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Worst Mistake Ever Need Advice

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dani2142

dani2142

Shiny_Rock
Joined
May 29, 2009
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403
To make a super long story short.. .my fiance'' and I bought my engagement ring while on vacation in Jamaica. Neither of us knew anything about diamonds at the time. We were promised by the merchant we would be able to get the ring sized back here in the United States but unfortunately that is not the case. Also, every jeweler we took the ring to said the setting is faulty and blah blah blah... So we disputed the payment with American Express and may be able to get a 90% refund. My question is this though.... did we do alright with the diamond we purchased and should we just get it re-set? Or..... should we take the 90% refund? We paid $5,700 for the ring.

Here are the specifics of the center stone:
Brilliant cut round center diamond measuring approximately 7.00 x 7.03 x 4.42 mm weight approximately 1.33 ct. The color is H-I and the clarity is I1.

Do we re-set it and spend more $ or take the refund?????

I don''t know what to do. I''ve never been a big jewelry person and don''t really want to spend a lot of money on a ring for me.

HELP!!!!
 
Date: 5/29/2009 1:48:26 PM
Author:dani2142
To make a super long story short.. .my fiance'' and I bought my engagement ring while on vacation in Jamaica. Neither of us knew anything about diamonds at the time. We were promised by the merchant we would be able to get the ring sized back here in the United States but unfortunately that is not the case. Also, every jeweler we took the ring to said the setting is faulty and blah blah blah... So we disputed the payment with American Express and may be able to get a 90% refund. My question is this though.... did we do alright with the diamond we purchased and should we just get it re-set? Or..... should we take the 90% refund? We paid $5,700 for the ring.

Here are the specifics of the center stone:
Brilliant cut round center diamond measuring approximately 7.00 x 7.03 x 4.42 mm weight approximately 1.33 ct. The color is H-I and the clarity is I1.

Do we re-set it and spend more $ or take the refund?????

I don''t know what to do. I''ve never been a big jewelry person and don''t really want to spend a lot of money on a ring for me.

HELP!!!!
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Hi Dani,

A bit more info is needed on the diamond please, does it have a grading report such as GIA? Can you post the depth, table, crown and pavilion angles and so on if you have them please?

Is the diamond completely eyeclean being I1 clarity?
 
I don''t have any more information then what I gave on the center stone. The stone is not eye clean either you can see flaws... I''m guessing they are flaw. Like I said I know nothing about this stuff. I''ve learned a lot more after all this has taken place, but still don''t know that much LOL The flaws sorta look like white pin drops if that even makes sense.... you have to really stare to see them but they are definitely there!
 
Date: 5/29/2009 2:09:09 PM
Author: dani2142
I don''t have any more information then what I gave on the center stone. The stone is not eye clean either you can see flaws... I''m guessing they are flaw. Like I said I know nothing about this stuff. I''ve learned a lot more after all this has taken place, but still don''t know that much LOL The flaws sorta look like white pin drops if that even makes sense.... you have to really stare to see them but they are definitely there!
Click to expand...
In that case I am guessing the diamond does not have a reliable grading report such as GIA and is not eyeclean...I would probably be inclined to return the whole thing and start again.
 
Yeah, I''m thinking the same. Thanks for your help! :)
 
Take the refund.

If the basis of the claim with AmEx is that the merchandise id defective rather than that you changed your mind, why are you being dinged for 10%?

PS. If $570 is your worst mistake ever then you live a truly charmed life.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
I would definitely take the refund, and start over with a Pricescope vendor. For that amount of money, you could get a stunning ring from someone else, and it would be much better quality.
 
denverappraiser.... Thanks for your help. We are getting charged the 10% for the "restocking fee".... nice huh? The whole thing has been a nightmare. We were on vacation in January and my fiance'' proposed to me 1-23-09 in Negril, Jamaica. We took the ring to jewelers around us and the nightmare offically started 1-28-09.... and is still going on. So instead of enjoying being engaged we''ve had to go through a dispute with American Express this long. I know it was our fault for purchasing something so major uneducated about the subject and in unfamiiliar territory, but what are ya gonna do....

