s as amazing and stunning as ever!!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Ouch that seems sort of harsh. He mailed it to you in less than perfect condition so he should pay to fix it, JMHO.

 

[AndyRosse]

Oh Ally, I think I see what you are talking about now....

 

[FireGoddess]

Honest truth here - I see a little crookedness in the first picture (nothing glaring or to be alarmed about) and absolutely nothing crooked in the second or third pictures. I think the ring looks great - in my one experience with milgrain, there were a few little spots on my ring that were a little crooked - I think milgrain work is hard and sometimes it comes with the territory? (although hopefully not and really SHOULD not)...but your ring looks gorgeous and I wouldn't freak about it. That's my honest opinion.

But I do want to add - that $4500 to fix it comment really bothers me as well...you paid for the ring, and sent it back to him to have the stone put back in because HE crafted the ring and you wanted the 'master' to set the 'masterpiece' back together. If it doesn't come back to your liking/looks subpar, it should be THEIR dime to fix it, not yours. Hmmm, Leon's been falling NOTCHES in my book lately...

 

[Kaleigh]

You asked for eagle eye PS''ers. The problem is in the second pic. On the shank.

 

[AndyRosse]

Oh Kaleigh, I totally see it now!!

LOL, my first guess was wrong LOL, just shadows I think.

 

[allycat0303]

Hey ladies,

Well it''s in the first pic. I tried to enlarge it and show it to everyone compared to the original, and it''s obvious. Execept the file gets too big and I can''t post it. I''m hoping that since he put the miligrain back on it, it won''t look as bad as the first time it was sent to me.... I need to make a decision about if I want him to remelt it, or send it to me.

So hard to tell from pics, I mean it''s magnified, so it won''t be that bad in real like, I''m sure, but I''m terrified that it''s going to look exactly like before, with some miligrain on it

.

And obviously, it''s going to be hideous to repay to have it redone, but I don''t think my ring should drive me crazy. My boyfriend would try to negotiate a price. I don''t think it should cost the same as it did the first time. I mean he did buy the diamonds already.

Well some of you have spotted the problem, so it''s still a tiny bit visable. Thanks everyone.

 

[Mara]

I can't see anything in those pictures but sparkles so I'm obviously not a good judge.

That said DONT PAY A DIME!!! You paid for a perfect ring, it had problems, you sent it back and it came back all f*$#d up. So why should you have to pay $4500 for them to remake the ring? I am at a total loss here? They should be begging you to let them do that for free. Seriously! If it was their mistake, then they should fix it. Unless you banged on it with a hammer and made the milgrain wavy, the how is this your fault??

Am I missing something? Have you asked him if you will have to pay for it to be remade or are you just assuming? Are you assuming it would be $4500 or have you asked him? I can't believe that he would charge you that amount to fix it...so it leads me to think maybe it hasn't been entirely discussed.

 

[ame]

Ok I don''t care if it''s his fault or his staffer''s fault, that is BULL SHIT that he will charge you for that!

 

[AndyRosse]

Ally, what does Leon say about how the ring looks? Since IMO this was his or his staff''s fault, nothing besides "it''s perfect, just like the way you saw it before you mailed it back to us to reset that diamond" is good enough for me.

 

[mrssalvo]

I agree with Mara. #1, i don''t see anything but pictures can be deceiving. #2, no way you should pay another penny for it to be perfect. I am very picky when it comes to those types of details and for the kind of cash you paid for your setting it should be perfect. Find out who would be footing the bill. If he expects it to be remade at your cost i''d ask him for a total refund, get your stone and have someone else do the setting. He should fix it, whatever that includes, at no additional cost to you...

 

[AndyRosse]

Okay Ally, is this what you are talking about?

 

[AndyRosse]

And this is what I thought I saw after Kaleigh said something about the second pic...but maybe it''s just the pic

 

[Kaleigh]

That''s exactly what I was referring to Rascal. Maybe it was just the pic??

 

[AndyRosse]

Kaleigh, once you said it, I was like DUH! But Ally said the first pic had the problem, so I''m assuming the pic is just playing games with us

.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 10/19/2005 5:39:23 PM
Author: allycat0303
Hey ladies,

Well it's in the first pic. I tried to enlarge it and show it to everyone compared to the original, and it's obvious. Execept the file gets too big and I can't post it. I'm hoping that since he put the miligrain back on it, it won't look as bad as the first time it was sent to me.... I need to make a decision about if I want him to remelt it, or send it to me.

So hard to tell from pics, I mean it's magnified, so it won't be that bad in real like, I'm sure, but I'm terrified that it's going to look exactly like before, with some miligrain on it

.

And obviously, it's going to be hideous to repay to have it redone, but I don't think my ring should drive me crazy. My boyfriend would try to negotiate a price. I don't think it should cost the same as it did the first time. I mean he did buy the diamonds already.

Well some of you have spotted the problem, so it's still a tiny bit visable. Thanks everyone.

Okay ladies - you know what this means - I had the best eagle eyes!!

(And yes Rascal, what you drew is what I saw that was crooked...the thing you point out in the second figure seems like just the picture, not an actual flaw.)

