FRUSTRATED!

[sjz]

Date: 3/22/2005 9:15

7 PM
Author: Patty
Oh, sjz, that STINKS! I can''t imagine why they would not fix the ring so that it looks acceptable to you. I mean, they made one ring well, surely they can do it again?! It sounds like that manager is a witch. Did you pay for the ring? If so, I''d ask for a refund or dispute the credit card if you paid for it with a card.

Do not give up on your projects. I don''t blame you for wanting to re-do your MIL''s ring so that you have more wearable items. You just need to find another jeweler who has high standards and will do their best for you. I''m sorry that this has happened to you.

Patty,

I ordered these settings back in January. This was kind of sort of my birthday present. I didn''t want any new jewelry (at least not anything expensive) and since I had this ring in the safe, never really worn much, I talked my husband into being ok with me having the diamonds removed and made into other more "wearable" pieces. I still have nine diamonds in that original setting. I have around $500 tied up in the mountings and setting fees. So that''s not really the big issue, although $500 is nothing to sneeze at!

When I first went embarked on this project, I had been thinking about doing it for years. It was just a matter of getting up my nerve to get my husband''s blessing and the nerve to take apart my MIL''s ring. I had consulted with other jewelers about doing something like this in the past, but for various reasons didn''t feel comfortable about doing it. One jeweler told me that he''d have to pretty much destroy the original mounting to get the diamonds out, another jeweler''s quotes just seemed too expensive. When I went to this particular jeweler, his assistant fed me what I now realize to be a line of bull. She told me:

1. All of the work was done in-house, and that my diamonds would never leave the store. This turned out to be a lie, because the jeweler who does the work takes them to his workshop, which is not only outside of the store...but in a different town! I freaked out when I found out that my diamonds were driving around the countryside in his car!

2. She told me that his turnaround time was very fast. That I would only be without my diamonds for a day or two at most. Another lie...most of the time it''s been AT LEAST a week if not more that he has my jewelery.

3. She told me that this guy is very "anal" (her own word BTW) about his work and that he''s a TOTAL perfectionist. That didn''t turn out to be exactly true, either. When he reset my solitaire in the tulipset, the prongs turned out to be crooked, and I had to have them redone. And on the band ring that he set in yellow gold, he put a diamond with a chipped culet right in the center of the ring, and it looked like a big ole fish eye looking back at me everytime I looked at it. I had to take that back and have him swap that diamond out for one without a chipped culet. I don''t know if he chipped the culet when he set the ring, or if he chose a diamond that was already chipped. Either way...he had 19 diamonds to choose from, why used a chipped one?

And you know the rest of the story, and what''s happened with the white gold ring, and the store manager and all. I have other jewelry from this store, and it''s nice. Granted, it wasn''t custom work, but thinking is custom work should be even nicer!!! I didn''t know having custom work done was this much of a crap shoot. My friends and family are kind of divided on this. My husband thinks I should have left well enough alone, and just let him buy me new rings if I wanted them. His position is to have me go back and request the jeweler put the diamonds back in the original ring and be done with it. My mom feels the same. My friends, and my sister, and my sister-in-law all think I should go in and DEMAND that he fix my ring to my satisfaction. I don''t think this is going to happen. I suspect that this guy is some kind of tempramental artist, and that I have offended him by objecting to his workmanship more than once. I have this bad feeling that no matter what I do, I am going to be out the $500 I''ve already spent. I don''t know if they will give my money back at this point. The best I''m betting they will do for me is to have the guy put the diamonds back in the original ring and not charge me for THAT. As I stated in my original post...I am so frustrated, and getting more so by the minute!

2.

 

[jadeleaves]

Date: 3/22/2005 8:24:32 PM
Author: Camellia
I have to disagree with you sjz. As long as people say ''that''s just the way it is, that''s life'', nothing in this world will ever change for the better. It''s pure snobbery for shops to decide who is worthy of their attention and who isn''t. The person wearing the designer clothes may be on the verge of bankruptcy, while the ''ordinary'' person may be very good at investing their money. I would have thought that a wise business person would be interested in developing customer relations so that people come back again and refer their friends to them. Anyway, isn''t that what capitalism is all about: you have money to spend, I have the goods/services you desire - we do business.

Camellia, the operative word here is "wise"

A wise person will build on the customer relations, but a judgemental person will take one look at shabby clothes and decide that person is not worth the time.

