shape
carat
color
clarity

My experience with Holloway Diamonds - not great. With pics

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

ratatat

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Messages
253
Hi guys
So I bought a setting from Whiteflash and went to Holloway Diamonds in Brighton to have my diamond set in it. It came back with the prongs catching on bits of fluff and lint and looking like this
612F98B6-47AA-41B6-A9D9-5710A9F60C1A.jpeg E0B6C310-85AB-4173-966D-4468B3B091C2.jpeg
The prongs were also uneven from top down, in shape and size.
So I posted another thread about it here, not naming where I had it done because I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I went back to have it fixed and have picked up the ring today.
There are still gaps between the pavilion and the prongs but the gaps between the crown have been fixed and the prongs look more even top down now. So at least now it won’t pick up bits of fluff and I can only see the gaps when I squint, macroscopically it looks fine.
The saleswoman was quite rude and said she didn’t think they should have fixed it in the first place, that they wouldn’t be fixing it again and that because the setting wasn’t their own and it had different metal than theirs (??) so they wouldn’t take any responsibility for how it had been set.
To be honest this is what upset me the most. This is the second time I’ve dealt with Holloway diamonds and the first setting was theirs and also had gaps between the prongs and diamonds which I had to have fixed so I really don’t think it’s an issue of different metal but an issue of skill. I won’t be going back.
Anyway long story short, I just wanted to vent my story and hear what you guys think. Should I have done anything differently? Do you think I’m right or the sales lady?
 

Bron357

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 22, 2014
Messages
6,532
Sales lady was rude and out of line.
I worked for decades in customer service, a senior manager in the end.
News Flash, the customer is always right, even if they are wrong.
Except you weren’t wrong.
The correct response was “I’ll sorry that the workmanship wasn’t as expected. I’ll send it back to the workshop with your issues noted and we’ll phone you when your ring is ready for collection”.
Even if it wasn’t their setting (no doubt their main gripe) they were responsible for the seating (cutting the prongs to hold the diamond) and to finish the prongs. It was their poor workmanship not any inherent flaw in the setting you bought from Whiteflash.
Personally, I’ve had jewellers refuse to set my gem because I hadn’t bought the setting or gem from them. They were miffed I had bought better and cheaper on line than their “paltry offerings”. Telling me some ludicrous nonsense about the perils of online buying, all the gem being unstable / fake and the gold being too porous without even a) Loupeing the gem and b) even holding the setting in their hand.
I walked and found my now wonderful jeweller who sets anything I give him beautifully and never questions where anything comes from.
Put that behind you, you were right.
 

Maisie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 30, 2006
Messages
12,587
Is this the same Holloway Diamonds as in Garry Holloway?
 

Lvoeshinythings

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jul 25, 2018
Messages
384
You did nothing wrong. You went to a jeweler who took on the task of setting a diamond. I’m no expert but it seems like the task was a simple enough; simple prong style, etc. It doesn’t seem like you were asking them to do the extraordinary.

Did you get your money back? Is there another jeweler you can visit?

You must be so bummed. Sorry it happened to you.
 

Lykame

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 1, 2018
Messages
1,433
Hi guys
So I bought a setting from Whiteflash and went to Holloway Diamonds in Brighton to have my diamond set in it. It came back with the prongs catching on bits of fluff and lint and looking like this
612F98B6-47AA-41B6-A9D9-5710A9F60C1A.jpeg E0B6C310-85AB-4173-966D-4468B3B091C2.jpeg
The prongs were also uneven from top down, in shape and size.
So I posted another thread about it here, not naming where I had it done because I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I went back to have it fixed and have picked up the ring today.
There are still gaps between the pavilion and the prongs but the gaps between the crown have been fixed and the prongs look more even top down now. So at least now it won’t pick up bits of fluff and I can only see the gaps when I squint, macroscopically it looks fine.
The saleswoman was quite rude and said she didn’t think they should have fixed it in the first place, that they wouldn’t be fixing it again and that because the setting wasn’t their own and it had different metal than theirs (??) so they wouldn’t take any responsibility for how it had been set.
To be honest this is what upset me the most. This is the second time I’ve dealt with Holloway diamonds and the first setting was theirs and also had gaps between the prongs and diamonds which I had to have fixed so I really don’t think it’s an issue of different metal but an issue of skill. I won’t be going back.
Anyway long story short, I just wanted to vent my story and hear what you guys think. Should I have done anything differently? Do you think I’m right or the sales lady?

Explain the pictures... Is the top one the way it was previously set and the bottom one how it's set now? Or were they both from before? Or now?

