Ring mounting at jewelers cost??

[Virgo13]

I''m not sure if anyone can give me an answer but I guess it is worth a try .... I have had some issues with a jeweler who worked on my ring and long story short he has offered to sell me a new setting at his "cost" in the name of good customer relations. I know he is pretty high end and I was wondering if there is a standard mark up on semi-mounts. I don''t have a lot of money to spend on a new mounting and I am now stuck with a broken ring due to his mistake. Most of the mounts in his shop start at $2500-- I guess I am looking for any info before I take him up on his offer. I am afraid even at his cost, I will not be able tought afford a new mount. Any thoughts???

 

[arjunajane]

Can you give us more details? As in who did you buy the setting from, what was being done to it, how was it damaged?
TBH, at the moment from what you've said my instinct would be to say no - if he broke it, he needs to pay, not ask you to shell out more for one of his products

But more info would help. I'm sorry you're having these dramas.

 

[Gypsy]

A) Does he have insurance? B) Do you have insurance?

I agree, he broke it, he can replace it. Give him the bill and tell him he can repay you or replace it with an identical setting. His choice.

 

[Virgo13]

To clarify... My fiance'' purchased the ring at a reputable jeweler in another state. We wanted to have it appraised before commiting to purchase. The appraisal was statisfactory and we had the appraiser send the ring to the jeweler to be resized ( they had both come highly recommended and I was aware of the 2 companies working together....) The jeweler then called me to let me know the prongs were loose and needed to be tightenend when I had it sized. I agreed to this work. A few days after picking up the ring I noticed a rather large inclusion/chip in the girdle. I took it back to the appraiser first and she downgraded the stone to an SI2 fro an SI1. She said sometimes inclusions are hidden under the prongs. So at this point I went back to the jeweler with these questions:
1) why didn''t the jeweler see the inclusion when he was working on the ring if I could see it clear as day when I got it back?? Why then didn''t he call me immediatley to tell me of the inclusion--at this point I could have returned the ring to the seller.
2) At the very least why didn''t he re-position the inclusion under the prong when he reset it?? At least then I wouldn''t have ever known about it and would be prefectly happy and oblivious....
3) the final straw came when I removed my one day and it broke literally in half at the point it was sized!
In light of all this he won''t take responsiblitly for any of the problems but has offered a new (updraded) setting at his cost.
Sorry this is so long but I have been dealing with this for 2 months-- My ring is in two pieces and to be honest I don''t even care to wear it after all this trouble. I just hope a new setting will help me remember how much I originally loved the stone since we now own something I can barely even look at--it has been in the drawer for 3 weeks....
Thanks again for any help and sorry for the rant....

 

[Gypsy]

WOW. Okay, back to my original question... DO YOU HAVE INSURANCE?

And why haven''t you reported these people to the jeweler''s board, AND the BBB, and not sued them in small claims court? Seriously. And this guy is doing you a "favor" by selling you a new setting to cost????

 

[Virgo13]

No, No insurance......I am looking into it as we speak--
I know this is a terrible situation and I really can''t even look at the poor ring in two pieces......Not to mention I keep having to making excuses as to why I''m not wearing my " New" engagement ring. I am so upset I haven''t even told my fiance it is broken-- I just told him I don''t want to wear it to my new teaching job...
As far as the breakage of the ring--he claims the platinum was of poor quality to begin with? Just as he claimed the stone was of poor quality...
I want to give him the benifit of the doubt but I guess offering me a ring at his cost really means nothing except that I have to shell out more money. I am trying to get over it and I hope a new and different setting will help offset my dissapointment in the stone--positive thinking I guess??
As a side note-He did offer to fix the ring I have at no cost but told me the platinum was such poor quality it would probably break again.

 

[JulieN]

the first thing to do is tell your fiance!

 

[Gypsy]

Okay you got it APPRAISED before you sent it to this clown. That's your proof. Your appraiser DOWN GRADED the diamond after the jeweler worked on it and broke it. What do you mean benefit of the doubt? There's no benefit, he's bullying you!

