resizing a platinum Vatche.. what to do

[iveous]

I don''t know what would be smarter...

I have a royal crown vatche setting in platinum engagement ring that turns out is about .5 to 1 too big on my new fiance (she said yes btw

)

It''s a bit scary to have it that loose on her finger. We are both afraid it will fall of so we''ve decided it has to be resized.

I bought it from WF and after emailing them they said this:

Send it to us w/ USPS registered and insured ($59.00 for $4,000 insurance plus shipping)
Resizing cost: $50.00
Return shipping cost: $50.00

Total cost for this option would be nearly $160.00...

I paid a nearly $1,000 for this setting and don''t mind paying premium for having resizing on platinum done correctly. I''ve read some horror stories about it here at PS and want it done right... BUT. $160 seems like a heck of a lot of money and most of it wasted on shipping. Honestly I don''t think WF sends it to Vatche for resizing...they do it themselves and I don''t know if that would mean that the Vatche stamp would remain on the ring or whether it would void the ring warranty... Aparently they are no longer an authorized Vatche dealer but can still purchase a setting from Vatche, set their stone in it and send it to their customers. Anyone have any further info on this?

Should I go with the local jeweler option instead? There does seem to be some reputable jewelers in the Fredericksburg, VA area...if I do go with the local guy... what questions should I concern myself with to make sure they will do a good job on the setting.

I''m kind of torn. The setting is so beautiful, polished and symetrical and it would kill me to have it returned to me with a uneven thin portion on the underside or welding marks or lines etc...

Some of the posts I read made it seem like local jewelers cannot be trusted with platinum work. Is that really true? Can I not expect local guys to do this without me being able to notice that it''s been resized?

I''m leaning toward having WF do it.. but it just seems like way too much money to spend in shipping..

Help me make a decision here...

Thanks,

Ivan

 

[WinkHPD]

If you email me at the address below I will send you pictures of a Vatche ring that a local jeweler completely destroyed. Vatche had to remake the ring for my client, it was that ruined. Many jewelers can do the work, but unfortunately, many also can not.

If you are concerned that WhiteFlash is no longer a Vatche dealer then contact Vatche to find out who is a local Vatche dealer close to you. From the pricing you showed I doubt that Whiteflash is making a dime on sizing your ring, and may in fact be loosing a little. I am sure that they will not be offended if you can find a local Vatche dealer close to you and save the postage.

Wink

 

[belle]

good advice as always wink

ivan, i think there may have been a typo. it looks like there are two shipping charges there. maybe they were making a guess at how much it would cost (?) to ship the ring back insured. if you live in the states it should not be that much...more like $20-$30. i would get clarification on that.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 2/28/2006 12:53:42 AM
Author: belle
good advice as always wink

ivan, i think there may have been a typo. it looks like there are two shipping charges there. maybe they were making a guess at how much it would cost (?) to ship the ring back insured. if you live in the states it should not be that much...more like $20-$30. i would get clarification on that.

Ditto. Sounds a little high to me too. Must have been a typo. Good luck and let us know what you decide. Wink gave you very good advice, but then again he always does.

 

[jaz464]

Yes, I have shipped my diamond twice via registered mail insured for the max of $25,000. It is always $31. Coming back it is always more because you have to pay WF''s Fed Ex fee and insurance.

 

[iveous]

I will try to do that tomorrow. It''s late and I''m having a hard time getting sleep thinking over this.
I went to Vatche web site and found that there is a Charleston Alexander official Vatche dealer about 1/2 hour away from me in Fairfax...

t''s such a pain mulling over something which I think should be easy.
What I mean is... resizing isn''t rocket science and someone who has been trained and has the appropriate tools, as far as I know, should be able to do this well. Resizing done properly is one of those things that I believe we as consumers should not have to be this concerned about...

I guess I just wish there were less jewelers out there doing such bad work... It would make this whole process of selecting a local guy a lot less stresful. The only reason I am concerned about resizing is because I''ve seen my sister''s band and it is very very thin in the back and even a bit twisted due to the thinness of the material. I''m only researching this because I most definitely do not want something like that to happen to this Vatche setting.

If I do go to Charleston Alexander... should I not worry at all since they are a certified Vatche dealer?

 

[iveous]

The online quote for USPS overnight plus insurance was $59.00 from VA to TX.
I may have chosen the wrong thing or maybe the overnight (or 2 day) could be the reason...

I''m certain that the WF total fee will be $100 though.
I would have to go to the post office and make sure about that price though.

What to do ... what to do.

 

[iveous]

I''m checking off for the night... but I will update with info from what the local Vatche dealer (Charleston Alexander) says about resizing the ring so I can make a decision. I will be calling them tomorrow.

I also sent WF an email asking about the stamping on the Vatche ring and how warranty issues come into play with resizing if any. I also asked for some clarification on what is under warranty by who and for what exactly... I''m a bit confused about that still...
Since WF is no longer an official Vatche dealer anymore I''m not sure what is the deal. If the the ring as a whole is covered, just the stone, just the setting..., by WF alone, by VAtche, by both...etc.

It might be good to shed some light on this for others here as well. Jamie will be getting back to me on that tomorrow hopefully and I will let you all know.

Ivan

 

[JohnQuixote]

Hi Ivan,

I did some research for you. I couldn't find where we quoted shipping to get the ring here: USPS Registered-Insured should only cost $25 to $30. The return shipping/insurance quote of $50 from us is for Fed Ex overnight delivery. We're no longer a Vatche dealer but we're happy to work on the ring, because we had so many years with Vatche and our smiths are intimately familiar with the settings.

Another option occurs, however. Vatche may resize your ring for free. You can contact them direct at 1-800-718-2444. Ask for Max... If this is still being done you'd only encumber the round trip shipping charge.

Yet another option would be to contact an authorized Vatche dealer close to you, though jeweler resizing fees may come close to the total you'd spend with us.

Best regards,