A Nightmare on my wedding day - the diamond ring

[bynne]

hey all, just wanna share my experience ...

the diamond on my solitaire fell out on the morning of my actual wedding 2 weeks ago... i was sitting on my chair in my wedding gown waiting for my hubby to arrive when i discovered that the Destinee diamond had gone missing. it took 7 jiemeis, 5 relatives to comb the entire house for a good hour before someone spotted the diamond lying on the floor ... i was almost close to tears sitting there feeling so helpless because i wasn't quite able to help find it ...

i was very very very upset with what happened because i din expect it to happen - and certainly not on my wedding day. What upset me even more was the reply given by the very reputable company that sold the proposal ring to my hubby. They said that their investigations showed that there were signs of the ring being mishandled - that the fork seemed a bit not its usual shape - and that they were not going to accept any liability on their part for what happened. However, they have offered, apparently out of goodwill on their part, to set it back for me...

How could that be when i've not worn the ring at all, other than when it was first given to me on the day my hubby proposed? It had been kept under lock and key after that day and the only next time i took it out to wear is after i had put on my wedding gown, veil and makeup that very morning of my wedding ... frankly, i dun think i've even worn it for half an hour before the diamond dropped ...

i actually liked the company enough to buy all my rings from them ... yes, the rings dun come cheap, but my hubby and i reckoned that a wedding is only once in a lifetime, and if it's worth it, we dun mind slogging our butts off to pay for the quality ... i know my hubby saved up very hard to pay for the ring, something i think most of the other hubbies out there can attest to, which is why i'm even more upset at the response ... i get very upset every time i think of the fact that his efforts at saving up to pay for the solitaire were in vain, because he paid through his nose for poor quality ...

my mum has been wearing her diamond ring for years, and it has been with her through all the household chores she'd done and dinners that she had attended ... i dun think she even paid half of what my hubby paid for my ring ...

apparently, quality doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag and the former, in my case, definitely doesn't exist.

thanks for reading my frustrations.

 

[demi]

Hi Bynne,

Cheer up! I'm glad you managed to find the diamond in the end. Poor thing, the whole day must be spoilt for you. But take comfort in the fact that so many people love you, your hubby for buying the ring for you, and your friends & relatives for finding the diamond for you. That is what really matters in life. Don't let bad customer service get you down and spoil the memory of your day.

The company you are talking about, Lxx Hxx, I never had a good impression of them. Don't seem to have good customer service at all. They like to blame customer.

Don't worry, next time buy from another jeweller!

 

[gooobergrape]

Hi Bynne

Ooh dear must have been traumatising!!!!
Think you should change jeweller or set it somewhere else reputable.

So angry that they actually blame the customer. Crazy.

 

[ingenue78]

Hi Bynne,
Yeah, i can only imagine how terrible it felt to lose your diamond momentarily! i think i will go mad... My ex-colleague also bought a dia ring from them (not destinee diamond) and her dia also dropped out. I think their setting is not really very good. That's why i dun dare to buy anything from them after hearing her experience...

 

[gooobergrape]

Wah lao... I just remembered that my diamond studs are from there!!! If fall out, I think I will also go mad... think later today i will bring to Larry to check the claw.

 

[felicity]

oh dear i did not know that lee hwa is so lousy. i will avoid them.

 

[joellez]

Damn, both my proposal and wedding rings are from there *panics* This is one of my biggest nightmare, dropping a diamond & losing it

bynne - i'm glad that you found the diamond.

 

[peeper]

i guess nowadays with the no. of jewellery shops n diamond rings out in the market.... quality drops.... my wedding bands... are fm sookee... has a no. of small diamonds on it... i've dropped one diamond b4, wun b able to find it.. cos duno when n where i lost it.. have to had it replaced !! recently, my hb's ring oso had the same problem and require replacement oso.

juz hope tis will stop....

 

[sharyenne]

i agree with no-time.
it's probably due to the stiff competition in this industry, the price-cutting is compromising on the quality.

i bot a solitaire ring from Lxx Hxx 5-6 years back, when it was THE jewellery chain, n when diamond prices were much higher.
my ring is still in good condition, despite the daily wear for the past few yrs.

n i would just like to compliment GoldHeart on their customer service. their staff is polite, friendly n definitely v patient.
it's the little things they do that touched me. they offered to clean all the jewellery i was wearing, while i waited for another staff to bring me my proposal ring. it was definitely a unexpected but delightful gesture. i dunno if other jewellers do it too, but i do know that GoldHeart will be my first choice when i shop for my wedding bands.

