The diamond fell out of my Tiffany engagement ring and five more same cases.

[ivyjuly]

There are six cases about diamond fell out of the Tiffany engagement ring.

One is mine, another is Hashini Wagalath who left the message under the Tiffany official Facebook logo. And there are four more below, The first one is in English and others are in Chinese (you may use Google Translate).

1. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2557253
2. https://forum.babyhome.com.tw/topic/2079850
3. http://bbs.kimy.com.tw/forumTopic_new.asp?topicID=144697
4. http://www.ceweekly.cn/2015/0415/108502.shtml

When I sent the ring back to Tiffany, they charge me over my original purchased price for repair.

On their website, it said "the six-prong setting virtually disappears and allows the brilliant diamond to float above the band and into the light". The design seems not strong enough for me.

I'm not sure what is the right thing to do to prevent this situation, but if you like to purchase a Tiffany engagement ring, please see the cases above. Especially such a meaningful piece.

 

[greenteabiscuit]

Your thread will get more attention in Rockytalky. Please press report conceen and ask to have this thread moved to that form.

 

[ivyjuly]

Your thread will get more attention in Rockytalky. Please press report conceen and ask to have this thread moved to that form.

Thank you so much for your advice. I did. Hope I can get a reply soon.

 

[yssie]

You say they charged you over original cost for the "repair". I am assuming you do not have the original stone, and by "repair" you mean the following?
1) Replace the missing stone, and
2) Fix the setting

Depending on how long ago the ring was purchased and what characteristics the replacement boasts - I can certainly envision a scenario wherein the replacement is more costly than the original.

Back to the point of your post... The Tiffany classic six-prong is a strong, sturdy design capable of housing a diamond for a lifetime.
Diamonds don't just fall out of well-made settings - either the original setting job was poor, and this has been a loss waiting to happen for some time, or the ring suffered some trauma that caused a previously-secure diamond to become a liability.

Has your wife dropped or banged her ring recently, to her knowledge?
How long ago was the ring purchased?
Has there been any maintenance on the ring since purchase (routine check up, prong-tightening, etc.)?

 

[ivyjuly]

Thanks for your reply.

To answer your questions. I have checked the stone was held before I went out. When I arrive my office, it's gone. And I couldn't recall there was anything happened to my hand, if so, I will check it or I should be injure during the commute.

I bought it around 9 years ago. However, in Asia, people don't wear their engagement ring or wedding bend every day. We only wear it on a special occasion. To me, about twice a week. I do expect it can last for a lifetime. Because it's made by diamond and platinum not glass and plastic.

However, to me, the design seems not strong enough to bear my daily use. And there are five more missing stone cases. The customer service is poor too. Not only charge over my original purchased price, but also ask me buy a new one. I would never buy any product from Tiffany.

This is the number 5 missing diamond cases.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I couldn't begin to imagine how many Tiffany engagement rings have been sold through the ages! The setting is certainly strong and sturdy and yours would not have held for nine years if it wasn't. All diamond rings should be checked from time to time to make sure the stone is secure within the setting. I am with the previous poster in that something had to have occurred to make the stones fall out of the settings. While I realize the five that have posted in the website might concern you, I'd have to know the exact reason the failure occurred. These five rings with problems out of the many they have produced and sold is not nearly enough to turn on a brand in my opinion. The loss of a stone in a setting is generally covered by insurance if you have it - there is no company that I am aware of that will simply replace a lost stone free of charge. That wouldn't even make sense.

I am sorry that this happened to your ring - I can imagine that it was very upsetting. I hope that you insure your new ring against such a loss and do have the prongs checked every so often. No one likes to bear the loss and expense of a new stone.

 

[WillyDiamond]

Sorry for your loss.

What do you want the PS community to do for you? Do you have a question?

 

[tanalasta]

The design has been tested and proven durable over time. Although you allege there has been no recent trauma, you have had the ring 9 years. Have you had it serviced, the prongs checked in that time at all? Do you use an ultrasonic?

Taking the ring annually to Tiffany for inspection would be the right way to prevent the situation.

Whilst unfortunate, a diamond loss should have been insured against.

Tiffany QC is such that I very much doubt it left the store not set properly. Their platinum-ruthenium alloy is one of the hardest and most durable of Plat settings. Furthermore Tiffany’s setting is substantially superior to the whimsical delicate white gold rings commonly found in Asia.

All your post has demonstrated is her you have lost a diamond from a Tiffany setting, That you have spent hours researching Facebook, Google and other websites for similar scenarios. And that you allege or imply you are not at fault.

