Gold Stripping in Jewelry: What to Do If You've Been Affected

Question
I took a sapphire ring in to have a stone replaced and when I picked it up I noticed that the gold on the ring seems to be much finer throughout the whole ring. Is this a common thing to happen or did I get ripped off? What action can I take? I'm very upset and can't believe that people actually do this. I paid over $300 to have the stone repalced and new claws put on.

Answer
Hello Ms. Wolfe~

This is a very troubling situation.  Do you happen to have an appraisal or a receipt for the ring that shows the weight of it before you took it in to have work done?  Do you have any documentation on the original ring that may allow the jeweler that sold it to you to find it in his records?  Some jewelers have databases that are indexed by your name and could find your past purchases in a jiffy.  

It's sad to say, but this is a fairly widespread practice.  It happened to me once when I was in the jewelry trade and needed some work done on a large gold bracelet.  That being said, it's kind of like saying that being cheated by your grocer on a pound of steak is widespread.  Maybe it's only one in one hundred grocers, but when you count up all of them in the country it turns into an ugly number.

I think in almost every case it is best to contact the merchant with whom you have a problem and confront them directly.  In this case, I would not do that.  I would contact a lawyer and provide as much documentation on the ring as you can.  I would also advise having your sapphire checked out- if it's indeed a sapphire.  It's pretty brazen of your jeweler to skim so much gold that it is easily visible.  You might be shocked at how much this crook is willing to pay to keep his name out of the legal proceedings section of the local paper.  

Talk this over with your attorney- typically you can get a free initial consultation.  Jewelers like this need to be put out of business, or they need to pay a penalty that is high enough that they are taught a lesson.  I have zero tolerance for people like that.

Good luck,

David Fortier, GG
Staff Gemologist
Tiptopgem.com