The Ring broke! :0

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Oh no! My son proposed to his girlfriend on Christmas and the ring broke yesterday. When I heard the news I figured she had slammed the ring into something or caught it in a car door, however, she said she put her hand beside my son's knee and he squeezed his knees together and bam it broke.

The dealer quoted $1,000 to fix it. It's hand forged platinum. I think part of the quote is for resizing though.

I can't even tell you how disappointed they are and now they are wondering if this is going to be a continual problem? Maybe this ring will not hold up to daily activities? I'm not sure if "knee squeezing" is an actual daily activity of theirs...but if it's going to cause problems I'll tell them to stop that.

I feel bad, as I helped my son select the ring. I had absolutely *no* idea that hand forged platinum was going to be this delicate. I did tell them that replacing melee stones might happen, but I never, ever thought the ring would break like this, unless something catastrophic happened to it.

 

[SB621]

I know hand forging isn't as strong as CAST but that is crazy. And they want 1k to fix it? Is this the same vendor that made the ring? I personally wouldn't be very happy with their customer service if after 1 month of wear it broke. To me it would mean something was done wrong and I would pretty much demand it got fixed pro bono or at little cost to myself....

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Part of the quote is for re-sizing it, but yes the same dealer who made it. The dealer hasn't seen the ring yet, they need to ship it to him, but I believe he indicated that the ring had probably stretched and the shank would need to be re-made. Plus, I thought hand forged platinum, was the strongest, so that is why I insisted he purchase it, so it would hold up to daily wear.

I know they are both just sick over this. And honestly, I feel just awful...ughhhh....my son really maxed out his budget to buy the best for his fiance and now this.

 

[TC1987]

They want to charge to fix it? The break occurred at a joint, and I'd say that's a manufacturing defect or some sort. But I don't make jewelry.

I found this thread, which you probably already read:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/partially-cast-vs-hand-forged-im-a-confused-newbie.164005/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/partially-cast-vs-hand-forged-im-a-confused-newbie.164005/[/URL]

 

[Ally T]

That's outrageous! And very sad for your son & his partner too, I imagine.

But after a month of wear?? And they want a grand to fix it???? Nooooooooooooo.....

Absolutely not, surely, if it was the same people who made it in the first place. That's disgusting.

 

[Circe]

Unless your son is the Man of Steel, NO, that is not supposed to happen. It sounds like a weak solder join to me ... And like if it hadn't been the knee thing, shortly thereafter, it would have been something else. Like opening a door, say.

I do think the repair should be on them. And since 1k for sizing sounds steep, even with pave ... Sizing beads for 100, Alex?

 

[motownmama]

even with resizing, that sounds outrageous!!

 

[yssie]

Ditto Sarah - handforged just means the various bits and pieces are shaped by hand and then soldered together - whereas w/ a casting the entire piece is made at once, no potentially weak joins.

But that's beside the point - ditto Circe and everyone else, not okay, they should be fixing that on their dime. I remember your thread on his search, and how happy he was to have found what he wanted in-budget... To torque the shank from the doughnut so dramatically that it splits right off should require an awful lot of force - otherwise it seems like a pretty clear defect in manufacturing. On the plus side it *is* fixable, and once fixed I don't imagine it's something to be unduly concerned about. It's not a problem unique to this vendor's bench but IMO they should be taking responsibility for it.

 

[distracts]

Yikes!

 

[LibbyLA]

All I can say is that $1000 to repair that (even if resizing is needed) is OUTRAGEOUS!

liz

 

[Laila619]

All I can say is that $1000 to repair that (even if resizing is needed) is OUTRAGEOUS!

liz

Ditto! I'm so sorry for them.

It should never have happened, but honestly platinum is not necessarily as strong as people think. It's actually a pretty soft metal.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Thank you, Ladies!

I just had the most pleasant phone conversation with David at www.DiamondsByLauren.com . After he saw the photo of the ring he said he had never seen anything like that and they are going to completely remake the ring at no cost to my son. YAY! I know my son is relieved and so thankful that Dave is doing this for him and his fiance.

