Problem with 5 day old James Allen platinum setting

[Scooba116]

Last month I received a ring from James Allen with a platinum setting. After 5 days of wearing it I took the attached photo. The back of the ring was completely beat up to the point of being dull and whitish compared to the shiny sides.

I have owned a platinum ring before and wore it every day for yearn. My old ring definitely has scratches but nothing like the gouges in this new ring, and nothing that affects the appearance.

I don’t work with my hands or use harsh chemicals so I have no idea what caused this other than normal wear and tear.
James Allen has agreed to polish the ring with no charge to me since I am within the 60 day return period, but I am concerned this will just happen again. I definitely want platinum because I love the weight and look and lack of plating and I've had a good experience with it before. Could this platinum be of a lesser quality than my old ring? Both of my rings are .950 but does James Allen use a softer alloy? Does anyone have any input as to whether this amount of scratching is normal or any suggestions on how to prevent it?

 

[kenny]

Gouges and scratches are from you (or a criminal who broke into your house while you slept to scratch your ring), not James Allen.

Please accept that a patina will develop on any ring that is worn.
If you want it to remain perfect and new-looking don't wear it.

Kudos to James Allen for offering a free re-polish.
Also be happy it's platinum because polishing just moves metal around, unlike gold for which polishing removes metal.

May I recommend a brushed or matt finish so normal wear is not such a stark contrast with a high-polished finish?
Another way to view this is a matt or brushed finish is closer to how an beautiful mature platinum patina will look than a high-polish is.
Plus resigning yourself to the inevitable patina means you'll never have to re-polish your ring.

 

[Scooba116]

I am also concerned because either the setting seems to be crooked. I emailed about that today and am waiting to hear if that can be fixed.

 

[mrs jam]

If it means anything, I've had my JA platinum setting since November, and it's as shiny and scratch-free as can be. I was just looking at it today and marveling how brand-spanking-new it still looks. I'm really easy on my hands, though.

 

[Enerchi]

That does seem pretty early in the life of your ring to have that amount of scratches, but it does happen. Nothing will remain pristine, as long as you wear it --- but that's what jewelry is all about. Wear it, enjoy it, love it -- and with that comes a price to pay - patina!

Maybe there are things you are doing you don't realize you do. For instance, my DH taps his RH on his stick shift and thinks nothing of it. I've noticed his RHR has scratches on it and the top of the stick shift is all pitted and wearing down!! He didn't even realize he was tapping! So it could be something simple like that - do you walk a dog and have a leash in that hand? do you talk on a phone and tap the handset? twirl a pen in your LH? grip the steering wheel very tightly or hang on to a bus handle? that kind of thing...

But that's wonderful of JA to repolish it for you!

 

[Niel]

Do you wear your ring to sleep?

 

[ame]

The scratching seems excessive but you didn't tell us what wear and tear is normal for you. My main concern is less that and more that photo that does look very not-level.

 

[Mayk]

I have a fairly new platinum setting from DBL maybe two months.. and I don't wear it everyday..but it looks just like yours. So is the nature of the metal.... you can have it polished and it will look just like new..

 

[distracts]

My wedding ring, which is newer, looks MUCH more scratched up than my engagement ring. It's just because it hasn't developed a patina yet, so the few scratches stand out more against the polished metal than the scratches do on my e-ring, which has a soft, lovely patina. I think the same thing is going on with your ring.

 

[Scooba116]

I don't do anything with my left hand, I am very right-handed, don't sleep in my ring, keep it on a ring holder when not wearing, I work in an office and go home, don't wear it to the gym or anything like that. Normal wear and tear for me should be extremely minimal. Hopefully it's just an oddity and won't happen again so quickly.

 

[motownmama]

Did you ask about the alloy? It does look like a lot of wear for just 5 days. If nothing unusual was happening during the 5 days you wore it, then yes, that is what it's going to look like again, after you get it back and start wearing it again. I think it starts to look better when there is a patina too.

 

[IE_Princess]

DH's platinum Tiffany wedding band scratched up so quickly I was really surprised. Now I don't even try to keep it polished for him. I hope you get some resolution because five days with light wear doesn't seem like it should do that. And yes, I seek the crookedness of the setting.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

If it is the standard 95%platinum/5%iridium, that is the softest platinum alloy combination normally used. I will only buy the two harder alloys: 95plat/5ruthenium, or 90plat/10iridium. I'd consider starting over while you have the chance to return it. But you may have to pay more for another setting. Always take rings off before cooking, doing housework, loading the dishwasher, etc. Any contact with the ring causes wear. I am even careful how I grasp things with my left hand, such as door handles, etc.

 

[Scooba116]

I thought you might be right diamondseeker, that they use a softer alloy than I am used to, but I asked today and was told that it's 95% mix with rutheniem.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I thought you might be right diamondseeker, that they use a softer alloy than I am used to, but I asked today and was told that it's 95% mix with rutheniem.

That blows my mind as I was sure that had to be it! I don't think it should look like that after 5 days unless there was some contact with the ring that you just weren't aware of like grasping a door handle or something.

 

[hawk25]

Now you have me worried about my ring! I asked WF to do a special casting of 5% ruthenium for me (extra cost) to minimize this from happening

 

[CharmyPoo]

Looks bad to me for 5 days wear. I have rings much older that I wear almost daily that looks far better shape but they are either 95plat/5ruthenium, or 90plat/10iridium. I am also concerned with how the ring was build - it doesn't look straight to me.

 

[Scooba116]

and it's going to take 2-3 weeks to be fixed!

 

[Laila619]

I thought you might be right diamondseeker, that they use a softer alloy than I am used to, but I asked today and was told that it's 95% mix with rutheniem.

Huh, really?! That seems so odd then. Maybe they are mistaken.

 

[Enerchi]

and it's going to take 2-3 weeks to be fixed!

That's too bad----I hate waiting too and 2-3 weeks seems like forever, but will probably pass quickly enough. Still, I'm glad they will fix it - and by 'fixing', that also means correcting the head so that it is not crooked, right?

 

[YoungPapa]

and it's going to take 2-3 weeks to be fixed!

Hi Scooba,

2-3 weeks is probably at the outside of what this will take, but it's better to give a longer estimate upfront and deliver ahead of schedule than vice-versa. That time frame includes about four days of shipping (two in, two back), a day/day and a half for processing, a couple days to do the repolish, resize (I think I saw that in the order), and tweak the basket. It's our pleasure to get it all done (and completely free of charge to you, including shipping both ways). We appreciate your patience during the process.


p.s.
The ring is 95/5 Ruthenium - I double-checked just to be sure

All the best,