Guy making my ring really upset me

[chocolatedelight]

Hi,

I have just got back from the guys who are making up my ring, and I feel so deflated. I took in the diamond I received, and asked him to give me his opinion on it, he said it was colour G/H (which was a good thing as it''s I) but the inclusions are NO LESS than I3 (it''s I1) Now I was not under any grand illusions that the ring was going to be flawless and totally white, the diamond for this ring was always going to be temporary, so as long as it was eyeclean, didnt look to yellow and the vendor offered an upgrade I was easy.

The guy today asked what certification it was, I said AGS, he said he had never heard of them and only GIA, IGI and HRD were worth bothering with if one wanted a certificated diamond, at that point I thought he must have been in the basement making rings for far too long as I am not even in the industry and even I know of AGS, he then pipes up that he could get me a better/bigger stone (not certificated by the way) for the same price (even though they have had weeks to find me a diamond but all came in over budget by about £60/$100) so I mentioned that I want it to a decent cut, I too could have got a bigger/whiter/cleaner stone, but it would have been cut bad, he says I shouldnt worry about that?!?!?! then he starts rattling on about he would never sell such a diamond and its not even on the Rapaport list

The diamond I have looks fine to me (even better than my original which was a G/H, SI), yes it is heavily included, but for the life of me I can not see a thing, and I really have been scrutinising it even more so today, even my hubby said it was nice and only when he used the loupe then he could see the inclusions, it comes up white and sparkles nice in the light, so why am I having these doubts and getting upset. If I could afford to go elsewhere to get the ring made I would, but his prices are the most reasonable, not the cheapest, but not the most expensive of all the quotes, and until now I had the best vibe from them. In fainess I usually deal with his wife and we got on really well and not pushy at all. Below is a link to my diamond by the way. Thanks and sorry for the long thread

http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/6151

 

[pancake]

If you must deal with this guy (and I wouldn''t, but I know you have reasons for doing so), then I would suggest keeping discussion to a minimum apart from his part of the bargain, which is setting the stone.

If he continues to rattle you, I would take the stone elsewhere (in fact I would consider that now). I am fairly blunt so I would also say something like, "Thank you for your opinion, however I am happy with my stone and would prefer not to discuss it further". Actually I would not even thank him!

You bought the diamond from a reputable dealer, you knew what you were getting (a beautifully cut but included stone), you know that AGS is a reliable lab, you know you have a great upgrade policy. Ignore this guy and enjoy having a sparkler back on your finger

 

[denverappraiser]

You asked for a rushed free opinion on a mounted stone from someone who you’ve already stated that you don’t think is an expert, at least in diamonds. He gave it, and his opinion was that you should have bought something from him even though he had the opportunity and couldn’t come up with the goods. He even demonstrated his lack of expertise (you shouldn’t worry about cut!!). So what? You bought it from a dealer that you researched and decided IS an expert, you have it graded by a well regarded lab who inspected it thoroughly and under optimum conditions and who put their observations in writing and signed it. Don’t second guess yourself, you did it right, even if he’s not all that happy with your decision.

This does raise another question though. How did you choose this guy to be your setter? Are you confident that he's more of an expert at that?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[susimoo]

Date: 2/23/2010 8:13:47 AM
Author: pancake
If you must deal with this guy (and I wouldn't, but I know you have reasons for doing so), then I would suggest keeping discussion to a minimum apart from his part of the bargain, which is setting the stone.


If he continues to rattle you, I would take the stone elsewhere (in fact I would consider that now). I am fairly blunt so I would also say something like, 'Thank you for your opinion, however I am happy with my stone and would prefer not to discuss it further'. Actually I would not even thank him!


You bought the diamond from a reputable dealer, you knew what you were getting (a beautifully cut but included stone), you know that AGS is a reliable lab, you know you have a great upgrade policy. Ignore this guy and enjoy having a sparkler back on your finger

I totally agree with Pancake.

