Hello Pricescope viewers. I''m new to this and need advice.

[Jaded Gem]

Good morning everyone. I know this is early but I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Can anybody tell me what the right way of putting together a diamond and selecting the right setting? I just had a very bad experience trying to do this on my own, and maybe I am to blame for all of this since I did not know what I was doing. I tried to read all the online tutorials and I would say about three to five books about diamonds. I've been doing research for about six months to about a year. I've tried to ask as many questions as possible, but I guess I've never put a diamond engagement ring together until this past month so I don't know if my experience is common and if I should try again to build another ring or just chalk up my experience and let others learn from the lessons that I have learned. Sorry I know I can be kind of wordy. Any advice for me?

 

[strmrdr]

Would you be willing to share what went wrong?
Have you purchased the ring or do you need our help selecting one?
I would never buy a pre-packaged ring in anything but a cheap fun ring.
The quality just isnt there in most cases.
Just as a general tidbit it is often a good idea to get the setting and diamond the same place and have them mount it.
Or have it aappraised unmounted have the independant appraiser get it mounted they should know someone trustworthy to mount it.

 

[Jaded Gem]

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Hello. Thank you for your feedback. Well, I liked the look of Asschers so I was in the process of purchasing one at Union Diamond that was .78, E, VS1. To me it looked like a very good cut for a very good price. And I talked to Tony Rixom who was very nice to me at the time. They didn't have any antique settings so I looked around at other sites. I ended up buying a setting from Oxford Diamond Company. I couldn't afford a Tacori setting and so I bought an off make of one that looked like it.

Here was Oxford Diamond's description "This PLATINUM Antique Hand Engraved Custom Ring is perfect for your Solitaire Round or Princess Cut Diamond ranging from .75CT to 1.25CT.....It truly has the look of a Antique Estate Ring." I had liked the look, but of couse it wasn't Tacori. That didn't bother me since they said it was hand engraved nonetheless, and they had a refund policy. My big question, and one that bothers me now, was if an Asscher cut diamond was appropriate for this setting since the owner, Steve, at Oxford Diamond said it could take "Solitaire Round or Princess Cut Diamond ranging from .75CT to 1.25CT." So I e-mailed Steve with my measurements for my Asscher which was 5.23X5.15X3.28 mm. and he said that it would be fine because this setting was made for circular stones as well as rectangular and emerald type stones.

Then I talked to Tony Rixom from Union Diamond who I considered my trusty jeweler and I sent them the forwarded e-mail from Oxford Diamond Company which they (Oxford Diamond Company) said that any good jeweler would have no problem making it look like it was custom fitted.

Wanting more than Oxford Diamond's advice, I told Tony that I needed his expertise in the jewelry business because I had none and I valued his opinion. He agreed to look at it and tell me his thoughts of what could be done. I also told him that when I placed the diamond into the mounting, the circular basket had stuck out and I didn't know if that could have been fixed. I told him that the diamond and setting looked "mismatched" as if the diamond was too small for the setting or the setting was too big for the diamond. I didn't know if he could rework the platinum head mounting area, but I trusted that he would get back to me with his thoughts. That didn't happen.

So for awhile I kept everyone that I worked with posted and I thought, "great, I'll order that setting and the diamond." I got the setting first and then I got the diamond. When I got the diamond, I took it down to Professional Gem Sciences downtown Chicago to get it verified and everything came out like the G.I.A. certificate stated.

Long before purchasing the diamond, I did the DIY cut grading on David Atlas' website and the online emerald diamond calculator gave it a 1A to 1B grading. I also e-mailed Robert Hensley from findmyjeweler.com to verify that the price was good which it was very good. I've read books on how to evaluate and purchase diamonds and so I knew with emerald type stones that color and clarity would be important. Of course, I also knew that cut was above everything else. I thought I had contacted all the important people and informed myself through all the websites and through books. I guess I didn't do enough.

And do you do know what happened to me next. Tony at Union Diamond had mounted the stone onto the ring which voided the return policy on the ring mounting from Oxford Diamond Company. Oxford's policy was that if the ring was altered in any way then they would not accept the return which is understandable. But before Union Diamond mounted my stone, I told Tony that I didn't have a problem returning the mounting if things didn't look right, but they mounted it regardless which voided out the return.

So Union Diamond sent the finished product back to me the next day, and I saw this big ugly circular intrusion surrounding a square stone. I called Tony about it and he pretty much told me that it was the ring company's fault for selling that mounting to me to begin with since there were so many problems with it besides that one. (I don't know why he didn't tell me this before when I told them that I could have returned the ring for a refund, traded in the ring, or bought elsewhere since I didn't like the circular intrusion and asked if anything could be done.) I thought something could be done by informing Tony of the circular intrusion, but if not then I would return the ring to the manufacturer to get a full refund. Too late, UD mounted it.