Sjz, I think we''re in agreeance that there are a lot of ppl who ''judge a book by its cover''. That is very true, but for me, it is very much THEIR loss if they want to judge me by the clothes I wear or the car I drive, or what my husband/i do for a living. Like the movie you mentioned, Julia Roberts character took her business elsewhere, and I think we all have the right to choose to give our business to businesses which prides themselves on good customer relations and not the ''color of your money''.

If the store is jerking you around, maybe it''s time to take your business elsewhere

 

[sjz]

Date: 3/22/2005 9:58

7 PM
Author: JadeLeaves

Date: 3/22/2005 8:24:32 PM
Author: Camellia
I have to disagree with you sjz. As long as people say ''that''s just the way it is, that''s life'', nothing in this world will ever change for the better. It''s pure snobbery for shops to decide who is worthy of their attention and who isn''t. The person wearing the designer clothes may be on the verge of bankruptcy, while the ''ordinary'' person may be very good at investing their money. I would have thought that a wise business person would be interested in developing customer relations so that people come back again and refer their friends to them. Anyway, isn''t that what capitalism is all about: you have money to spend, I have the goods/services you desire - we do business.

Camellia, the operative word here is ''wise''

A wise person will build on the customer relations, but a judgemental person will take one look at shabby clothes and decide that person is not worth the time.

Sjz, I think we''re in agreeance that there are a lot of ppl who ''judge a book by its cover''. That is very true, but for me, it is very much THEIR loss if they want to judge me by the clothes I wear or the car I drive, or what my husband/i do for a living. Like the movie you mentioned, Julia Roberts character took her business elsewhere, and I think we all have the right to choose to give our business to businesses which prides themselves on good customer relations and not the ''color of your money''.

If the store is jerking you around, maybe it''s time to take your business elsewhere

Jadeleaves,

I hear what you are saying, and I think you have hit the nail on the head. I chose this particular jeweler to do the work in the first place because of the things that were promised. They seemed eager to do business with me, depsite the fact that I was a gal in jeans, a cheap purse and a couple of little kids in tow. I originally liked the fact that they didn''t seem "snooty". But they aren''t doing the quality of work that I expceted, and are trying to get out of making it right.

I think you are right...it''s time to take my business elsewhere. I honestly think I am going to try and get them to refund as much of my money as I can get, have them put the stones back in my original ring, and cool my jets for a while. It''s not like I don''t have other rings to wear...I have more than my share of jewelry. I''m just happy to have you all to vent to, and give me some different perspectives. It truly helps.

 

[jadeleaves]

You might be able to dispute the charges if you''ve charged it to a credit card.

Getting a new piece of jewelry made out of your MIL''s ring should be a happy process, and I''m saddened to hear that the store is trying to get out of getting the ring remade to your liking

However, if all else fails, I don''t think you shld get the stones put back into the original ring as you did embark on the remake because you don''t wear it much. Maybe Pscopers will be able to refer you to someone else in the area who can do a better job!

Just my 2cents!

 

[sjz]

Date: 3/22/2005 10:45:49 PM
Author: JadeLeaves
You might be able to dispute the charges if you've charged it to a credit card.

Getting a new piece of jewelry made out of your MIL's ring should be a happy process, and I'm saddened to hear that the store is trying to get out of getting the ring remade to your liking

However, if all else fails, I don't think you shld get the stones put back into the original ring as you did embark on the remake because you don't wear it much. Maybe Pscopers will be able to refer you to someone else in the area who can do a better job!

Just my 2cents!

I did put the charges on my credit card, but I have been through the whole ordeal of disputing charges, and frankly to me it's not worth the hassle for $500. Not only that, the charges were not all made on the same day. I initially put a charge on my card to buy the settings (three all total). Each of the settings arrived on different dates, so I charged the setting fees for the rings on three different days. So that's 4 different credit card charges spread out over the space of over 8 weeks time.

I had a talk with my husband a while ago, and I showed him some of the posts regarding this situation. He agreed with you, that I shouldn't have all the stones put back into the ring at this point. He said he was a little reluctant in the beginning to have me take apart his mother's ring, but he also realized that, in his words, it was "a gaudy old lady's ring", and not a ring that suited me, or looked right on me. He has a friend, actually a doctor that he works with that is also a jewler if you can wrap your mind around that...lol. He wants to talk to this guy and ask for his advice as to what to do with the remaining diamonds. DH actually likes the ring I had set in yellow gold, and thinks it looks nice on my hand and suits me. I am kicking myself now, because he knows about the ring I ordered from WF, and told me that he wishes I had just spent more money and bought myself a larger stone from them...

