Eternity Ring Problems

[sparklestick]

Hello,

My DH bought me a very nice pink sapphire and diamond eternity ring when DD was born. It was made for me by a friends husband who is a jeweller. The style is a shared setting and I always found it a bit scratchy and maybe would have preferred a more smooth setting. Well after wearing it for a while i noticed that it was not longer round. I gave it back to my friends husband who had it made round again. He told me not to wear it if it is bent as the stones may fall out - its all about the tension. I decided not to wear it everyday and last wore it to my brother in law''s wedding. Well After one day it is bent again. I told him I thought that the setting was not strong enough (they are small stones can''t remember tdw) and maybe another setting would be better. He told me that would cost nearly the amount we paid for it to have it reset. I think he should change the setting for free as it is not fit for purpose. What do you think? It is so hard as he is a friend.

 

[neatfreak]

Is it a really thin band? If so, unfortunately they will bend from carrying heavy objects, etc. That is part of owning a thin band...if it isn''t a thin band, then it might be a craftsmanship issue. Do you have pictures?

 

[Maisie]

Do you have a picture of it?

 

[Circe]

I think this is the source of the saying that friends and business don''t mix ... and, I hope that doesn''t sound unsympathetic, as I totally feel for you.

Everything being equal, *because* he''s a friend, you don''t necessarily have all of the options that you would otherwise (like, say, taking him to court as the extreme example, or bluntly stating that he''s sold you a poorly made piece and you want your money back at the lower end of the scale ... at least, not without repercussions in your personal life). It it were me, I would gently ask him what my options were, pointing out that *he* was basically telling you that the ring was unwearable, and see what solutions he could offer: make it clear that you''re unhappy, and that this is as a customer, and not as his friend, that you''re not asking for favors, just for the same kind of treatment he''d give to any consumer. And beyond that, make a point of shopping elsewhere in the future, no matter how this turns out: this is the kind of a situation that''s more trouble than it''s worth ....

P.S. - Could you post pictures of the ring? I''m curious as to the construction, and whether it might be an obvious manufacturing defect.

 

[sparklestick]

I unfortunately do not have a picture but can tell you it identical to a pink sapphire/diamond eternity in a shared setting from a famous store where one might eat breakfast. It is like the one on their site.

It is a real lesson in not doing business with friends. I felt that my husband was a little pushed into getting this ring and I was asked what setting and said I liked to wear my jewelery everyday and for it to be practical as I clean my house and look after my kids. The fact it does not withstand a days wear at a wedding is not good enough. When I told my friend she told me that it was not right and said maybe the setting was not strong enough.

Does anyone know roughly how much a reset would cost as he mentioned over $1000?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/17/2008 6:47:00 PM
Author: sparklestick
I unfortunately do not have a picture but can tell you it identical to a pink sapphire/diamond eternity in a shared setting from a famous store where one might eat breakfast. It is like the one on their site.


It is a real lesson in not doing business with friends. I felt that my husband was a little pushed into getting this ring and I was asked what setting and said I liked to wear my jewelery everyday and for it to be practical as I clean my house and look after my kids. The fact it does not withstand a days wear at a wedding is not good enough. When I told my friend she told me that it was not right and said maybe the setting was not strong enough.


Does anyone know roughly how much a reset would cost as he mentioned over $1000?

I think it depends on the ring. I''d call around to some of the PS vendors and see what they say. I''m so sorry, it really stinks when a friendship turns sour due to a business transaction...

 

[Circe]

Hm ... well, I''m thinking that somewhere out there, there has to be a semi-mount that will fit your stones. Possibly Wink Jones of Winfield''s might be of some help? He has a good reputation, I think, and I believe he carries stock settings in addition to doing custom work. Over 1k does seem pretty steep ... this is in platinum, I take it? Given falling metal costs, I''m guessing it''s all workmanship, but still ....

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 11/17/2008 7:20:36 PM
Author: Circe
Hm ... well, I'm thinking that somewhere out there, there has to be a semi-mount that will fit your stones. Possibly Wink Jones of Winfield's might be of some help? He has a good reputation, I think, and I believe he carries stock settings in addition to doing custom work. Over 1k does seem pretty steep ... this is in platinum, I take it? Given falling metal costs, I'm guessing it's all workmanship, but still ....

Take a look. Link Lots of styles to choose from, and I agree, one of these will fit your stones. Your local jeweler (although you probably want to pick another one than your friend) can take a look and order the ring from Stuller, or another company, and have them set.

 

[sparklestick]

Do you think something like this would be stronger as has more metal to it?

 

[sparklestick]

Right as it stands he is going to come back to me with a price for the work but says that it needs to be made into a channel set to make it stronger. It does sound like we are expected to pay for this but I think he should have advised that we had that setting to start. I had liked the Tiffany legacy eternity ring and that was the sort of style that DH had asked for. They suggested the shared setting. I just don''t know how to get into this with my friends husband.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/20/2008 5:29:52 AM
Author: sparklestick
Right as it stands he is going to come back to me with a price for the work but says that it needs to be made into a channel set to make it stronger. It does sound like we are expected to pay for this but I think he should have advised that we had that setting to start. I had liked the Tiffany legacy eternity ring and that was the sort of style that DH had asked for. They suggested the shared setting. I just don''t know how to get into this with my friends husband.

You really should be able to get a shared prong setting that is pretty sturdy IMO. You''ve said that the one you linked to above might be "stronger" but we still haven''t seen the original, so it''s hard to comment. Do you know how wide/tall the current one is?

 

[sparklestick]

My current ring is pink sapphires and diamonds, shared setting in platinum, about 2 - 2.5mm wide and just like this the one on the tiffany website.



