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 🙏🏻

OP you could report him to police for scamming elderly vulnerable person.

Not everything is hallmarked. Especially handmade things.

rolled gold can sometimes fool an acid test as it’s a very thick plate.

True, but if he really didn't know, he could very easily have either declined to make an offer, in the absence of a hallmark, or otherwise offered low on the assumption that it may be costume jewellery.

Nobody was ever forcing him to buy the ring - at any price.

He would have tested it before buying the ring. A contract has been signed and money exchanged. If you need additional help contact Trading Standards as something is not right.

Neither would I

Unfortunately the very act of returning the money will flag up to him that "I've got a complete pair of mugs here", and I'd be more surprised if he didn't palm them off with a different piece, knowing they'll never do anything about it

Honestly OP, I think I would report this to the police. Not because I think they would do anything - "my friend's mum sold this guy a ring and then he bullied her into giving the money back" is bit short of actual evidence - but it just might be information that's worth having that points towards this guy being dodgy, and worth keeping an eye on.

I hate shitty people getting away with being shitty 😠

Your friends mum is being conned.

a quick response along lines of “I won’t be returning the money you paid for my ring, but I’m happy to let trading standards arbitrate if you feel that is appropriate. In the meantime please do not contact me again, if you do I will report your harassment to the police”

and then block.

he cannot report a private seller to trading standards. He’s an absolute scammer.

A lot of the time people don’t know that they don’t know. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

But as a jeweller I agree, it’s his error so he should just keep his mouth shut and learn for next time.

Excellent! Yes, the reference to Trading Standards is perfect.

Hahaha. Trading standards won’t care. Amazing.

I'd personally post a warning on every local Facebook group showing the messages - only fair to warn others.

I was thinking Lovejoy!

I think this is a scam as there was a very similar thread on gransnet yesterday. I think the jeweller might be buying gold then saying it isn’t and he will get cash from your friends mum.

Is he in cumbria by any chance?

No way.
Tough luck.
If it were the other way around....

This was my first thought also. I hope it isn't a scam, but when elderly and vulnerable people are involved, it's smart to wonder. Hopefully, they will recognize the ring, but still feel they are being wronged and bullied.

Haven't read all the comments, but saw the update. If you have screen shots of all the messages, I would go to trading standards.
The jeweller wouldn't have gone to them himself because there is nothing your friends did wrong. Trading standards wouldn't be interested in any claim he made against a customer. However, they may be interested in how the jeweller has behaved.
I would also look on the shop website /in store to see if they are a member of a professional body, and whether you can report it to them too.
They made a bad judgement. They accept the mistake and loss, and learn from it. They don't try and go back on the contract.
If thry couldn't fi a full valuation in store thrg should have said that, and offered the choice of keeping it for a full valuation or not purchasing it at all.

Oh, shame, posted too soon before reading that the OP has knowingly allowed their friend to be conned. Why why why?
Jeweller has now got valuable ring for free, and exchanged it for some worthless tat.

They wont get the same ring back, guaranteed.

I would be reporting this to the police as harrassment and abuse of vulnerable people. Can you stop this friend from giving the money by offering to be the intermediary? Offer to take the money to the shop for her and give him hell?

Let him do one - he's trying it on!

He sounds completely unprofessional. If his valuation services have their ‘limitations’ then he shouldn’t be conducting business there. I’ve had jewellery valued to sell and I’d be pretty peed off if they’d asked for a refund. I wasn’t expected to know anything about the jewellery, it’s their job to value it and their problem if they don’t do it properly.

What;s to say that he didn't take a solid gold ring and will give back a plated one?

Agreed, I'd report him too.

I would 100% bet she did sell him a solid gold ring and the ring she gets back is played but it’s not the one she sold him, and it’s a scam.
Im so sorry they felt intimidated into giving him the money back. I would still report his actions and intimidation, it’s his job to value something and decide what it’s worth and she agreed.

Yes, this is often the kind of mindset unscrupulous and dishonest people will have: she didn't pay anything like its true value, so why should she get all the benefit - especially when I took the time to give her a free valuation?

Basically no better than standard thieves, but they weave their own perspective on the scenario in order to kid themselves that they are much better.