And when I told Tony about the circular intrusion still being visible. Tony proceeded to tell me that the mounting was not hand engraved but cast. Furthermore, he said that the ring wasn't manufactured that well, and that the ring mounting sold me out because that setting was meant for circular diamonds. Then he told me that he could cut the ring apart and solder and file away to make the basket square or rectangular, but in another earlier e-mail he told me that this jeweler couldn't make a square platinum basket from a round one. That's where I was confused and frustrated and some of my trust was lost. Then I was told that if I wanted it to be mounted in one of their platinum settings then I would have to pay whatever that would cost.

So to make a long story shorter, Union Diamond gave me back my money for the diamond and they gave me back my altered ring. They told me that I should be expecting that FedEx sometime today. I had to eat the wire cost, ring cost, verification cost, and the cost to send them back the diamond via insured mail. Not counting the ring mounting, I spent about $150 to $200 on this process, and I can't return the ring mounting because it has been altered. And I have this "Carte Blu" for the diamond that I don't have anymore.

I was hoping that they would set the diamond in one of their settings for free because of what had happenend to me, but they wanted to charge me. When I told them I didn't think I should pay again, they told me that I was being "silly and rediculous." I was balling to both Tony and Scott on two different occasions because I was so frustrated with what had happened.

I have to say that Tony Rixom did talk to his partner, Scott Anderson about this problem. After a few days of thinking about my situation, yesterday Scott finally offered me a ring mounting from their company to be set in one of their mountings for free which they also said they would of course keep my old ring mounting that I purchased from Oxford Diamond. I thought that was great and I thought I told them so, but they changed their minds yesterday evening. Last night and today, via e-mail, Scott Anderson at Union Diamond said that the money that I had spent for my diamond would be returned to me with my altered ring. What can I do? I think I just have to look at it as not being profitable to them for them to set my ring correctly in one of their settings for free. My frustration means nothing and I have to accept it.

Now I will have a ring mounting not meant for an Asscher. I guess nobody thought to tell me this until I saw how ugly the ring looked. Maybe everybody thought that I wouldn't notice such an obvious intrustion. So my words of advice is not to buy a ring with a circular basket no matter who tells you that it's meant for a rectangular or square stone. Maybe trusting your jeweler is one that is meant to develop over time and that sending products off to others relies on your expectations of what will be fully disclosed to you. There may be things that won't be told to you until after the fact despite you wanting and asking for second opinions.

And as much as studying diamonds took me, I wish I studied the mountings more because nobody told me this wouldn't work until after the fact, even when I told the jewelry experts that it didn't look right to begin with. But again, I wanted a second opinion(s) and it cost me. Maybe I learned not to be so trustworthy from this transaction. Both diamond and ring parties have blamed each other for this mishap, but I think I feel the greatest loss of all. Maybe I shouldn't ask so many questions because I might not be told the full story or things may not be disclosed to me even though I am the customer who is asking to be informed.

I guess second opinions even from the jewelry experts can be costly. So I've gotten over being frustrated. I guess I just thought I would inform newbies or people who think they've done everything possible that events such as this scernario like mine can happen. I would hope not for your sanity. And I guess I shouldn't try to put together another ring again because things like this could happen even when you only deal with two vendors. What are your thoughts?

 

[strmrdr]

ouch :{
Im at work I will respond further when I get home later this evening.

 

[Jaded Gem]

Can anybody tell me if I did something wrong? Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[Jaded Gem]

Hello Caratgirl. You said, "I guess if there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, maybe you should have had both the diamond and the setting sent to you first to inspect how they would look together, then sent them on to the setter." Yes that did happen. I had both things sent to me first and when looking at both things separately, they looked great. When you put the diamond inside the ring mounting, the circular basket below engulfed the diamond. So I knew it was not a too small setting problem...I just didn't know if it was the right setting or what could be done with the head area. The ring people said pretty much, "no problem, have your jeweler or the people who are setting it look at it and see what they could do, but we don't see a problem. We'll refund your money if it doesn't work out, but if they do set it, which of course would mean altering the prongs, then we can't accept it and there is no refund." So I thought "okay, I'll send it to the diamond people (Union Diamond who sold me my diamond were also my setter) and have them look at it and give me their opinion(s)." So I e-mailed them about the problem and they responded that they would let me know if any existed. Unfortunately, they never called or e-mailed me back. When Union Diamond got both diamond and ring, they just set it despite my questioning objection. I guess I needed a second opinion and that is what the ring people told me to do and said that Union Diamond should provide me with the answer since they would have more knowledge of this than I would. I never got the second opinion and now nobody wants to do anything to rectify the situation because it would make them lose money to try and correct it. The ring people considered setting the diamond into the ring as used and they don't refund on "used items." The diamond company didn't want to set it into their settings because I didn't want to buy another setting and they didn't deem putting the diamond in their setting for free was a viable option even though I gave them permission to keep my old setting. It would have been like a trade for the proper setting, but they didn't want to do it. So Union Diamond said they have cut me a check for the diamond and they are returning the original ring. I haven't received either yet, and I am still waiting for the FedEx package. I told them that they could change their mind, retrieve the package, and do it the right way, but they won't. At the end, I think I trusted the diamond company the most and I feel as if they let me down the most. I guess this is where my frustration arose and all my trust in jewelry professionals or experts are now lost.

