Whiteflash custom E-Ring bending and denting easily.

[beach]

Vague terms like "damaged" and "dented" are not enough to go on. These words mean different things to different people. A picture is needed because the issues being discussed could simply be a property of platinum. The second ring from WF looks very well made. I am still curious if this is your first experience with platinum. I am also wondering if your fiance likes the ring style.

 

[Allison D.]

Kal, I took a few minutes to talk with our production manager and to review his notes from his meeting with you and your fiance. As he mentioned during your meeting, rings come into constant contact with other objects and surfaces as we perform daily tasks. There really isn''t a way to avoid scratches and dents other than not wearing them. The degree to which they are dented and scratched really depends on the activities of the individual wearer, i.e. personal mileage may vary.

Based on the amount of damage to the first ring, Leon felt that a stronger metal mix might better suit your gal''s lifestyle, so we were happy to remake the ring in 900 pt for you. I know we also increased both the width and thickness of the shank, too, to add even more durability. Since you''ve noted the second ring isn''t out of round, it seems those modifications successfully resolved the problem.

As many have mentioned, it doesn''t take a significant amount of power to generate pressure or cause wear to a ring; many daily activities (i.e. gripping the steering wheel, gripping a metal ice-cream scoop) are enough to exert some wear. Vera thought she recalled that your fiance is a pharmacist, and if so, handling/gripping child-proof prescription bottles to open/close them could be enough to contribute to the wear.

Everyone''s given great suggestions here, and I hope they are helpful. I know many PSers don''t wear their rings to work if their jobs are very hand-intensive (many of them are nurses), so that might be a good solution for her if she''s concerned about excessive wear.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I found your pictures of the original ring and thought it might help a bit.

Whatever problems you''re having, I''m sorry, but your ring, both before and after, is stunning!!!!

 

[Gypsy]

The ring is truly lovely and it does sound, unfortunately, that it might be an issue of the wearer not the ring. Have you tried having her wear just a plain platinum band for a while and see what happens?

Pearlmans has this Cartier band (nice solid platinum band by a quality maker) http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-specials/previously-owned-jewelry/rings/150PO1/8/ and I'm sure Cartier would size it for you (I'd have it sized by them). It's a great price and a lovely band. See how it wears. I think that't one way to solve the mystery.

I have a PT900 Engagement ring and I get it polished every 6 months. I like my high polish finish and even though I could HONESTLY and EASILY go 1 year between polishings it's an OCD thing for me. Dents and scratches are a pretty vague comment. Metal wears.

Finally, the best option that I know of for you might be to look into getting a Memoire platinum band/ring. The platinum is extruded so it is SUPER DUPER EXTRA hard and comes with every type of warrany under the sun. They have GORGEOUS diamond bands and one of their warranties covers any diamond loss. That just might be the way to go. If you chose to go to go with this option you can always sell the setting by WF (Pearlmans will list, as will other places) and I'm sure there would be many PSers who would love to own that setting. And you can then have your center stone set in one of the Memoire settings.

 

[Kal-El]

This is not our first experience with Platinum. She currently wears 2 other rings that she switches between on a daily basis that are platinum. One is a standard band that I gave her over 2 years ago. She wears that on her Right hand. She is also right handed. Granted there are scratches on the ring and a bit discolored, but there are no dents in the ring. Another is a ring that she has that was given to her by her mother. This ring is also made of platinum. It is a .75 carat solitaire setting. She has been wearing that ring for also over 2 years also on her right hand and has never had a problem with it.

As far as the out of round issue that we had the first time around, I cannot for sure be certain that the problem has been resolved. Because we noticed that there were significant dents on the bottom of the ring only after wearing it 3 days after receiving the new setting. She has decided not to wear it ring on a daily basis any more. So it is difficult to determine if making the ring thicker and out a stronger alloy has resolved this issue.

We did not call Whiteflash right away because we wanted to get other people''s opinions on the their own personal experiences. It just seems oddly strange that this particular ring would be so soft.

I personally knew that Platinum was soft. However I never knew that it would be so soft that wearing on a daily basis would dent it or bend it so easily. Every other person I spoke to that owns Platinum has never had this problem.

It is just frustrating that after all the hard work and research time and money that I put into this ring, she can''t even truly enjoy wearing the ring.

 

[Gypsy]

Ah Kal, I''m sorry. The ring is stunning, and I think that it''s a shame she can''t enjoy it.

My best advice is to send it to Neil at Denver Appraisers. He is just an awesome and fantastic appraiser, very familiar with PS vendor work quality and a very straight shooter. Ask him his personal advice on whether the wear is caused by a manufacturing defect. He will tell you.