A) You NEED to tell your FI.

B) Report this crook

C) Take him to small claims court using the appraisals as proof.

You MAKE HIM pay you for the diamond damage and to refund the FULL purchase price of the setting (which you need the receipt from your FI for).

 

[blastdoor]

Hi Virgo,

I have no expert opinion to offer but still I would like to offer you my best wishes, I myself have just got an engagement ring for my fiancee and cannot imagine for my life how she must feel if something like this was to happen.. especially if she''s suffering the agony alone and in silence for something that should be burdened by the both of us...

So I strongly agree with the others... tell your fiance, and deal with this together... the jeweler is probably bullying you partly because he knows you can''t bring yourself to tell your fiance.. I think you will be a lot stronger with each other''s support...

All the best and I hope this works out for you two...

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 1/24/2009 4:09:06 AM
Author: Gypsy
Okay you got it APPRAISED before you sent it to this clown. That''s your proof. Your appraiser DOWN GRADED the diamond after the jeweler worked on it and broke it. What do you mean benefit of the doubt? There''s no benefit, he''s bullying you!


A) You NEED to tell your FI.


B) Report this crook


C) Take him to small claims court using the appraisals as proof.


You MAKE HIM pay you for the diamond damage and to refund the FULL purchase price of the setting (which you need the receipt from your FI for).

Agreed...he might have chipped the stone and then it broke where he sized it??? Someone in his shop screwed up for sure and he needs to make it right. That DOES NOT include selling you a setting at "his cost"!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/24/2009 6:43:43 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 1/24/2009 4:09:06 AM
Author: Gypsy
Okay you got it APPRAISED before you sent it to this clown. That's your proof. Your appraiser DOWN GRADED the diamond after the jeweler worked on it and broke it. What do you mean benefit of the doubt? There's no benefit, he's bullying you!


A) You NEED to tell your FI.


B) Report this crook


C) Take him to small claims court using the appraisals as proof.


You MAKE HIM pay you for the diamond damage and to refund the FULL purchase price of the setting (which you need the receipt from your FI for).

Agreed...he might have chipped the stone and then it broke where he sized it??? Someone in his shop screwed up for sure and he needs to make it right. That DOES NOT include selling you a setting at 'his cost'!

Ditto Gypsy 100% - the story didn't sit right with me straight away, but now after hearing the details its even worse than I first thought - he not only broke your setting, but also chipped your diamond.?!?

This is completely unacceptable and what he is doing is bordering on criminal - you need to tell your Fi! It wasn't your fault, pls don't feel guilty - better to tell him asap so you can deal with it together. It sounds like this jeweller is the type that seems to think he can boss you around as a woman or some such nonsense..

You then need to stand up for yourself and confront this crook.
I would not allow him to touch the ring any more in the slightest - is it in your posession? I would give him the oppurtunity to pay you the cost of the setting, plus cover the damage to your stone. Your appraiser should be able to assist you in figuring out how much that is. Or offer him to buy the stone off you for what you paid for it when it was an SI1, before he reduced the value - sorry, I'm not sure what the procedure here will be, hopefully an expert can advise further.
If he refuses, tell him you are going to the BBB, Jewellers Board, etc..

However, didn't you say the appraiser and jeweller work together? If this is the case, you need a new Independent appraiser stat! The whole "it could've been hidden under the prong" thing is true enough - but depending on the size of the chip, I would think a decent appraiser still could've detected it?
(someone in the know pls correct me if I'm wrong here).

Sorry about my long rambling post, I sincerely hope you can get this resolved quickly and to your satisfaction - we are here to help!

 

[denverappraiser]

This is ridiculous.

Usually repairing a broken sizing seam isn’t all that difficult. The way a ring is sized is by cutting at the bottom center, either removing or inserting a piece of metal as needed and rewelding the seem. That weld is one of the weakest points in the ring and they do occasionally break. Fixing it is a matter or redoing the original weld. At the very least, this should be repaired at no cost and with a polite apology. It is NOT evidence that you need a new mounting.