If either are from now, which it sounds like is possible, then there's still issue with the setting and it does still need to be fixed.
 

Bonfire

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
4,232
It still doesn’t look properly set if the bottom photo is after they repaired it. :confused2: Hopefully that’s not the case.
 

ratatat

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Messages
253
@Bron357 @Lvoeshinythings @Bonfire @Lykame Thanks for the support guys.
No sorry to be unclear, both pics were the first time I picked it up. Now the gaps are more or less fixed at the crown - I guess the prongs have been curved over more to touch the diamond? - but the gaps with the pavilion remains, I guess those can’t be fixed unless the diamond is fully reset, because it’s the way the seat has been cut. I can’t tell unless I squint at it. Just at a general glance it looks fine. I’ve tried to capture it here
299AA3E2-D0A5-4D27-8AC1-4BC554EE19AB.jpeg
I understand that jewellers would be miffed to set a diamond and setting which isn’t theirs, but it’s not like they’re doing it for free. If it’s going to be an issue I’d rather that they said sorry we cant do this than take my money and do a suboptimal job you know? Then be rude to me when I go back to have it fixed, like I’m the one at fault
@Maisie yes, the only reason I’ve gone to this jeweler in the first place is because of this forum and I thought that meant they would do a good job :(sad
@Garry H (Cut Nut) thank you for your reply. I’m not sure what can be done now but thanks for looking into it.
 

Attachments

  • 26A9E3CF-A3E9-462A-BC0A-FB39C78BB9BB.jpeg
    26A9E3CF-A3E9-462A-BC0A-FB39C78BB9BB.jpeg
    97.1 KB · Views: 19

Lykame

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 1, 2018
Messages
1,433
@Bron357 @Lvoeshinythings @Bonfire @Lykame Thanks for the support guys.
No sorry to be unclear, both pics were the first time I picked it up. Now the gaps are more or less fixed at the crown - I guess the prongs have been curved over more to touch the diamond? - but the gaps with the pavilion remains, I guess those can’t be fixed unless the diamond is fully reset, because it’s the way the seat has been cut. I can’t tell unless I squint at it. Just at a general glance it looks fine. I’ve tried to capture it here
299AA3E2-D0A5-4D27-8AC1-4BC554EE19AB.jpeg
I understand that jewellers would be miffed to set a diamond and setting which isn’t theirs, but it’s not like they’re doing it for free. If it’s going to be an issue I’d rather that they said sorry we cant do this than take my money and do a suboptimal job you know? Then be rude to me when I go back to have it fixed, like I’m the one at fault
@Maisie yes, the only reason I’ve gone to this jeweler in the first place is because of this forum and I thought that meant they would do a good job :(sad
@Garry H (Cut Nut) thank you for your reply. I’m not sure what can be done now but thanks for looking into it.

Thanks for clarifying about the pictures. Think you're totally in the right to be as frustrated and as disappointed as you are.

The setting is still not good enough and needs to be fixed or redone or whatever it takes. Nothing is supporting the pavillion of the diamond in that prong and if they're all like that then wow. :o That even one is like that... :(sad

I hope that @Garry H (Cut Nut) is able to help get this rectified for you and that if that's not something his company can do (I agree the ability to say no to something that can't be done is fine so long as it's polite and all) that you are refunded so you can get your setting properly fixed elsewhere.

Best of luck and keep us updated. :geek2:
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

Super_Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Aug 15, 2000
Messages
18,422
Dear Ratatat,
Thanks for clarifying that you bought a setting and stone and asked us to set it for you.
Most jewellers will not offer this service. Often because the metal alloys are made to a budget and difficult to work with.
I would like to know why you did not have the diamond supplier set the stone? Or the supplier of the setting?
 

ratatat

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Messages
253
Hi Garry, I already had the diamond here and bought a Vatche U113 from Whiteflash separately.
I didn’t want to have to send my diamond overseas to have it set and I wanted a chance to have a look at the setting first to make sure I liked it and have the chance to return it if I didn’t.
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
18,029
Hi Garry, I already had the diamond here and bought a Vatche U113 from Whiteflash separately.
I didn’t want to have to send my diamond overseas to have it set and I wanted a chance to have a look at the setting first to make sure I liked it and have the chance to return it if I didn’t.
Totally makes sense. This isn't your fault at all. If a store says they can do something and you pay them for it, then you can certainly expect them to do it right.
 

Rfisher

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 19, 2013
Messages
5,487
I would like to know why you did not have the diamond supplier set the stone? Or the supplier of the setting?