I trust him implicitly. If I had ANY issue with ANY piece of important or sentimental jewelry it would be in the mail and on it''s way to him in a heartbeat. I cannot personally give a higher recommendation because he exceeded my (crazy) expectations in everyway when I worked with him.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 6/5/2009 9:38:03 PM
Author: Gypsy
Ah Kal, I''m sorry. The ring is stunning, and I think that it''s a shame she can''t enjoy it.

My best advice is to send it to Neil at Denver Appraisers. He is just an awesome and fantastic appraiser, very familiar with PS vendor work quality and a very straight shooter. Ask him his personal advice on whether the wear is caused by a manufacturing defect. He will tell you.

I trust him implicitly. If I had ANY issue with ANY piece of important or sentimental jewelry it would be in the mail and on it''s way to him in a heartbeat. I cannot personally give a higher recommendation because he exceeded my (crazy) expectations in everyway when I worked with him.

Kal I am sorry. I would do as Gypsy suggested. The ring is gorgeous. It''s a shame she can''t wear it on a daily basis...

 

[arjunajane]

Photos really are required. Did you try following Strm''s advice, just take a regular pic of the ring like you did for SMTR, than crop up close so we can see the damage.

Without this, everything else is really just speculation.

It seems it must be something she does with her left hand, as the two rings you say she wears on her right hand haven''t seen similiar damage. Does she carry a briefcase? a laptop bag? Open her car door with her left hand? Carry bags of shopping? Even maybe poor cups of tea and coffe from a heavy kettle?
And the obvious one - does she wear it to the gym or to clean - ever?
It really isn''t about how petite or not strong she is, as any of these things exert pressure from the actual activity, not the wearer.
See how all of these seemingly inconspicuous daily activities could be the culprit behind the damage..?

The photos really will help, as there have been threads like this in the past and the photos have been very revealing. Perhaps if you simply cannot capture it, you could consider Gypsy''s suggestion of sending it off to Neil.

But I do have to agree with others that it looks like a rather sturdy ring, and the ring simply cannot be damaging itself, unfortunately.

Regardless, I am really sorry your Fi feels like she can''t wear or enjoy her ring. Perhaps she can swap one of her RHR''s to her left hand for a couple days and see what happens..?

 

[Kal-El]

I tried taking pictures eariler but it would not come out clear. We have decided to have her wear the ring daily for the next week. Then I will have her wear another platinum ring *her mothers ring* Also a Platinum ring. Similar size ring with a similar size stone. I will document the ring on a daily basis.

Also today I noticed the stamp on the inside of the ring. It says 950PT. We were told that it was remade out of 900PT so that we would not have issues with the ring bending or scratching. I guess I will have to take that up with Whiteflash.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/6/2009 12:13:30 AM
Author: Kal-El
I tried taking pictures eariler but it would not come out clear. We have decided to have her wear the ring daily for the next week. Then I will have her wear another platinum ring *her mothers ring* Also a Platinum ring. Similar size ring with a similar size stone. I will document the ring on a daily basis.


Also today I noticed the stamp on the inside of the ring. It says 950PT. We were told that it was remade out of 900PT so that we would not have issues with the ring bending or scratching. I guess I will have to take that up with Whiteflash.

Hi Kal - yes that is odd about the stamp - Allison D who is WF''s rep on these boards, she replied at the top of this page that Leon remade the ring in 900 - so yep, thats one that you will def. need to ask WF about directly.

Have you followed the directions in SMTR for getting clear photos of your ring? If you are you using a digi cam with macro, it really shouldn''t be a problem.

I think your plan of testing out the two different rings sounds like a good one - except I would want to start with some clear photos of the rings and the existing damage on both - as often our memory can be faulty, yes? Maybe borrow a better camera if yours won''t do the job?

Also, perhaps while you are documenting any damage/changes you may see at the end of each day, you could also ask your girl to keep a brief journal of any lifting/impacting/other potentially damaging things she does throughout her day?

Even while at work - (say like with the tamper-proof bottles as Allison bought up) - if she just akes a second to jot these things down throughout the day, you never know - the issue may end up presenting itself clearly to you both, and surprising you

None of us want to believe we are hard on our jewellery, especially something as sentimental as an ering - which is why no one is saying this is being done consciously.
I hope you don''t mind me making the above suggestions, and I wish you a result with the "experiment" - pls let us know how it goes!

 

[Imdanny]

Hi, OP. I don''t have anything to add. I just want to say that it''s a beautiful ring, the homage to Cartier in your ring is very well done. I enjoyed seeing it. Thanks.

 

[whitby_2773]

kal-el,

i sympathize with your problem but i have to say....

that''s a GORGEOUS ring and if i were your fiancee there is no way on God''s green earth that i wouldn''t be wearing it!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 6/5/2009 4:32:02 PM
Author: rosebud10
Oh my goodness =( that's so awful =( I didn't realize platinum was so malleable!!!

I hope you get the situation sorted out soon!

