I live in VA and my fiance bought my engagement ring from a very reputable ebay retailer. We visually inspected it, liked it, and took it to a local jeweler to ask if he could size it down one and a quarter sizes and also set my heirloom center stone. He said he could so we kept the ring when we had a no-questions-asked return or exchange policy through the ebay retailer. We actually had to have the center stone recut a bit smaller to fit the ring and did so because we liked it so much and because the center stone was over a hundred years old and showing some slight wear and tear it was a good idea.
The jeweler said that with the type of settings the ring used (pave) some of the stones might come out when he sized it down but he would just reset them and let us know there would be a fee for each one reset. We agreed and went on our way.
24 hours after my fiance put the ring on my finger 2 stones were gone. I took it to the jeweler immediately and he said he would replace them for free this time but that he had told my fiance when he picked up the ring that this was most likely going to happen and continue to happen and he would have to charge next time...??? My fiance said that all he said when he picked it up was IF it did happen to bring it in and he'd take care of it. We never imagined that this was going to be a lifelong issue or we never would have sized the ring. He did not tell us initially that there would ever be another problem and that problems were actually to be expected.
At this time I also showed him how the part he had sized was very thin and crooked. He said it was normal because the shank tapered but why would that make it thinner than it originally was and why crooked? I also showed him a gap between two stones that was not there when it was first purchased and he said it was due to sizing it down and there was nothing he could do. I was very upset but didn't know what to do and told him to just fix the missing stones.
I picked it up a week later (what girl wants to give up her engagement ring after only 24 hours and then wait a week to get it back???) and found that there were now very noticeable tool marks on all four of the prongs holding up the center stone. I showed the mgr who said it was an easy fix and had to leave it another 24 hours. The tool marks are not 100% gone and I am even madder.
SO, I wear it for one week and 2 more stones fall out! I don't even wear this ring to work but I should be able to wear it everywhere without worrying about it falling apart.
This time I take it to another jeweler who said that no way at all should that jeweler have sized this ring down. He said he should have said no way because now we will have issues with the stones coming out forever. He said once you size that type of ring down and stretch the settings open even checking to see if the stones seem tight doesn't mean later they might not fall out. I don't understand this but he's the pro. He said it's just that type of setting. You don't mess with it and any jeweler would know that if anything you buy it smaller and size it up.
Regarding the crooked and thin shank where the sizing was done, he said that was just plain sloppy work and it should def not look that way. Regarding the gap, he said that was obviously where a stone had come out and the other guy very poorly reset it by cramming it against one stone, leaving a gap on the other side.
The shank can be fixed, the gap can be fixed, BUT the structural integrity of the ring has been compromised and cannot be remedied. We will now always have to worry about stones falling out and this is a ring I planned to not only wear for 50+ years but one that has a center stone that was my great-grandmothers and then my grandmothers and I wanted to pass it down.
Fixing this ring is not an option as it would need to be fixed again and again so I want the jeweler to replace it with the same exact ring but this time I will order it in my size or a size smaller and have it made a bit bigger. I will obviously give him the current ring and since he's the jeweler he can melt down the gold and sell the diamonds and figure out how to recoup his losses but I, as the consumer, should not be stuck with a ring I cannot wear.
I feel I most definitely have a case but wanted some advice and/or opinion. I actually feel like if I wanted to push it far enough (but I most likely will not) I could sue for mental anguish as I literally am sick to my stomach thinking over this and afraid to wear my own engagement ring. It's keeping me awake and stressing me out. I'm sure you can imagine.
At any rate, I appreciate your help.
The jeweler said that with the type of settings the ring used (pave) some of the stones might come out when he sized it down but he would just reset them and let us know there would be a fee for each one reset. We agreed and went on our way.
24 hours after my fiance put the ring on my finger 2 stones were gone. I took it to the jeweler immediately and he said he would replace them for free this time but that he had told my fiance when he picked up the ring that this was most likely going to happen and continue to happen and he would have to charge next time...??? My fiance said that all he said when he picked it up was IF it did happen to bring it in and he'd take care of it. We never imagined that this was going to be a lifelong issue or we never would have sized the ring. He did not tell us initially that there would ever be another problem and that problems were actually to be expected.
At this time I also showed him how the part he had sized was very thin and crooked. He said it was normal because the shank tapered but why would that make it thinner than it originally was and why crooked? I also showed him a gap between two stones that was not there when it was first purchased and he said it was due to sizing it down and there was nothing he could do. I was very upset but didn't know what to do and told him to just fix the missing stones.
I picked it up a week later (what girl wants to give up her engagement ring after only 24 hours and then wait a week to get it back???) and found that there were now very noticeable tool marks on all four of the prongs holding up the center stone. I showed the mgr who said it was an easy fix and had to leave it another 24 hours. The tool marks are not 100% gone and I am even madder.
SO, I wear it for one week and 2 more stones fall out! I don't even wear this ring to work but I should be able to wear it everywhere without worrying about it falling apart.
This time I take it to another jeweler who said that no way at all should that jeweler have sized this ring down. He said he should have said no way because now we will have issues with the stones coming out forever. He said once you size that type of ring down and stretch the settings open even checking to see if the stones seem tight doesn't mean later they might not fall out. I don't understand this but he's the pro. He said it's just that type of setting. You don't mess with it and any jeweler would know that if anything you buy it smaller and size it up.
Regarding the crooked and thin shank where the sizing was done, he said that was just plain sloppy work and it should def not look that way. Regarding the gap, he said that was obviously where a stone had come out and the other guy very poorly reset it by cramming it against one stone, leaving a gap on the other side.
The shank can be fixed, the gap can be fixed, BUT the structural integrity of the ring has been compromised and cannot be remedied. We will now always have to worry about stones falling out and this is a ring I planned to not only wear for 50+ years but one that has a center stone that was my great-grandmothers and then my grandmothers and I wanted to pass it down.
Fixing this ring is not an option as it would need to be fixed again and again so I want the jeweler to replace it with the same exact ring but this time I will order it in my size or a size smaller and have it made a bit bigger. I will obviously give him the current ring and since he's the jeweler he can melt down the gold and sell the diamonds and figure out how to recoup his losses but I, as the consumer, should not be stuck with a ring I cannot wear.
I feel I most definitely have a case but wanted some advice and/or opinion. I actually feel like if I wanted to push it far enough (but I most likely will not) I could sue for mental anguish as I literally am sick to my stomach thinking over this and afraid to wear my own engagement ring. It's keeping me awake and stressing me out. I'm sure you can imagine.
At any rate, I appreciate your help.