 

[idono]

If there's price competition, its not evident. Coz their profit margins are still incredibly high compared to mature mkts like US.

 

[samara]

you should just write or email to the head office, make it as lengthy as possible, note the dates, staff names.... i always write in complaint letters and they always sent me complimentary gifts and followed by an apology phone calls. in your case, i would definitely made a huge scene coz the item is not a peanut.

 

[elinwokk]

Actually on this same topic, I bought a pendant with chain from them and only wearing it for a week the necklace broke whilst I was having dinner with some girfriends one day. I took item back and the sales girl told me it was bec I got a filmsy box chain for pendant which was quite "heavy". So it was not suitable and not their fault when it gave way. You know, whatever the case, they could have advised me from not getting the chain to match pendant anyway!?! I now get my jewellery from other stores. Lessson learnt!

 

[peeper]

Elin... sumtimes i just cant stand the responses they slap onto our faces.... like wat u've encountered.. totally unacceptable and ridiculous... they make it sound like u're the silly one.. but in fact, they shld be the idiotic ones!

 

[sgmom]

Wow. I didnt know Lee Hwa's std has dropped so much leh. I bot some items from them a few years back. Mainly pendants. My dia ring was bot from a wholesaler, altho cheap, got no prob with the dia. I also have 1 dia ring from Goldheart. The dia is fine but coz the mix of the white gold was not done very properly, some parts of my ring will turn yellowish after a while. My aunt opens a jewellery shop told me that. So every 1-2 yrs I'll bring it back to her to re-plate it. Sigh.

Elin: U shd question their professionalism asking them why wld they recommend u this chain if they know that the pendant was too heavy for the chain? We r layman only looking at designs. How will we know abt these other stuff? Their attitude is terrible. I shant buy from them anymore.

Bynne: Thank god u found ur dia. I bet it must be a rather big one.. good that it's not lost.. if not sure damn heartache one.

 

[katgrrl]

Hi Bynne & all the gals here,

Bynne, I'm really glad u found your diamond!! I know it has a lot of sentimental value attached and it may even outweigh the financial cost of it.

Hmph, after reading all your posts just confirm my suspicion: that <u>4 prongs are not sufficiently secure for a diamond ring</u>. When I was doing my research on diamond rings, I read on the Tiffany site that 6 is most recommended. Well, sales talk or not, my cutoff then was 5 or 6 prongs. LH which only has 4 (with salesgirls who look fresh out of O Levels), was out of the question in that case. In the end, I went with Larry because of their level of service with highly knowlegeable staff (&amp; I'm a very demanding customer

) and range of diamonds. So, anyone else buying a ring, pls take the number of prongs into consideration, I'm sure u wouldn't want your rock to fall out, would u?

 

[jimmygo]

hi bynne,

thanks for the alert! u saved me a trip down to LH. now have to scratch head on where to get my SDJ... haha.... no confidence of normal jewellery chains now...

hi katgrrl,

i'm thinking of larry also. but to get a SDJ from then would kill my pocket.... so have to think of alternatives already... haiz...

 

[forrestgump4]

hi Edna,
my wedding bands and dia ring are from Gold H***t. I would say that their svc is pretty good! when me and FH collect the wedding bands, they even took a polaroid of us as a souvenir to mark our marriage and with GH. The lady who serve me is pretty knowledgable too.

Hey sgwestie, think not all jewellers are like that, if you want alternative, maybe can go GH or SK? not the SK2 though.

 

[jimmygo]

hi mandy,

yeah, most prob i'll go to GH for my wifey's SDJ since i've their disc card also. haha.... i know its not SK-II lah....

 

[bynne]

hi katgrrl ...

wished my hubby had spoken to u before he went to buy tt ring secretly on his own ... cos i'm equally clueless about such stuffs ...

i'm drifting between being pissed and being terribly upset with them ... they've offered to set it back for me foc (something they've touted as part of their good service) but they've stressed over and over again that they cannot guarantee that the diamond will not fall off again ... and yes, they said it depends very much on the wearer ...

i dun supposed i could do that many activities that could be less vigorous than when i was a bride, so i dun think i should be wearing their rings again ...

