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Problem with Shay Jewelry

LilAlex said:
I may have been overstating for effect. All jewelry costs way more than its intrinsic value. Hop over to the "5 pieces you meet in H_ll" thread for our way-worse-than-yours diamond studs.

For Cartier and VCA, they use very high-quality elements to go with their outstanding design.

I agree that it is a sunk cost. Nothing to do there. You have appropriately gotten plenty of joy out of them over the years -- and they are pieces to be proud of. IANAL, but I envision that there is no legal recourse here. "Gem grading is subjective." Every single piece of used camera equipment (my niche) for sale on eBay is "Super-gem++++ AAAAAA like-new" even though they were clearly lugged around in a box of rocks for decades.
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There is no statute of limitations on murder or fraud. If you prove fraud, they have to refund you. I got The Real Real to take back a diamond they grades as G and GIA graded as a M 2 years later.
 
glitterbomb said:
I'm planning to take all of my other pieces purchased from Shay jewelry to a jeweler sometime this month. I'm very interested (and scared, honestly) to find out what the materials really are.

Everything I own from Shay jewelry:
18.5ctw diamond tennis necklace (77k)
diamond pave medium link choker (33k)
diamond pave mini link choker (15k)
3 pave diamond marquise drop mini link chokers (170k)
pink sapphire pave mini link choker (8k)
diamond pave mini link bracelet (8k)
pink sapphire heart pave mini link bracelet (11k)
2 diamond pave essential link bracelets (42k)
diamond pave geo link bracelet (27k)

1 (1).jpg

a total of over 400k in merchandise including tax :wall:

I've been a loyal customer of theirs for a long, long time, almost seven years, which is why I trusted them repeatedly with the tennis bracelet despite evidence that I shouldn't have.

In my opinion, it makes this situation of receiving the wrong carat weight and then the wrong diamond color honestly seem even crazier. Why would they risk losing a customer who has spent that much money with their company - unless, they've been doing this all along and I just never knew?

I'm starting to get seriously concerned that the above items I purchased are not what they were described to be. :shifty:
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Print off the website descriptions of all of these pieces so that if they come out to be materially different you can bring the situation to the AG in your state.
 
Yes, they are very clever. Their descriptions don't say anything that could get them in trouble in relation to diamond color. They will only tell you diamond color if you ask via the chat feature on their website.
 
Mkrsz1ppy said:
There is no statute of limitations on murder or fraud. If you prove fraud, they have to refund you. I got The Real Real to take back a diamond they grades as G and GIA graded as a M 2 years later.
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Wow! That's the second time I've heard of a company grading a M color diamond as a G color. :shock: I'm glad you got your money back.
 
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glitterbomb said:
Also, I found the custom 16ct bracelet on their website, priced at $43,680 when they sold it to me at a price of $54,000.
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This is like the insurance industry: instead of a loyalty discount, there is a loyalty premium. (That is, they have no need to work for your business and there is no risk that you will walk.)
 
Personally, I'd spring for the appraisals (at least for a couple of the higher ticket items) for my own piece of mind.

$120-200 per appraisal is no small chunk of change to keep throwing at this problem. But I figure, if the results show the quality of the stones aren't actually that bad, then hopefully it'd help you feel somewhat better about the situation. On the other hand, if they do end up being graded poorly, then that could help you set expectations for their resale value.

Do take my words with a grain of salt though. I confess part of me is just nosy and want to know how what an independent appraiser will say. :shifty:
 
I think they were very clever (devious) not to put diamond quality on their receipts and website. But that's also a big red flag to those of us who have been buying fine jewelry for many years. I am sure glitterbomb will be careful in the future to get well documented pieces of jewelry. At least the WF bracelet will have AGS graded stones and all of that is documented on the receipts (plus we know they are honest and have fine quality!). I will say that I was fooled on the first pair of diamond studs I bought pre-Pricescope. Sometimes we learn lessons the hard way, unfortunately. If there's no GIA or AGS report, there absolutely MUST be a written description on the receipt stating the specs of a piece, especially when diamonds are larger than pave size. Make sure there is a written return policy and get very expensive diamond items appraised by an independent appraiser. I am just saying that for future newbies who might read the thread.
 
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diamondseeker2006 said:
I think they were very clever (devious) not to put diamond quality on their receipts and website. But that's also a big red flag to those of us who have been buying fine jewelry for many years. I am sure glitterbomb will be careful in the future to get well documented pieces of jewelry. At least the WF bracelet will have AGS graded stones and all of that is documented on the receipts (plus we know they are honest and have fine quality!). I will say that I was fooled on the first pair of diamond studs I bought pre-Pricescope. Sometimes we learn lessons the hard way, unfortunately. If there's no GIA or AGS report, there absolutely MUST be a written description on the receipt stating the specs of a piece, especially when diamonds are larger than pave size. Make sure there is a written return policy and get very expensive diamond items appraised by an independent appraiser. I am just saying that for future newbies who might read the thread.
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This is 100% correct.

