Diamonds falling out of my Engagement Ring :(

pottykates

Hi everyone
I have an engagement ring that I was given in Dec 2011. It was from Ernest Jones and worth about £500 now. My fiance got it insured for 2 years (I was baffled. I thought engagement rings were supposed to last a lifetime right?) Anyway, luckily it was because within the first 6 months one of the diamonds fell out. It was repaired no questions asked. A year later it happened again. I was a bit annoyed but again it was insured so I didn't question it. Then around Oct 2014 I lost another diamond out of my ring. (Each time it is a different diamond). My fiance and I went back to Ernest Jones to complain. 3 diamonds in less than 3 years is dodgy. We were told by the woman that the claw holding the diamond had broken off and so it must have been damaged my me. She also said her sister/friend had the same ring and it had never lost a diamond. Obviously the insurance had run out so it would cost £112 to get repaired. We couldn't afford it at the time and besides, we didn't want to pay that much for me to lose another diamond so we walked away unsure of what our rights are. Low amd behold in February this year another diamond has gone. That is 4 diamonds in less than 4 years. Ridiculous! An engagement ring is supposed to last a lifetime and more! I am a teacher, not a professional boxer so it is not like I go hitting things with my ring finger. What are my rights here? Can I go back claiming it is faulty or have I left it too late? Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. I'm not very good at complaining at the best of times so I need to know my rights before I go back and complain again. Many thanks Katie.

InsideInsurance

You havent left it to late, the sales of goods act means you are entitled to a "reasonable life" (up to the law of limitations which is 6 years in England) but once its over 6 months old its up to you to prove its faulty rather than it being either (a) damage caused by you/miss use or (b) fair wear and tear.

You'd basically need to commission an independent report on the ring. If it deems that for the price its all ok and you're just a bit rough with it then its a lost cost for you. If it deems its inherently faulty then you can add the cost of the report to your claim.

Get a quote from a small independent jewellers to fix the ring too. Without wanting to sound judgemental but based on where it was bought and its retail price the actual raw materials to fix it arent going to be expensive but the lions share of the cost is effort and so you may get a sympathetic ear.