 

[samara]

bynne, may i know how much is the ring that you have bought or rather the price range? i am still rather surpised that their customer service. i think that you should just write in to their head office, i am sure that you will get a better response as opposed to complaining at the store.

 

[forrestgump4]

hi samara,
ive went to LH to see see b4. they told me that the dia they use for destinee range is at least a 0.3 carat and above. plus they use "heart and arrow" cut which is the most precise cut, that's why their range is about 3k and abv. i saw one during great s'p sale, and it cost more that 3k!
"luckily" i din like their setting cos they come in 4 claws but i prefer 6 claws cos my fren say 6 claws can hold dia better.
in the end we chose the dia that is near our budget and the design and the svc we liked.

 

[gooobergrape]

Hi Bynne

I think Mandy has a point. Why not set it in a 6 claw just to make sure. You should also bring it to the jeweller's to check once in a while.
As I wear my E-ring everyday I bring it back to Larry to check the claw,polish every month.

I have been told that once the oil/dirt sets into the surface of the stone due to negligence, it'll be tough to get the stains off. So do be diligent in getting the stone checked and cleaned.

In fact, since my earrings are fr LH, Each time I pass by a LH, I will ask them to clean my earrings + my e-ring for me.

 

[cooler]

i know of a fren, who owns a big diamond ring (duno wat carat thou) from larry.... bought quite sumtime ago.. if i'm not wrong, it costs close to $10,000... but she's SO worried tat the jeweller may swop her real diamond with a fake one.. she NEVER dares to send it for cleaning.... *LOL*

 

[happybunny]

hi ...
GH has solitaire in 6 claws ... the Zen series ... very classic and Tiffany style n at a more afforable price too ...

my hubby bought mine 2 years ago n i've been wearing it since even when i wash the dishes ... no problem at all

every year, i will send back to GH for cleaning n also to check the claws ... just in case

 

[pple]

Hi Edna,

I had the same experience as u with GH, their staff have more initiative. I went to M.Sq and Citilink branches at different occasions, their sales staff are friendly and helpful.

 

[esp]

Hi, just to add. I bought my ring at Goldheart and yes!!! their customer service is great. The lady whom i bought my ring from still sends me greeting cards.

Four Claw dia shape like a square from far. The six claw dia shape more like a round. BTW, heard that some jewerrler provide some form of insurance in the case of dia falls of the tong. They will investiagte, not sure how true though

 

[demi]

I went to 3 Goldheart branches shopping for my bands. Tiong Bahru, then Centerpoint, then the main branch beside Lido, dunno the name of the building lah. Anyway all 3 times got good service, so in the end I bought my wedding bands at the main one.

 

[junec]

Hi all

I'm thinking of getting a diamond ring but am tempting to get a man made diamond instead of teh real thing. Its call moissanite. Its suppose to be so real that can even confuse some experts. The cost is 1/10 of real diamond.

Was just wondering what u girls think. Would u go for the alternative or must it be the real thing?

 

[mtmtmt]

It's the setting design- if prongs are thin and only 4-prongs, easily knocked off. But such design trendy now...
If u still like 4-prongs, ask for "tulip-shaped" prongs, they are thicker yet beautiful (not bulky in an ugly way). If the setting is considered "FOC" (some shops claim they are only charging u the diamond and giving u FOC setting), may consider changing the setting to something more substantial after some time.

Mine was spinning! Problem corrected already but I'm sure it'd be recurrent... high time to reset.

 

[happybunny]

hi

my guys colleagues are crazy abt these man-made dia as one of them BIL is selling ... One guy even bought a few to give his gfsss. It is cheaper ... a 0.5 carat cost less than 500

I've seen the 'diamond' and it does looks very real... my colleague told me that i could choose white gold or platinum for the ring ... but ... how to send the ring for polishing next time? the ring is real but the diamond is fake leh ... very paiseh lor

 

[pbs]

seriously, i dun mind buying a fakie at all. y spend so much money on juz a stone.. n since now the mkt has so many fakies. i wun wan to be wearing a real one n get upset when most ppl think i'm wearing a fake?! money saved can be spent on other things! heeheehee...

junec, last read there's a shop at far east selling moissanite. wherelse can we locate such deals?