It''s not so much the $570 loss that made it the worst mistake ever...just the emotional rollarcoaster this whole thing has been.
 
vespergirl.... I''ll take yours! It''s gorgeous! :)
 
Date: 5/29/2009 1:48:26 PM
Author:dani2142
To make a super long story short.. .my fiance'' and I bought my engagement ring while on vacation in Jamaica. Neither of us knew anything about diamonds at the time. We were promised by the merchant we would be able to get the ring sized back here in the United States but unfortunately that is not the case. Also, every jeweler we took the ring to said the setting is faulty and blah blah blah... So we disputed the payment with American Express and may be able to get a 90% refund. My question is this though.... did we do alright with the diamond we purchased and should we just get it re-set? Or..... should we take the 90% refund? We paid $5,700 for the ring.

Here are the specifics of the center stone:
Brilliant cut round center diamond measuring approximately 7.00 x 7.03 x 4.42 mm weight approximately 1.33 ct. The color is H-I and the clarity is I1.

Do we re-set it and spend more $ or take the refund?????

I don''t know what to do. I''ve never been a big jewelry person and don''t really want to spend a lot of money on a ring for me.

HELP!!!!
Click to expand...
Hi Dani! I see you found PS! :) There are some GREAT people on here that give phenomenal advice. I would recommend returning the ring also and working with an online vendor for a replacement.
 
Yep, I''d also recommend returning the ring. Sorry you went though such an emotional time.

Hope you find a new eng ring that you adore!
 
You''ve mentioned the stone is an H, I1....is this information on the sales receipt, too? I''m guessing it is, and in that case, there''s not much ground to claim mispresentation on the diamond.

You said several jewelers claimed the setting is faulty, but that''s somewhat to be expected; jewelers with their own goods aren''t the most objective source to go to.

If you went to an independent appraiser and his report also noted the setting was faulty, you''d likely then have basis to make a defective merchandise claim and perhaps not be hit with the restocking fee. Doing this, though, would prolong your aggravation, and I''m not sure it would be worth it if you can recover 90% already. The appraisal fee (likely around the $100-200 mark, depending on how comprehensive you go) would offset the other $570, making the effort to save the money worth even less.

If it were me, I''d go with the 90% and just move on to a better experience.
 
vgirl17... sure did! thanks to you!!! you rock :)
 
I need to figure out how to "quote" LOL....

Allison D..... We did just that.... the kicker is that the merchant in Jamaica said that all sales were final... and provided a receipt to American Express showing just that. However my fiance didn''t sign the receipt the merchant provided and still took his back. We kept re-opening the dispute and now we are at the point where we may be able to get the 90% refund. It''s been a PIA for sure!

Also, I took the ring to an GIA gemologist and all of the details I provided earlier were from him. He had to do all of his appraising with the stone in the ring so that is probably why he only provided me with what he did. He said the cut of the stone is excellent. Not sure if that makes a difference in whether or not I should keep it...

Arghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jamaica Ring Drama SUCKKKSSSSSS!!!! It makes me want to drink lots of beer!!!!
 

I would return the ring for a couple of reasons


1. The jeweler is in Jamica there goes any customer service you will get, plus you know there are some red flags when they tell you all sales are final . . . .
2. The vendors on pricescope are phenomenal, its worth the piece of mind to purchase from a reputable dealer

I doubt I need to say this but I thought I would throw this in anyway. I would suggest reading some of the online tutorials and even renting a book or two from the library (how to buy diamonds). Also voice you questions on pricescope (research first though; there is a lot of info on this website all you have to do is look).


I know you want to just get another ring and be done with the drama but you will feel better if you educate yourself and learn about diamonds, settings, etc.


