Engagement ring broken twice in 18 months - wwyd?

[Flockofsheep]

Had my engagement ring approx 18 months and it's broken twice - once stone was wobbly and now one of the claws holding stone in has snapped off (just the tip of it has snapped off).

Ring is 18 carat white gold with a (fairly) large coloured stone (not diamond).

I got it from Hatton Garden. Both times shop has fixed it for free (as I would expect!) but I'm really upset this has happened at all - is this normal?

I'm half tempted to ask for a refund although I would be very upset as I love the ring and it obviously has great sentimental value so don't really want to replace it, but I can't have it breaking every few months.

I'm worried we've been ripped off and sold a shoddy ring and am thinking of getting it valued at an independent jewellers - but I will be gutted if they say it's worth a lot less than DH paid for it

I thought Hatton Garden would be good quality, but maybe not?

Any advice appreciated

Take it to an independent for a valuation and then go back to Hatton gardens, this should not happen to a ring. It sounds like the setting is too soft.

Think I do need to pluck up the courage to get it valued ......

Remember that there's 2 different values- there's the inherent worth (the scrap value) and there's the insurance value (the cost to replace RRP)

The scrap value will always be less than the original price. It's very rare that somebody would buy a ring and it be valued higher or the same as the RRP. (Unless they know a bit about it and have a good eye )That would be a lucky buy!

Broken twice in 3 months sounds unfit for purpose though. Is it a particularly high setting? I'd give them one more chance to fix (Probably a new setting on the shank as the individual claws on the previous setting appear to be mince.)

It is quite a high setting, yes

What's your setting like, is the stone sitting high up?

See what an independent place says but maybe discuss having the stone reset into a platinum mount. Platinum is a softer metal and scratches but when it scratches you don't lose the metal it's just displaced and can be polished.
Platinum settings tend to be much stronger and you can get a platinum mount on a white gold shank if you're very set on white gold.

Yes stone does sit high up. When we bought the ring I specifically asked if it was suitable for every day wear and was told yes!

I'd be shocked if your diamond isn't set in platinum, which is much harder than gold, which is why the majority of diamonds are set in platinum even in a yellow gold ring.

Mine is set very high, in platinum on a yellow gold band and I've caught it a million times, but it's never affected the ring (jumpers on the other hand......)

X-posted with pp, get the diamond reset in platinum and you'll be fine.

I would expect from an insurance valuation point of view rather than if I sell you this today valuation your ring would've gone up in value.
It sounds as if the setting just doesn't suit your lifestyle. Get it reset in a lower setting or just wear it for special occasions.

White gold settings very common to be honest. No need for a platinum set. Hardiness wise- it's negligible difference.

I think the problem is more to do with the shape of the claws and the stone. Your stone is high set, do the claws go all the way back to the rail (bottom of the setting) ? Also is it a solitaire or do you have a marquise cut or similar? They're slightly more prone.

Another thing is if the claws are very proud of the stone this can lead to them getting caught on everything. They can be filed down but it's a fine line as if it's filed too far then it creates a point of weakness.

There's no reason why a white gold ring shouldn't be standing up to every day wear and tear.

Also the requirement for a platinum setting even on a gold ring 'for strength' is just a spiel to make you spend more.

The things that will damage a well made gold ring will damage a well made platinum one all the same.

It's not a spiel to make you spend more and the price of platinum is a lot lower now so there's not a massive difference between white gold and platinum.

It depends on the type of setting but there are some instances where a stone is safer in a platinum setting than white gold - a stone that's mounted high is more likely to take a knock and take damage to the claws.
Granted, it shouldn't happen twice in succession.

The platinum is much less likely to bend so if it was a ring with just a simple four claw setting, platinum is going to be safer and if it was in white gold you'd want something with the 4 claws and a rail to keep the stone safer.

(Hope that isn't gobbledygook, it's not the easiest thing to explain without an example :) )

Thanks all it's been repaired, let's see how long it lasts!