Jewelry stores are not perfect.
Mistakes happen, which can often lead to a jewelry disaster.
Jewelry disasters can be devastating for customers who have their prized possessions ruined by an incompetent jeweler. So it’s important that you know what your recourse is if one of these unfortunate situations arise and how to avoid them in the future!
If a jeweler ruins your ring, the first step is to try and resolve the issue with the jeweler themselves. This can often be done by simply talking to the manager or owner of the store.
If they are unwilling to work with you to fix the problem, then your next step is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and whoever else will listen.
In this article, we’ll go over what to do if a jeweler ruins your ring, the recourse you have as a customer, and how to avoid jewelry disasters in the future.
Table of Contents
Are Jewelers Safe and Trustworthy?
When it comes down to it, how can you find out if a jeweler is reputable?
We should start this conversation by making something crystal clear:
- First of all, when you use the word “jeweler” do you mean the salesperson who is working behind the counter selling and who is also the one who is arranging for jewelry repair services?
- Or are you referring to the actual “bench jeweler” who is doing the actual work on the ring?
Huge difference.
While a sales person deals with the public directly, the bench jeweler is typically someone with the gnarly tripoli blackened fingers wearing a visor on their head who works in the back of the store, often unknown and unseen.
Let’s set aside the sales person for now, you know, the one behind the counter wearing a Cheshire cat grin, has a solid gold pen in hand at the ready, and who is sporting diamonds on every branch and crease of their body.
Let’s focus instead, on the real professional…the bench jeweler who will actually be the person who has most of the control of how your ring turns out.
The Bullet that Just Missed You
Having said that, we should point out that you can buy from one source, but take your repairs and alterations to another.
Large chain stores can easily find technicalities and reasons to blow you off after you get your jewelry back damaged. They buy in large volumes and can withstand bad reviews, but that does not mean that they relish losing money.
It also does not mean that they will want to forge a personal customer relationship with you in order to keep or expand their sales base.
It does not seem to matter how many before and after pictures you provide to prove the damages, you will be guaranteed to find yourself standing in small claims court if you insist on being fully compensated for damages or shoddy work when dealing with large chain businesses.
Most people simply cannot fathom a well advertised sparkly store ruining an item, and most people also would never think to ask in writing for a guarantee or proof of liability coverage which includes the quality of workmanship mishaps done by their inexperienced or overworked bench jeweler.
On the contrary, they think that a large chain store can easily afford to restore or replace a ruined item, and though they would be correct, that is usually not how they operate.
You have heard the term “the customer is always right.”
Wrong.
Large chain jewelry stores are often the most impersonal, and are reluctant to enter a claim of liability to their insurance policy for the poor work that their bench jeweler did.
They can be master craftsmen at wiggling and twisting the facts to escape accountability.
Now let’s contrast this:
A small family owned local jewelry store knows that they are competing for your favor against the big guys and are unlikely to take on work that they do not feel confident in doing with great results.
They are far more careful to use a bench jeweler who they would trust with their own most expensive personal items too.
They are not put off by the fact that you did not buy an item from them because they are hoping that you will be happy with the work you have had done with them, they want to keep their great bench jeweler busy enough to keep them happily working for them, and that perhaps you will see something in their cases that will catch your eye for future sales.
The small stores simply cannot afford to risk having a bad reputation.
They will happily provide you with a written guarantee of work, or they will simply tell you that they are not comfortable doing a particular thing and the details of the reasons why rather than risking any damage to your item.
How To Find A Reputable Jeweler
Reputations have a tendency to follow us as we deal with the public.
We are social creatures and will talk about the things that are important to us especially when we have had an outstanding experience…either good or bad.
Finding a reputable jewelry store takes on several meanings, the first one being quality of workmanship.
The second reputation is realizing fair and competitive pricing, and the third, a guarantee of satisfaction.
We have family, friends and social media platforms that we must utilize and can scour the internet to find reviews from people who have had a great experience and recommendation, or else have had horrible experiences and are warning people away from a specific business.
It is imperative that you take advantage of those sources before you risk leaving your jewelry with anyone.
If you are buying a piece of jewelry from a “big box” type store or chain jewelry store, then know this: you are more likely to run into problems due to the sheer volume of people who frequent them and the impersonal nature of a large business.
There are the more expensive jewelry stores such as Tiffany & Co., Shane Co, ect., but for the average person, let’s remain in the middle of the road where most of us seem to find ourselves..
Most Common Ways A Jeweler Store Can Ruin Your Jewelry
Now that you know the difference between a salesperson who seems to know everything about jewelry and the person who is the actual bench jeweler that will be the one tasked into turning ideas into a reality, we should now move on to how things can take a bad turn quickly.
Setting aside that a bench jeweler may simply be a novice, is taking on work that is above their skills or pay grade, have a habit of skimping on quality materials for workmanship, or has developed some bad personal lifestyle habits that can directly affect their work, let’s take a look at some of the ways that the counter salesperson can get things screwed up for you from the jump and can task their bench jeweler with attempting to do the impossible.
Why the counter person?
Because they are the first and only people whom you will likely deal with, and are the person who makes the decision to move forward with your request.
This person must know what the bench jeweler skills are and must be able to give impeccable details to them on your behalf.
The salesperson is the one who will write up the repair and can easily push a bench jeweler to do something they ought not to do simply for the profit.