The other problems are stickier.

It wasn’t clear to me from your story about the relationship between the appraiser and the new jeweler and I have a few questions about the appraiser’s story.

1) Are the appraiser and either jeweler connected?
2) Is the appraiser saying that the stone was damaged before the work and that they missed the damage due to the mounting or that the diamond was damaged while in the jewelers care? For obvious reasons this difference is important.
3) Does the appraiser agree that the ring is irreparably destroyed and needs to be replaced?
4) Does the appraiser agree with the claim that the platinum is of 'poor quality' and that this caused or at least contributed to the problem?


A few more questions on the facts:

1) How did you pay for the ring?
2) How did you pay for the repairs?
3) What is the timeline for the purchase, appraisal, repair pickup and second inspection by the appraiser?
4) Does the jeweler who did the repairs have a written policy regarding their warranty for work? If so, what does it say?
5) Has the selling jeweler had anything to say yet? Are they even aware of the problem? Do they have any sort of warranty?


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Alexiszoe]

Date: 1/24/2009 4:09:06 AM
Author: Gypsy
Okay you got it APPRAISED before you sent it to this clown. That''s your proof. Your appraiser DOWN GRADED the diamond after the jeweler worked on it and broke it. What do you mean benefit of the doubt? There''s no benefit, he''s bullying you!


A) You NEED to tell your FI.


B) Report this crook


C) Take him to small claims court using the appraisals as proof.


You MAKE HIM pay you for the diamond damage and to refund the FULL purchase price of the setting (which you need the receipt from your FI for).

I absolutely agree. Also, don''t wait too long to report this to the authorities, otherwise it might damage your credibility on this issue.

Good luck!

 

[denverappraiser]

One more question I forgot to ask.

Who is the manufacturer? In particular, is it jeweler #1 who sold it or some 3rd party who may have a warranty that would come into play because of the ‘poor quality’ claim, assuming that it has merit.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[oldminer]

Few things break that can''t be properly repaired. If you can''t afford a new mounting, even at cost, then you ought to look to get the one you have fixed as best as can be done. It may be that the jeweler who did the setting did no damage to the diamond at all and that the SI2 was right all along. No one is in a position to know the facts on that.

My partner in my appraisal lab is a sole owner of a large repair facility for jewelry. His firm does repairs of every imaginable type for over 100 retail store locations. If you feel you have no place to turn, there is always this as one way to go forward.

Although I don''t believe you mentioned it, but if the ring is a "tension" set type, then I can understand why it might be in two parts. Otherwise I am left wondering how it actually came apart and where. Any photos? It would be helpful to understand what needs to be done.

 

[Virgo13]

Thanks so much for all your for all your support and advice.
To answer a few more questions....

The jeweler and the appraiser are not the same company but they are in the same building and work together often ( If you work with one they will refer you to the other).

The ring is a vintage (70"s) princess setting most likely custom made.

I have spoken with the original jeweler and he never did an appraisal before selling but he nor his in-house appraiser caught the flaw....
He feels terrible but claims there is not much he can do being the ring was out of his hands for so long. He too has offered to to find me a vintage setting at his cost. Again, We spent our budget on the ring and don''t really have the funds now to purchase another setting at even at the jewelers cost. I actually have no idea of a jewelers mark up but I am guessing we will still be out of pocket a a nice chunk. Is the broken ring (platinum) worth anything??

Should I take the ring to another appraiser and get another opinion--once again, we spent $150.00 on the appraisal and resizing and we are hesitant to spend more money on another appraisal if it will not do any good.

I guess my frustration is in the fact had I known about the inclusion straight away I would have returned the ring to the origianl seller-- I understand things can be hidden under the prongs but obviously the stone shifted enough for me to catch it so why didn''t the jeweler working on it catch it??? Or at least why didn''t he hide the inclusion back under the prong.

