Engagement ring

SomersetGent

Good afternoon all

in 2003 I proposed to my wonderful girlfriend who thankfully accepted. We went to a local jewellers where we live and chose a platinum engagement ring. Last month the diamond fell out which luckily we found. My wife has taken it to the same jewellers where we purchased for repair, however they are advising that it’s white gold and not platinum. 

I’ll be searching through records for a receipt. Assuming we can find a receipt what are my consumer rights? Should I be getting money back, a new platinum ring and also any recompense for insuring the ring for the past 18 years? How would any of this be calculated? 

Obviously in addition and more importantly to the monetary consequences, my apologies wife is upset 

thank you 

Alderbank

Consumer rights have time limits, and the courts are strict about these. They are 6 years from when the breach occurred (when you bought the ring) or 3 years from when you discovered the breach or when you could have reasonably discovered it. You have only recently discovered it. However the ring has an assay mark (hallmark) for the express purpose of telling anyone what the ring is made of. Any jeweller can read that for you. You can read it yourself with a magnifying glass. I am sure the retailer will say that the assay mark means that you could reasonably have confirmed what the ring is made of.

Can you prove after all these years that it is the same ring as your receipt? The receipt might simply say 'One platinum engagement ring size whatever set with a something carat diamond.' The retailer could argue that that does not describe the ring you have now produced.

If all that succeeds you would not get a new platinum ring. The most you might get would be the price difference in 2003 between the two rings.
Consequential loss (the insurance) is always difficult to claim and would at most be the difference between insuring your ring and a similar platinum one. There might well be no difference in premium if they fall into the same risk band.

lincroft1710

I think this will fall at the first hurdle - over 6 years since purchase. As @Alderbank has said, even if you find the receipt, the jeweller can deny the ring you have matches the receipt. It is surprising that the jewellers originally confused white gold and platinum, but mistakes happen.


The actual saddest part of the whole affair is that the jeweller said the ring was not platinum as for the past 19 years you and your wife have been happy with the ring and now it will always be "inferior" in both your eyes. 

cx6

if it were me, I would get a second opinion. You never know  the jeweller could be wrong....

Alderbank

cx6 said:

if it were me, I would get a second opinion. You never know  the jeweller could be wrong....

I suppose you could, but it's very easy to do yourself. Takes about 5 seconds. The hallmark for gold is like a box with the corners cut off. Platinum is a little house. You couldn't mix them up.

Sandtree

The hallmarks will tell you straight away what it is. If it was white gold and she wears it often then Id have expected much of the rhodium plating to have been worn off and so you’d see it’s not really white. 

Many white gold rings with notable diamonds will use platinum for the claws as it’s a stronger metal. Given the amount of time past has memory failed possibly?

Final option… I assume you’ve been given the right ring back? Wouldn’t be the first time ever that an expensive ring goes in and a cheaper copy returned. 

The retail price difference of a solitaire ring in white gold and platinum isn’t massive, £350 if 14ct white gold (sorry an American company), smaller if 18ct. Not a massive amount to be committing fraud over. 

kaMelo

SomersetGent said:

Good afternoon all

in 2003 I proposed to my wonderful girlfriend who thankfully accepted. We went to a local jewellers where we live and chose a platinum engagement ring. Last month the diamond fell out which luckily we found. My wife has taken it to the same jewellers where we purchased for repair, however they are advising that it’s white gold and not platinum. 

I’ll be searching through records for a receipt. Assuming we can find a receipt what are my consumer rights? Should I be getting money back, a new platinum ring and also any recompense for insuring the ring for the past 18 years? How would any of this be calculated? 

Obviously in addition and more importantly to the monetary consequences, my apologies wife is upset 

thank you 

Whilst I can't comment on the "did I buy what I thought I did" part of your post,  have you not had any valuations done since you purchased the ring. Normally they give a brief description of the ring, the metals and jewels it contains with a replacement value. What do the valuations say about the ring.

If you not had a valuation I'd check your insurance cover as a recent certified valuation is normally a condition of providing insurance cover on specified items of value like this. They won't ask to see it when taking cover out but they certainly will want to see one should you ever need to make a claim.

Aylesbury_Duck

Why is your wife upset?  Does it really matter, 19 years on?  It's the same lovely ring she was thrilled with for all of that time.

IvanOpinion

Irrespective of what the ring is made of, surely the amount of sentimentality and symbolism of the actual ring is worth far more than any difference in price.  

Aylesbury_Duck

IvanOpinion said:

Irrespective of what the ring is made of, surely the amount of sentimentality and symbolism of the actual ring is worth far more than any difference in price.  

Indeed. Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing was Wilde's definition of cynicism.

McKneff

Can't help but agree with the last 3 post.
S 

If the jeweller said we will replace it , would your wife be willng to hand over the ring that she chose with you, accepted at your wedding and wore happily for the last 19 years making all lovely memories, just for the jeweller to throw into a pot and melt down. 
I see no reason whatsoever for either of you to be upset. 
My wedding  band has been on for 54 years and I wouldn't sell it for any amount. 
Moving on would be best all round