I had no idea and I thought I could trust what they would say via the chat feature, and it never even occurred to me that it mattered diamond color/clarity wasn't on the invoice/receipt or description of the item online. Now I have learned the hard way that it does matter and is very important, because even a company that is in major stores and is worn by celebrities is capable of being not truthful.

They definitely know what they are doing not putting diamond quality on their invoices/receipts and on their website, and I am positive it is intentional. This company had an article in Forbes - they are clearly doing very well, and there should be no need for them to be maximizing their profits by misleading customers about diamond quality. It's so strange.
 
I noticed for some items they do list diamond color / clarity.

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The price for these earrings is insane, right?! 25k for a 1.23 ct D/VS1 diamond (50k for the pair)? They should be 15k each and 30k for the pair. Why are they ripping people off? :((
 
glitterbomb said:
The price for these earrings is insane, right?! 25k for a 1.23 ct D/VS1 diamond (50k for the pair)? They should be 15k each and 30k for the pair. Why are they ripping people off?
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This one's a little trickier -- i don't know what a legit mark-up is in NYC but I doubt this is a sky-high overhead outfit like a Cartier renting (?) premier real estate in the world's most expensive cities, etc. Then again, somebody has to pay Dua Lipa!

I am not confident that these are independently-graded D/VS1 or even decently cut. Maybe missing by a color-grade or two fall within the realm of acceptability, in terms of consumer protection; even stones sent to the same lab twice can come back with different reports.
 
glitterbomb said:
I noticed for some items they do list diamond color / clarity.

Screen Shot 2022-06-13 at 3.11.41 AM.png

The price for these earrings is insane, right?! 25k for a 1.23 ct D/VS1 diamond (50k for the pair)? They should be 15k each and 30k for the pair. Why are they ripping people off? :((
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Wow, that is crazy!!! Very overpriced. They look pretty small, too.
 
The problems with this company just never end.

I didn't disclose this previously, but I purchased the tennis necklace along with the second tennis bracelet. I know. It was an incredibly stupid decision.

Well, I just cleaned it gently with the soft brush and cleaning solution Shay included in my order. I have been using the same soft brush and cleaning solution on several of my rings and whiteflash bracelet, with no issues, since I received it a week ago.

THE COLOR IMMEDIATELY CAME OFF OF THE NECKLACE IN FOUR DIFFERENT PLACES. A total of 16 "links" where the necklace is no longer white gold, and is YELLOW GOLD on one side of the necklace. If it seems like I'm yelling, it's because I am.

I am so upset. I cannot believe this. I have never, ever encountered so many problems with a brand before in my life.

This was a $77,000 necklace. I just received it June 9th. Only ONE WEEK AGO.
I feel absolutely sick over this. I seriously can't believe this is happening.

I actually really liked this necklace, because it's adjustable from 11" to 15" and I was able to finally have a tennis necklace that fit me well, since I like tennis necklaces to be around 13" - 14" and no other brand that I've found makes tennis necklaces that length unless you get it altered by a jeweler. The diamonds in this necklace are colorless to my eye and seem good quality, unlike the tennis bracelet.

I'm upset that this happened and that it was made so poorly, and I am sad that I can't keep this necklace that I really enjoyed and have been wearing every day since I got it. Maybe whiteflash can make a tennis necklace that is adjustable like this, if I ask them specifically for what I want? I am really sad that I am not going to have anything to wear in its place when it is gone, and don't know where else to go to buy an 18.5ctw F / VS adjustable tennis necklace that is actually made well.

Anyway, I wrote Shay's customer service team an email, included pictures, and requested a full refund. I hope they don't offer to repair it. I am not going to accept that, because it is just going to happen again.

I know it looks like it could just be from the shadow in these pictures, but I promise you it is not. The white gold is no longer there in those areas.

IMG_6221.jpg

IMG_6225.jpg

IMG_6226.jpg

IMG_6222.jpg
 
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glitterbomb said:
The problems with this company just never end.

I didn't disclose this previously, but I purchased the tennis necklace along with the second tennis bracelet. I know. It was an incredibly stupid decision.

Well, I just cleaned it gently with the soft brush and cleaning solution Shay included in my order. I have been using the same soft brush and cleaning solution on several of my rings and whiteflash bracelet, with no issues, since I received it a week ago.

THE COLOR IMMEDIATELY CAME OFF OF THE NECKLACE IN FOUR DIFFERENT PLACES. A total of 16 "links" where the necklace is no longer white gold, and is YELLOW GOLD on one side of the necklace. If it seems like I'm yelling, it's because I am.

I am so upset. I cannot believe this. I have never, ever encountered so many problems with a brand before in my life.

This was a $77,000 necklace. I just received it June 9th. Only ONE WEEK AGO.
I feel absolutely sick over this. I seriously can't believe this is happening.