I just have to say that Tiffany and Leon Mege (and Scott Kay, etc.) use 950 Platinum alloyed with ruthenium and it is harder and more durable than platinum/iridium. I've worn my Leon ring everyday for a year and 3 months and it has no visible scratches and certainly isn't out of round. So the problem with this ring is that it was made with an alloy that was not as durable AND it is being hit against something. Gouges just don't appear on their own.

(I should add that Marjk Morrell uses 900 plat/iridium with good results, too. I don't think we've heard of stories of them becoming out of round or getting dents.)

 

[icekid]

Date: 6/5/2009 9:38:03 PM
Author: Gypsy
Ah Kal, I''m sorry. The ring is stunning, and I think that it''s a shame she can''t enjoy it.


My best advice is to send it to Neil at Denver Appraisers. He is just an awesome and fantastic appraiser, very familiar with PS vendor work quality and a very straight shooter. Ask him his personal advice on whether the wear is caused by a manufacturing defect. He will tell you.


I trust him implicitly. If I had ANY issue with ANY piece of important or sentimental jewelry it would be in the mail and on it''s way to him in a heartbeat. I cannot personally give a higher recommendation because he exceeded my (crazy) expectations in everyway when I worked with him.

I think an independent appraisal is the way to go, too. That ring is too beautiful to sit in a box!!

 

[atroop711]

my original E-RING looked a lot like this ring you bought. Mine was also platinum and I can''t tell you how ugly it got. There were dents, scratches, ect on it. I hated it. I''m not hard on my hands but the everyday wear really showed. I didn''t wear it long before it showed lots of wear.

NOW I had WF make me a new e-ring setting in 14K white gold. I''ve had it now for 4 yrs and it''s as perfect as day one. No dents, no scratches, no visible wear

 

[Abril]

Sounds like it''s more Whiteflash''s fault than the wearer''s if other platinum rings haven''t been dented or bent out of round.

 

[Maisie]

Date: 6/6/2009 10:08:58 AM
Author: Abril
Sounds like it''s more Whiteflash''s fault than the wearer''s if other platinum rings haven''t been dented or bent out of round.

I wore a Whiteflash platinum ring for a year and had no visible signs of damage. I wore my ring a lot and am a busy mother of 5. I don''t think I am easy on my rings.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 6/6/2009 12:13:30 AM
Author: Kal-El
I tried taking pictures eariler but it would not come out clear. We have decided to have her wear the ring daily for the next week. Then I will have her wear another platinum ring *her mothers ring* Also a Platinum ring. Similar size ring with a similar size stone. I will document the ring on a daily basis.

Also today I noticed the stamp on the inside of the ring. It says 950PT. We were told that it was remade out of 900PT so that we would not have issues with the ring bending or scratching. I guess I will have to take that up with Whiteflash.

If you plan to do this experiment, than you should have her mothers ring polished so that it starts out in the same condition as your e-ring. If her mother''s ring is older and has a patina already, then you will not notice scratches and dents being made in it to the same extent as you will notice it in a brand new ring that has a high polish. A high polish ring with no other marks will show a single mark very obviously whereas a patinad ring that has been worn a lot will not show every little mark.

I think the better and easier thing to do is just take Gypsy''s advice.

I still maintain that we are all speculating here about what is going on with the ring. One man''s "dent" is another man''s "scratch" is another man''s "eh whatever".

 

[Lula]

I wish the OP would post some pictures of the dents, etc., in the ring. It''s hard to say without pictures what''s due to normal wear (a/k/a patina) and what''s due to defective manufacturing (out of round sounds like a defect to me; the dents/scratches harder to say). Switching to white gold may pose a different set of problems. A ring I just returned was 18kt white gold with rhodium plating and one reason I returned it is that I hated the look of the rhodium plating and I knew that it would be a wear problem for me -- even high quality rhodium wears unevenly on some people and on some ring designs, and it also seemed like it would scratch very easily. The OP says that his fiance has worn other platinum rings with no trouble, so perhaps it''s a problem with an alloy. Again, I wish the OP would post some pictures -- please!!!!

 

[sofi]

My sister had a problem with her platinum wedding band always going out of round. She discovered that it was caused when she held her dogs leash in her left hand - if the dog pulled hard against it the force was enough to bend her ring.

 

[Circe]

It''s a gorgeous ring, Kal-El - I''m really sorry to hear that you''re having so much trouble with it. I think lot of the other posters have spoken to the issue of how platinum naturally develops a patina, and how the dings and scratches that you''re talking about might fall into this category (do post pics so we can diagnose!), so I''m just going to go on something else I''m noticing in your posts ....

