Post # 1
Member
829 posts
Busy bee
I got engaged in October, and got my final engagement ring in December (had to wait for my FMIL’s diamond and then special order my correct size which took awhile). I’ve had the ring for almost 6 months, and I never sleep with it, shower with it, put hair product in with it on, wash dishes, clean, etc. I am really careful. On Sunday I took my ring off to wash dishes and when I put it back on I noticed one of the side baby stones had fallen out!! We bought my ring from the Jewelry Exchange in Denver, which is about 1.5 hours from where I live. I decided I’d rather pay $50-$100 (from what I read online) at a local store just so I wouldn’t have to hassle with the drive. I went to a jewelry store my co-workers recommend yesterday after work. The lady who greeted me took the ring back to the jewler, and came back within a minute and said that the prongs have worn down, and that several diamonds are about ready to fall out any time, and the rest will fall out eventually!! It will cost $300 for them to fix the ring. She said the metal is just really cheap and thin, and I should take it back to Denver because it is a manufacturer defect. So, I don’t know if it’s the style of my ring, or if all diamond rings from the Jewelry Exchange are poorly made, but if you are considering buying from there I would possibly think again, or don’t get side diamonds. A ring at the store yesterday that is similar to mine is $3k – we only paid $800. My fiancé is in grad school so we can’t afford much and that’s why we went the Jewelry Exchange route. I’m really sad and bummed!
This is my ring:
Post # 3
Member
2547 posts
Sugar bee
🙁 I’m sorry that sucks. It helps me realize I shouldn’t do as much as I do with my ring on, shovel gravel, dishes, cleaning, sometimes sleeping, odd time showering.
I would probably make a phone call and let them know they sold you crap, and see what they can do for you, sometimes copmpanie like to help out their customers.
I hope everything works out!
Post # 4
Member
829 posts
Busy bee
@Cash000: I’m going to make a trip down to their store sometime this week.
Post # 5
Member
10714 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
Oh, I feel for you =(
That’s why I got a solitaire. A friend of mine kept losing side diamonds… she cried because her ring was always in the shop and she couldn’t wear it. I hope you get the problems worked out!
Post # 6
Member
14661 posts
Honey Beekeeper
oh nooo. that stinks! I have a tanzanite ring from Jewlery Exhchange also, and one of the little diamonds fell out before it was even sold, so it had barely been handled, much less subject to daily abuse. It wasnt even a diamond on the band, just a little one on top that I cant even picture how it could get hit. I definitely dont think side stones should normally fall out, I’ve had mine for a year now and have no issues. Is it plat or white gold?
Post # 7
Member
1036 posts
Bumble bee
I have a pave setting on my ring, and had this issue after sizing. The manufacturer that made it for me told me that sometimes sizing can have that affect on pave settings (loosening the prongs). They made me an entirely new ring with my same center stone, no charge, in my correct size to begin with, and I have had no issues since. I would TOTALLY go back where you got it and have them make you an entire new setting.
Post # 8
Member
2866 posts
Sugar bee
brandylynnp is right – it has to do with the prong set side-stones. You need to have it checked regularly to make sure the prongs aren’t getting worn down. If you do get a new setting you will still need to get it checked just because those prongs are so tiny it doesn’t take much to damage them.
Post # 9
Member
829 posts
Busy bee
I love the look of side stones, but I don’t want to have issues with them for eternity. Do you know if more expensive rings with side stones still have this issue?
Post # 10
Member
3142 posts
Sugar bee
I had the exact same problem as you! I went to a small “mom and pop’ establishment near my work to look into having my ring resided and the jeweler told me the same things about my ring. He told me that he didn’t feel that the ring was worth resizing and plating and that it was a bad quality ring.
We bought it from People’s Jewelers which is a chain here in Canada.
I brought it back and was going to return it but I ended up finding a gorgeous preowned ring that was great quality and she gave me 60 % off and free resizing and 3 months return policy for it.
Maybe you could look at the estate/preowned route if that store has that option?
Post # 11
Member
1003 posts
Bumble bee
Ugh! Sorry. Wedding Bees keeps eating my post. I’ll try again later.
Post # 12
Member
3222 posts
Sugar bee
Yeah, I don’t think that this has anything to do with the quality of the ring. That was incorrect of the jeweler to say that it is ‘cheap metal’. My friend resized her Hearts on Fire ring, and two of the pave stones fell out, and they just did what @brandylynnp‘s jeweler did – they put her center stone in a new ring that was the right size.
I hope the Jewelry Exchange is able to do this for you!!
Post # 13
Member
829 posts
Busy bee
I already received an email from the Jewelry Exchange after my yelp review (like within a half hour of me posting my review!). They said to call and let them know when I will be in to make sure that their manager is there to help me. Awesome! I still love the idea of the side diamonds, but am thinking something more like this will be better:
http://www.jewelryexchange.com/productdetails.aspx?jewelryID=5792
since the small diamonds are set down a little more – not sure what the proper term is. Anyone know if that will help things?
Post # 14
Member
829 posts
Busy bee
@camrie: what happens when the prongs do get worn down, do you know what they do to fix it?
Post # 15
Member
365 posts
Helper bee
I’m so sorry. 🙁 This happened to my original e-ring because we sized it down too much. I ended up ditching it (well, selling it) and starting over.
The new ring you are looking at appears to be pave in a channel setting. Pave stones are always a risk, but being set down in the channel setting will help cushion the tiny prongs from bumps (so yes, it would be better). A true channel setting like this would be even better:
http://www.jewelryexchange.com/productdetails.aspx?jewelryID=2825
A jeweler can re-tip prongs for a center stone, but I don’t know about tiny prongs for the side stones. I had my 3 stone ring re-tipped, but the stones are already loose again. Hope that helps, and sorry about your ring! 🙁
Post # 16
Member
1036 posts
Bumble bee
@ms. rice crispy treat: Even the highest quality pave settings can have this issue, but I am sure they have it less…pave settings can just have this issue due to how tiny the prongs are. Sizing a pave setting can cause issues with losing stones, so if you can get your setting custom made in your size it will reduce this risk. There is still a risk of losing stones, but if you go to a good, and reputable, jeweler they should replace those for as long as you own that ring.
So glad you heard back from them so quickly and that they are going to work with you! Best of luck!
I do get my ring checked every 60-90 days, which could be seen as a pain, but I LOVE her so it is totally worth it to me!!
