To be really peeved with local jewellers?

[adotburr]

I have a ring that has great sentimental value as it was a gift from my now deceased father.

He gifted it to me when I was a teenager and I’m now in my 30s, so I have changed a lot. It’s not worth much (just silver) but has huge sentimental value.

I went in to a local jewellers and explained that whilst I could turn the ring quite freely, I could no longer get it over my knuckles. This was not a sudden change, just as my body has changed and I no longer have slender teen fingers! I was concerned that if it ever needed to be removed for some reason I’d have to ruin it, so wanted to know if I had options.

The lady I spoke to said she would recommend cutting off the ring and then having it repaired and resized. On her recommendation, I went ahead with this. She assured me prior to the cutting that it could 100% be fixed and would be fine. She cut it off and advised to go back in 2 weeks to ensure that my finger definitely wasn’t swollen.

I went back, and was first told the repair couldn’t be done. It was only when I argued against this based on previous advice that another person came and corrected the infila colleague and measured my finger and sent the ring off for repair.

It came back good as new and perfect.

Except after 6 weeks it snapped right at the repair site.

I took it back to the jewellers and said I wasn’t bothered how much it cost but I wanted it fixing due to the sentimentality. They again said it couldn’t be done but then said actually it could. It was sent off and repaired and again came back fine.

Except now it has broken again in the exact same spot.

I am first of all distraught, this is the piece of my father that I carry with me everywhere. It feels like my tie to him and it is truly my most treasured possession. The idea of it being broken or irreparable or that I may not be able to wear it every day really upsets me.

I am secondly really annoyed. I didn’t strictly need it cutting off - it was certainly not disrupting blood flow etc. it was only on the recommendation and assurance of the jewellers that I did this. I’m so annoyed that I trusted them and that I did anything at all.

I’m going to take it again and ask that it is repaired again and possibly restrengthened (if that is an option) but I’m not sure what they will say.

AIBU to be quite annoyed about all this?

Good Lord, you're going back to the same place again??

Take it somewhere else.

Why do you keep trusting them with something so precious?

They’re the only local ‘proper’ jewellers and our family have used them for years so I have previously always trusted them. But you’re right perhaps I need to go to the next town over and try somewhere else! I think I just keep giving them the benefit of the doubt

Take it to a different jewellers.

For goodness sake, don't take it back a third time. Go somewhere else, even if you have to travel. Talk to more than one jeweller and get opinions.

I have had rings resized, there are two methods - stretching, or inserting a piece into the shank. Which (if either) is suitable depends on the extent of resizing, the thickness of the shank and the design of the ring. The plainer the ring, the easier it is to resize - any stones on the shank make it more complex.

A few years ago I took a mid priced watch to get a new battery (watch is collectable so now worth £2k+). The guy couldn't put the back back on the watch.... because I was a working gardener at the time, I looked scruffy and he brushed me off. Wrote to the owner a formal letter explaining I wasn't happy that I entered with a working watch, left with 3 pieces...and I was considering contacting my lawyer if the next jeweller couldn't fix it. Phone call, come and see me... walked in, he recognised me from buying my wife a lot of stuff over the years...it was sorted. Moral of the story, complain in writing. We had our rings extended, they add extra gold and charge for the extra gold...

It’s definitely very simple, just plan silver, but it’s quite a dainty band. They said last time it was resized using laser? It’s quite clearly broken at the site of the cut both times though.

they have said as it’s silver apparently it heats too fast to repair traditional ways, whether that’s true or not I don’t know!

I am tempted to complain but I was worried it wouldn’t get me anywhere, perhaps I should though

Try to find a workshop near you. Google for it.

