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White Gold Engagement ring

Hi, I'm after some help and guidance please. I got engaged in March and we bought a 9ct white gold ring and it has started to change colour and at the bottom. Firstly we werent' made aware of that this would happen I just thought white gold was as it says on the tin!!! This has really upset me and I've fallen out of love with it, can anyone tell me can I take it back and get another ring? can I kick up a fuss at Goldsmiths or do I just put up with it??

any help would be gratefully received

x
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Comments

  • fannyanna
    fannyanna Posts: 2,622 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    edited 11 July 2012 at 1:44PM
    It's like complaining that your silver jewellery has tarnished. Just clean it and it's good as new.

    All you need to do with white gold is get it re-plated.

    Edit: I wouldn't have expected a ring to need re-plating after 4 months so I think you should ask them to re-plate it for free.
  • alleycat`
    alleycat` Posts: 1,901 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    White gold has a grading scale for the quality / colour.
    It is then coated with rhodium to give it the "shiny shiny" people like.

    It will dull over time due to wearing on the rhodium and also it depends on how you've treated it and if you are one of those people that has skin that attacks / tarnishes metal.

    Likewise, what you do for a living and what your hands come into contact with will have a bearing on how long it stays super shiny.

    I'd try and get it polished / cleaned up in the first instance (to see if that helps).

    Re-Plating isn't hugely costly (circa £20) so the jeweller might agree to re-do it anyway as a one off gesture of good will.
  • I've been married for 5 years and engaged for 3 before that, I think I've had to have my white gold engagement ring re-plated twice in that time, possibly 3 times. It isn't expensive - ask for a quote from an independent jewellers aswell as Goldsmith's, they may be cheaper.
  • floss2
    floss2 Posts: 8,030 Forumite
    Belltobe wrote: »
    Hi, I'm after some help and guidance please. I got engaged in March and we bought a 9ct white gold ring and it has started to change colour and at the bottom. Firstly we werent' made aware of that this would happen I just thought white gold was as it says on the tin!!! This has really upset me and I've fallen out of love with it, can anyone tell me can I take it back and get another ring? can I kick up a fuss at Goldsmiths or do I just put up with it??

    any help would be gratefully received

    x

    Hope these are the same answers as on the Weddings forum....
  • Molly41
    Molly41 Posts: 4,919 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Hope you dont fall out of love so quickly with your husband!
    I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
    Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
    I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. When it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
    When the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
  • lil.smartie
    lil.smartie Posts: 541 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    I think you should have been made aware, I wanted a ring made of white gold but was told of this and so had a platinum one & smaller stones for the same cost but that was a local jeweler not a chain..
    I'd ask & see what they say about a free re-coat, you must like the ring hence you chose it in the 1st place not any that you could choose as a replacement! The worst they can say is no!

    Kate
  • claire16c
    claire16c Posts: 7,074 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    If youve only bought it in March then thats ridiculous that it already needs replating with rhodium, that shouldnt happen for years.

    Id take it back and ask them to do it for free and say you werent expecting to have to do it for 2-5 years so could they please look into it.
  • dizziblonde
    dizziblonde Posts: 4,276 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I wouldn't be annoyed a white gold ring's plating's worn off... I WOULD be annoyed if it's gone so quickly. Mine's started to wear now after about 4 years of not very kind to it wear - was quoted £35 for a replating from one of the more expensive shops around here the other week if that helps with a rough costing.

    They should have told you it would need replating though - it's always been spelt out to me whenever I've bought white gold - I buy quite a lot of white gold jewellery as my skin tone just doesn't suit yellow gold at all.
    Little miracle born April 2012, 33 weeks gestation and a little toughie!
  • Maybe it's a Goldsmiths thing?? DH kindly let me choose my own ring and nothing was mentioned to us when I chose a white gold ring.
    I had it replated after a year (FOC by the independent jeweller we bought our wedding rings from just before our wedding) but that was only do that it looked just as shiny on the day and in our pics as my wedding ring did. A couple of years on there's some yellowing on both but that's on the inside of my hand, the 'outside' still looks great. I'd be inclined to ask Goldsmiths to replate it for you.
  • Lotus-eater
    Lotus-eater Posts: 10,789 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Can I just ask, why on earth do people buy a ring that has to be replated so often?
    Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
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