Tiffany Eternity

 

[mrssalvo]

I''d still like to see a picture of your ring if possible. Is it a basket style setting like Tiffany''s or does if have scalloped edges like most shared prong bands do? Is it the exact height and width of the Tiffany ring? Tiffany''s are usually lower than most shared prong bands out there too.

we usually don''t here of shared prong settings bending but plat. is more pliable than WG so it wouldn''t be impossible if you lifted a heavy box or weights or something with it on.

as for dealing with the friend..I would probably cut your loses and keep the friendship and take your business elsewhere. You just have move consumer power when you aren''t worried about offending or hurting someone''s feelings. If you like your band like it is, you can have a vendor like Wink Jones reset the stones into a new shared prong setting. There are other vendors who would probably reset them for you too. it may cost more than the friend deal, but your already having to pay the friend to fix something. If you want a legacy style band, there are plenty of designers who make similar rings and that would be fine too.

 

[sparklestick]

As I mentioned I have sent the band back to my friend so I can''t show you a photo. I believe that the shared setting is just like the one I have shown in a size 7. A claw on each corner. I didn''t wear the ring doing anything like the tasks you describe. My friend is going to let me know how much the reset will cost. I really don''t want to ruin the friendship and would not put us in that situation. I would have thought that they would feel the same and make sure that it is right for me. I am in the UK so though I would love to use Wink Jones but it not really practical.

 

[mrssalvo]

well, sounds like you''ve got a plan. good luck. once you get your ring back, we''d all love to see pics, I''m sure it''s beautiful.

 

[neatfreak]

I''m glad you have a plan. From what it sounds like to me, (and assuming that it''s like the Tiffany one), you used to wear it all the time, meaning that even gripping pots and pans and things like that likely wore it down over time. Then it bent badly, and the jeweler just bent it back which I think is the key. If it already bent due to the wear over time, then those points were already weak, so if he just bent it back, it was likely to bend again pretty easily.

Unfortunately if there wasn''t too much metal in the band, over time, it will go out of round just from picking up heavy objects, gripping the steering wheel, etc. If it''s something you want to wear daily and not baby, I would just make sure that you pick a slightly more substantial setting this time, with more metal underneath.

 

[sparklestick]

Ok I have now got the ring back and have taken a photo for you. I have been quoted between £700 - £900 to reset it.

I have converted that to $1000-$1400. Seems really expensive to me.

What do you guys think?

 

[neatfreak]

Yeah...that''s expensive. You can almost buy a brand new one ffor that price:

http://www.facetscollection.com/item.cfm?item_id=2214

 

[sparklestick]

What do I do though as I can''t really wear this one without it going out of shape? I can''t just ditch it.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/29/2008 8:59:09 AM
Author: sparklestick
What do I do though as I can''t really wear this one without it going out of shape? I can''t just ditch it.

Personally I would find another jeweler who might reset it for you for less.

 

[Allison D.]

I'm not a bench jeweler, but in looking at your picture, I'd suspect that the fairly large holes underneath the stones may be compromising the integrity of the ring.

The holes span nearly the entire width of the band and don't appear to leave enough structural support.

It may be that the setting isn't well-suited for the rigors of daily wear.

 

[Steel]

It seems to me that you could buy a whole new ring for that price*. And you already have the stones to re-use. I would consider other options rather than using this guy to reset.

Also, why do you feel sending the ring over to a PS vendor is impractical. Lots of current PS members have sent their jewellery back and forth over the pond. Unless it is cost prohibitive do not write it off...

* I say that as I bought my diamond eternity in the jewellery quarter a few years ago for less than that and that was brand new.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Date: 11/29/2008 9:01:25 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 11/29/2008 8:59:09 AM
Author: sparklestick
What do I do though as I can''t really wear this one without it going out of shape? I can''t just ditch it.

Personally I would find another jeweler who might reset it for you for less.

I agree with this...that quote is pretty steep!

 

[sparklestick]

Thank you for all your comments. I am going to ask my local jeweller on Monday what he suggests. As for buying from friends I am never going to do that again. DH has said he will go to Tiffany every time from now on. That would be fine with me but he won''t as we have no money now.

I love looking at all your rings. They are beautiful.

 

[sparklestick]

Hello again.

I have spoken to my local jeweller who does not think the stones will sit well in a channel setting, he says they are different sizes and it won''t work. He has suggested a grain setting or having then put in a 6mm band in a scatter setting. What do you think? I do like the idea of having a much chunkier band. If anyone has any photos of this type of thing please post them or if you know someone who makes something like this can you point me in the right direction.

Thanks.

 

[sparklestick]

This is what I mean by a scatter ring.

 

[musey]

I'm not exactly sure what grain setting is (similar to bead-set maybe? I had to google it), but you can see quite a few scatter bands at etienneperret.com.

6mm is quite thick--you should try it on before choosing that option, if you haven't already. Other than that, it's purely a matter of preference!

 

[sparklestick]

I also found these....

 

[sparklestick]

Oh thank you so much. I really like this one. I did try on a 6mm band and it felt ok. Obviously the more platinum the more expensive but also the more of my stones i can use. I was thinking I could save the left over stones to make something for my daughter when she is older. Would not be able to bend this out of shape, as the jeweller said it would be good for life.

 

[sparklestick]

Ok I dropped the eternity off with the jeweller yesterday and tried on the new band. He is going to set it this week! I am so excited. I have discussed how I want to have the stones sprinkled across with a random pattern and sprinkling. I am slightly concerned that I didn''t see him mark the ring up but he has other things in his shop that are similar to what I want. I think we are on the same page in terms of design. I did mention that I liked the starlight bands too.

I am going to have the band back by Christmas and so will post photos when it is finished.