My stupid wedding ring

[SoonerTexan]

My wedding band is made up of a bunch of small diamonds similar to this ring:

http://www.zales.com/product/index.j...ci_sku=4421736

from Kay Jewelers. DH bought it about a year ago, but I didn't start wearing it until June. Since then I have had to send it in to be fixed FOUR times because I lost a diamond three separate times and they did shoddy work the last time--a diamond was reset sideways and I made them redo it.

On top of that, I've been there two additional times to have it inspected. (It must be inspected every 6 months or the warranty is voided). I'm not having to pay for these repairs, but it is really getting old.

Anybody have similar issues with their ring? If it happens again, I'm going to start complaining up the chain--I think it is ridiculous, and if it continues at this rate, it will cost them a decent amount of $$$ too. Not that any retail employees care.

Argh.

[MarissaNicole]

Won't buy from Kay's again for a similar reason. I now have a second wedding band, it was more $ but its what we should have gotten in the first place. At work now, will post story later.

[Deebs]

I haven't had that kind of issue, but my mom did. She finally got the jewelry (not a chain, though) to allow her to "trade in" her ring, for it's original purchase price, toward a different design.

[MarissaNicole]

I tried what deeds suggested and Kays would let me trade in the old ring and give me credit towards a new purchase if the new purchase was twice as much....didn't want to give them any more money!

[v-girl]

I would be furious.

[corn poffi]

I agree with Marissa. Kays sucks. I have not heard any positive stories about them. My BFF had a problem with her engagement ring a few months after she got it. They "fixed" it once or twice before she said "screw it", and took it to another store and paid for them to fix it correctly. Even then, one of the stones is kind of loose, due to the shoddy construction of the ring. She plans on taking it somewhere she can design her own ring using the original stones once she has enough extra income.

Sadly, you might just be better off buying a new ring elsewhere. The money you spend on a new ring might save you a world of trouble down the road.

[SoonerTexan]

Well, I'm stuck with it for now--not exactly at the top of the "needs" list right now. I've had the same problem with my engagement ring from Zales (also lots of small diamonds), but they have been much better about fixing it correctly and doing preventative maintenance. Guess I'm not the only one with a Kay's issue!

His wedding band is a really nice sucker for a local jeweler in Norman--wish we had bought mine there.

[diggitydot]

We had similar issues with the jeweler in the small town I grew up in and they've since gone out of business. Big surprise. They had a pair of my amethyst earrings in for "repair" for 6 months. After hounding them for weeks about a status update, they magically were done. And different. Yeah, I'm not gonna notice a size AND design change, dingleberry.

[ladymoreta]

I'm sorry. I had no idea Kay's had such a reputation. It's a beautiful ring, though. We got my engagement ring from Motgomery Ward if that tells you anything... (ETA - I love my ring. I just meant that we didn't choose based on store reputation.)

I lost a couple of diamonds from my wedding band (small ones, not from Wards ). I finally took it to Zales and paid to replace it, and I haven't had trouble since. You might try taking it to one of those jewelry repair places in a mall and see if they can check and reinforce the brackets, unless that might void your warranty.

[lovelight]

I got my wedding band, with a similar design, from Jareds. I've been wearing it a little over a year and haven't had any problems yet. :::Knocks on wood::: I never realized Kays had such a bad reputation. Glad we skipped out on that one! I do have the same rule about inspections though (every 6 months to keep warranty) and with wedding and engagement rings bought in different months, 4 times a year gets to be a bit much.

[Pollyanna]

His wedding band is a really nice sucker for a local jeweler in Norman--wish we had bought mine there.

Go to that jeweler and explain your problems, my bet is that they will fix it for little or no money. We go to a local jeweler that has been in business for more than 50 years, they always fix and replace any small diamonds from my wedding ring for no charge. I would not bother going back to Kay for anything.

[v-girl]

You could take it to Allen Jewelers and see if they could do it inexpensively. They replaced one of the small diamonds in my engagement ring and redid the settings for the 2 small diamonds and the main one + reset a pair of pearl earrings for less than $300.

[Cinderella]

My engagement ring lost a small diamond 3 times so we were able to trade it in for another ring. Turned out that ring had the same problem and lost a small diamond two times. They were never really expensive rings to begin with. After the second time I let the hole be there and kept the ring in a jewelry box for sentimental value. I'm still waiting for the day I get my own bauble. I find over time my tastes change in rings. What I used to like I no longer like now. I'm still trying to decide what I want. Also I'm practical as well. I'd rather have the money for a down payment on a house or pay off debt. Someday there will come a time though I'll get a lovely ring instead of wearing a simple band.

Kays & Jared are the same company, as are about 15 different logos. I used to work for them, both in a store & at the HQ in several different capacities. It's likely the kind of setting you have - certain mounts are far more prone to popping stones than others. That said, any store manager widths their salt should b fixing it for you at little to no cost. If not, work up the food chain (DM next).

[poky]

Kays & Jared are the same company, as are about 15 different logos. I used to work for them, both in a store & at the HQ in several different capacities. It's likely the kind of setting you have - certain mounts are far more prone to popping stones than others. That said, any store manager widths their salt should b fixing it for you at little to no cost. If not, work up the food chain (DM next).

I was wondering if that was the case. I knew they had a lot of brands, but wasn't sure exactly which ones. The programmer who just left my company went to work for them, on their intranet website. He lives close to HQ.