Poor craftsman ship from Whiteflash on custom engagement ring

[tyty333]

I agree with @headlight ...I feel like the stone is set too high. Do you want it set that high @idaoo ? If not, now would be the time to speak up.

 

[Tekate]

Bought 2 rings from them and they were perfect. Hope it all works out for you. sorry.

Also you may just may want to have them lower the stone, it looks very high, that may be what you want, but it will catch believe me, I am ancient and had at least 4 engagement rings over 45 years and the higher ones always knocked... but it's of course, your ring.. best wishes on the engagement! sorry this happened..

 

[idaoo]

I agree with @headlight ...I feel like the stone is set too high. Do you want it set that high @idaoo ? If not, now would be the time to speak up.

Thank you for your comment. This comment is what I wanted advice on because I am not an expert and cannot really judge a ring well.

No I did not want it set it so unnaturally high. This is actually a lowered version as the first CAD design they sent me had it even higher and I asked them to lower it because it seemed so high. Again I am completely new to rings in general so I couldn’t tell if it is to high or low, only a feeling that it doesn’t look right or good.

I sent WF images of inspiration ring which was the tiffanys six prong ring and asked them to replicate that as I thought picture would be best than my newbie skills to describe a ring design

I am glad that you also think the basket?prong setting looks weird. How should I tell WF to fix this? I’ve already told them what I want before but somehow it wasn’t reflected in the end product

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Hello @idaoo ,
I am very sorry for your dissappointment. The images you have posted do show issues.

I can assure you that when we recieve the ring back and our team have a chance to evaluate it, we will take the appropriate approach to addressing the situation, whether that is making adjustments or remaking the entire piece.

Our goal is for you to be completely satisfied with the finished product. And we will work tirelessly towards that goal.

I apologize for your concerns and inconvenience in having to ship the ring back to us.

 

[tyty333]

Thank you for your comment. This comment is what I wanted advice on because I am not an expert and cannot really judge a ring well.

No I did not want it set it so unnaturally high. This is actually a lowered version as the first CAD design they sent me had it even higher and I asked them to lower it because it seemed so high. Again I am completely new to rings in general so I couldn’t tell if it is to high or low, only a feeling that it doesn’t look right or good.

I sent WF images of inspiration ring which was the tiffanys six prong ring and asked them to replicate that as I thought picture would be best than my newbie skills to describe a ring design

I am glad that you also think the basket?prong setting looks weird. How should I tell WF to fix this? I’ve already told them what I want before but somehow it wasn’t reflected in the end product

I didnt say anything about the prongs. I just spoke of the stone looking like it was set high.

I personally would get rid of the diamonds on the prongs. I dislike big prongs and that's what you have to have to do pave on them. I think they
distract from the center stone. But this ring is not for me (alas, unfortunately).

Were all the prongs slightly twisted or just that one?

 

[idaoo]

I didnt say anything about the prongs. I just spoke of the stone looking like it was set high.

I personally would get rid of the diamonds on the prongs. I dislike big prongs and that's what you have to have to do pave on them. I think they
distract from the center stone. But this ring is not for me (alas, unfortunately).

Were all the prongs slightly twisted or just that one?

I sent the ring back couple of days ago so I cant look at it again but some were crooked and some were straight. but some of them seem to have a little wobbly line instead of straight line.

Also i meant the basket/diamond sitting height. I am newbie so i dont really know the correct wording for each aspect of a ring. I asked them to lower it during the first CAD design feedback due to it looking too high even for untrained eyes. I definitely did not ask to do a unnaturally high setting.

The design i really wanted was the diamonds in the prongs just like the tiffanys 6 pronged ring with diamonds in the prongs. To relay my want I sent WF several images of the desired ring design. I am wondering what else I could have done or tell them now to relay my want better.

 

[idaoo]

Hello @idaoo ,
I am very sorry for your dissappointment. The images you have posted do show issues.

I can assure you that when we recieve the ring back and our team have a chance to evaluate it, we will take the appropriate approach to addressing the situation, whether that is making adjustments or remaking the entire piece.

Our goal is for you to be completely satisfied with the finished product. And we will work tirelessly towards that goal.