This guy is doing you no favours. Either conclude the ring making business asap or if you can and prefer, find a more agreeable jeweller.

I really feel bad that he made you miserable about your new stone. You made your choices and were delighted with your purchase, he should not be making you feel bad about it. That is a lousy way to do business.

I hope this is resolved quickly.

 

[chocolatedelight]

Thanks Pancake, your reply made me chuckle as i can just imagine you in there giving him what for..

I think where we have had lots of banter before he has become too relaxed with me and kinda forgot that I am still a customer. Although his comment on the AGS thing has worried me, unless he was trying to scare me

Hmmm, may start looking for another company to do this ring, it took me ages to find this one though

 

[chocolatedelight]

Why can I not do quotes on this thing,

Until now, I have always more or less dealt with his wife, I didn''t go with him knowing he was no good, The rings he has made that I saw all seemed to be of a good standard and nothing I would worry about, its only now with this diamond thing that I am starting to have doubts. T

he shop is based in Hatton garden, I went to a few and had various quotes, from cheap and cheerful and the ridiculous, however, they seemed like the most genuine and helpful, as I have been telling the wife for weeks now that I would be sourcing my own diamond as she had given me her blessing as she wants me to be happy so if that means me getting my own diamond then so be it, but she has still without any pressure still showed me what she has got and I have not had a problem with that but were slightly over my budget, It''s only now the wife is away and the husband is dealing with it that I feel like I have walked into one of the shops that I avoided.

 

[hihowareyou]

chocolatedelight forget about his AGS comments, it is well noted that AGS is a very reputable lab. Unless you mean that the fact that he doesn''t know about them is making you worried about trusting him with your diamond and setting your ring.

I think he was probably trying to bully you into buying a diamond from him or just making you feel bad about not doing so. Remind him that you are still a customer and if he wants your business then he should treat you with respect. If you don''t think that is possible then I would start looking for a company to make your ring.

Good luck!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/23/2010 8:20:23 AM
Author: denverappraiser
You asked for a rushed free opinion on a mounted stone from someone who you’ve already stated that you don’t think is an expert, at least in diamonds. He gave it, and his opinion was that you should have bought something from him even though he had the opportunity and couldn’t come up with the goods. He even demonstrated his lack of expertise (you shouldn’t worry about cut!!). So what? You bought it from a dealer that you researched and decided IS an expert, you have it graded by a well regarded lab who inspected it thoroughly and under optimum conditions and who put their observations in writing and signed it. Don’t second guess yourself, you did it right, even if he’s not all that happy with your decision.

This does raise another question though. How did you choose this guy to be your setter? Are you confident that he's more of an expert at that?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

A hearty ditto to Neil. CD, you did do everything right, you have a beautifully cut stone there from an expert vendor that is further verified by one of THE MOST respected labs in the world. AGS aren't as well known in the UK but the fact remains that this grading lab along with GIA, represents the gold standard of diamond grading. Your diamond looks like one of Jon's modified h&a stones, these typically have longer lower girdle facets which can help aid sharper flashes of light and a thinner arrowed look, personally I really like these types of diamonds. I bet your jeweller hasn't seen an I1 to match that one and especially not for cut quality and beauty.

I am sorry this chap is being difficult. If he persists in his unwanted comments then I would politely say to him that I no longer wish to discuss the quality of the stone with him and can he or can he not set the stone? If he either cannot or does not wish to then please let you know so you can find another jeweller that is willing to provide this service.

 

[chocolatedelight]

Thanks for all your supportive replies, I really did start to doubt myself, and I really wish you could see this diamond IRL, I was trying to takes pics of it from yesterday, but keep coming out blurry so I must be doing something wrong, but it is a nice diamond for what it is, and have no issuse with it being on my finger whatsoever and I know for a fact the average person looking at this diamond would ever know it is an I1.

The wife just called, I told her that I am not intrested in any other diamonds that they may have, she then went on to say if she knew I was looking for such a low grade diamond she would have got me a better deal (I wasnt initally looking for a diamond with those specs by the way) and she could have got me one for $460 (around £300) and I was ripped off by GOG, I think on that note I will need to look for another company to make my ring....