. Oh well, maybe I will just have to upgrade that one sooner than I thought...

. Not to change the subject...but that's another issue that's bugging the daylights out of me. I decided that I wasn't thrilled with the vatche setting (nothing wrong with it, it was pretty, I just thought it looked a little too dainty for my taste), so I sent the ring back to WF last week to have them put the diamond in a different setting. They were cool with that, but I got an email today that it probably won't be ready until 3/29!

. I thought they were usually quicker than that? The other ring got here only a couple of days after I ordered it. I did email and ask what the delay was all about, but I haven't heard back from them on that. This all only adds to my already high level of frustration...lol. I guess I'm getting to impatient in my old age.

Anyway...back to the white gold ring. Every single person that's looked at it agrees that it doesn't look right. Even the girl that called me tonight said she could see that the prongs looked "funny". So I don't think they will give me TOO much of a hard time. My husband says he is going to go to the jeweler with me tomorrw and ask that they take the stones out of the ring, and refund the money that I've spent on that one. We are both hoping that my solitaire turns out OK. Supposedly the jeweler is done with it now too, and I am picking that up tomorrow when I go in. So wish me luck.

 

[jadeleaves]

Good luck! When your ring is back on your fingers all nice and fixed, you won''t regret that you''ve gotten it sorted now rather than having to ''put up'' with something less than perfect.

I have to say that I am more discerning now then ''pre-pricescope'' days - my tolerance level for BS when it comes to jewelry pieces and diamonds now is dangerously low

- what was acceptable to me *before* & when I was just getting ''educated'' about jewelry/diamonds will probably not pass muster now

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your rings!

 

[sjz]

Ok, here's the latest (and hopefully last) work on my ring. I went to the jeweler today and talked again to the manager and the assistant. They both claimed that the jeweler had "no choice" but to set the white gold ring the way it was, crooked diamonds and poor prong work and all. His excuse was he had to set it that way because of the size and shape of the diamonds. He reufused to do anything more to the ring. I reminded them that I had the appraisal (from THEM) that stated that the diamonds were all 20 pointers. They just shrugged and said that they were only repeating to me what the jeweler had said. So I said that they could tell the jeweler to put my diamonds back into the original setting and take the white gold setting and do what ever he wanted with it. They were fine with that, and refunded to me all the money I had spent on that ring. I was relieved, I suppose. I am disappointed about not having the ring, because I did really want a white gold diamond band, but he apparently wasn't going to work with me on this, so that's that.

Now, on to the solitaire. I had asked him to switch out the yellow gold tulip setting for a white gold one. Well...it turned out nice, but TOTALLY not what I expected. On the yellow gold ring, the prongs were at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock. So were the prongs on the white gold ring...before he set my diamond into it. For some unknown reason, he decided to take the head off, and rotate it so that the prongs are at now at more of a "4 corners" position on the diamond. I was quite taken aback! I didn't ask him to do this, and most of the other RB solitaires that I've seen set in tulipset heads were like the first one. But as I looked at it more, I began to like it better this way. I have to admit, the other ring looked a bit odd to my eye set the way that it was...sort of atypical for a 4 prong setting. This looks more like a cross between a tulipset and a tiffany style. Anyway...after everything I've been through with the other ring, I sure am not wishing to go round and round about another ring with this invisible jeweler. And I am pleased about how my diamond looks in white gold. I was a bit nervous about that...I was afraid that it wouldn't look as "white" as it had in yellow gold. But now, if anything, I think it looks even better! And to think...for nearly 15 years I've had this diamond in yellow gold, and all along it would have been prettier in white! Whodda thunk it? I'll try to charge up the batteries on my camera and take some pics of it, and post them together with the picutres of the diamond in the yellow gold so you can see the difference in both the prongs and the diamond itsself. Now if only WF would send back (to me) the diamond I bought from them....

 

[FireGoddess]

First, I am very glad that your solitaire is back, and that you like the modified head setting and their workmanship on that.

It''s too bad about the wg diamond band however, because honestly, it could have been done right. But if they were not willing to do so, it is better that you got your stones and your money back, and can have it done correctly elsewhere. It''s disappointing...but better than having to fight with them about it.

Can''t wait to see pics of the solitaire!!!!

 

[Patty]

sjz, I''m so glad they refunded your money on the white gold ring. I hope he does a good job of resetting the stones in your original setting. So the original setting will now have all the stones in it but 5?

The white gold tulip head ring sounds great! I can''t wait to see the pictures of it.