I apologize for your concerns and inconvenience in having to ship the ring back to us.

Thank you for your comment. I will definitely do a follow up and post here as well for full transparency. I really found the customer service and in particular my designated helper outstanding in her responses. I am just very frustrated and disappointed because I am supposed to go an a engagement trip soon and without the ring I had to cancel many of the photo shoots we were supposed to have. I understand people make mistakes but I am also a person and can’t help but feel unhappy

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Thank you for your comment. I will definitely do a follow up and post here as well for full transparency. I really found the customer service and in particular my designated helper outstanding in her responses. I am just very frustrated and disappointed because I am supposed to go an a engagement trip soon and without the ring I had to cancel many of the photo shoots we were supposed to have. I understand people make mistakes but I am also a person and can’t help but feel unhappy

I understand completely. We know an engagement ring is not only a very expensive item, but more importantly it is of utmost personal value. We will do everything in our power to make this right for you. And it will be reviewed at the highest levels and receive expedited handling.

On behalf of the entire team, I again apologize for your disappointment, and thank you for your patience while we work through this for you.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Whiteflash has so many beautiful settings with pave, I would encourage you to look at one of those. I agree that putting diamonds on the prongs is a big mistake. Here are a few, but they have many more!

Benchmark LCP1 Small Pave Diamond Engagement Ring... | 2810

Add a touch of elegance with the Benchmark LCP1 Small Pave Diamond Engagement Ring from Whiteflash. | 2810

www.whiteflash.com

Legato Sleek Line Pave Diamond Engagement Ring | 422

Experience the elegance of the Legato Sleek Line Pave Diamond Engagement Ring. Love personified in a jewel. | 422

www.whiteflash.com

Classic Bead-Set Diamond Engagement Ring | 1006

Elegant and timeless, this diamond engagement ring features a classic bead-set design. Perfect for a romantic proposal. | 1006

www.whiteflash.com

Harmony Diamond Engagement Ring | 878

Sparkle with the Harmony Diamond Engagement Ring. A stunning symbol of love and commitment, featuring a brilliant diamond set in a timeless design. | 878

www.whiteflash.com

Elena Diamond Engagement Ring | 1364

Elena Diamond Engagement Ring. An engagement ring that showcases the beauty of love in the Elena design. | 1364

www.whiteflash.com

 

[Big Fat Facets]

personally, im not a fan of pave on the prongs. it does lessen the strength of them unless they are thicker to begin with ... which does not lend itself to pleasing aesthetics

in my personal experience, whiteflash is a very responsive company. i have experienced this from the tippy top down

im sorry you were disappointed. please know that, once notified, the utmost will be done to provide care to you and your situation

 

[idaoo]

*****Update*****

Late on update but I did get a remake of the ring which turned out good (although it had the azure when I did not want them but not a big deal at all). The craftsmanship on the second try seemed to be much better than the first time around. Pictures attached below.







Fast forward ~6 months and my ring has warped completely in shape. I did get a lifetime warranty so WF told me to send them back for a fix but I am afraid this will happen continuously every 6 months. The metal is platinum fyi. Should I be concerned?

 

[yssie]

Do you recall if the ring sustained any unusually hard impacts? Like - did you bang your finger, or anything like that, that you can recall?

If the warping happened because of one significant impact - you probably don't have too much to worry about, as long as that sort of trauma doesn't happen again. If, however, it's the result of continuous day-to-day pressure, then most likely it will continue to be a problem moving forward.

 

[LLJsmom]

I have worn platinum rings my whole life and I’ve never warped mine. What kind of things do you do regularly? Do you carry heavy things or do your work out with your rings? I have never heard of anyone warping their platinum ring every 6 months. I’m not accusing you of anything. Just trying to figure out what could be causing it.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

I have worn platinum rings my whole life and I’ve never warped mine. What kind of things do you do regularly? Do you carry heavy things or do your work out with your rings? I have never heard of anyone warping their platinum ring every 6 months. I’m not accusing you of anything. Just trying to figure out what could be causing it.

Same. Both my engagement ring (LAD) and wedding band (Tacori) are platinum and I’ve never had this happen. I almost never take my rings off and do not go easy on my hands. I’m sorry this happened to you.

