Platinum engagement ring turned out to be gold.

[Unforgettablefire]

I’ll try and keep this short. Me and my partner got engaged, two years ago and we were going to be married early next year.
The ring we chose was platinum and as it wasn’t in stock it had to be made in their workshop and took a few weeks.
So the ring came and it’s lovely, then a couple of months ago got our wedding rings, mine from the same online company.
I got the wedding ring out yesterday because my engagement ring is starting to look a bit yellow and I couldn’t understand it so I compared it with the wedding ring and they’re different colours.
So I magnified it to look at the hallmark. All it says is 18k and 17.
So I spoke to someone on their chat and asked if there would be any reason a platinum ring would be stamped 18k, no she said that means it’s gold.
So I sent the company an email, and asked them how I’m sitting here with a gold ring that was advertised as platinum, and there’s even a signed certificate for insurance purposes stating it’s platinum.
They apologised, asked me to send it back saying if there’s any error on their part it’ll be rectified, I replied saying of course there’s an error I was sold a gold ring believing it to be platinum.
I sent it back today, special delivery with the certificate.
So, my worry now is can they say I’ve sent a different ring back and that’s not the ring they sent me?
They obviously messed up and of course it looks really bad for them, I’m so worried they’ll try this it was a lot of money (for us anyway) what if it wasn’t a mistake and they’ve pulled a fast one does that happen?
Anyone got any advice please?
I took photos of it before sending it back and now I just have to rely on their honesty I have no other choice

Are you in the UK? Because 18k stamped on a ring is not a legal hallmark in the UK. And it's an offense to mark anything as precious metal if it isn't.

Really? Yes I’m in the U.K. I thought it was strange when I looked at the hallmark as all the ones I’ve seen have had other markings I don’t know anything about hallmarks.
Apparently it had to be made in their workshop and it took a few weeks. The wedding ring is perfect from what I can tell and it’s got a few hallmarks.
I took quite a few pics I’m starting to wonder now you’ve said that if they’re coming from abroad.
Thanks for the reply.
It’s puzzling because you’d think whoever signed the certificate would have checked it I wonder how many people this has happened to.

Was it purchased online or instore? Was it insured?

I suspect your ring has come from China where 18k is a legal hallmark (for gold obviously, not platinum). Lots of jewellers buy their stock in from China these days, even some of the Hatton Garden jewellers.

Gold is currently much more expensive than platinum, so I’m sure they’re happy to take it back. But yes, pp is right, 18k is not a legal mark in the uk (unless the item weighs less than a gram, then it doesn’t need a hallmark at all. Platinum should be hallmarked if over 0.5g)

@WeightLossGoal2024I got it online, it’s not insured no but I made sure I sent it back special delivery.
@NotYoCheeseits not even so much the worth I just don’t want my rings to be different metals and something just feels off about it. I noticed it changing colour but I thought it was patina, but since it’s 18k it must be the plating coming off.
This has got to be bad for them this is why I’m worried they’ll say I’ve sent a different ring back I have no proof that I haven’t. It’s out of my hands now it’s in the post.
I’m going to scrutinise the other ring tomorrow it’s got two or three hallmarks on it but I haven’t looked at what they are.
I hope Chinese jewellery isn’t inferior if that’s where they’re getting it.

I’m sure they will come good on this . The reputation is a bit tarnished with what happened to you so they won’t want to escalate it . It’s obviously an inhouse stuff up . As far as Chinese jewellery being inferior, well , gold is gold the world over . It’s what they alloy it with which makes a difference but then they still use precious alloys . It’s the production and workmanship that comes into account here . Maybe your ring was cast . Nothing wrong with that as most mass produced rings are . But handmade is my preferred option .

Exactly this.

I always buy handmade but I’m lucky enough to have found a jeweller that I trust and whose workshop I’ve been in many times and seen that it really is handmade.

Apparently they made it in their own workshop. So whoever made it made a mistake. Then the person who signed the certificate (which is just a tiny scribble) either didn’t check it or the certificate is one they use for them all.
It’s shocking really I’m nervous about the other ring now.

Hi @Unforgettablefire

Perhaps the jeweller fibbed when they said your engagement ring would need to be made “in their workshop”, and they r just needed the time to order in from china?

Do you know if they even have a Workshop?

why not post a couple of your pics here and some knowledgeable person can tell you what they think of the hallmarks?