And I''m not sure what all you did with Whiteflash. I''ll have to check out your old posts, but no matter what you did, be sure that you post pictures of your new diamond and setting!

 

[sjz]

Hi Patty,

I''m glad the solitaire turned out nice. I was worried. And yes, the original ring will have all but the first five stones back. I will probably not do anything more with it, at least for now. I may put some colored gemstones in the places where the five diamonds were, if he leaves them evenly spaced. That might look nice.

The WF thing goes like this...a couple of weeks ago, I had the urge to own one of their H&A diamonds. I didn''t really NEED it, or want to spend a lot for it, so I hunted around and found a nice .53 carat J VS2 stone that looked really nice. It was one of the Cut Above diamonds they sell. I didn''t have a clue what I wanted it set in, only that I wanted yellow gold. I had seen some pictures in SMTR of a handful of diamonds in the Vatche Royal Crown, so I had them set the diamond in that. Well, it came and was too big and didn''t look the way that I had expected. Thinking it was the too big size that made it look not quite right, I sent it back and had them re-size it. When I got it back again, it fit perfectly, and I wore if for a few days. As I''ve mentioned before, I am a lover of jewelry that is more on the petite and dainty size. But I have to tell you, for the Vatche Royal Crown was just not substantial enough, even for me! I don''t know if it''s because of the size of the diamond, or just they way that particular ring is made, but I didn''t feel comfortable with it. It didn''t set up high enough on my finger, and the prongs were much to dainty and thin for my taste. Don''t get me wrong...it was a very beautiful setting, just not what I really wanted. I posted some pics of it on SMTR. Not really good pictures, but the first one is pretty good.

Anyway, I called Leslie at WF and talked to her about my feelings regarding the Vatche setting. She was very understanding, and agreed that the Vatche RC was not the most substantial setting that I could have chosen. I had originally debated back and forth in my mind between the Vatche and the Laureato setting, both are on WF''s website. Leslie thought that I might be a lot happier with the Laureato. So...I sent the ring back again, and they are going to put the diamond in the yellow gold and platinum Laureato setting for me. I sent the ring back last Monday, and it got there on Thursday. I was kind of hoping to have it back and on my finger for Easter, but I got an email from WF saying that the ring probably won''t be ready to ship back to me until 3/29

. I guess I''m just a little disapointed, and I''m not a very patient person by nature. I HATE waiting for anything...lol. But I have seen the diamond, twice now I''ve had the gorgeous little thing in my hot little hands. So I know how much I love the diamond and I can''t wait to have it back in it''s "new" setting.

At least I have my good old solitaire back. And it looks so nice in it''s white gold and platinum setting. Almost like a brand new diamond! That''s why I had the jeweler switch the diamond to a white gold setting instead of the yellow...because I''m going to have my brand new H&A in a yellow gold setting soon! Now all I have to work on is how I''m going to get my hot little hands on a diamond band in white gold to go with my old diamond

.

 

[Patty]

Okay, sjz, I got it now...thanks for the explanation! Your comments about the Royal Crown are interesting. I can''t wait to see the new setting! Too bad that you have to wait for it. I guess they are busy right now. I had to wait over 4 weeks for my jeweler to put the new head on my wedding ring and I was going crazy!

The one thing I would do differently than you is I would try again with another jeweler for the 5 stone white gold ring. What about having a jeweler look in the Stuller book for you to find a setting for 5 .20c stones? Then it would not be "custom" and you would not spend a fortune on it and there is less chance of the local jeweler messing it up. All they do is put your stones in the setting! I just say that b/c I had some of my extra diamonds set into a Stuller semi-mount and it was very inexpensive and I think it looks great!

Another thing to consider is asking Whiteflash to set your stones in a white gold band for you. They have done a lot of custom work for people here and they are always very responsive from what I''ve read. I know Ame was not happy with her ring at first and they made her a new one more to her liking. (Just a though...I hate to think of all those unused diamonds in your MIL''s ring!)

 

[Patty]

Is this the Laureato you are going with? It''s beautiful!

 

[sjz]

Date: 3/24/2005 10

5:49 AM
Author: Patty
Okay, sjz, I got it now...thanks for the explanation! Your comments about the Royal Crown are interesting. I can't wait to see the new setting! Too bad that you have to wait for it. I guess they are busy right now. I had to wait over 4 weeks for my jeweler to put the new head on my wedding ring and I was going crazy!

