White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :(

[Kalota]

Is this normal?

I picked up my 18ct white gold engagement ring 4 days ago, and already the palm side is SO scratched and worn! It is so scratched that when I run my finger over it, it feels rough and it looks quite dull. Is this normal? I am so upset because I thought the ring would last longer than 4 days! The "diamond" side of the ring is fine, it is just the palm side that is heavily scratched. I have been SO careful when wearing my ring in the 4 days that I have been wearing it!

A bit of backstory about the ring:

My fiancé and I ordered it several months ago together. When we went to pick it up, we realised the jeweller had made a mistake and made the ring SIX SIZES TOO BIG! He said he could resize the ring without any damage occurring as it is a plan band and not a tension setting. So he resized the ring 6 sizes down. We we got the ring back, I found all these little discoloured spots on the band. He told us there was a problem with his rhodium plating and so he apologised and re-plated the ring. Now I went back to get the ring for the THIRD TIME on Wednesday, it looked okay in the store (but it was hard to tell because the lighting makes everything in the store shiny) but now after only 3 and a half days of wearing it, it is just so scratched on the back!

What should I do? Is it normal to be this scratched after 4 days? Should I take it back and ask? Should I go to a different jeweller and ask? If the ring is so scratched, dull and rough after only 4 days, what it is gong to be like after 4 years or 4 decades???!

 

[swingirl]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

I would ask for a refund. Sizing 6 sizes? That was a major error! Not a fixable one in my opinion.Sounds like maybe the sizing didn't go so well.

 

[Enerchi]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

I am torn - remake or refund??

I'm wondering if asking for a remake would be enough? I had issues with a ring of mine and while the B&M vendor offered to remake it, I decided to get a refund and had it made elsewhere. Rationale being, if they could have done it right the first time - they would have.

So, they obviously did NOT do it right - making it 6 sizes too big ( ) so, sizing down without remaking the shank, seems a bit extreme. I'd ask for either a completely new setting remade to the exact size... or walk away with your money in your hand and start over somewhere else.

Don't keep it as is, its only going to anger and frustrate you, over time.

 

[Imdanny]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

Is it? I hope not.

My instinct would be to get a refund, once burned and all that.

Good luck.

 

[Kalota]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

Thanks for the reply guys.

I would just like to know, why would sizing the ring 6 sizes down make it easily scratched? Do you think it was the resizing that has caused all of these problems - if so, how would have resizing caused this? I just want to make sure I am prepared with as much information as possible before I go back in - last time I went back in with my SECOND problem (their SECOND error) they were very rude and defensive.

It is a plain band, with no tension setting - would anyone be able to tell me how sizing it down 6 sizes would have damaged the ring? (Just so I can tell them why I am unhappy?)

I am just really unhappy with the amount of scratches on the ring and don't know how it has scratched so easily or how the scratches got there - I also don't know if this is normal wear and tear or if there is something wrong with this ring that makes it scratch so easily?

I mean, how can a ring have so many scratches after only 3 days? What would cause this? I haven't been doing much with my hands...

I would ask for a refund. Sizing 6 sizes? That was a major error! Not a fixable one in my opinion.Sounds like maybe the sizing didn't go so well.

I am torn - remake or refund??

I'm wondering if asking for a remake would be enough? I had issues with a ring of mine and while the B&M vendor offered to remake it, I decided to get a refund and had it made elsewhere. Rationale being, if they could have done it right the first time - they would have.

So, they obviously did NOT do it right - making it 6 sizes too big ( ) so, sizing down without remaking the shank, seems a bit extreme. I'd ask for either a completely new setting remade to the exact size... or walk away with your money in your hand and start over somewhere else.

Don't keep it as is, its only going to anger and frustrate you, over time.

 

[CharmedOne]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

Most rings can be sized down 2 maybe 3 sizes, depending on the style. My jeweler won't do more than 2. Six sizes is unbelievable and honestly I have never heard of that being done. I have rings that haven't been rhodium plated for six years and I haven't had any problems. No gouges or divots and I wear my rings to bed, all day, everyday. While 18k is a bit softer than 14k, it's is still very strong. You really shouldn't see that after three days. It doesn't seem like the proper gold was used and the rhodium plating was poorly done. You really have no obligation to them at all. They have proven they are not up to the task. I would suggest a refund as well, but it's up to you. You have to stand up to them. There is no way they should be nasty, when it was their mistake. It's your money. Your the customer and its their error, so they have an obligation to give you what you paid for or your money back. Good luck and don't let them intimidate you.

 

[Kalota]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

See next post for pics.

 

[Kalota]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

Update - well I rang them up to express my concern about the scratches, and he was EXTREMELY rude about - he almost put me to tears! He was very defensive saying that scratches ONLY occur from wearing them, that the scratches are NOT their fault, and that the ring was of HIGHEST quality when I picked it up. I got of the phone not wanting to ever speak to them or see them again! How rude! Especially after they have made so many mistakes!

Anyway, here are some pictures of the ring. I posted these on another forum, some people said the ring looks fine and some said it was a terrible job with crooked claws and everything. I thought I'd post them to see what you guys think. It is VERY hard to capture the scratches on camera so you can't really see them...