Seriously though, even though I could see it it's NOT major, ally. I wouldn't worry about it cuz you won't ever see it when it's on. It looks MUCH better than before.

 

[snuga]

Thanks to Rascal for pointing the problem out, I didn't see it until then.

I think I am also missing something about why you need to pay to get it fixed??

There is ABSOLUTELY no need for you to shell out more money.

Either way, your ring is BEAUTIFUL!

 

[pebbles]

I think it looks much better than before, but of course you have to be the final judge.

A few of my friends have miligrain on their rings and it''s not perfect in some spots either. I did see what you were referring to in the first picture but I thought maybe it was my eyes playing tricks on me.

That being said, if you decide to have Leon remake it, you should not have to pay for it. That is complete BS.

 

[jaz464]

Of course it is difficult to see the imperfection in pictures but that doesn''t mean you shouldn''t get it fixed. I would want my ring to be as perfect as is humanly possible. He is trying to charge you $4500?! "Um, no...., I didn''t create a flawed ring you did." I would get it fixed. I''m sure you are anxious to have it and wear it, but after a few months I would think that the newness would wear off and you would start to think about the milgrain. I would always bother me.

 

[lili]

Allycat,

I have to say that your ring is among one of my absolute favorite on this site.
I am sorry to hear that you are having so much grief over it.
Normally I''d say just keep the ring. What''s a little imperfection, especially if the perfection is not visible when the ring is worn.
However, at the price that you are paying for that ring, I''d accept nothing short of perfection.
As some pricescoper has mentioned, you paid for a "masterpiece" and you should get one.
And you shouldn''t have to pay for the second one either.

Hope everything works out.
Your ring is still absolutely breathtaking (even with the imperfection).

 

[VegasAngel]

OMG, I''m angry like it''s my ring. I cant believe they are trying to charge you to fix the ring. Dont accept anything but perfect. There is no excuse for shoddy workmanship and any error(s) on their part should be fixed promptly and at no charge. Please don''t put up with that.

 

[Demelza]

The fact that Leon said that the metal can only be fixed if he melts it down suggests to me that even HE doesn''t think it has been restored to its original condition. For him to say that he is going to charge you to remake a ring that his people screwed up is beyond comprehension. Ally, I know this is an awful position to be in, but I really don''t think you should have pay another dime to this guy, not even to ship it back to you. If you still want the ring (I know you were conflicted at one point) and you want it fixed properly, he should do it at his cost. I also think you would be within your rights as a customer to demand your money back. I know all of this is easier said than done, but it makes me angry that you''re not being treated fairly. I''m so sorry this is happening to you.

 

[Hunali]

I am so sorry for everything you have gone through with your ring.

What I don''t understand is, why, if he or his workers made the mistake, you now have to pay to make the ring right? You paid him good money to create for you a PERFECT ring, and you are unhappy with it. You shouldn''t have to pay for him to make right on a mistake that he made in the first place. I truly hope that things work out for you, and you end up with the ring of your dreams.

PS: I couldn''t see anything wrong with the ring. It looks absolutely beautiful!

 

[aljdewey]

I know I''m gonna catch hell for saying this, but I really feel it has to be said.

I think there is a very unrealistic expectation many have about what "custom" work means. Custom doesn''t mean shoddy workmanship, things grossly out of alignment, cracks in metal, etc. BUT.....nor does it mean absolute precision uniformity either.

If you want completely uniform, *no* deviance, unwaveringly straight/uniform lines, then you should be working with a standard off-the-shelf piece. You should be working with a piece that is machine made and not hand-crafted.

One of the charms of custom work is that it''s unique....it''s handcrafted. That means no one whipped out the protractor or the leveler, ladies. It means that there will be SLIGHT nuances to the piece that make it not cookie cutter. Does that mean it''s ok to have missing milligrain around 1/4 of the ring? Of course not. But does it mean that there might be *very* slight nuances that aren''t absolutely precision ruler machine straight? Yep, that''s what it means, and if that''s not what you want, then perhaps custom isn''t the right avenue for you.

I''m sure folks get this when it comes to other handcrafted things. In pottery, it means the mug might not be positively, 100%-by-NASA-standards round....because it was hand-formed. In hand-stitched quilts, it means one little stitch might be a hair longer than others, or a light of straight stiches on the hem may not line up PRECISELY ruler-straight. It doesn''t mean they aren''t well-made or well-crafted or inferior in quality....it simply means it wasn''t "machine" uniform.

I''m not saying it''s wrong to want machine uniformity........by any means, BUT: if that''s what you want, you shouldn''t be going custom.

Several people couldn''t see anything off in those pictures.....myself included. If you had posted them and said "Oh, here''s my fixed ring"......I don''t think anyone would have seen a thing wrong with it. If something has to be scrutinized THAT closely to find fault, I don''t think that''s a workmanship issue.

I honestly am not trying to be unsupportive at all....but I think there has been a lot of brou-ha-ha about custom work lately, and much of it seems due to unrealistic expectations. Again, I''m not saying this should be an excuse for CLEARLY sub-par workmanship....but I do think a little reasonableness standard needs to be set.