Can anyone recommend a jeweler in Portland, Oregon?
Thanks again for all the help and I promise I will tell fiance''--I am just so sad and embarrased this has happened...

 

[oldminer]

Maybe the jeweler never saw the inclusion any more than you saw it. Maybe when they looked at he ring it was hidden and when they uncovered it they were looking at the repair work and never again looked closely at the diamond. Leaving the inclusion visible might have been an innocent act on their part. It may have always been there.

The above issue is distinctly different than the broken mounting problem. What leads you to believe the mounting is totally ruined? If you would even consider replacing it for thousands of dollars you should not claim you can''t afford to replace it. Just don''t replace something you can''t afford. Get it fixed. It sounds like you have multiple issues here which are mixing up the reality of what can and should be done. A replacement mounting has nothing to do with a diamond''s clarity.

 

[Virgo13]

Old Miner--maybe you have not been following the posts....
As stated previously the jeweler said the ring was not worth fixing as it woud break again....But as a courtesy he would sell me a ring at his cost--his rings start at $2500--I said even at cost I couldn't afford it.
The clarity problem has to do with the fact that I would never have purchased the ring had I known the quality of the stone. I really find it hard to believe that the jeweler never gave an overall inspection of the ring after he resized and tightenend the prongs. the "problem" was pretty plain as day with the naked eye. As a reputable jeweler ( or anyone in any field...) don't you give a visual inspection of you work before you return it to the client?? Had I known of the inclusion ealry on I could have returned the ring to the original seller. If indeed the inclusion was revealed when the prongs were tightened why didn't he call me right away?? Or at least shouldn't he have hidden the inclusion under the prong when he tightened them--since this process is what revealed the inclusion?? Seems to me any good jeweler would have the common sense to hide an inclusion under the prong. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't chip it in the first place.
Also, I never said I was going to spend thousands to replace it. I said I couldn't spend much more on a new setting as we have already spent our budget on this ring. My problem is HE said it could not be fixed but he was generous enough to sell me a new setting at his cost--which means what exactly??
To those who are following the post I will try and include some photos and thanks again for all the support and helpful advice.

 

[denverappraiser]

I see at least 2 and possibly 3 basically unrelated problems involving 5 and possibly more players. That’s a pretty complicated soup!

Here’s what it seems to me you need to work out:

#1 The damage to the stone. Is it even damaged? If so, what is the extent of the damage,, when was it damaged and by whom?

#2 The broken sizing. Can it be repaired? If so, at what cost, how and by whom?

#3 Poor quality. Is it? If so, did this aggravate either of the problems above?

The players in this little drama:

The jeweler who sold it in the first place.
The appraiser
The jeweler who sized it and who tightened the stone.
The manufacturer who made it.
You

It’s entirely possible that you won’t be able to get it all sorted out and it may be helpful to make a chart with circles and arrows to figure out who to ask what. That may lead to solving at least some of it.

The core questions MUST be answered definitively if you want to have a stab at getting to the end and coming up with a strategy to move forward. Is the stone damaged? Is the ring defective? Can the problems be repaired or concealed and, if so, by whom at what cost? I think a professional, in person expert inspection is the ONLY way you’re going to answer these. The obvious choice is your chosen appraiser but if you feel they may be contributing to the problem or that they have a conflict of interest than you need to find another.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[strmrdr]

What Neil said in his last post.
You need an expert on your side.

 

[mrssalvo]

oh goodness, I''m sorry. you''ve been given some good advice. I hope you can get it sorted out and get at least some compensation.

 

[arjunajane]

I know this isn''t much help now, but please in the future don''t use any appraiser that you are sent to by the jeweller - the appraiser could have a vested interest to potentially be "not entirely honest".
What you need is an independent appraiser - see Resources tab at top of this page is you wish to find a recommended one in your area.

I''m really sorry we can''t be of further help - I agree with Neil Beatty''s post above - you will need to do some sleuthing to decipher this mess.