... a few times, you mention how frustrated you are that you put so much work into the ring, and that now it''s not even being worn, and that you check it out on a regular basis, and now you''re going to have your fiancee conduct a rigorously scientific examination of just how much damage she does on a regular basis. Is there any chance whatsoever that she''s less freaked out by the potential damage she''s doing to the ring than she is by the notion that you''re going to be ticked off at her if there''s so much as a hint of a scratch to it? ''Cause, I know if it were me, I''d be more concerned about that then the ring itself, and that I might even feel some resentment if it felt like I was holding the ring in trust for his pleasure, rather than enjoying it in my own right ....

Alternately, she could be the one who''s immensely concerned w/the condition of the ring and nothing but, and you the one who feels like you''ve "messed up" somehow by buying a ring that''s prone to damage. Whichever it is, this is meant to be a source of pure pleasure for you - so don''t get ticked off at one another, or frustrated. Just post pics for diagnosis, and rest assured that if it *is* another flaw in the design, WF has a great reputation for making things right ....

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 6/6/2009 1:17:41 PM
Author: Circe
It''s a gorgeous ring, Kal-El - I''m really sorry to hear that you''re having so much trouble with it. I think lot of the other posters have spoken to the issue of how platinum naturally develops a patina, and how the dings and scratches that you''re talking about might fall into this category (do post pics so we can diagnose!), so I''m just going to go on something else I''m noticing in your posts ....

... a few times, you mention how frustrated you are that you put so much work into the ring, and that now it''s not even being worn, and that you check it out on a regular basis, and now you''re going to have your fiancee conduct a rigorously scientific examination of just how much damage she does on a regular basis. Is there any chance whatsoever that she''s less freaked out by the potential damage she''s doing to the ring than she is by the notion that you''re going to be ticked off at her if there''s so much as a hint of a scratch to it? ''Cause, I know if it were me, I''d be more concerned about that then the ring itself, and that I might even feel some resentment if it felt like I was holding the ring in trust for his pleasure, rather than enjoying it in my own right ....

Alternately, she could be the one who''s immensely concerned w/the condition of the ring and nothing but, and you the one who feels like you''ve ''messed up'' somehow by buying a ring that''s prone to damage. Whichever it is, this is meant to be a source of pure pleasure for you - so don''t get ticked off at one another, or frustrated. Just post pics for diagnosis, and rest assured that if it *is* another flaw in the design, WF has a great reputation for making things right ....

Nice post Circe. As I mentioned earlier, I''d just wear the darn thing and let it get scratched. Its only the bottom! Over time it would become clearer if it was normal wear or not.

 

[risingsun]

I just spoke with my own jeweler today, because I am having my rings reset in platinum. She said I should not expect this type of wear on my rings. The type of damage the OP described does not make sense to me. Many of our posters have platinum rings and do not describe this type of problem. I also suggest taking the ring to an appraiser familiar with this type of concern and get a second opinion. How does anyone dent their ring and have it go out of round with only a few days of use?

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 6/6/2009 10:08:58 AM
Author: Abril
Sounds like it''s more Whiteflash''s fault than the wearer''s if other platinum rings haven''t been dented or bent out of round.

Abril, OP explained the other plat rings are worn on his girl''s right hand, not the left.
Hence, the deduction it is very possibly an activity she is doing with her left which is causing the issue -
like for example Sofi''s explanation of walking the dog (great example btw Sofi!).
Wf has remade the ring once to stronger specs - but yes, again, without photos or a pro''s inspection, we will not know who''s "fault" this is.

 

[Gypsy]

I'd just like to make one little (additional) point.

There may be no 'fault' here. Some things are just not a good fit. The ring could be perfectly made (except for the issue that Kal was told the second one would be PT900 and it's not stamped that way, so it is either stamped incorrectly or alloyed incorrectly) but it's just not a good lifestyle fit.

I think Circe's point was a great one. My husband has a Palladium Scott Kay band and has only been wearing it since September. It has 'dings and scratches' and they DRIVE HIM INSANE. To the point that we are either going to get his polished every six months or he's going to continue to wear the Tungsten Carbide Ring I got him once I saw how much the patina on the PL900 was bothering him. The palladium/platinum is not a good fit for my husband. He's really sentimental so RIGHT NOW he won't let me replace it permanently, I got him to wear the Tungsten just while it's being polished/repaired this time and for athletic activities (swimming). But I am working on convincing him wear to the Tungsten most of the time though, because the palladium is not a good fit.

Your sensitivity or hers could be magnifying a 'regular' metal wear issue. Regardless of the other platinum rings she wears. So please, have the ring sent to Neil or another appraiser of his caliber (there are five in the US last count, so I mean it when I say, send it to HIM) and find out what the answer is one way or another. If there is fault on WF part, I'm sure they will make it right. And if there isn't then you and your lady have a decision to make.

 

[arjunajane]

good points Gypsy, which is exactly why I stick to gold - I know the patina and dings would drive me batty too