Would you think anything of this?

[Cricketcat]

I have a diamond that I know a lot of people would consider overkill. It's F color and internally flawless. It also has what I would consider outstanding light performance and I really like it because of that. I took this diamond which was already set into a B&M store where I had purchased a platinum setting years before. I was thinking about moving the set diamond into this other setting. Before I went into this B&M store, I called to get an estimate of what kind of charge it would be. I told them I had purchased the setting from them, but not the diamond. Over the phone, they told me "X" amount, which it's always been every time they've set a diamond for me in one of their settings. So, I went into the store with my set diamond and the other setting to have them look at it to verify what the actual cost would be. When I walked in, the sales person told me it would be "X" amount (the exact same price I was quoted over the phone). The sales person then looked at my set diamond through the loupe, and made several comments to the effect of, "do you know how nice this diamond is?" I kept telling the sales person, "yes, I have the diamond's grading report." The sales person then told me AFTER looking at the diamond that it could be set into the other setting for free. Now, I have not spent a lot of money at this B&M store. I have only purchased a couple of settings as I have in the past liked the settings at this B&M. I got the set diamond back in my possession and told the sales person, "no thanks". At that point the sales person got a little irritated that I wouldn't let them do it for free. I was most prepared to pay and was put off that they would do it for free. Now, maybe it was some kind of customer service thing, but it bothered me. I know what I've read on here about the unlikelihood of diamond switching, but it wasn't until the sales person actually looked at the diamond that all of a sudden it would be free. Would you think anything of this?

 

[MT7799]

I would definitely be taken back by this. I used to work in a BM jewlry store myself and no way ever would we tell a customer we'd do any work yet alone a whole setting free of charge esp. just because they have a nice stone. As the saying goes nothing is ever free.

The only thing I could think of is that they'd want to do the job as a promotional piece and use it for advertising / display but that would be a drawn out lengthy conversation with contracts if it is that serious of a setting. The other thing would be is if they were to keep the old setting in trade in or scrap value towards the new, but I doubt it would cover the full cost. I think you did the right thing and walked, no way to tell if they were being honest or not but better safe than sorry with items of that high sentimental and monetary cost.

 

[metatrix]

Does your diamond have an inscription on the girdle?

 

[Cricketcat]

Yes, thank goodness. It's really hard to see, but it is there.

 

[metatrix]

Yes, thank goodness. It's really hard to see, but it is there.

Then they would be super dumb to try to switch it. Did you ask them why they were offering to set it for free? It's possible that when she realized how nice your stone was, she figured you must have a lot of disposable income, and therefore offered to do it for free to try to lock in your future business.

 

[Cricketcat]

I should have added this in my initial post, sorry. When I got home later that afternoon, I called the store manager to ask about what I had experienced. I told him what happened made me nervous. He didn't think it was unusual, and said that if I wanted to have the diamond put in the other setting, that I could make an appointment to come in and watch while they reset it. Strictly out of curiosity, I called about a week later and talked to this B&M store's customer service desk where you pick up/drop off merchandise, and the lady told me that they never do that kind of thing where you can set an appointment and actually watch the work being done.

 

[Cricketcat]

For me, the most business I've done or would do with this B&M, would be for simple solitaire settings. The odds of finding a diamond with the specs I would want would be extremely difficult, if even possible.