Tiffany ring

eagertolearn

My husband bought me a beautiful new engagement ring from Tiffany & Co in Sept (2012) whilst we were residing in Kuala Lumpur for 3 months. It was purchased to celebrate our soon approaching 30th wedding anniversary. I still wear my original engagemnet ring on a regular basis and it is still in very good condition despite over 30 years of wear.

We are now back in the UK and last weekend I noticed that 3 of the diamonds on the side shanks of the new ring have fallen out and are lost. Two from one side and one from the other.

I visited Tiffany in Old Bond St this morning and was told that the ring could be sent to New York for inspection/repair which would take 10 weeks and that I would be responsible for the cost of replacing the lost diamonds. They pointed out that the ring when sold would have been circular and now is oval in shape which could account for the stone loss.They said that the ring must have been worn incorrectly (which it hasn't) which included sleeping whilst wearing it (which sometimes it has) or maybe by it being tapped on a table/desk several times maybe when speaking to somebody sitting opposite.

I was shocked by their attitude. They were not prepared to take any responsibility for the product, THEIR product being faulty in any way and pointed the finger directly at me. How could a platinum band ( a strong metal) change shape simply by being worn for the purpose it was intended, the claws on 3 separate diamonds fail to the point of all 3 stones being lost and all in the extremely short timescale of only 6 months?

I have agreed to one of their own experts inspecting the ring in London (but have stated that it is not to be sent to New York at this point without my express permission) but feel that the opinion will be biased. If so I will arrange to have it independently inspected by an expert of my choice.

Am I wrong in thinking that to expect an individual to only wear their engagement ring on very special occasions is unreasonable? Surely a ring that can only be worn when the intention is to go nowhere, hands aren't moved and it is only looked at it is not fit for purpose.

I have my grandmother-in-laws engagement ring which I wear permanently on my right hand (I am right handed) and she wore every day to which no damage has ever occured and is as good as the day it was bought over 80 years ago.

I am appalled by the attitude of Tiffany and feel very let down by a company that trades on its reputation as a merchant of fine, quality jewellery and its apparent total disregard for customer satisfaction.

I would be interested to hear from anybody who may have had a similar experience or if anybody can advise me on my rights in this matter.

It is very sad that a purchase that was made for a celebration is causing so much negativity. That a a company chosen for its reputation as a source of excellence is proving to be so insensitive, clearly uninterested in customer satisfaction and seemingly uninterested in the fact that their products could possibly be sub standard.

unholyangel

The problem is, if you bought it from KL then UK law (SoGA etc) will not apply.

We have pretty decent/good consumer protection here in the UK, unfortunately that is usually reflected in the price. Of course once you pay import taxes etc, sometimes you're not even saving anything!

Did they offer any type of guarantee with the ring at all?

As for wearing the ring....depends on the person/couple. Personally I have 2. 1 thats cheaper that I wear daily and the other was expensive and I rarely wear that one.

Some ring settings are just not suitable for any "stress" (ie knocks, bumps etc) at all so its always a good idea when buying a new piece that you take into account that its not just about liking the look of a piece, its also about whether its suitable for your intended use of it.

Fire_Fox

The claws/ settings can loosen their grip as a direct result of the band changing shape which is one reason why some rings can only be resized by a small amount, why the band changed shape is a different matter. Do you have a job where you squeeze your fingers together? Did you not notice the ring bending out of shape?

Are Tiffany UK the same company as Tiffany KL? They can't admit fault or apologise at this stage, then you'd be able to claim they admitted liability. I wouldn't say an engagement ring should be for special occasions only but not all designs are suitable for daily living. A dress ring is for special occasions only is it possible you were mis-sold or there was a misunderstanding due to the language barrier?

meer53

I can't understand why you're shocked really.

The ring is now misshapen, you've admitted you've worn it in bed, i don't really see why you think the ring is faulty ?

aliasojo

meer53 wrote: »

......you've admitted you've worn it in bed, i don't really see why you think the ring is faulty ?

Why should rings not be worn in bed?

I've not heard that before?

I have my Mum's engagement ring on my right hand and my own on my left. I rarely take them off. I know Mum kept hers on 24/7 too.

notanewuser

aliasojo wrote: »

Why should rings not be worn in bed?

I've not heard that before?

I have my Mum's engagement ring on my right hand and my own on my left. I rarely take them off. I know Mum kept hers on 24/7 too.

Modern jewellery isn't up to it.

I've never ever worn any of mine in bed. How can that be comfortable?

Mind you, I doubt I wear them for more than 6 hours a week anyway!

notanewuser

Platinum isn't particularly strong. The heat of wearing in bed can make it deform.

aliasojo

notanewuser wrote: »

Modern jewellery isn't up to it.

Yes but in what way? I don't understand what being under a cotton sheet and duvet would do?

I've never ever worn any of mine in bed. How can that be comfortable?

I don't feel my rings. I must be so used to them they no longer register as being there iyswim.

meer53

aliasojo wrote: »

I don't feel my rings. I must be so used to them they no longer register as being there iyswim.

It's not being under a cotton sheet and a duvet thats the problem, it's when you lay on your hand !

I definately wouldn't wear a Tiffany ring in bed !

ILW

It's a bit of bling bought in a foreign country, what is anyone expecting?

room512

I used to wear my engagement ring all of the time and then one of the stones fell out (14 years later). The ring couldn't be mended and so I had to have a new ring. I prefer my old ring and am still upset about it but I take my new ring off every evening when I get home so it doesn't get damaged. I just presumed engagement rings were like wedding rings and were just left on (with hindsight I can see that was a bit silly)