 

[D&T]

That is a beautiful Diamond! I had inquired and almost bought it last month! (but alas i have too many wants

and had to stop somewhere)That guy is soooooo WRONG!~ he's just mad that you didn't buy it from him... Congratulations! and you got a fantastic price on it!

 

[Maisie]

I used to work for Goldsmiths the jewellers and my manager had never heard of AGS either. Maybe they just aren''t well known in the UK?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/23/2010 9:21:42 AM
Author: chocolatedelight
Thanks for all your supportive replies, I really did start to doubt myself, and I really wish you could see this diamond IRL, I was trying to takes pics of it from yesterday, but keep coming out blurry so I must be doing something wrong, but it is a nice diamond for what it is, and have no issuse with it being on my finger whatsoever and I know for a fact the average person looking at this diamond would ever know it is an I1.

The wife just called, I told her that I am not intrested in any other diamonds that they may have, she then went on to say if she knew I was looking for such a low grade diamond she would have got me a better deal (I wasnt initally looking for a diamond with those specs by the way) and she could have got me one for $460 (around £300) and I was ripped off by GOG, I think on that note I will need to look for another company to make my ring....

An I1 like the one we are discussing isn''t what I would consider a '' low grade'' diamond. It is cut to extremely high standards and is pretty much eyeclean from what I understand, hardly typical of what I consider to be a low grade stone.

If it was me, I would find another jeweller but it depends on your comfort level.

 

[chocolatedelight]

But surely regardless of what part of the world you are in, if you are in the industry you would familiarise yourself with as many certification companies as you can (or atleast the top 10 and I would have thought AGS was within one of the top labs), or is that just me? Maybe because of my quest find this diamond I have picked up more info than I needed to know..lol

Ok, now back to the drawing board to find someone to make this ring, just for the fact he made me eat chocolate and break my diet due to his comments is enough to make me not use his services

I know and everyone so far on here knows the diamond is not as bad as they are making out, that is the reason I purchased it as I have seen ALOT worse that are no where near eyeclean, they are just annoyed because I didnt buy from them and even though I was honest with them about sourcing my own from day one, they still had obviously hoped I would take one of theirs, and now I have not, the daggers are out, quite sad really, but hey ho..onwards and upwards.

Once again guys, thanks for all your comments and advice

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/23/2010 10:29:30 AM
Author: chocolatedelight
But surely regardless of what part of the world you are in, if you are in the industry you would familiarise yourself with as many certification companies as you can (or atleast the top 10 and I would have thought AGS was within one of the top labs), or is that just me? Maybe because of my quest find this diamond I have picked up more info than I needed to know..lol

Ok, now back to the drawing board to find someone to make this ring, just for the fact he made me eat chocolate and break my diet due to his comments is enough to make me not use his services

I know and everyone so far on here knows the diamond is not as bad as they are making out, that is the reason I purchased it as I have seen ALOT worse that are no where near eyeclean, they are just annoyed because I didnt buy from them and even though I was honest with them about sourcing my own from day one, they still had obviously hoped I would take one of theirs, and now I have not, the daggers are out, quite sad really, but hey ho..onwards and upwards.

Once again guys, thanks for all your comments and advice

You would think so but I am in the UK also and it hasn't been my experience overall that store jewellers are all that familiar with AGS, GIA yes. And thats it in a nutshell, I think its a case of sour grapes that they might have been hoping to make the sale and didn't. It certainly sounds as if they tried hard to put you off this diamond! I know it would be over for me after those exchanges anyway, I would find someone else to set that lovely stone.

Also you deserve some chocolate, I hope you enjoyed it! Now, get back on track with your plan, the chocolate won't make any difference!