Good luck and all you can do is learn from this experience. The romance part sounds great, its just too bad practical and romance don’t always go hand in hand =)

melissa
 
The jeweler never told us that all sales were final. He told us to let him know if we have any problems at all. He told American Express that he told us all sales were final and then provided them with a receipt stating that, that we never signed... just to clear that up...

I''m sure we''ll take the $570 loss. It could be a lot worse, I know that. I just hope that we can get the 90% refund. American Express has told us so many different things.

So being I just joined this website today and know nothing about the vendors on this website. Who do you prefer? It''s so hard to find someone that you can trust. I don''t want to get ripped off again. I''ve done a lot of research during this entire process and learned A LOT more about diamonds... I even took the quiz on this site about buying an engagement ring and got 11 out of 12. Prior to all this Jamaican ring drama I would have done a lot worse.

Thank you very much everyone for your help.
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Dani, that sure does sound like it's been a PITA.
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I agree with the others that you should return this ring and not waste any more energy on trying to get it right.

If you'd like suggestions, please let us know what style ring you're wanting and if you'd like to stick with a round center stone or not. Many of the PS vendors have gorgeous rings and diamonds, so I'm confident we can find you something so pretty that it'll make you forget all about this hassle you've been going through.
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To get started, you should check these two vendors out:

James Allen

Whiteflash

Let us know what you'd like to do because we would love to help!
 
Date: 5/29/2009 6:33:48 PM
Author: dani2142
The jeweler never told us that all sales were final. He told us to let him know if we have any problems at all. He told American Express that he told us all sales were final and then provided them with a receipt stating that, that we never signed... just to clear that up...

I''m sure we''ll take the $570 loss. It could be a lot worse, I know that. I just hope that we can get the 90% refund. American Express has told us so many different things.

So being I just joined this website today and know nothing about the vendors on this website. Who do you prefer? It''s so hard to find someone that you can trust. I don''t want to get ripped off again. I''ve done a lot of research during this entire process and learned A LOT more about diamonds... I even took the quiz on this site about buying an engagement ring and got 11 out of 12. Prior to all this Jamaican ring drama I would have done a lot worse.

Thank you very much everyone for your help.
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I absolutely would return that stone and take the loss. I am sure you overpaid for what you got.

I have personally bought ideal cut stones from Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash, and they both carry top quality, ideal cut, lab certified stones so you will KNOW what you''re paying for! Also, Brian Gavin Diamonds carries equivalent stones. Winfield''s carries Infinity, which is another top quality company.

If you give us an idea of your preferences, we can suggest some stones for you. I personally wouldn''t want I1 clarity for an engagement ring. I think SI1 would be a good place to start. You want a round stone? How much do you want to budget for the stone and how much for the setting?
 
Ok everyone.... so seriously now the merchant is saying it''s past the "manufacturer''s return date" and we cannot return the ring
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I''m so upset right now. I think it''s bull because he is the one who took forever to get back to Amex and now it''s past his so-called date. You know what else he is telling Amex? That if we get the ring re-set and return the setting to him he will give us $350. That is his way of negotiating and basically leaves us with having to pay for another setting in it''s entirety. I seriously hate this guy. He is such a con-artist. This drama has taken the fun out of being engaged... seriously.
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This is a good lesson for others to read about. It is common for such impulisive purchases to go badly.

Take responsibility for being poor shoppers and take your loss. Get over it. It is not a mistake for the record books, but something you will easily get over. Do it right next time. There are many far more important things in life and this will serve as a reasonably cheap lesson on doing your home work.
 
How is Amex handling this? If he sold you something that isn''t good or as advertised (you might need to get it appraised) then Amex should help to cover you still.

I''m sorry to hear that you''re going through this. We had engagement ring issues too and it really takes the fun out of things. It''s such an emotional time and purchase.
 
I appreciate your response but I don''t need to be told that we made a mistake and to just get over it. I''m obviously already aware of that.

