jeweller ruined valuable ring

olias

I will try and be brief. My wife has recently developed angioedema which causes swelling and bloating, as a result her rings have become too tight and she has been unable to wear them. She has been extremely upset over this as not only are they very expensive, but have extreme sentimental value.

The rings are an engagement ring by a top designer bought for about £3500 and now sells for nearer £5000, a wedding ring from the same designer bought for about £600 and now selling for about £900 and an eternity ring bought for about £250.

The main unique thing about the two designer rings are that they are cast, have a slight stippled finish and have a completely circular cross section, a bit like a curtain ring. These were chosen as she has a horse and it was to help stop them getting caught on equipment and diging into her finger and stop muck getting trapped under them.

She went to a reputable, long standing local family jeweller who said he could get them resized.

On their return they had all, particularly the engagement ring been left with a flat, angular cross section with marks all over, an uneven profile and different width sections. They had obviously just been put on a ring cone and beaten with a hammer to stretch them. I understand now, they should have been cut and an extra bit of gold added to retain the profile and finish.

My wife is in tears and devastated and will not wear them. Where do i go from here? If i take them back to him, they could be damaged further, in fact i do not think they can be fixed without taking out the diamond and recasting a new ring which i do not believe he will do. The alternative is to go to small claims court, but then i will not have given him the chance to put it right.

Comments and advice please.... Thanks

Olias

pinkshoes

How much did the rings have to be resized by? If more than half a ring size, then the jeweler should cut it then "add" additional metal. Stretching should only be carried out on very small size increases.

Have you discussed it with the jeweller who did the work yet? Not sure if it can be rectified once over stretched...

olias

Hi and thanks. Thats the point, i dont believe the ring is fixable without re casting which i am sure the jeweller will not do, therefore do i just go straight to the courts, or give them back to him to ruin furyher before then takingnit to the courts. It was resized by over 1/2 ring size.

I know i might seem as myself and my wife are overreacting, but this is nearly £6000 worth of jewellery and if i showed you pics of the original and what has been done you would see it is damaged beyond repair.

Olias

sazaccount

before you start running straight to the courts have you spoken to the jeweler?

Small claims is meant to be the last resort if all communication/actions has broken down and I think you have to prove that you have tried to work it out.

pinkshoes

olias wrote: »

Hi and thanks. Thats the point, i dont believe the ring is fixable without re casting which i am sure the jeweller will not do, therefore do i just go straight to the courts, or give them back to him to ruin furyher before then takingnit to the courts. It was resized by over 1/2 ring size.

I know i might seem as myself and my wife are overreacting, but this is nearly £6000 worth of jewellery and if i showed you pics of the original and what has been done you would see it is damaged beyond repair.

Olias

How many sizes was the ring increased by?

You cannot go straight to court without discussing this with the jeweler.

Take the rings back (after taking images) and show the jeweler why you are unhappy, and agree what happens next. You need to give them chance to rectify the situation.

If you cannot come to any solution, go back to tbe original place you bought them, and get them to put in writing a quote of how much it will costoto fix.

THEN you can send the jeweler a 'letter before action' giving them a reasonable time to pay before you take court action.

TBagpuss

PinkShoes is correct, you need to speak to the jeweller first, and before going to court would need to get evidence of what it will cost to rectify the error, and ideally, something from an expert confirming that the work done by the original jeweller was not acceptable or appropriate.

InsideInsurance

Have you spoken to the "designer" company?

Certainly Tiffany, Cartier etc all do things like resizing and repairs. Personally if there was some peculiar finish then I'd have probably gone to them in the first place but its a bit late for that.

You need to discuss with the jeweller first but it may be worth getting the view of the original manufacturers on the cost of repairing it as ultimately you would need this to make a claim.