There is no such thing as a free ride. Tiffany provide excellent service but are under no obligation to replace a stone they are not responsible for, particularly for a self entitled customer.

Replacing a diamond depends upon the market price of the diamond at current rates. The platinum band itself is only a fraction, and a small one at that. Add to that the bench hours and how can one allege a fair quote is poor customer service?

Maybe someone from Trade could comment but I would think the OP is on her own here.

 

[WillyDiamond]

Is the diamond insured?

 

[kenny]

Six cases of diamonds lost sounds terrible.

BUT

This is 2018.
We have the Internet.

When literally billions of people are on social media, 6 sounds like a very tiny number.
Tiffany is very famous.
Fame attracts criticism like a magnet.

... and yes, when a diamond falls out it can be (and probably usually is) the owner's fault.

I don't like Tiffany.
You can get better-cut diamonds cheaper elsewhere, and I detest status-symbol brand worship.
But the OP's intent here strikes me as unfair, irrational (6 out of zillions of sales Really?) and wrong.

 

[doberman]

In the link it was stated that the ring was not insured. This is a mistake. Things like this happen to rings all the time (my 2 ct diamond fell out of its setting), it's not just a problem with Tiffany. Life happens and you need to remind yourself it's just a thing that you lost. It's not your arm, your leg, your eyesight or your child.

 

[HappyNewLife]

I'm sorry this happened to you, but in my opinion it could happen to any setting designer. My previous 6-prong setting on three occasions became loose to where the diamond rattled around. I had to stop using an ultrasonic cleaner to prevent that from happening again. It really is up to the consumer to insure their ring, from ANY company, because shi* happens and it's up to us to take care of things we purchase. 6 cases in however many (thousands? millions?) seems rather low to me.

 

[oldminer]

Maybe there are 6 cases of stones becoming lost, maybe there are a hundred others who never said anything. Out of how many sold and being worn with no problem, we must ask? It likely is a miniscule number of problems when compared to the many thousands that have been sold. Insurance covers such unfortunate losses. "Diamonds are Forever" but diamonds do break and mountings do wear out or suffer from inadvertent damage done during even infrequent wear. There is no unlimited warranty against accidental loss of any gemstone from its mounting even by the very best of retail merchants. I have seen many Tiffany 6 prong solitaire rings over a considerable length of time and have not found these settings to be deficient in some way that might lead to stone loss. When a consumer suffers a loss that is uninsured, we usually assume they knew the risk and took a chance that they'd be lucky.

I sympathize with you with the loss of a sentimental item and one that is also costly, but there would have to be substantive, obvious and credible evidence of defective and poor workmanship or defective metallurgy to make much of a case for replacement by the seller.

 

[CareBear]

I think part of the problem is luxury brands market themselves in a way that makes the customer believe their product is faultless. Therefore, customers feel they paid more (a lot more in most cases) to obtain that perfection. If you visit a luxury bag forum for instance, folks are always in shock that a stitching popped or that the leather got damaged on their bags, given the price they paid.

 

[kenny]

I think part of the problem is luxury brands market themselves in a way that makes the customer believe their product is faultless.

Good point; It's part of the problem.

The other part is, buyers really need to not be dumb by falling for everything they read in ads or hear from a salesperson.
Someone trying to sell you something is probably the worst source of information on the downsides to what they are selling.
Their job is to take away your fears and anxiety ... not fan those flames.

Be realistic instead of feeling entitled to unrealistic perfection.
Treat products with care.
Do homework.
Ask questions.
Be skeptical.
Use brain.

 

[tyty333]

Can I add on use common sense Kenny?

 

[kenny]

Can I add on use common sense Kenny?

I'm not sure.
That would be a whole new pair-of-dime.
We'll have to form a committee to discuss the proposal.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Internet = spam.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Karl_K]

I am sorry you lost your diamond that really stinks.

Getting your rings inspected at least annually and even better buy a loupe and do it yourself more often combined with the professional inspection is a good habit to get into doing.
Combined with insurance to cover a loss or accident is the best advise I can give.
Many people when they find out I am in the diamond industry either hand me their rings or show them to me on their hand and ask my opinion.
I have lost count of how many times at just a casual glance I have seen issues with the prongs and every time when I ask then when they had it checked the answer is almost always never.
A well made ring can last multiple lifetimes but even the finest and best made piece can be damaged.
Working for a vendor gives me pause when addressing this issue.
How do I address it in a way that educates but does not scare?
How not to sound insensitive?
Well I guess I will just do my best :}