Sold ring to jeweller now he wants his money back

[Chopsticks2829]

Hi can anyone give me advice for a friend…
My friends mum enjoys buying bits and bobs of costume jewellery and beads from eBay as she enjoys arts and crafts and making things.
She bought a bag full of rings, beads and other bits and bobs recently, and inside it was a men’s gold ring. My friend took it to her local jeweller, she signed paperwork to say she had the right to sell the ring and was given £425 for it.
The jeweller has now come back to her several weeks later and said he wants his money back as the ring isn’t what he though and is just heavily plated.
The ring was sold to an experienced jeweller in good faith. The price was agreed and the deal was done. Had the opposite happened, and the jeweller made a mint, my friend would have had no come back.
Is the jeweller within his rights to ask for the money back? He’s been sending my friend screenshots from the internet about sale of counterfeit and fake goods which I don’t think applies to this case.
Thank you for reading 🙏🏻

When you friends looked at it, was it hallmarked?

This is the reason why most people go to a jewellers because they don't know how much their stuff is worth. Imagine having a valuation by this man!?
I would not be returning any money, it's sold and inspected on the spot. It's on him if he didn't check it correctly.

I think there is every chance this is a scam.

How very odd. I once asked a jeweller to look at a ring. My mother swore it was costume jewellery worth £50, I wasn't so sure. The jeweller could identify the authenticity and carat of the gold. The stone had to be sent for testing. The jeweller felt the stone was worth £20 if blue topaz, £5k if an aquamarine. Top jeweller in Bond Street couldn't confirm.

“We had no idea if the worth of anything in the bag of bits we showed you. It was you who valued and agreed to buy the ring. This mistake is on you.”

When your friend’s mother bought the bag full of jewellery, how much did she pay? And was there any mention of a gold or gold coloured ring included in the contents? When your friend contacted the jeweller, did she state she wanted to sell a gold or a gold coloured ring?

If the hallmark was fake maybe the jeweller will have a case as there are laws governing hallmarks. But not sure.

This has got to be a scam. And I would avoid that jeweller totally from now on…..
Every jeweller has basic equipment to look for hallmarks and test for authenticity, ie is it gold or gold plated. They can do that instantly. My mum left me a box of jewellery and I took it to my local store where they did just that. There is no way that a jeweller would give your friend that amount of money without knowing what he was getting.
I suspect, as others have said that he will try and return a different worthless item.
Your friend needs to stand firm. I would contact the bank, let them know what’s happened and ask them to keep an eye out for any attempt to request repayment. I would also contact citizens advice just to put my mind at ease…
Then one last message… which citizens advice may be able to format for you…but something like this:
You assessed the ring and offered me a price which I accepted. That was the end of the transaction. If you made a mistake I’m afraid that is on you and nothing to do with me. Please stop messaging me.

Ex-jeweller here - I'm assuming it was hallmarked??

1. Trading standards wouldn’t deal with an individual.
2. if he went to small claims he’d be laughed out the court.

He knows damn well Buyer Beware applies and is just trying to bully a woman for his mistake. Block and ignore. Any communication by any other way should be taken to the police. She should also notify her bank.

This looks as though it's a potential scam - money laundering perhaps. Surely testing, etc is carried out before payment is made. Presumably your friend wasn't paid what the ring was potentially worth? She needs to be factual, to the point and then to disengage.

Offer to buy him a good magnifying glass to check for hallmarks and a magnet to check for base metals so that he doesn't make a mistake like this again.

Jewellers buy second hand jewellery to either sell on or have melted down. Any jeweller would know the difference between plate and solid. Gold is worth a fortune.

If he cannot test it himself it's his tough luck.

And his plan is trading standards? That doesn't apply to a business buying from an individual. Or her bank? What would the bank do?

I'd ignore him.

There’s a place around the corner from me, in the suburbs of a smallish town, and even they have a machine they can pop metals in and it will tell them what it is and whether it is solid or plated. I had something tested once.

If they’re so poor at knowing what they’re looking at, surely they should have something like this that will tell within minutes what it is. That’s their job after all.

This guy sounds vile. He doesn’t know what he is talking about. I’d respond saying before engaging any further you will be consulting your family lawyer. Either that or just ignore.

My thoughts exactly! How does she know what she’s getting back? I’d send one message explaining why I would not be returning the ring and that he’d have to take me to court if he wanted to pursue further.

I think I would contact trading standards myself or citizen’s advice (do they still exist?).

Did it have an incorrect/forged hallmark that he relied on when he bought it? If so he could report them for selling counterfeit goods. If it was solid gold it should have had a hallmark or was it too worn to tell?

Whichever way you look at it, the "jeweller" hasn't a legal leg to stand on - and if he's genuinely not trying it on he doesn't know his trade and should shut up shop.

I'm astonished by what they're saying - a) there should be the hallmark (which is both dated, with maker's mark/and purity) or b) the magnet/nitric acid test will be able to tell. He's bullshitting you.

OP the more I think about it the more it sounds like money laundering.

Ignore ignore ignore.

I add my vote to this, report him

Caveat Emptor. Buyer beware, the responsibility lies with the jeweller to assure themselves of the quality of the ring. Your friend sold in good faith. End of story.

Disgruntled man person trying to bully a woman person rather than own his own mistake.

Why does it have to come down to a man / woman issue?
It's a scam, I don't think he would hesitate doing it to a man

This is harassment . I’d reply saying you seen the ring in person you wanted the ring you bought the ring . It’s a done deal.

Tell him this and that you have done nothing wrong and any more you will be going to the police.

He sounds like a rubbish jeweller, has no idea what he’s talking about in legal terms and rights either .