The one thing I would do differently than you is I would try again with another jeweler for the 5 stone white gold ring. What about having a jeweler look in the Stuller book for you to find a setting for 5 .20c stones? Then it would not be 'custom' and you would not spend a fortune on it and there is less chance of the local jeweler messing it up. All they do is put your stones in the setting! I just say that b/c I had some of my extra diamonds set into a Stuller semi-mount and it was very inexpensive and I think it looks great!

Another thing to consider is asking Whiteflash to set your stones in a white gold band for you. They have done a lot of custom work for people here and they are always very responsive from what I've read. I know Ame was not happy with her ring at first and they made her a new one more to her liking. (Just a though...I hate to think of all those unused diamonds in your MIL's ring!)

Patty,

I appreciate your comments. But I did choose the mountings for both the yellow and the white gold mountings from a catalog. I don't know if it was Stuller or not...I didn't pay attention to that. But I found a style of band ring that I liked that was already set in the store, and asked them to order the identical blank mountings for me, one in yellow gold and one in white gold. So basically, all the jeweler had to do was put my stones in the settings. He didn't do them at the same time, because the white gold setting was on back-order and didn't arrive until after the yellow gold setting. By the time the white gold setting arrived, the jeweler had gone on vacation for two weeks. So the two rings were set about a month apart. The bottom line is...he did a nice job on the first ring and a poor job on the second ring. Instead of owning up to the fact that he loused up the second ring, he's trying to weasel out of it by blaming it on the stones.

I'm not sure if WhiteFlash will set diamonds if you don't buy the stones from them. Maybe someone who knows will give me a head's up.

As far as the Vatche RC setting...it really is a nice setting, and I would hate to discourage anyone from getting one if they really like it. But honestly...there isn't a lot of gold in that ring! The band is very thin, and the prongs are probably the most "delicate" ones I've ever seen. I suppose, considering the way they are made and the intricate manner in which the prongs are done, it wouldn't look right if the prongs were thicker or more substantial. And I have to tell you...a LOT of the diamond shows in that setting. So if someone is looking for a ring that really puts the diamond "out there" without a lot of metal getting in the way...the Vatche RC would be one to consider. My diamond is only .53 carat, I would imagine a bigger diamond would look HUGE in that setting.

The picture you posted is the one I'm getting. It's really hard to know how things are going to look sight unseen. That's why it was kind of scary buying from the internet. The Laureato is something that only WF sells, so there is no way to go to a local jeweler and take a look at one in person. It was the same with the Vatche...no store in my area carries Vatche settings. And the Vatche ring DID look different to me in person compared to the pictures on the website. I had even seen a picture of MY diamond in the setting, and other diamonds of approximately 1/2 carat in the Vatche, and they didn't really look the same in person on my finger. At any rate...Leslie assured me that the Laureato is a much more substantial ring, particularly the prongs. She is pretty sure I'll be happy with this one. Actually, the Laureato was my FIRST choice...DH talked me into trying the Vatche. I should learn to trust my instincts when it comes to things like jewelry and fashion...NOT my hubby's

 

[Patty]

Ahh, sjz, thanks for clearing up the setting question. Shoot, all he had to do was set your stone into the setting and he still messed up. Too bad.

I don''t know if Whiteflash would set stones that were not bought from them. I did not think about that aspect when I suggested them.

Of course you have thought all of this out!

I hope you love the Laureato setting! I too love a settiing with a bit more to it. Delicate is nice too but I prefer "substantial" lol.

 

[sjz]

Delicate yet substantial is a balance that''s hard to achieve...lol. Trust me, I''ve tried. I love the look of more substantial jewlery on other people''s hands. People with long slender fingers have it made! My hands are small. Not skinny, just small. I wear a size 6 on my ring finger. I could probably go smaller, but I have that pesky problem of my hands swelling at unpredictable times. I''d rather have a ring that was slightly bigger than I need that a ring that''s too tight! I get so panicky when a ring gets stuck on my finger! I also have short fingers. I have a hard time finding gloves that fit well. Even when I buy the small sized gloves, it seems like I have about 2 inches of extra leather hanging off the ends of my fingertips. My six year old son''s hands are nearly as big as mine!

Having small hands has been a challenge to me musically, too. It hasn''t been a problem with playing my sax, especially my little soprano. But it''s been quite a struggle playing guitar! And I have a big old full sized Fender acoustic. A friend of mine suggested a smaller student model, but it looks too much like a toy. Piano isn''t bad. I''ve been playing since I was 8 years old and sort of grew up playing the piano. My hands were even smaller back then (but not much!). Some of the classical music has been tricky for me, but I do ok.