Janepie33 Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 When one of the diamonds from my 25 year old engagement fell out, OH and I got a couple of quotes from local jewellers. The one I went to said that they would replace the diamond and repair the claws holding it in. The jeweller OH went to said they would do the same thing, but cheaper.OH chose the cheaper option ( ). Now my ring has returned and at first look my feeling was that there was something different about my ring (I HAVE been wearing it for 25 years!). OH said he thought it was exactly the same, but to me the ring looks MUCH thinner and I suspect that the jeweller has taken gold from the band of the ring to replace the claws. The diamonds also seem to be deeper set and don't sparkle as much as they did before. AND I am sure it is lighter, even with the new diamond. The jeweller showed OH the old claws which OH then sold back to the jeweller for £9. DD has just finished her digital media degree and as part of one of her projects she took a close up photo of my hand with the ring on it. Once she has manage to find it, I might be able to identify some changes to the ring. Would you go back to the jeweller and complain about the repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 I think if you go back you'l just get fobbed off - someone who would rip you off like this, isn't going to readily admit that they did anything wrong. To have a realistic chance of success you need an expert opinion. You could start by asking your local trading standards office; they might tell you who they use for jewellery matters. Do be aware that a good jeweller will usually 'service' a piece of jewellery at the same time as repairing it which, in the case of a ring, will mean knocking it back into a perfect circle - which it almost certainly wasn't if you've been wearing it for so long. That would make it feel different, but wouldn't really account for the other matters you raise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 I think this might be a case where the jeweller didn't explain what they were going to do as I think this might be standard practice. I only say this because OH took a ring in to be made bigger and got a price and it was sent off to be done. Then when the repair jeweller got the ring, he said he couldn't be done and new gold would have to be added. It was only at this point that we realised they had been going to 'stretch' the ring and he would have ended up with a much narrower one which wasn't what we wanted at all (but "Ooops, word censored!"ody had explained that and we didn't think/know to ask the question, a case of caveat emptor perhaps). As it is, he has ended up with a bright shiny ring rather than the patina he had on the old one, but in hindsight we should have expected that. I would ask them straight out what they have done and wait for the response, rather than diving in with a complaint. If they have followed 'normal' procedure but failed to explain that to you then I think you can complain that they should have done so and should certainly do so in the future for other customers. If they have done something worse, then of course you should complain. As far as the diamond is concerned, I'm not sure. I suppose the deeper setting may have affected the sparkle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janepie33 Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 Thank you for your replies. I have just found an interesting site written by a jeweller from Canada who talks about jewellery repairs and how you need all the information about the repair before the go ahead. He also pointed out that most jewellers won't rip you off because they want to stay in business! Do be aware that a good jeweller will usually 'service' a piece of jewellery at the same time as repairing it which, in the case of a ring, will mean knocking it back into a perfect circle - which it almost certainly wasn't if you've been wearing it for so long. That would make it feel different, but wouldn't really account for the other matters you raise You are quite right Merlina - my ring looked like a squashed tomato! And I suppose 25 years of wear and tear will take its toll. I think this might be a case where the jeweller didn't explain what they were going to do as I think this might be standard practice. As far as the diamond is concerned, I'm not sure. I suppose the deeper setting may have affected the sparkle. Yes and yes! This is why I love the forum. I was feeling quite cross this morning and now I am feeling like a much more normal person - with a shiny new diamond! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Might the quality of the diamond used be different from the one that you lost also? This might be why is doesn't appear as 'sparkely' perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowberry Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 This is probably unrelated, but years ago, I had my wedding ring made smaller to fit my hand. In the process, It lost 3 diamonds. Probably not too expensive; however, I had to point this out to the jeweller, for him to compensate me for the loss. Otherwise he was going to pocket it for himself & charge me for the repair... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I too lost a diamond from my ring because the clasps had worn down. But was lucky enough to find it in the washing Only hubby stuck it back in with superglue - which isn't water proof - so I lost it for good. At the jewellers, he brought out a tiny bag full of diamonds so I could choose one, for £250, and get it fixed into my ring. I was pleased with the result except for one of the clasps kept catching on things. An expensive mistake to make - never fix jewellery with super glue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnrob Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Not related to the original message but an interesting story nonetheless... I have a friend who is a jeweller. A lady took a ring into him for it to be enlarged to fit her finger. She said that her boyfriend had brought the ring whilst they were on holiday and that it was white gold and diamond. In order to enlarge the ring, my friend explained that he would need to cut the ring, 'open' it slightly and insert a small piece of white gold to make the band bigger. He quoted accordingly and was asked to go ahead with the work. He'd had his suspicions when he saw the ring but closer examination determined it to be base metal plated with white gold and a cubic zirconia rather than a diamond. He pondered whether to say anything but in the ended decided to go ahead with what he'd quoted on and not say anything to the lady. So, she got what she paid for and was not upset, and her boyfriend didn't get "found out" (if, indeed he knew) and wasn't embarrassed. If at a later stage it became apparent that the ring wasn't white gold and diamond then he could hand on heart say that the work he'd done was what was asked for and had been quoted for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