 

[jimmygo]

hi junec,

the common reason for couples to buy a diamond ring is to symbolise their love for one another. the diamond, although easily replaceable with another type of gem, contains a sentimental value to the couple. that's why diamonds are usually associated with words like 'eternity' and 'forever'.

the choice of choosing moissanite or diamond is up to yuo. different couples use different gems or objects to symbolise their marriagehood. buying a moissanite doesn't make u less loving. with the increased in consumer awareness, diamonds have become much cheaper than in the past. however, different grades and quality apply. thus if u're on a budget, do choose an affordable stone now and get a better one when u're able to. its never too late.

however, its not advisable to get a moissanite just becos one can fool the laymen. u'll live with this issue forever. for my own personal opinion, i would buy moissanites for daily use and keep the diamond jewellery (regardless of the cost) for special occasions.

my 2 cents worth.

hi julia,

there are 2 saying... 'beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder' and 'one man's meat is another man's poison'. thus how one perceives the value of a diamond is very subjective. i'm sure your friends will not think that u're wearing a fake stone unless u've been presenting the same image always. fakies wiould be reserved more for daily wear or as costume jewllery.

 

[junec]

Julia,

From the originator of Moissanite, it seems there is only one place in SG selling it and it is at Lucky Plaza #02-09. I have not been there but read about in the the Moissanite Web site.

sgwestie,

Guess u are right, if it's suppose to symbolize a relationship, the real thing is more appropriate. For me, I put little value in the rock, its more a jewelry thing. Anyway, am thinking of buying it for myself and as an accessory to get a particular look.

Hubby never buy me rock for proposal leh. Only bought me a diamond pendant once years ago. He also don't put much value into it. Anyway I don't mind coz I prefer more practical gifts from him like vaccum cleaner, washing Machine and car. Hee hee...

 

[forrestgump4]

Hi Junec,
my FH bought the dia proposal ring from GH, at 1st i treat it like treasure and din dare to wear it. so in the end i also bought myself a Russian Dia for daily wear. but sometimes i think the "dia" seems too big to be real, haha.

Hi can i recommend this staff at GH bugis branch? Her name is Alice Seah. She's patient and willing to tell you a lot about what you want to know. in case anybody wanted to buy something from GH lah...

 

[gooobergrape]

I checked out the moissanite stones before. Very very yellow. compared to a diamond, it will be a L or M colour. I dont think you want to get a moissanite and wear a yellow looking stone (tho I heard that yellow diamonds are rare and damn expensive).

My stone from Larry has its identification number lasered onto it so no worry about swapping stones. (Tania, you might want to remind your fren abt the lasered number) I send it for cleaning frequently to prevent permanent oil stains.

I guess its up to the individual. I am a stickler for nice diamonds hehehe.... these days the russian dia are so so real!! I placed one next to my VS1 G coloured excellent cut/polish/symmetry stone and wow, I cannot tell the difference. In fact the russion dia is whiter (think equal to D colour). light dispersion wise, its pretty good as well.

 

[cooler]

goober.. where to get the russian dia?

 

[junec]

Mandy &amp; goober grape lover,

Where can I get the Russian Diamond?

 

[gooobergrape]

i saw it at ck tang and isetan

 

[samara]

i think that i saw it at isetan at wisma, it is a small counter close the escalator, if i am not wrong. i saw the prices for those rocks, they are not cheap. but they are definitely very bright and clear though.

 

[coyote]

My hubby bot me a 4claws dia ring few mths back frm LH... Oh dear, think I better check on the dia setting now n den to make sure is still intact.

 

[forrestgump4]

Hi junec,
i bought mine at ck tang, brand name is gordon max. think i can only find this brand there selling russ dia now only....
the color is really bright but somehow under fluorescent light, it seems to be too white and cant see the light ray in the dia. what i mean is, when we turn the real dia, normally we can see the light rays go round the dia right? but russ dia dun think have that lor.

 

[sonia]

hi bynne,

am so sorry to hear about your traumatic experience. all i can say is don't let one incident ruin your entire experience with a company. you said you bought all your rings there so i gather you must have been with them for a quite some time now and liked their service. otherwise you would have gone elsewhere.

i am saying this because two years back i had pretty similar experience with lxx hxx (i believe you are talking abt this jeweller?). i have always been a long time fan of theirs. one fine day a diamond in my ring dropped off so i took it back to one of their stores. same thing, the guy there told me that i must have mishandled the ring blah blah blah... but in actual fact i blamed it on the setting. anyways to cut the long story short, when i didn't get what i wanted at the store, i went directly to the customer service centre. think there is a number you can call. the officer then was very helpful and eventually they solved my problem and i got what i wanted. since then i have continued to patronise them. like you i also got a destinee for my wedding....i just can't keep my eyes off the diamond.

all i can say is don't let one incident spoil everything. there are always bad apples in all companies. but that doesn't mean the company is bad. like me, if you feel that the store people can't help then maybe you should call the customer service. i am sure the officer there will be able to help you out like he did for me. i was unhappy then but now i am a happy woman. you deserve to be too...

