Custom Jewelry practices for consumer

[louiechick]

Have a little problem. Just got engaged and was given a beautiful stone in a temp setting so I could pick my own. I had in my family, several baguettes that I wanted set in the engagement ring and wedding band. The jeweler we went to said he could do custom work, but I never saw any drawings or any molds. We only talked about the design and what I wanted. The end result is shotty workmanship, the baguettes on the engagement ring don't match (there were 30 to choose from) and the two rings don't sit together well, the basket for the solitaire is a catalog piece that was just put on the ring, now the wedding band won't sit nicely with the engagement ring. All sorts of things went wrong- including width of band, etc.

Now, we are in a fued with the jeweler, as he did somewhat, not 100%, make what I asked for, but I am not a jeweler, what I wanted was not appropriate for the stones- as I just found out from another custom jeweler.

We do not feel that we need to pay for his work, we are willing to give back the metal- the diamonds were mine to begin with..any comments would be appreciated.

 

[FireGoddess]

Ah, I hate when custom goes like this. It''s not fun.

I had a similar thing happen in that I spoke with my jeweler, showed pictures, agreed upon a design, but when I was called to ''pick up my ring'' (which shocked me, I expected to see wax molds, or mockups, etc) it was nothing like what I had described or had explained that I wanted. The scale was not right, and I was not happy with it. I couldn''t even wear a wedding ring on the same finger - the ring was so big another ring wouldn''t even fit.

Here''s the thing - I do agree that you should not have to pay for and accept a ring that you do not like, particularly when you were never consulted prior to the final product being made. Would you consider giving them another chance to do it correctly, including wax molds and/or CAD drawings and approval of the final product? I know you are leery of doing that. I know I was. But the jeweler worked very hard to make things right and in the end I love my custom ring. But it took time, and communication, me viewing several wax molds and making adjustments, and me finally approving the final product. Would the jeweler be willing to work this way with you? If not, then you have every right to just walk. After getting your stones back of course.

 

[louiechick]

Thanks so much for your reply Firegoddess- We called the jeweler and he basically was very defensive regarding his work and did not apologize for the frustrating experience or say he was sorry we were unhappy. We already asked our lawyer to write him a letter, saying that we were unhappy and that we''re ok with paying him for his labor and giving him back the metal. The new custom jeweler said he''d take very good pictures and document everything for us.

As unfortunate as it is, I''m glad I''m not the only one who has experienced this- it''s very upsetting and this was the first time I''ve ever done anything custom, I feel like an idiot. Hopefully it will all work out!!!

P.S. Your ring is stunning!

 

[FireGoddess]

I think you're being absolutely more than fair. The job of the jeweler is to make you happy and make your creation come to life, not his interpretation of what he thinks you want without further consulting you. If he is unwilling to work with you or make it right you have every right to have your lawyer send a letter and personally, I think paying for the labor is MORE than fair considering he did not do what you asked in the first place. That is quite generous of you.

And thanks.

 

[jdhuggar]

louiechick -

hummm...you wouldn''t happen to be in the Detroit area, would you??? Funny thing - my boyfriend and I were in James Designs today and he was telling us this story and it sounds just like yours!!! If you did go to James, I hope you went on good recommendations - we just kind of "found" him, but after spending over 2 1/2 hours talking to him - we''ve signed up - he''s making my custom ering and wedding band! Looks like he does good work, and has been at it for about 30 years!

 

[louiechick]

Hi, sorry, not from Detroit- sounds like what happened to me is more common than i thought. Very unfortunate. Good luck with your rings!

 

[partgypsy]

I think every jeweler is different regarding custom work. I would imagine there are few jewelers that would turn away work by saying they could not do it, even if they could not do it well. That''s why if that'' what you are looking for I would go to a jeweler that is KNOWN for doing custom work, so you can see lots of examples of prior custom work and understand what they can and cannot do. Otherwise it''s a crapshoot.

 

[pave]

louiechick,
So sorry this happened to you. A very similiar thing happened to me too very recently. When I brought it in to be fixed she agreed with me that various things were wrong with it and she tried to fix it but it is still very screwed up. She was like too bad, sorry you don''t like it. I was so sick I just left. Fiancee didn''t want to fight her so I''m trying to live with the ring...
I hope you get exactly what you want!
Good Luck!

 

[FireGoddess]

I'm sorry to hear this Pave - you shouldn't have to live with a ring you don't love just because you guys don't want to fight with the jeweler. If they haven't delivered what you wanted, they need to make it right. Otherwise, you could have used that money to get a setting you DO love. I try to think of it that way when I'm tired of arguing - I spent my hard earned money for something and that means I won't shake hands and leave until I got what I paid for.

 

[louiechick]

I agree- you should not have to live with something that you are not satisfied with..and the jeweler shouldn''t let you. You can either give them another chance at making it right, or you can try to settle on something that covers the materials you purchased.

In my case, I''m willing to give the metal back, but the jeweler isn''t being reasonable, and won''t settle with me. I even offered to pay a third of the cost, along with the metal!!! I know it''s a pain to deal with, and it has definately put a damper on my engagement process, but you have to remember that you are the consumer and you are the one who should be happy with the services..and if you are not, you should not have to live with it...

Hope it all goes well : )

 

[pave]

Thanks Louiechick and Firegoddess for the support. I think I am just in a bad situation. I didn''t do my homework and the jeweler has a no return policy on custom work and trade ins for store credit only within 30 days. Today is the 30th day. It took me two and a half weeks to calm down enough to go in to face her. I''m afraid I''m not good at being assertive. Fiancee is the pitbull of the relationship but for some reason he is being chicken about this and doesn''t want to deal with it. He knows darn well I don''t like it even though I tell him it''s nice. It''s a lousy situation.
Louiechick, so sorry your jeweler is being so difficult. Keep us posted please.