 

[chocolatedelight]

Why did I think you were in the US Lorelei? So at least you know my pain of trying to have IGI stones flogged off on me, out of curiosity would they have had a chance in hell of finding me a diamond like mine for £300? somehow I doubt it, but intresting to know if it really could have been done.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/23/2010 11:19:21 AM
Author: chocolatedelight
Why did I think you were in the US Lorelei? So at least you know my pain of trying to have IGI stones flogged off on me, out of curiosity would they have had a chance in hell of finding me a diamond like mine for £300? somehow I doubt it, but intresting to know if it really could have been done.

I think many folk just assume I am in the US Choco and I DO understand your pain! Actually I don''t think they could find you a comparable diamond of that cut, colour, lab grade and cut grade which is eyeclean for that money, no.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 2/23/2010 8:39:02 AM
Author: hihowareyou
chocolatedelight forget about his AGS comments, it is well noted that AGS is a very reputable lab. Unless you mean that the fact that he doesn''t know about them is making you worried about trusting him with your diamond and setting your ring.

I think he was probably trying to bully you into buying a diamond from him or just making you feel bad about not doing so. Remind him that you are still a customer and if he wants your business then he should treat you with respect. If you don''t think that is possible then I would start looking for a company to make your ring.

Good luck!

Jewelers I''ve spoken with here in the US have given me blank looks after hearing my diamonds are AGS certified. A lot are trained to only praise labs who grade the diamonds they''re selling.

The diamond you purchased looks impeccable and if a jeweler insulted your stone, that is reason enough to go elsewhere. You want someone who sees your diamond as impressive and will set it with that mentality.

 

[chocolatedelight]

I have just contacted another company who seem ok (but so did this lot who cheesed me off today) they said I should consider a Paladuim ring if the Platinum comes up too expensive once they price it whats all that about, never heard of it??

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/23/2010 12:46:28 PM
Author: chocolatedelight
I have just contacted another company who seem ok (but so did this lot who cheesed me off today) they said I should consider a Paladuim ring if the Platinum comes up too expensive once they price it whats all that about, never heard of it??

I am not well versed in metals Choco, but Stonecold is, he might be able to help you. He is online so he should chime in presently.

 

[stone-cold11]

Pd is a cheaper white metal compared to Pt, lighter in weight, density about 12g/cm3 compared to Pt 21.5g/cm3. Some vendors reported that Pd has a tendency to be less durable, more fragile, probably due to manufacturing conditions as Pd can absorb large amount of gases when in molten state.

I would look at how much work they have done with Pd, various settings especially those that are similar to your design and what kind of warranty do they give for their workmanship before considering it.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/23/2010 1:07:22 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
Pd is a cheaper white metal compared to Pt, lighter in weight, density about 12g/cm3 compared to Pt 21.5g/cm3. Some vendors reported that Pd has a tendency to be less durable, more fragile, probably due to manufacturing conditions as Pd can absorb large amount of gases when in molten state.

I would look at how much work they have done with Pd, various settings especially those that are similar to your design and what kind of warranty do they give for their workmanship before considering it.

Thank you Stone!

 

[chocolatedelight]

Thanks SC and Lorelei, ok, will scrap that one then, I was happy with my platinum ring, nice and heavy, I totally refuse to do white gold, and this Paladium just doesn''t sit right with me going by what you have said.

 

[WinkHPD]

Good choice, if I had been able to answer earlier I would have stated my opinion that palladium is a lousy metal for jewelry. I have done a few of them and had so much problem with them a year or three after the sale that I will no longer make any rings in palladium. Some are just wonderful, and others get brittle. I do not know why, but will avoid palladium like the plague.

Wink

 

[kristie]

Sorry you are having to deal with this. Please do not doubt your diamond at ALL.......only doubt this guy that is making the ring for you. Honestly, I had someone try and talk down about my 2.11 RB I had and I left the store and also sent them an email saying that they lost a customer because I felt like the shop owner was disrespecting me and my diamond. Any good business owner would never do that.....it is classless.

I hope you are able to get another jeweler to set it for you! GL!