We have provided Amex with letters/appraisals from independent jewelers in our area stating the setting is faulty and that the ring is an insurance liability. They have told us so many different things it''s been so ridiculous. They went from saying you wiill get the ring for free because the merchant isn''t cooperating to telling us we lost the dispute. Last week I had the ring ready to ship back to the merchant and Amex said to go ahead and ship it and when I asked for the address to ship it to they said not to ship and they needed to get something in writing from the merchant. That''s when he said it was past the manufacturer''s return date. So annoying!

I''m at the point where I honestly don''t even care anymore what happens. This has been going on since January 28, 2009. I just want to hear what the smartest thing to do at this point is being we are probably going to end up having to pay for this ring and keep it. You guys might not understand this but at this point I seriously don''t want to wear this ring at all. Even to get the stone reset I''ll secretly always have a hate towards my engagement ring and I don''t want to feel like that. We might just end up taking a loss and trading it in. I''m sure we won''t get crap for it so it just makes this whole thing even more annoying. Yes, I know it''s our fault so if you feel that way by reading the post please keep it to yourself. I really don''t need to hear it.
 
I''m sorry to hear about the latest developments.
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Did you ever get an official appraisal? It might be the stone will not appraise as H I1, in which case you can argue that the stone was misrepresented too. Since you don''t like the setting, you could even unmount the stone and send it to the GIA.

Otherwise, if AmEx says you''ve hit a dead end, then maybe the best thing to do is to get the stone reset. You''ve never said you didn''t like the stone, only the setting. Give the diamond a new home in a setting that you pick out (it could be fun to pick what you want!). Later for a big anniversary you can get a new diamond if you want one, but you''re right that you would probably take a big loss on trying to trade it in, and then you''d have the new stone to pay for. That''s only worth it if you absolutely can''t live with the stone.

But I''d try bugging AmEx a little more. They change their minds so much, maybe they''ll change it back in your favor!

Again, I''m really sorry to hear that AmEx isn''t being more helpful. That makes me nervous as a customer of theirs!
 
Here is a couple pictures of the ring. I like the look of the setting, it''s just that it is faulty according to the jewelers who had taken the ring to, to see if it could be sized.

0608091707.jpg
 
Last pic...

06080917072.jpg
 
When you go on a public forum with your problems, please expect some responses which won''t please you. Obviously, you wouldn''t be telling us anything you don''t know about, but what you didn''t know BEFORE the purchase is something that created your problem. Others who come here don''t know and they appreciate you sharing your tale. I just wanted to point out to the many others who read that they must take measures to avoid such problems by learning and caution. The best time to avoid a problem is in advance, not after the fact, as you know. Maybe some other folks will take heed.
 
Oldminer... I totally understand what you are saying and I agree that hopefully people wiill use my story as an example to not make the same mistake that we did.... use a trusted jeweler and know what you are buying. Honestly the guy could have sold us a cz and we wouldn''t have had any idea. I''m sure he saw us coming. Totally our own fault.
 
I just wanted to say that a close friend of mine had the same problem as you. She & her boyfriend were vacationing in the Caribbean, when they saw a setting she loved at the jewelry store, and he bought it for her and proposed. They decided not to buy the diamond from that vendor, but to get a diamond when they returned to the states. The setting only fits a 9 mm diamond (she wanted a princess - that means around 4 cts) and couldn''t be sized for a smaller diamond.

They had no idea that a diamond like she wanted would cost probably around $30K, so they ended up putting a CZ in her ring - she really loves the setting, and doesn''t want a smaller stone.

Anyway, I just remember that there was some all-around regret around the purchase of the expensive, unsizeable setting that was purchased on a Caribbean vacation - your stories were similar to me.

I hope that everything works out with your ring - good luck.
 
vespergirl.... thanks for sharing. sorry to hear about that. i''m sure she was broken-hearted. at this point a cz doesn''t sound like a bad idea! LOL
 
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