Slight misrepresentation - what''s a fair ask for compensation?

[K9]

OK, so I found these gorgeous diamond/ruby deco earrings. I negotiated what I thought was fair for both the seller and myself - within my budget.

Rcvd them last Wednesday and put them in the ultrasonic that night - a ruby fell out. Ok, I totally expect with old jewelry that may happen since dirt is sometimes what's holding them in. Get to the jeweler today and he says $150 to do the repair (which includes repair of another loose ruby). He also states that two of the rubies are chipped. No stone chips are mentioned in the description, so I emailed today to ask for my repair price refunded to compensate for the chipped stones.

Do you think I made a fair ask?

 

[purrfectpear]

You can ask.

Most people would expect any vintage jewelry to be "as is" within reason (stones genuine, known imperfections disclosed, etc.).

 

[K9]

That''s just it - I totally get that vintage jewelery is vintage jewelry and is usually as-is... I''m just sad that the imperfections weren''t noted. Could be an honest oversight, but the exact wording was "perfect" for the rubies.

I asked so we''ll see what she says, just felt like tossing it out here and getting opinions today.

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

K9ML,

I don''t think that its an unreasonable request to ask for partial credit for the chipped rubies.

Not so sure about the ruby that fell out, quite honestly. And $150 to have a ruby reset is a tad on the high side, (unless the setting is pretty intricate and labor-intensive) - they could easily counter that you should have given them the opportunity to make the repair themselves.

Good luck - can''t wait to see photos

!!

 

[strmrdr]

Was it visible to the naked eye or only under a microscope?
Was it a private seller or a dealer?
One a vintage piece some small nicks are to be expected.
If there arent any it can be an indication that it needs to be inspected to make sure it isn't a reproduction.
As far as the stone falling out if there weren't any visible defects in the setting then the seller doesn't have a lot of liability.
I would recommend having a vintage piece inspected and professionally cleaned before using an ultrasonic.

 

[K9]

Grace - They need to reset the ruby and anchor the other with a laser welder (?) and there''s one guy in the area that has one - so he has the market covered.

It''s also not too late for me to send it back to them to do the repair - I''m very open to that as well.

Storm - only visible under microscope and they''re from a dealer which is why I am somewhat expecting that they would have been easily noted. Either way, I''m not as upset about the stone falling out, just disappointed that there were chipped stones.