The 'crooked' claws that others commented on (I can't see any crookedness, but you might have a better eye than me!) could possibly be because they diamonds are told antique rose cuts and were all different sizes.

Thanks for any opinions on the ring!

 

[CharmedOne]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

The scratches look like normal everyday wear and tear to me. Maybe I'm just not seeing it as much as you do. I had a sapphire and diamond ring sized down and the rhodium redone. The first day I wore it one side of the ring had quite a bit of scratches. Unfortunately it is normal and unavoidable. I use a gold polishing cloth on my rings with rhodium finish because my jeweler says it helps the plating to last longer.

I am also not seeing any bent prongs. Can you point out where they are? I'm sorry you are not happy with your ring. It is a really pretty ring. Are those rose cut diamonds? This is the first time I've seen a three stone ring with rosé cut diamond. It is TDF and I'm not a fan of rosé cut diamonds but I really do love your ring.

 

[Enerchi]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

in my experience, when I was having issues with my B&M setting, they were defensive but willing to try and fix things. I think you have to determine what your end result needs to be, and work towards that. If you want a return, just keep focusing on a return and ask for it. If you want it to be remade (NOT repaired - REMADE) then be very clear and firm about what you want redone. Gypsy was kick a$$ awesome in her advice to me when I posted about problems on my ring, as were many PS posters. It really fired up my 'girlpower' to stand up for myself and get what I wanted! So decide first what you would like the result to be... and then take the best route in that direction. Clear, firm, concise! If you want to read about all the advice I received, [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/wwpsd-live-w-it-return-to-original-b-m-new-w-ps-vendor.176215/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/wwpsd-live-w-it-return-to-original-b-m-new-w-ps-vendor.176215/[/URL]

As for the scratches, I guess in 4 days, anything can happen and rings do scratch, unfortunately. I think the pic is a tad fuzzy so its hard to tell just HOW scratched it is, but ask for a polish for now, while you are thinking about your options.

I hope it goes well - hang in there!!!

 

[ElizabethR]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

The fact that it feels rough speaks. It shouldn't feel rough after four days. I get the impression that you want your money back and to go elsewhere. If that's the case you should ask for that. If you used a credit card you CC company might be able to help you if they refuse a refund. After all it is a quality issue.

All the best,
Elizabeth

 

[Kalota]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

I'm starting to think maybe it is normal wear and tear - everyone tells me that you can easily notice the scratches when you first get it! I contacted the jeweller and he was very defensive in his response again, he said that scratches ONLY occur from wearing the ring and there is not much they can do about it apart from offer a free polish and recoating twice a year as they do to all of their customers. I guess this is fair enough/standard and I don't think they will offer a refund. So I will keep the ring and put up with the scratches for now, in the hopes that they are just from normal wear and tear!

I think it is also because the band is not a flat band and does not sit flush on my finger, that it has scratched easily, too.

The scratches look like normal everyday wear and tear to me. Maybe I'm just not seeing it as much as you do. I had a sapphire and diamond ring sized down and the rhodium redone. The first day I wore it one side of the ring had quite a bit of scratches. Unfortunately it is normal and unavoidable. I use a gold polishing cloth on my rings with rhodium finish because my jeweler says it helps the plating to last longer.

I am also not seeing any bent prongs. Can you point out where they are? I'm sorry you are not happy with your ring. It is a really pretty ring. Are those rose cut diamonds? This is the first time I've seen a three stone ring with rosé cut diamond. It is TDF and I'm not a fan of rosé cut diamonds but I really do love your ring.

Thanks for your reply, CharmedOne! I am starting to think it is just normal wear scratches, too I was probably being a bit paranoid but just wanted to check.

I am not seeing any bent prongs either, someone else pointed that out on another forum I posted, so they must be seeing things because I think the ring is fine on the other side, too.

Yes they are antique rose cut diamonds! I inherited them from my great grandmother! I was originally just going to get a solitaire but really wanted to use the three diamonds that she passed down to me Thanks so much for the compliments!

 

[CharmedOne]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

Hi Kalota!

You are so welcome I really do think its lovely and you are so lucky to have a beautiful piece that has a wonderful history. I'm so jealous Wear it in good health and enjoy it. You are truly one lucky gal!

 

[yssie]

Re: White gold worn & scratched after only 4 days of wear! :

Using your inherited stones must make it all the more special

Couple of questions/comments:
1. What do you mean by 6 sizes - that you ordered a US4 and got a US10 or vice versa, or are you judging size by some smaller increments - 1/4 sizes or something? The latter might well be simple miscommunication, the former shouldn't have been resized at all.
2. I also think that looks like normal wear and tear - more than expected after only four days, but people new to rings are invariably harder on them than they think they are. If you want to keep the underside shiny you'll have to be sure not to wear it to bed, whilst doing chores around the house, etc.
3. Antique cuts are often a bit wonky and can make even perfectly symmetric prongs look wonky, if the prongs are holding the stone securely then I wouldn't worry.