I think it’s fairly admirable of the company to tell you- they very easily could have just replaced the whole shebang and not told you. A dirty company would have done this. I’d say you’re probably dealing with honest folks here, though I would take whatever replacement you get in to somewhere else to make sure it’s up to par with what you had before.
If you have been looking to get your wife something else (birthday present, whatever), why don’t you go in and ask if they’ll give you a solid discount (maybe right about cost) on something else for your wife? A little necklace or bracelet or something she might enjoy. That way, the business isn’t really HURT by this, but you are being helped by it. If that makes sense.
What pedescribe said. I understand the sentimental affection for some objects, but that’s the risk in having them at all. Becoming attached to pets or people is waaay different than an attachment to a thing. The former are unique creatures that can never be replaced or duplicated; the latter almost always are never utterly unique in this world, and only gain importance that you imbue them with yourself.
To somebody who places a great deal of sentiment on the rings, the difference is not miniscule to them at all. Maybe it’s not to you, but it is to them.
Is this the wedding band or the engagement ring that they lost? If it’s the engagement ring then you should pull out you original GIA certficate and make sure your stone is at least equal if not a little better than the original. I’d want the same band for sentimental reasons. Also I would pose this question at pricescope to get answers from people in the diamond industry about what is customary or common. Do you have jewelry insurance because most plans replace with like rings instead of a cash payout unless you specify.
I’d take the replacement ring with the GIA cert showing a diamond of equal or greater value. I really don’t think the jeweler is going to screw you on that given that that they already have egg on their face to the point where you really need to have it appraised at a second independent jeweler. I suppose if you insist on that, you could ask them to pay for the second appraisal, but I think that’s the full extent of what you’re entitled to since it was an honest mistake. Alternatively, you could get the cash value of the ring as a refund, but if you are expecting anything more than that, I think you’re being unreasonable.
My wife once took a random ring into a jewelry store in the mall that was offering a free cleaning while you wait in an effort to get people in to browse. They cleaned her ring and apologized that one of the stones had come loose and gave her back the ring with the stone offering to fix it for a small fee. She was super pissed off and was convinced they pried the stone out just so they could charge a fee to fix it. I told her she was over-reacting and that I was sure the stone really was loose and they did her a favor because it otherwise would have fallen out at a random time and would have been lost forever. Then again, who knows? She took it to a different store to be fixed and even asked if it looked like it had been pried out. They didn’t think so.
My point was simply that comparing rings to people or pets is hyperbolic in nature.
But okay, fine. For some people, the fact that it is not the same ring means a great deal. I can understand that. Given that, though, wouldn’t the best replacement be a ring that is as close as possible, imbued with a new ceremony or memory? I mean, if Razrak trades up, not only will the ring be a different ring, but it will look different, and feel different, and be that much more distant from the original ring.
After the wedding my wife had the engagment ring and the wedding band welded(is that the right word?) together. They lost both of them since they were attached. The only insurance that would cover the ring is home owners insurance, I believe it’d have to be stolen to use home owners insurance. The store wants to replace the rings with an identical set. I’m not sure if they insure the rings when they send them to the center for repairs. My wife signed some paperwork when they took the ring in for repairs. Both rings are listed retail at the store for $3,000 as a combo deal. My wife signed some paperwork when they took the ring in for repairs. She just read the fine print and called me at work. It said something to the effect they valued the rings at $2,400 and if it was lost or stolen they would replace with a like ring.
It seems we won’t really have any input as to what the remedy will be.
Perhaps this puts a different gloss on things - are you saying that you paid $3000 for the rings, but they’re only prepared to pay the combined price that they estimated? It sounds like you could maybe push for the replacement plus the financial difference, although if your wife has signed a form…
My wife clarified with them, the wedding ring was $2,400 and the band was $600. They are prepared to replace the two rings with same make and model. My wife is now thinking she wants a full refund and we go buy a different ring at a competiting store. The district manager is suppose to call my wife sometime today.
I’m sorry about your wife’s ring. Many people have sentimental attachments to jewelry, even if it isn’t a wedding ring. Have none of you people heard of the Sentimental Pawn Shop?
I may be losing my mind, but I recall a case in law school where certain vendors have the legal right to sell/substitute your item without your consent. I know it sounds improbable, but check the fine print of your receipt to see if it mentions this.
I have a cousin who lost her house & everything in it in a fire. Years later, she still has cause to talk about it every time I see her. It’s not deliberate on her part, it’s just such a hard time in her life.
Yeah, + 1 on this. Sorry, man, I just don’t think the ring is that big of a deal. (Says I, the spouse who insisted on an $80 plain gold band). Especially since it isn’t old.
To me the mature response is to take the exact replica, look on it wistfully and with a sign for the next fifty years of your marriage, remembering the story of how the original was lost, and now this one is really a 49-year-6-month ring instead of a 50-year ring, and laugh knowingly between yourselves about how isn’t life funny.
Sure a small gift certificate or a pair of earrings or something would sweeten the deal. But in the long run, it just doesn’t matter.
I’ve been married less time than you and your wife have and if a jeweler lost my rings and offered to replace them with an identical set I’d be fine with it.
I mean, it’s the rings - it’s not like they lost my husband.
Now, my set isn’t engraved, and I might ask them to engrave the new set just to make up for the trouble of me being without my rings for so long; however, that doesn’t really cost them anything - it’s just kind of a free, added perk as an apology for messing with my stuff.