Is this a thing?
It's either a brick and mortar store doesn't care about quality of setting job because they didn't source the setting nor stone. If so- why quote and accept job at all?
Or
There's more backstory going on here we don't know.
 

kmoro

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Messages
1,081
Dear Ratatat,
Thanks for clarifying that you bought a setting and stone and asked us to set it for you.
Most jewellers will not offer this service. Often because the metal alloys are made to a budget and difficult to work with.
I would like to know why you did not have the diamond supplier set the stone? Or the supplier of the setting?

Is it true that most jewellers would refuse to set a customer diamond in a customer VATCHE setting? Is there something about the Vatche setting metal alloy that is too budget or too difficult to work with? I don’t understand.
I mean this with respect, but I don’t understand any of this response ... how does it lead to resolving the issue?
I’ll assume that there’s more to the story as well.
 

Gussie

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
3,700
@ratatat I hope this is resolved to your satisfaction or can get the setting back undamaged. I would definitely be upset if the sales person was rude. I am a bit confused by the response here. It's not like Vatche is budget friendly, code word for cheap. It's a high quality setting and a typical Tiffany style 6 prong. It doesn't seem like this would be a hard job for any experienced bench.

Good luck and I am sorry you are having to deal with this.
 

Lykame

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 1, 2018
Messages
1,433
Dear Ratatat,
Thanks for clarifying that you bought a setting and stone and asked us to set it for you.
Most jewellers will not offer this service. Often because the metal alloys are made to a budget and difficult to work with.
I would like to know why you did not have the diamond supplier set the stone? Or the supplier of the setting?

I'm confused by this response as well. It wasn't a 'favour ' to set the stone. If a jeweller agrees to do it and charges for the service then it should be done correctly, and if it's not done correctly then it should be rectified. If it can't be done to an acceptable standard because the alloys are difficult to work with, explain that and don't offer to do it or offer to do it whilst explaining the risks so the client can make an informed decision.
 

southernicetea

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 21, 2019
Messages
140
I wonder if this issue with prongs is unique to Vatche's mix of platinum or it's U113 setting. I purchased a semi-custom Vatche U113 setting through WF, and one of the prongs also had a similar issue (pavillion was unsupported by the prong). This was what I could see with my naked eye. I noticed bits of lint would get caught by another prong, but I assumed this was a common occurrence with all pronged rings. WF was very gracious and wanted to fix the prong issue right away though.

Hopefully your issue gets fixed, @ratatat !
 

mrs-b

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
11,542
Hi Ratatat,
Perhaps you can call me and we can resolve your issues?
I prefer not to discuss individual employee matters in public.
0412 523 369

Interesting wording here. It's open to debate whose 'issues' they are.

As for not discussing things in public, that's pretty much one of the purposes of this site.

@ratatat - I hope this is resolved to your satisfaction.
 

Johnbt

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 13, 2018
Messages
313
"As for not discussing things in public, that's pretty much one of the purposes of this site."

You don't seriously expect them to discuss an employee, or employees, by name on a public forum do you? There might even be a labor law against it, depending on the country and the state and what the employee may or may not have done.

"I prefer not to discuss individual employee matters in public."
 

Gussie

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
3,700
"As for not discussing things in public, that's pretty much one of the purposes of this site."

You don't seriously expect them to discuss an employee, or employees, by name on a public forum do you? There might even be a labor law against it, depending on the country and the state and what the employee may or may not have done.

"I prefer not to discuss individual employee matters in public."

I don't think she meant it pertinent to discuss individual employee names or matters. I think she meant the situation as a whole. @ratatat posted to discuss her situation with a vendor, one of the purposes of the forum. I hope that she doesn't feel silenced.
 

mrs-b

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
11,542
"As for not discussing things in public, that's pretty much one of the purposes of this site."

You don't seriously expect them to discuss an employee, or employees, by name on a public forum do you? There might even be a labor law against it, depending on the country and the state and what the employee may or may not have done.

"I prefer not to discuss individual employee matters in public."

Do I "seriously expect them to discuss an employee or employees by name on a public forum"? Uh - that'd be a no. Mostly, because I'm not an idiot. Add to that, I doubt our OP knows the person's name, and why would it be relevant anyway? The buck stops with the proprietor, not the person behind the counter. As for 'laws against it' - that's nuts. Recounting a real experience isn't libel, if that's what you're implying. Gees louise....

However, I think the whole "we can't discuss individual people online" can be a bit of a furphy to avoid discussing the situation in general, and it's the general situation which is the problem.

