yearly cleanings

[dschmid]

How much is a yearly cleaning/inspection worth? The jeweler i am considering buying my ring from is offering this and is using it as a bargaining tool to justify a higher price on the stone. Is it worth overpaying to have a b+m store to take the stone to and have it inspected/cleaned yearly for free? How much could this be worth over the life of the ring and on a yearly basis? Thanks everyone in advance

 

[belle]

every jewelry store i have been to offers to clean and inspect my ring for free. it''s like offering cookies and drinks, they want you to stay in the store and look around and hopefully buy something while you''re waiting. he''s definitely not offering a service you couldn''t otherwise get somewhere else for free.

 

[cl2ysta1]

Its pretty damn cheap. Under 50 dollars on the high end but more like 20-30. they also offer lifetime insurance or whatever but you have to get a homeowners policy or jewelers insurance b/c they dont replace a lost diamond or anything like that. They basically just cover problems with workmanship. Get it online. You will save yourself a lot of money, and be able to get a much larger nicer diamond.

 

[cl2ysta1]

Oh i was thinking rhodium plating.. not just cleaning. You can clean your stone yourself! You can either get an untrasonic box that jiggles it for you. Or i just like to use the cleaning solution with a brush and polish it with a cloth. it looks brand new every time i do it

 

[tberube]

The jeweler down the street cleans and inspects my ring for free, whenever I feel like going in. And I didn''t even buy the ring there.

 

[Pandora II]

Ultrasonic off ebay - my ring goes in every 2 days or so.

I check that there is no jiggle on the stone and look at prongs with a good loupe once a week.

Otherwise, most places will do it for free.

 

[oldminer]

You can look at the annual cleaning in a positive, neutral or negative way.

1. It gets a live, potential customer into the store for an attempt at a further sale. (neutral to negative)

2. It will make your rings look really nice, but you could easily clean them yourself. (positive to neutral)

3. If a diamond or two is found to be a bit loose, it can be fixed and you won't lose a stone. (positive)

4. You may see something new that you really would like to own or know more about. (positive if its for you and negative if you have to pay for it)

5. Speaking to your local expert may add to what you know and appreciate in the way of gems and jewelry (positive)

It seems the positives may outweigh the negatives for most of us.

 

[surfgirl]

I usually agree with Dave but I''m a bit surprised by his last post. To me, any jewelry who is pushing a customer to PAY MORE for some "cleaning/inspecting policy" is a crook and I''d not buy anything from someone like that. That alone would make me think they''re trying to scam me. Cleaning and inspecting rings/earrings, etc. is basicaly FREE in any reputable jewelry store and most of the time you do not have had to purchase the items from that store to have them checked and cleaned. In addition, just because I take my pieces to be checked and cleaned in Store A, does not mean I''d let Store A fix a setting/prong if found to be loose. For that I''d use my personal bench jeweler.

This nonsense about paying for some policy to provide a service that reputable folks provide for me? Smells rotten to me.

 

[oldminer]

I''m not encouraging anyone to pay for cleaning their diamond rings. You can do it at home for free. I am listing the pros and cons only without prejudice. A little free humor included, too. Its nice to maintain the things you love with proper annual inspections.

 

[Steel]

How much is a yearly cleaning/inspection worth?

Hmmm, let me preface this by saying I am not a person who believes that ''it will never come to that'' or ''it all works out for the best''.

I say that because I would NEVER let somebody touch my ring without at least the most basic of contracts. If a jeweller or SA cleans or inspects my ring for free and the worst happens through negligence or accident I would be put in an awkward position. Yes yes yes, the ring would be insured but if a twit mishandled my stone, would the insurance company look fondly on my claim? Would they demand I pursue the jeweller? Could you legitimately pursue the jeweller for further repair if they have once proved below par? Whatever the question, I don''t want to be handed back a damaged ring and have to ask the next question when they ''provided the service'' for free.

Shudder.

It doesn’t bear thinking about. I would personally not be happy to hand my ring over to anybody for a ''quick clean'' moreover I shudder at the prospect of handing it over for a ''free'' inspection and clean. So for me it is - how much is peace of mind?

I bought from WF and anticipate it will return yearly for a get together with the nice folks in Houston. I can''t imagine letting anybody else getting their mitts on my ring. It is ''worth'' too much to me, no I don''t mean money.

- But that’s just me

Does that help?

.

 

[surfgirl]

Dave, Steel, I guess my point is simply that I take my ring every couple/few months to someone I know well in the jewlery business and she has a scope. So she takes a look to see if my stones are secure. It''s a pretty easy procedure that isn''t particularly perilous...

So I cannot imagine actually paying someone to do that. Seems odd.