 

[bynne]

Hi Sonia,

I think i wasn't as lucky as you were.. cos it was the customer service staff who handled my case and who told me that i was the one who mishandled the ring ...

Once bitten, twice shy ... i know for sure i'll never ever buy anything there again cos the quality and service are simply not there ...

 

[pepperpower]

Hi people!

I'm totally convinced of the necessity of regular cleaning. But despite having my ring cleaned every few days, either at the jewelry store, or at home (Mama Lemon, wat else?), I still get oil stains that just won't totally disappear. Very frustrating leh. What's the most effective method for cleaning?

 

[andrei_n_averyl]

oh gosh!! really taken aback by what i've read.. my proposal ring was from Gold Heart.
BUt our wedding rings from LH.... oh no.. if the diamond from my wedding ring falls out, i'll be really sad..... but too late liao.....

 

[bynne]

Hi Andrei ... my colleague, who just got married less than a month back, came to tell me that his small little diamond from his wedding band has fallen off already ... his is from the same shop as mine ...

Think I'm turning into a paranoid fella, cos i'll be looking at my wedding band (handmade rings from that awful shop) every few seconds or so just to make sure that the little diamonds are still there ... might consider going to GH to get another pair lest i turn into a wreck ...

good luck to u, andrei ...

 

[tweetie76]

hi, my colleague recommend me to Je'Taime at takashimaya..they are famous for the 18K gold ring..

 

[dabee]

hi gals:
mine was a 0.5c 4 claws from LH. i hv been wearing it daily for two yrs, still intact, i remove it once i reach home esp when doing housework. will be more cautious.
my cousin GH diamond also fall off from her ring. lucky found back in her car... my gf ROM diamond from GH also fall off from her ring after wearing for few days. GH re set for them both FOC after their complaints....

 

[jennytansc]

Ohh from all ur chat it seems that my dia bot from LH was also unstable.. cos Opp my office there is one this factory producing gold &amp; diamond. I remember i sent my diamond for polishing &amp; she told me i shld not wear my diamong ring as cos it is shaky &amp; will drop off anytime..oh my god somemore the 18k white gold is too thin that my ring is totally out of shape as i wear it everyday....
i think i shld sent opp to do a reframe for me. to re-design the diamond setting &amp; change to a thicker ring.. but i tot was my wedding ring so dun touch it. but if dun do anything i afraid that it wld fall out w/o me knowing.....

I bot another bracklet from LH also as i am their regular last time. whatever dia i will find them.. i bot this bracklet when there is a sales. $700+... after wearing for less than 3mths the brakcklet fall off when i was dressing in my locker area.. oh lucky i feel the slip off my hand &amp; picked it up.. sent back to LH &amp; (again saying their good svc do it for me free) ....
Second time again drop when i was dressing also. so lousy quality one meh.. hook abit oni fall off liao... then again go back IT is not FREE liao this time. there is a charge for that. i dun mind &amp; paid for it. telling meyself drop the 3rd time i will sell it away.. who know when the 3rd time it is dropped i din notice until at night. i dunno isit my bag which i was holding on my hand to cause it to drop or when i was dressing again. i cant find back the diamond bracklet anymore. somemore it was on instalment for 12mths. when i dropped it... i havent even finish paying the instalment. i am like buying this for the lucky person who picked that bracklet up...
after hearing all ur complaints i doubt i will go back although what attractive 30+% discount...

 

[sowie]

Hi ladies

Having read through all your horror stories about diamond rings makes me thankful that I didn't get mine from those places.

I will highly recommend Larry and Flower Diamonds. You'll be surprised that they are not as expensive as what most pple think. If you bear to part money at LH, u'll find LH's pricing quite similar to Larry and Flower. I've been wearing my Lazare ring for 4 yrs and everything's still good. My Flower stuff I only wear on special occasion, but their workmanship's superb.