By the way, I say this as an Australian, who has a lot of experience with Australian retail and am familiar with the culture in that industry.

On the other hand, it could be worse. It could be Harrods. When I lived in London, I recall standing at a counter in that store for a solid 5 minutes while the 2 sales assistants discussed what they did on the weekend. There wasn't a single other soul there, I was less than 3 feet away from them, and it was like I was invisible. Worst service ever. I won't mention their names, tho; I don't want to break any laws....**

@ratatat - I hope all is resolved and you're enjoying your beautiful new ring.

**Oh, oookkk - it was Janice and Paul!
 
Last edited:

the_mother_thing

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
6,306
I think it’s unfortunate if any vendor ‘discourages’ a consumer (e.g. as part of resolving issues) from discussing custom project problems and how it was resolved on this site. As much applause and referrals as most vendors get on here, they need to be prepared to accept the ‘bad’ as well when it happens and not discourage customers from being open about them.

While we don’t see a ton of complaints where projects went south, I think it happens more than we know because of this, though I’m not specifically saying that is the case with this vendor/situation.
 

Bradical

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 7, 2019
Messages
28
Dear Ratatat,
Thanks for clarifying that you bought a setting and stone and asked us to set it for you.
Most jewellers will not offer this service. Often because the metal alloys are made to a budget and difficult to work with.
I would like to know why you did not have the diamond supplier set the stone? Or the supplier of the setting?

I don't see anything relevant in this post - it's almost passive aggressive.

I agree with the general sentiment of this thread.. if they agree to trade their service for your money, you should get the same quality regardless of where the diamond and setting came from.
 

ratatat

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Messages
253
Hi guys, thank you so much for your replies. Sorry I have not replied, it’s been a busy week, and also I have been thinking about what I should do.
@southernicetea sorry to hear you had issues with your setting! I hope it got fixed. My setting was made in 18kt WG
Garry, thank you for sharing your number and inviting me to give you a call. Ultimately I’ve decided to take it somewhere else to be fixed. I don’t think the setting can be fixed by your jewellers - if it could be done perfectly I think it should have been done so if not the first time then the second time around. The thought of going back for a third time, being without my ring for another week or two, then potentially going back again and finding something not quite right, and dealing with your sales lady again, etc, really dismays me. So I don’t know if there’s anything further to discuss over the phone but I do appreciate you sharing your number.
I was so upset after picking up my ring and mainly in writing this thread I wanted to vent about my experience with other pricescopers who are also enthusiastic about their jewelry and get others’ opinions and thoughts
 

pinklemonadegurl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
366
Your latest response is perfect, @ratatat. One of the reasons I have continued sharing progress with my WF ACA purchase is that their customer service is 1000%. There has not been one concern or question that they have not helped with/reassured me. It makes having such a large purchase and decision (long distance too!) much less anxiety laden and much happier, frankly. I can't imagine such a decision and having a less than supportive/kind salesperson/customer service-would make me highly uncomfortable. I do hope your ring will finally be exactly as you want it.
 

Lykame

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 1, 2018
Messages
1,433
Hi guys, thank you so much for your replies. Sorry I have not replied, it’s been a busy week, and also I have been thinking about what I should do.
@southernicetea sorry to hear you had issues with your setting! I hope it got fixed. My setting was made in 18kt WG
Garry, thank you for sharing your number and inviting me to give you a call. Ultimately I’ve decided to take it somewhere else to be fixed. I don’t think the setting can be fixed by your jewellers - if it could be done perfectly I think it should have been done so if not the first time then the second time around. The thought of going back for a third time, being without my ring for another week or two, then potentially going back again and finding something not quite right, and dealing with your sales lady again, etc, really dismays me. So I don’t know if there’s anything further to discuss over the phone but I do appreciate you sharing your number.
I was so upset after picking up my ring and mainly in writing this thread I wanted to vent about my experience with other pricescopers who are also enthusiastic about their jewelry and get others’ opinions and thoughts

I think this is a very considered and sensible response. I hope that your ring can be resolved to your satisfaction with another jeweller. :)

Keep us updated!
 

Bonfire

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
4,232
Thanks for the update @ratatat. I hope your ring will be repaired properly and quickly back on your finger. Thank you for starting this thread as I think it has been very informative to others. How a business and their staff respond to issues and treat a client after a sale or service is very important to most of us. You deserved much better! There is no reason to tolerate an unaccommodating and rude staff. You pulled the curtain back on Holloway Diamonds. Thank you.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top