I will say, that I know vendors have to set limits on what they will repair. I am sure that quite often someone says I just looked down at the ring and it was broken and when the vendor looks at the ring it is mangled and twisted--as in slammed in a window or car door. I completely understand and agree with the need for vendors to charge for those types of repairs.

In my son's case, it's just a fluke, the ring isn't bent or twisted in any way--it's just a break where the joint is located. David did say that he is going to remake the ring, not just repair the break, as each time a repair is made the ring needs to be polished and that may weaken the micropave prongs. I am really impressed by the way David at DBL stood behind their product. It is refreshing to have this type of customer service. My son's and my experience with Dave has been nothing short of delightful

 

[yssie]

Thank you, Ladies!

I just had the most pleasant phone conversation with David at www.DiamondsByLauren.com . After he saw the photo of the ring he said he had never seen anything like that and they are going to completely remake the ring at no cost to my son. YAY! I know my son is relieved and so thankful that Dave is doing this for him and his fiance.

I will say, that I know vendors have to set limits on what they will repair. I am sure that quite often someone says I just looked down at the ring and it was broken and when the vendor looks at the ring it is mangled and twisted--as in slammed in a window or car door. I completely understand and agree with the need for vendors to charge for those types of repairs.

In my son's case, it's just a fluke, the ring isn't bent or twisted in any way--it's just a break where the joint is located. David did say that he is going to remake the ring, not just repair the break, as each time a repair is made the ring needs to be polished and that may weaken the micropave prongs. I am really impressed by the way David at DBL stood behind their product. It is refreshing to have this type of customer service. My son's and my experience with Dave has been nothing short of delightful

Wonderful!! Very happy to hear it good for DBL for remaking the whole thing rather than risk structural issues w/ a repair

 

[Karl_K]

Thank you, Ladies!

I just had the most pleasant phone conversation with David at www.DiamondsByLauren.com . After he saw the photo of the ring he said he had never seen anything like that and they are going to completely remake the ring at no cost to my son. YAY! I know my son is relieved and so thankful that Dave is doing this for him and his fiance.

I will say, that I know vendors have to set limits on what they will repair. I am sure that quite often someone says I just looked down at the ring and it was broken and when the vendor looks at the ring it is mangled and twisted--as in slammed in a window or car door. I completely understand and agree with the need for vendors to charge for those types of repairs.

In my son's case, it's just a fluke, the ring isn't bent or twisted in any way--it's just a break where the joint is located. David did say that he is going to remake the ring, not just repair the break, as each time a repair is made the ring needs to be polished and that may weaken the micropave prongs. I am really impressed by the way David at DBL stood behind their product. It is refreshing to have this type of customer service. My son's and my experience with Dave has been nothing short of delightful

Bravo!!!
Tell your son not to squeeze the new ring between his knees.
It is pretty clear a solder joint let go and it was likely weak to start with but even a ring with no defects will let go or bend if you torque it in just the wrong way.

 

[VRBeauty]

Thank you, Ladies!

I just had the most pleasant phone conversation with David at www.DiamondsByLauren.com . After he saw the photo of the ring he said he had never seen anything like that and they are going to completely remake the ring at no cost to my son. YAY! I know my son is relieved and so thankful that Dave is doing this for him and his fiance.

Thank you for coming back with the update. My heart just sunk when I saw your photo - I'm glad David is standing behind his product. Please let us know how the remade ring turns out!

 

[Ally T]

Fabulous news

Here's hoping they do a proper job this time around

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hi everyone!
I wanted to poke my head in because this thread raises some issues relevant no matter where you buy your ring.
1) re-sizing: it's crucial to remember that the reason people love cut down pave styles is the delicate look- which involves less metal. Part of the benefit of hand forged parts is that they are made from extruded metal. This is stronger on a molecular level than a piece of metal that has been melted, then poured into a mold (cast) That's why you can use smaller shanks- this one is 1.8mm ( iirc)
Yssie pointed out that a cast piece, with no welds, does not have a weld to break- plus cast pieces can be effectively better than extruded for certain applications- both methods have great uses- and strengths.
Back to size adjustment of hand forged cut down rings- the process of adjusting the size of a ring means that ring will have to be polished again.
In our experience, and based on our manufacturing methods, size adjustment- sometimes up to 3 sizes-can be done once with no problems.
If the ring is adjusted a second time, the likelihood of subsequent stone loss is great due to the polishing necessary. Adding material is not an option, if one wants the ring to look as it did when it was made.
TAKE AWAY- make absolutely sure of your finger size before asking the manufacturer to change it.
We have updated or policy to include one free size adjustment- subsequent size adjustments void our warranty