 

[jenibear]

Can I be blunt with you? If the setting didn't look right with your diamond you should have returned it. You could have just purchased the diamond and went on a setting hunt - bringing the diamond with you to make sure things looked right.
I also have to say I do not understand what union diamonds problem is. Couldn't they have changed the head on the ring to accomodate a square? If not, they should have told you that before setting the stone.
So now you have no diamond and no ring?
Well I would work personally with a trusted vendor here and start the process anew.
I used diamond brokers of florida. The most talked about vendors here are Good Old Gold, Superbcert and Whiteflash.
I think any of those vendors would help you purchase a gorgeous diamond and setting.
Good luck.
Mistakes happen. Learn from it and move on!

 

[Sagebrush]

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On 12/23/2003 8:56:07 AM Jaded Gem wrote:

Good morning everyone. I know this is early but I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Can anybody tell me what the right way of putting together a diamond and selecting the right setting? I just had a very bad experience trying to do this on my own, and maybe I am to blame for all of this since I did not know what I was doing. I tried to read all the online tutorials and I would say about three to five books about diamonds. I've been doing research for about six months to about a year. I've tried to ask as many questions as possible, but I guess I've never put a diamond engagement ring together until this past month so I don't know if my experience is common and if I should try again to build another ring or just chalk up my experience and let others learn from the lessons that I have learned. Sorry I know I can be kind of wordy. Any advice for me?

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Such trial and tribulation! I suggest that you consider visiting and making eye contact with a designer-goldsmith who can work a sketch pad? Why all the buzzing about the web, shipments and emails when you could sit down with a graduate gemologist? Is it just to save a nickle? Surely there are experts of this type near where you live? "Five books, six months research" Sounds like you did just enough research to become dangerous to yourself. This is like doing heart surgery with a diagram and a pen knife. Was all this effort including the time spent really worth the savings? Did you really save anything?

Lordy, lordy,

 

[geo10000]

Hello, I am sorry to hear about the bad experience. To viewers reading this I would draw two points here that I noticed although to the originating post it is too late to help. No. 1, DO NOT attempt to buy a Tacori "want to be" mounting. I have yet to find anyone who can duplicate the craftmanship of Tacori. It is because of Tacori's quality that makes it desirable, do not cut corners by trying to get something similar from jewelers who say they have something similar...they all seem to fall short. With Tacori's new factory in California they truly are keeping the quality in line. I am writing this out of experience of several people who have expressed concerns to me regarding this about their on line purchases. No. 2, if you are looking to put together a ring and need ideas go to a brick and mortar store! Take time to look and touch the jewelry. Do not buy from the internet if you don't have any idea of the style you want as you know styles can vary greatly from what you see once you receive the item.
As mentioned before, this post is for readers after the fact.

George

 

[Jaded Gem]

Hello. Thanks for the advice. I guess Dick is right, I tried to put something together for myself and ended up killing all of my good intentions by not going to a local B & M place and talking to a graduate gemologist and goldsmith. I guess my fault is having faith in people and online vendors. Golly, thanks for letting me know that I committed suicide by trying to do it on my own. Yes, I know that I am no expert no matter how few or many books and online posts that I read. I guess Dick is trying to say that I brought on all this misfortune onto myself, and that people who trust online vendors for their opinions are only trying to save a nickel and are silly. It seems like a cynical reply and one that I was not expecting, but I guess it is also a logical arguement for him to reply as such. As far as the "wannabe Tacori" setting that I purchased, I read from another poster, George, that I probably should have bought the real thing since the other antique Tacori poser settings probably would not measure up. Yes, I think from these replies, I have learned not to put any ring together for that matter because I am not a jewelery expert and probably never will be one. Also my trust in jewelry experts is my own fault? I thought I was doing all that I could as a consumer, but maybe I fell short and I was not doing enough. I trusted other people, with more expertise in the jewelery profession, to be honest with me about their product and their product's accomodations to a certain diamond shape. I guess I was expecting too much in return and maybe I should have known that. Thanks for informing me. Maybe a trip to Tiffany's or another reputable jewelery store would have saved me the grief of trying to put something together.