Diamonds falling out of ring

djpbarry · 13-12-2012 2:44pm #1

Hello all,

I have a question regarding a relatively expensive ring I bought for my wife last year. She noticed (to her horror) about a month ago that one of the diamonds had fallen out and a second one was loose. We brought it back to the jeweler I bought it from, only to be told it was our own fault because the ring wasn't properly maintained (it hadn't been cleaned). Both my wife and I dismissed this as, even though it was about a year old, the ring had barely been worn. We asked how much it would cost to have the stone replaced and the ring repaired and we were told by the assistant that, although he couldn't be sure, it would probably be of the order of €30 - 50. So, we allowed it to be sent to their workshop for inspection, without making any commitment for repair to be made.

A couple of weeks later, my wife gets a phone call telling her the cost to repair the ring would be roughly €300 - roughly 50% of the original cost of the ring. Absolutely no way we said.

So, two things here. First of all, I have no idea how they can justify the repair cost. But secondly, and most importantly, as far as we're concerned, the ring was faulty and we should, at the very least, be entitled to a refund. But, the jeweler won't budge - according to them, if the ring had been cleaned regularly, this wouldn't have happened. While I'm aware that stones can become loose over time, I find it extremely hard to believe that, in this case, cleaning would have made any difference.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Oryx · 13-12-2012 2:58pm

I dont know the setting in your ring, but cleaning would not make a loose setting tighter. Unless in the process of examining and cleaning the ring, it was inspected and the setting checked.

Claw set stones can easily come loose, if the claws get knocked or pulled on a thread. Its very common, and this kind of setting should be regularly checked. Also stones held with just four claws can easily be dislodged.

Without seeing the condition of the ring or the standard of the setting it really is hard to say. But for them to multiply the repair cost by a factor of ten sounds very iffy (though a replacement diamond would cost more than 30 euro unless it was teeeensy!).

djpbarry · 13-12-2012 4:27pm

Oryx wrote: »

Without seeing the condition of the ring or the standard of the setting it really is hard to say. But for them to multiply the repair cost by a factor of ten sounds very iffy (though a replacement diamond would cost more than 30 euro unless it was teeeensy!).

The stones are pretty small – it’s a band with several stones (diamonds and sapphires) across the top. But yes, I cannot believe that they could be out by a factor of 10.

Thanks for the advice. We’re going to go to another jeweller for a second opinion, but for now I’m sticking by my guns – the stone came loose because it came loose and cleaning would have made little difference. Had she noticed it was loose, the missus obviously would have been back to them to check the setting. But the first she knew of it was when she noticed the stone was missing.

kippy · 13-12-2012 4:29pm

djpbarry wrote: »

The stones are pretty small – it’s a band with several stones (diamonds and sapphires) across the top. But yes, I cannot believe that they could be out by a factor of 10.

Thanks for the advice. We’re going to go to another jeweller for a second opinion, but for now I’m sticking by my guns – the stone came loose because it came loose and cleaning would have made little difference. Had she noticed it was loose, the missus obviously would have been back to them to check the setting. But the first she knew of it was when she noticed the stone was missing.

Get a second opinion.
Then perhaps have a look at this case:
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/court-sees-bride-return-entirely-unsuitable-wedding-ring-requiring-glue-to-hold-diamonds-3318940.html
Not saying your case is anything similiar but it may give you any idea of some of the options open to you should you not get a satisfactory result going down the route you are going down.

Oryx · 13-12-2012 4:53pm

Did you have the ring resized when you bought it? With 'eternity ring' type settings, sizing down can alter the setting and loosen the stones.

djpbarry · 13-12-2012 5:07pm

Oryx wrote: »

Did you have the ring resized when you bought it?

Nope.

The more I think about their "it fell out because you didn't have it cleaned" argument the less sense it makes. Can dirt trapped between the stone and a clasp loosen a setting due to thermal expansion/contraction over time? Seems unlikely to me, but I'm not a jeweler.

Oryx · 13-12-2012 5:40pm

We used to find the opposite. We would clean a ring and then the stones would fall out, as the dirt was acting like glue! I cant fathom where they are coming from on that either, tbh.

djpbarry · 13-12-2012 5:43pm

Oryx wrote: »

We used to find the opposite. We would clean a ring and then the stones would fall out, as the dirt was acting like glue! I cant fathom where they are coming from on that either, tbh.

I guess if the ring had been left in for cleaning, we would at least have that to fall back on: "look, we had it cleaned, but it didn't make any difference!"

Moonbeam · 13-12-2012 8:14pm

I would get a 2nd opinion and if their opinion is that it was not due to her negligence then I would bring then to the small claims court as it does not sound as if it was good work man ship.

djpbarry · 13-12-2012 9:42pm

Moonbeam wrote: »

I would get a 2nd opinion and if their opinion is that it was not due to her negligence then I would bring then to the small claims court as it does not sound as if it was good work man ship.

Yep, that's pretty much the plan.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

sandin · 13-12-2012 9:46pm

Cleaning rings and checking them is normally done once a year by a jewellers if you want your rings to be top condition.

To have a stone fall out and a second one loose after about a year simply shows poor workmanship and it should be repaired with missing stone replaced under normal warranty terms.

Diamonds falling out of ring

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