 

[idaoo]

I have worn platinum rings my whole life and I’ve never warped mine. What kind of things do you do regularly? Do you carry heavy things or do your work out with your rings? I have never heard of anyone warping their platinum ring every 6 months. I’m not accusing you of anything. Just trying to figure out what could be causing it.

I am a doctor and never do any heavy lifting because i dont even work out. I honestly have no idea what it could be because I barely put any pressure on my fingers in my daily life. I have worn other rings for years without it ever bending so I honestly am at a loss… I just dont know how to approach this because simple fix to bend it back doesnt seem like it will fix the issue going forward

 

[idaoo]

Do you recall if the ring sustained any unusually hard impacts? Like - did you bang your finger, or anything like that, that you can recall?

If the warping happened because of one significant impact - you probably don't have too much to worry about, as long as that sort of trauma doesn't happen again. If, however, it's the result of continuous day-to-day pressure, then most likely it will continue to be a problem moving forward.

No singular incident. Just from day to day pressure. Upset that something like this could happen so quickly.

 

[kenny]

For decades I had no clue that I grind my teeth when I sleep.

Perhaps, unless you sleep without your ring, you do something with your hand or your grip.

 

[LLJsmom]

I am a doctor and never do any heavy lifting because i dont even work out. I honestly have no idea what it could be because I barely put any pressure on my fingers in my daily life. I have worn other rings for years without it ever bending so I honestly am at a loss… I just dont know how to approach this because simple fix to bend it back doesnt seem like it will fix the issue going forward

If you haven't already done so, I would suggest telling WF about your particular situation just so they know.

I wonder if you grip door handles particularly hard or what have you. It's funny that @kenny mentioned the teeth grinding thing because I do that which has probably contributed to my gum recession and I need a mouth guard. I am just saying stuff we all may be doing unconsciously can contribute. Crossing fingers that WF figures it out/makes it work out for you.

 

[Tourmaline]

You mentioned that you are a doctor. Do you hold tools in your work? With the diamonds set into the shank, a lot of metal is missing, and that does compromise strength.

 

[distracts]

No singular incident. Just from day to day pressure. Upset that something like this could happen so quickly.

If you haven't already shipped it back to WF, I would bring it to an independent appraiser to have him check the craftsmanship and for if there is porosity in the metal.

 

[yssie]

You mentioned that you are a doctor. Do you hold tools in your work? With the diamonds set into the shank, a lot of metal is missing, and that does compromise strength.

This.

Tools plus torque from constantly putting gloves on and taking them off.

Some people are just harder on jewellery than others. Perhaps a design with pave down the shank is simply not a great fit for your lifestyle?

Gold might be a better choice for you than platinum, if you wind up going a different route. Platinum deforms inelastically - when force is applied and removed, platinum tends to give way to accommodate the stress and remain deformed, whereas gold tends to give way and then try to "bounce back" to it's original work-hardened shape. Gold, however, will fail (just break) at lower stress than platinum.

 

[idaoo]

You mentioned that you are a doctor. Do you hold tools in your work? With the diamonds set into the shank, a lot of metal is missing, and that does compromise strength.

I am a family doctor so no not too many tools. I will talk to WF because I do not want to deal with a bend every six months

 

[idaoo]

If you haven't already done so, I would suggest telling WF about your particular situation just so they know.

I wonder if you grip door handles particularly hard or what have you. It's funny that @kenny mentioned the teeth grinding thing because I do that which has probably contributed to my gum recession and I need a mouth guard. I am just saying stuff we all may be doing unconsciously can contribute. Crossing fingers that WF figures it out/makes it work out for you.

Yes I may be doing something unconsciously. I did wear a sterling silver ring on the same finger for 8 years without a problem though. Different metal so it is not the same but six months is also not 8 years..

 

[distracts]

This.

Tools plus torque from constantly putting gloves on and taking them off.

Some people are just harder on jewellery than others. Perhaps a design with pave down the shank is simply not a great fit for your lifestyle?

