loaner ring

[diamondsrock]

so a friend of mine went to the mall jeweler and bought an engagement ring. They didn''t have it in her size so she had to special order. It could take over a month to come in so they gave her a "loaner ring". It doesn''t fit her so she can''t wear it. They said she has to bring it in when her correctly sized ring arrives and return it as some sort of collateral. Does this make any sense to anyone? She''s telling me this and I just don''t get why anyone would want to wear a ring that isn''t theirs. Which is regardless since it''s the wrong size anyway. (p.s. I tried to steer her clear of the mall and it didn''t work

 

[afrodyt2000]

I''ve had friends do this when a ring is getting resized and everyone knows that they are engaged. Some folks would rather wear a loaner than have to deal with rumors that the couple has money problems or something like that. I don''t know if I would do that but you never know. I do think it''s weird that they gave it to her and told her what they did. If it doesn''t even fit her, what''s the point?

 

[blueroses]

That''s just a little odd. I can totally understand wearing a place-holder or a fun CZ if it''s important to have it known that you''re engaged....but that way it''s still YOUR ring.

I also wouldn''t want to risk the damge of a loaner ring--to say nothing of the odd emotional implications of having this non-significant ring that isn''t yours, isn''t from your FI, doesn''t have any personal importance--on your finger to announce to the world that you''re engaged. Weird idea!

 

[Kaleigh]

That is odd. Why have a ring if you can''t wear it. I too wouldn''t want the risk of wearing a loaner ring. I''d rather wait for the real deal.

 

[Blue824]

Wait, so they didnt have the ring she wanted in her size so they''re ordering it...understandable, but why would they give her a ''loaner'' that wasn''t in her size? That seems to defeat the purpose! Because she can''t even wear that.

I guess like blueroses, I''d rather have something fun I could wear that was mine...like a cz that I could use for vacations too.

 

[diamondsrock]

they gave it to her (or actually her boyfriend) with the understanding he would return it in exchange for the ring she ordered. If he doesn''t bring the ring back, she won''t get her "real" ring. The ring, by the way, is supposedly identical to the one she ordered just a bigger size. She said since they paid in full for the ring they couldn''t walk away with nothing. It''s like a temporary replacement, but one she can''t even wear since it''s miles too big. Personally, I would think your receipt would be enough to prove you paid for the ring but I can''t figure this whole scenario out. It''s so strange. Plus they are making the ring special order so who knows what kind of stones she''s getting. There is no guarantee of quality or anything on it. They have paid for something they never saw. Saleslady told her they usually put nicer stones in the rings they have to make (all store rings are size 6 or 7) than the rings in the store. It''s a gamble as far as I''m concerned. I only hope for her it comes out decent and she''s not disappointed. Now she''s freaking out thinking what if they lose it or it gets stolen. I told her to rent a safe deposit box and have him keep it in there until they call saying the real ring is in.

 

[NyssaLynne]

Strange. I have had items ordered in and never received a "temporary" or "loaner" ring. Actually I have never even heard of it before. Maybe it is a regional thing or something to do with a specific state/county law?

 

[northstar_78]

First time I EVER heard of a ''loaner'' ring. Hmmm...have you checked with the better business bureau about the store? I''m a little confused about the stones...are they holding onto her center stone until the new ring arrives? Why are there no guarentees about the stone? Where is the center stone?

I''ve heard of a promise ring but never a loaner...

 

[diamondsrock]

the ring is one that the store regularly sells (probably in volume) so they have a lot of them. It''s not like she got to pick out the center stone or anything. If you went to a mall jeweler, you''d see what I mean. You have to ask about the quality of the stones because they don''t tell you and there''s no certificate. Granted the ring is less than $2,500 but still, you should get something with it I think. This is why I would never buy a ring like this at a mall. Even if I spent $500 I''d want to know what I"m getting!

My husband''s friend is getting married soon and he''s referring him to me for advice. I''m going to give him the names of some of these online jewelers and tell him to have them put together something nice for him. Last time he got married (this is his second), he bought the ring at a mall then got it appraised and it wasn''t worth half what he paid. He wants to avoid that again!!!