You are unlikely to meet the person who is doing the work, but the counter salesperson is supposed to know what the limitations are for every item that comes in for work or repair, and convey those desires to the bench jeweler!
Resizing
Having your ring resized does not seem like a big task, does it? However, keep in mind that there can be several instances where it can turn into a nightmare.
- You may want a ring to be sized up too much or too small. This can ruin the integrity of the mounting by stressing the original shape of the ring to accommodate the new size. If you’re fine with getting back a ring that is no longer round, and the end result is oval, then that may not be a problem for you…but you should be fully informed of this before the work even starts.
- You may find that resizing a ring that has channel set stones is more prone to losing those stones afterwards. This is because the metal holding the edges of each stone in place becomes altered to accommodate the addition or subtraction of metal for sizing. It is best practice to not make a ring smaller or larger than one size either way to avoid loosening stones.
- You may find that the shank of the ring shows the obvious area where the sizing took place, or that the ring becomes cracked in that area after wearing it over time. This is simply shoddy workmanship and is inexcusable. Don’t give that bench jeweler a second chance to rework a simple repair.
- You find that your original ring has a different color of metal blended into the shank. This is because the bench jeweler did not pay attention to using the correct karat or soldering material to match the job at hand. Tsk Tsk.
Chipping Gemstones
Be advised that a chip or crack on the edge of a gemstone can result from a bench jeweler pressing down on a metal prong too hard while securing a stone into place.
It can also be that the stone was positioned in such a way that it was hiding the chip under a prong that went unnoticed!
The proof of either will fall on the customer, so it is best to look for a prior chip or crack through a loupe before handing off your item for work.
Heat Damage
It used to be that bench jewelers used a flame torch to work on jewelry.
Gold, silver and platinum all have different heat requirements so that they can be manipulated.
Nowadays, many stores have invested in expensive laser welders which can handle nearly any type of metal w/o risking the use of high heat.
All metals and gemstones, including diamonds, can be burned by high heat and can crack or explode if there are inclusions present inside the stone.
It will be best to find a store to work on your item that has invested in a laser welder as one line of defense against heat damage to either the metal or to the gemstone.
Poor Quality Diamonds or Gemstones
Many people have no idea that their beautiful diamond or gemstone has been treated to enhance the color or clarity!
This means that the stones are going to end up having qualities that lend themselves to damage if a bench jeweler is not informed or does not bother to take the time to look for signs of stone treatment prior to working on the item.
Bad or subpar stones can be made to look fantastic by adding lead glass or dye coloring agents to hide inclusions and cracks or enrich an otherwise terrible color or clarity grade.
This makes the price much cheaper for the store owner who purchases them, but at the same time it causes those types of stones to be more prone to exploding when applying heat too close to them.
Always ask for proof that the expensive gemstone or diamond that you buy has not been treated, especially if you know that your item will likely need work at some point in the future.
If you are not sure if your item has been treated when you acquired it, then be sure to ask the store that you take it to to double check before working on it to prevent damage.
Using Inferior Materials
This is usually the result of a bench jeweler who is trying to cut cost for producing his work, or of a store who is trying to maximize profit margins regardless of results.
Examples of this include:
- using lower carat gold and mixing it to repair higher carat items
- using gemstones that have internal cracks
- using gemstones that have flea bite chips on them and hiding those under prong work or bezel work
- buying stones that have been filled with glass or lead to enhance their appearance.
What To Do If A Jeweler Ruined Your Jewelry
If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having your jewelry ruined by a jeweler, there are a few things you can do.
First, try to calm down and assess the damage. If it’s something that can be easily fixed, like a loose stone or bent prong, then take it back to the jeweler and ask them to fix it.
Most jewelers will be happy to do so, free of charge.
Find A Reputable Jeweler
If the damage is more severe, like a cracked gemstone or heat damage, then you’ll need to take it to another jeweler for repair.
This is where things can get tricky, because not all jewelers are created equal.
You’ll want to find a reputable jeweler who has experience repairing the type of damage your jewelry has sustained.
Once you’ve found a qualified jeweler, take your jewelry to them and explain what happened.
They’ll be able to give you an estimate for repair and let you know if it’s even possible to fix.
Unfortunately there wont be much you can do about the cost of repairs, as most jewelers will charge a pretty penny to fix damage that was caused by another jeweler.
However, if the damage is extensive and you paid a lot of money for your jewelry in the first place, you may be able to get some compensation from the original jeweler.
Report The Damage to Better Business Bureau
Although the BBB aren’t an enforcement agency, they are a great resource for filing complaints against businesses because they will investigate the complaint and try to mediate a resolution between you and the jeweler.
In many cases, businesses do not want the publicity of a complaint being filed against them and will try to resolve the issue quickly and fairly.
Of course, filing a complaint with the BBB is a last resort and should only be done if you’ve exhausted all other options for getting your jewelry repaired or compensated.
Filing a complaint with the BBB is a pretty simple process. Just go to their website and search for the jeweler in question. Once you find them, click on the “File a Complaint” button.
You’ll need to create an account with the BBB, but once you do, you’ll be able to file your complaint and upload any supporting documentation.
Final Thoughts
You can head off potential grief if you already know what to look for when purchasing a piece of jewelry and if you know how a large or small business typically operates from within.
If you were careful about finding details about the gems in your piece, the limitations of sizing and repair potential, and something about the reputation of the store you want to take it to, then you are already way ahead of the learning curve and will avoid the areas of disappointment that are your responsibility for conducting your own due diligence.