Or send it to this lady in Devon.
She’s absolutely amazing, and doesn’t over charge. Give her a call. Have a chat. Silver is really easy to work with but there might be a reason yours is so fragile. A discussion might help?

melaniebowlerjewellery.com/

Skills are lost all over the UK, it is bewildering to watch - jewellers, cobblers, tailors are now rubbish - very few places where you can repair bags, and no umbrella is being made in the UK (all frames are now imported, even for J.Smith and Sons. We are all de-skilled now. I am not surprised.
P.S. I had an unique Scottish Victorian Balmoral ring (rubbish stones, like carnelian and bloodstone and agate) where the only value was in the hallmarks on the gold setting and sentimental value (great-great-grandma's). It broke and required soldering. I put it into what looked like a genuine family-owned jewellers. When I collected it, I was gutted, instead of soldering, they melted the gold band, destroying all the hallmarks - its value. Have not even bothered to phone me to ask for permission to melt the band. Madness and zero professionalism. So I am not surprised.

Thank you for the recommendation, I might get in touch and see what she says!

I think you should have a new shank made. I wanted an adjustment on an antique ring recently and the jeweller said that if the shank was less than a certain width/depth they wouldn't do it. Mind you if it is a plain bad that wouldn't work.

Gosh that’s awful, I’m so so sorry! I bet you were devastated!

Honestly this ring means so much to me it’s hard to explain. Probably one of the worst things is every time it breaks I have to take it off and I feel like a whole part of me is missing

I would take your ring to a different jeweller.
First of all go to a jeweller that has a workshop on site. Explain the problems that you have had with the ring, and ask if they can repair it. Then - ask how they will repair it. They might be able to laser weld it.
I work in the industry and we can repair almost anything in our workshop, but some pieces of jewellery are very labour intensive to repair properly. We often charge more for our work than the piece cost in the first place - but people are prepared to pay when an item has sentimental value.
We guarantee our work for a year.
Do you know why they thought it might be impossible/difficult to repair?

I would put it onto a nice silver chain

I do already wear a necklace and I like the feeling of the ring on my finger - it brings me a lot of comfort from anxiety being able to fiddle with it in a very non-obvious way. But if it’s truly ruined at least this would still keep it with me!

Please don’t just take it back to the same place again. It is your precious ring

Take
it to more than one place and get opinions and coatings. Look for some silversmiths , even try a local college that teaches silversmithing for an opinion on what , if anything can be done.

Diffrrent issue but my engagement ring wore through on the shank and I took it somewhere I trusted (after researching) rather than to a jewellers who would send it away

This is very helpful thank you. They didn’t really say why it was such a problem other than that the silver heats too quickly to repair in the same way they’d repair gold! I know nothing about this stuff so really just took their word for it.

id easily pay over and above what it’s worth to have it fixed - its value is probably £20 and that’s only based on the value of the silver! But to me its priceless and I’d do anything to always have it

Would you consider having it repaired one last time (by a different jeweller preferably) and made into a pendant you could wear every day on a simple chain? Perhaps they could make the break point stronger at the same time as attaching a loop for the chain to go to, IYSWIM. Then you wouldn't have to stress it by pushing it on and off your finger every day.

If sold you a TV that didn't work what would you do...jewellery alterations happen every day. They add precious metal and stretch things out, its happened for thousands of years

If it was truly unfixable then I would do this, but I’d prefer not to. I really like the feeling of having it on my hand (I’m very used to it!) and I like to fiddle with it to ease anxieties in a way that isn’t obvious. Sounds daft but it helps me feel like dad is calming me down. I also don’t really take it off unless I have to, so it doesn’t have the stress of being on/off all the time!

I hope you can get a good repair. That jeweller being surprised that silver doesn't behave like gold doesn't sound very experienced so surely there will be someone better out there. I know nothing about it, but I'd guess there would be some way of adding a little bit of extra silver to the inside of the ring to make it stronger. Good luck.

Can you fill the gap where it’s broken with gold? Will it look good?

has the silver worn very thin? sometimes the shank of a ring can be so thin that it snaps very easily- especially in silver.
Does it have any gemstones? Would you consider posting a photo? I might be able to advise you. If not, maybe describe the design.

its definitely no thinner than the rest of the ring where it is snapping and it’s also definitely snapping exactly where they cut it!

its a plain silver band with a (probably glass) stone in four prong setting. I have uploaded a stock image of pretty much exactly what it’s like (photo will probably be pending!)

Are you anywhere near Birmingham? There are a good few jewellers with workshops on site in the famous jewellery quarter. They offer free advice about repairs and remodelling.

edited for additional information