Gold might be a better choice for you than platinum, if you wind up going a different route. Platinum deforms inelastically - when force is applied and removed, platinum tends to give way to accommodate the stress and remain deformed, whereas gold tends to give way and then try to "bounce back" to it's original work-hardened shape. Gold, however, will fail (just break) at lower stress than platinum.

I would think torque from gloves would deform the head but not the shank, except where the shank may twist if the head is pushed to the side, which is not what it looks like happened. It looks more like the ring was squashed top to bottom, like if the hand got caught in door or something.

Yes I may be doing something unconsciously. I did wear a sterling silver ring on the same finger for 8 years without a problem though. Different metal so it is not the same but six months is also not 8 years..

Was the silver ring skinny or wide? Silver is softer than platinum, so would deform more easily if all else was comparable, but I doubt it had pave diamonds swiss-cheesing the metal, and a lot of silver rings are also thicker.

 

[idaoo]

I would think torque from gloves would deform the head but not the shank, except where the shank may twist if the head is pushed to the side, which is not what it looks like happened. It looks more like the ring was squashed top to bottom, like if the hand got caught in door or something.



Was the silver ring skinny or wide? Silver is softer than platinum, so would deform more easily if all else was comparable, but I doubt it had pave diamonds swiss-cheesing the metal, and a lot of silver rings are also thicker.

It was tiffanys 1837 ring. Looks exactly the same after 8 years on the same finger the engagement ring got bent on.

 

[distracts]

It was tiffanys 1837 ring. Looks exactly the same after 8 years on the same finger the engagement ring got bent on.

The thing to realize about pave is that there is dramatically less metal on pave areas of a ring than solid areas. So it will always warp faster than solid metal of a similar width. The Tiffany ring is a whole lot sturdier and I'm not surprised it never bent. The main thing with the platinum ring I would think is to figure out if it bent because there is a porosity/craftsmanship issue or if it bent because it is not a ring suited to your lifestyle.

Do you wear your ring all the time or do you take it off when you sleep, exercise, carry grocery bags in that hand, etc?

 

[idaoo]

The thing to realize about pave is that there is dramatically less metal on pave areas of a ring than solid areas. So it will always warp faster than solid metal of a similar width. The Tiffany ring is a whole lot sturdier and I'm not surprised it never bent. The main thing with the platinum ring I would think is to figure out if it bent because there is a porosity/craftsmanship issue or if it bent because it is not a ring suited to your lifestyle.

Do you wear your ring all the time or do you take it off when you sleep, exercise, carry grocery bags in that hand, etc?

I wear it all the time. I fully agree pave ring is less thicker but I feel six months life span is unacceptable. If this is the case for all pave rings I certainly wouldn’t have made this choice..

 

[MillieLou]

Gripping the steering wheel firmly will do that. Personally I can't be doing with babying my everyday rings (also a doctor) and I'd be inclined to reset in plain solid metal for daily wear.

 

[LLJsmom]

I wear it all the time. I fully agree pave ring is less thicker but I feel six months life span is unacceptable. If this is the case for all pave rings I certainly wouldn’t have made this choice..

Do you wear it handling dishes, washing, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, gardening, carrying a stroller, etc?

 

[distracts]

I wear it all the time. I fully agree pave ring is less thicker but I feel six months life span is unacceptable. If this is the case for all pave rings I certainly wouldn’t have made this choice..

If you sleep in your ring, that alone could do it even if it is made properly. If you have a pave ring, you really ought to only wear it only when you're awake, and even that is going to lead to more deformities than wearing it only at appropriate times: i.e., awake and not doing anything that puts any pressure on that hand. If you want a ring you can wear all the time, you need to get something without pave. If you still want a ton of diamonds down the shank, get a channel set band. Otherwise, get a solid one. And no pave on the prongs for sure.

Not only is the pave ring less thick than the silver ring, but everywhere there is a diamond, there is a hole. So even if they were visually the same thickness, the pave ring would have only half as much metal or less. The less metal you see and more diamond you see isn't just a visual trick - it is very much that there is less metal and more diamond. This makes the ring more fragile. Jewelers don't quiz you about your desired wear habits before selling you a ring, and Leon Mege is the only one I've seen outright state how little you should wear pave rings.