2) Warranty: this is a very good question to ask before you purchase- does a manufacturer stand behind the product?.
our policy is that we fix manufacturer defects free of charge.
It has been suggested that we fix a time- say 30 days- to this. Personally I believe it's reasonable to assume that after a ring has been worn 30 days, stone loss is due to wear in almost all cases. But case by case is really more fair IMO- no matter how a company sets a policy there's going to be some give and take over time to get it right. I advise consumers to ask about warranty.

Speaking on a personal level there have been times a consumer told us they really had no idea how the ring got damaged- yet inspection shows an area of stress. If a ring has been bashed, there's going to be evidence.
That was my assumption when speaking to MDS's son, having not seen a photo.
After looking at the photo, it definitely appears to be a defect.
I've never seen anything like what happened to this ring- but I've seen enough to know anything is possible.
When quoting $1000, I was assuming a total rebuild, with us picking up well over half the bill.
I felt terrible about this as well.

This discussion is important to owners of fine hand forged rings.
Our experience in speaking to consumers is that many jewelers ( that did not sell or manufacture the ring in the first place) will offer to repair this type of ring , and end up totally screwing it up.
Even something as simple as adding balls inside the shank can lead to a lot of problems.
If there was a warranty in place, surely having outside work done will void it.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

Hey everyone, I'm back to update this post.

DBL entirely replaced the ring and even made it in a size 6 instead of the original size 7. The ring was shipped to them, replaced and shipped back to my son at no cost. And this was all in a week's time. I can't say how thrilled my son and his fiance are with DBL's customer service.

 

[fiona00004]

Hey everyone, I'm back to update this post.

DBL entirely replaced the ring and even made it in a size 6 instead of the original size 7. The ring was shipped to them, replaced and shipped back to my son at no cost. And this was all in a week's time. I can't say how thrilled my son and his fiance are with DBL's customer service.

AMAZING!!! One of the many reasons to go with a trusted vendor! So relieved that there was a happy ending as I read down the thread! I hope that doesn't happen to my ring... EVER! Mine wasn't from one of these vendors!

 

[Enerchi]

Hey everyone, I'm back to update this post.

DBL entirely replaced the ring and even made it in a size 6 instead of the original size 7. The ring was shipped to them, replaced and shipped back to my son at no cost. And this was all in a week's time. I can't say how thrilled my son and his fiance are with DBL's customer service.

That's fantastic news MDS!!! I'm so happy for your son and his fiance that what started at "PANIC/OMG!!!" was able to be remade and now she has her lovely ring back - all at no charge to them! KUDO's to David at DBL for standing behind his product and such awesome after market customer service!!! WOO HOO all around!

 

[partgypsy]

Glad to hear this happy end of story. I Feel this reflects well on Diamonds by Lauren.

 

[Mayk]

Hey everyone, I'm back to update this post.

DBL entirely replaced the ring and even made it in a size 6 instead of the original size 7. The ring was shipped to them, replaced and shipped back to my son at no cost. And this was all in a week's time. I can't say how thrilled my son and his fiance are with DBL's customer service.

Yeah On to wedding planning!!!!

 

[Laila619]

Hey everyone, I'm back to update this post.

DBL entirely replaced the ring and even made it in a size 6 instead of the original size 7. The ring was shipped to them, replaced and shipped back to my son at no cost. And this was all in a week's time. I can't say how thrilled my son and his fiance are with DBL's customer service.

MDS, that is terrific!!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Looks like issue resolved so I am not going to comment on that.

I will comment on the guilt component! I have been suffering from a similar fate - you educate, you help ... but when something crazy goes wrong .. you can't help but feel responsible.