@Unforgettablefire
No, I get you about wanting them to match (though I'm currently mixing gold/silver/platinum rings on the same hand, which purists would say you should never!)
But if they are to be a set, of course you want them to match. I really hope they own the mistake and don't claim you've sent something else. My comment about the value was more that I'm sure they'll be happy to take it, as worth more to them.
A lot of very high end fine jewellery is made in the far east, and an 18K mark doesn't mean definitely Chinese anyway, it can just mean it's destined for the US market and there was a mix-up. Though if they're claiming it was made in a UK workshop by hand, that is a different story. A reputable jeweller would want to get this satisfactorily resolved, good luck with it. 🙂

Thanks all for the replies I’ll upload some pictures. I went with the reviews before getting it, there are negatives but not many and mostly about the time it’s taking to get them.
They’re in Hatton Garden and like one pp said some of them get their jewellery from abroad so god knows, they reckon they’ve got a workshop though. I’m pretty pissed off about it I’ve just been looking on their website and they do the ring I’ve got in both 18k and platinum.
You can see they’re different shades, the engagement ring looks tarnished.

“Workshop” could very well be in China, hence the long lead time.

Perhaps it was made in their workshop... in China!

Or somewhere else. My ring says 18K and it was handmade in another Asian country, I saw them making it in the workshop.

I don't think it necessarily means lower quality but it does sound misleading.

Pics.

Damn I need to make them smaller somehow They’re bigger than 6mb

My son is a goldsmith (UK). There's no way this would be a mistake, working with platinum and gold are completely different. Then when the ring is made it's sent to assay offices who stamp it with the marks to confirm the metal is what they say it is.
The certificate and the ring not matching could be a mistake by whoever sent them out, but I'd think this is very doubtful.
Hatton Gardens doesn't necessarily mean you haven't been scammed. Much as Harley Street has many unscrupulous and non accredited health care centres, Hatton Gardens attracts unscrupulous jewellery dealers as people trust the address.
www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/1i43q0n/i_bought_a_diamond_ring_from_hatton_gardens_which/

If it was made abroad, it still needs to be assayed and hallmarked in England to be legal.

Here’s a couple of pics. The second one is the wedding band and engagement ring together.

It’s not quite that simple.

For example, a ring hallmarked in China can be legally sold in the UK if it bears the International Common Control Mark (CCM) from the Hallmarking Convention, as China is a signatory, meaning UK authorities recognise it without needing a separate UK hallmark. However, if the Chinese mark isn't a Convention Mark but a local one, it won't automatically be accepted in the UK, and the item would likely need to be re-hallmarked in the UK (if over weight thresholds) or sold as unhallmarked (if under).

@Unforgettablefire they’re not great photos unfortunately. Do you have any clearer ones? Are they both hallmarked or just the engagement ring? I thought you wrote earlier that there was also a ‘17’ as part of the hallmark?

Are you willing to share how much they cost and/or where you got them from? (No worries if you don’t feel comfortable sharing).

I’ll try and upload more pics later. I couldn’t put any more on here as they have to be under 6mb, and I had to zoom right in to get the hallmark to show so the pics are too big.
The thinner band with the 18k mark is the engagement ring, that’s been sent back.
The numbers 17 are further round, and the 18k and 17 are the only hallmarks on it.

I’m going to see what they come back with. If they do turn up good then it’s been a genuine mistake, if not I’ll be naming them and taking it further.
It’s valued on the certificate for just under £1500 and it’s a lot of money for us. What I will say is they’re in Hatton Garden so if they didn’t make it and bought it in good faith then they’ve been ripped off as well as us.

Sorry, yes, you're quite right, I'd forgotten about the ICCM. For peace of mind though, I would probably not buy any precious metal in the UK which hadn't been re-assayed.

Well they got back to us. They’re extremely apologetic and said it’s been a mistake they sent the gold version instead of the platinum, they’re changing the ring, sending a complimentary cleaning product and refunding the postage. I nearly fell through the floor at the postage cost!
Anyway, it’s going to take 3-5 weeks to make and send another one I just hope what they send is legit.
This is a heads up for everyone as well, I know mistakes can happen so I’ll be double checking everything I buy from now on.

@Unforgettablefire That’s good news. Make sure the platinum one they send is correctly hallmarked for platinum. If not, don’t accept it. This explains what to look for:

https://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/index/platinum/platinum-hallmarks/