I actually really liked this necklace, because it's adjustable from 11" to 15" and I was able to finally have a tennis necklace that fit me well, since I like tennis necklaces to be around 13" - 14" and no other brand that I've found makes tennis necklaces that length unless you get it altered by a jeweler. The diamonds in this necklace are colorless to my eye and seem good quality, unlike the tennis bracelet.

I'm upset that this happened and that it was made so poorly, and I am sad that I can't keep this necklace that I really enjoyed and have been wearing every day since I got it. Maybe whiteflash can make a tennis necklace that is adjustable like this, if I ask them specifically for what I want? I am really sad that I am not going to have anything to wear in its place when it is gone, and don't know where else to go to buy an 18.5ctw F / VS adjustable tennis necklace that is actually made well.

Anyway, I wrote Shay's customer service team an email, included pictures, and requested a full refund. I hope they don't offer to repair it. I am not going to accept that, because it is just going to happen again.

I know it looks like it could just be from the shadow in these pictures, but I promise you it is not. The white gold is no longer there in those areas.

IMG_6221.jpg

IMG_6225.jpg

IMG_6226.jpg

IMG_6222.jpg
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I feel like crying reading your post
I feel so bad for you
This is just not fare or just
 
glitterbomb said:
I honestly feel like crying too. I'm so upset from this. I was enjoying the necklace too, why is this happening. Why is their craftsmanship so horrible???
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I feel sick for you :(2
Its so much money
I mean even if it wasn't so much money its still really bad
ive never even heard of Shay jewlery (because you know i have lost my shopped down the mall - sigh) but i want to know what on earth is goinh on there :confused::x2
How can a plating just rub off so easily ?
 
I have no idea how it could just rub off so easily. I've never encountered anything like this before. My white gold pieces from VCA have never had the plating wear off.

I did some research and rhodium plating can wear off white gold anywhere from a few weeks to years, depending on how much you wear the piece, the oils/lotion on your skin, the pH of your skin, and the quality of the plating. But it has only been one week....

The side of the necklace where the rhodium plating has worn off is not the side that touches my skin. So it can't be from that. It must be the quality of the plating.

ETA: "Even a thin layer (.30 microns) should not wear away that fast on the inside of a ring, since there is practically no wear there. It could be that the jeweler is not cleaning the ring thoroughly or not electro cleaning the ring before plating. So it’ll look like the ring is plated, but the rhodium is not actually adhered to the ring, thus you wear it and almost immediately the plating come off" - from a reddit comment
 
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glitterbomb said:
I have a bad feeling they are going to refuse giving me a refund. I will have to get my lawyer involved if that is what they choose to do.
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What a horrible saga. But when you buy a replacement from white flash or wherever, it will be a testament to your strength and durability- just like a diamond. Hang in there. We don’t know what we are made of until we are forced to prove it!
 
I feel so stressed waiting for their reply. I sent texts and emails. So far no response. Normally they respond very fast. Perhaps they are trying to figure out what to do.

ETA: they just responded. gulp.
 
OMG they approved the refund. THANK GOD.

At first they were trying to offer me a replacement, but I insisted that I wanted a refund. Finally they agreed.

I'm also shocked that they don't know that white gold jewelry is rhodium plated.

Screen Shot 2022-06-17 at 8.55.01 AM.png
 
lovedogs said:
What a disaster. This company clearly sells insanely overpriced and poor quality pieces. Soooo happy they approved the refund!
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I am so happy too, and feel so relieved. They did the right thing approving a refund. I was so scared they were going to refuse. I cannot believe I have had so many issues with both bracelets and now this necklace. I cannot wait until this whole thing is over, and I don't have to think about it anymore. Monday can't come fast enough. I wish I could ship it out today.

In the email they sent me with the return label, they said they hope they can meet me in person someday in their showroom. Ummm. I know they are just trying to smooth things over, but sometimes things can't be smoothed over. This is one of those times. Even though I still like their designs, I would have to be literally insane to purchase anymore pieces from them.
 
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Glad they approved the refund without any trouble!

I do want to say - for the benefit of lurkers - that by itself this should be an easy issue to address, replating white gold. If it was a different vendor I'd say let them just fix it.

But in conjunction with all the other nonsense from Shay - who knows what will break tomorrow, or how many stones were glued in rather than mounted, or... Well, who knows! Return is definitely what I'd want too.
 
yssie said:
Glad they approved the refund without any trouble!

I do want to say - for the benefit of lurkers - that by itself this should be an easy issue to address, replating white gold. If it was a different vendor I'd say let them just fix it.

But in conjunction with all the other nonsense from Shay - who knows what will break tomorrow, or how many stones were glued in rather than mounted, or... Well, who knows! Return is definitely what I'd want too.
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Would all of the existing plating have to be removed first? Or could the replaying just go over it?
 
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