Man buys $2,500 engagement ring, jeweler talks him out of resizing it before proposing, ring doesn't fit on proposal day, store refuses exchange citing "wear and tear": ' Now I'm stuck with an over sized engagement ring'

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• Jewellers ruined my engagement

  "I don't know where to start this. I bought an engagement ring from a jewellers back in October for $2,500. Now I know this was ages a go, don't get me wrong.. well when I first went to purchase the ring, I wanted to get it resized to the size I need. They lady who served me said no, you're best not to do that yet. The size could be wrong. Propose to her and bring it back and we'll resize it to what you need.

  And me being naive, was like alright, at least if I do that it'll fit her perfectly. I really didn't think anything of it."

  -Life_Extreme2054
   

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• Let's start with the proposal because it deserves to be acknowledged properly. A scavenger hunt through their hometown. Every location a memory. Riddles leading from one place to the next, building toward the moment. She said yes. By every measure that matters, it was perfect.

  And then the ring slid off her finger.

  Not metaphorically. Literally. The ring was too big, couldn't sit on her hand, and went back in the box after less than an hour of being worn. Not the ending anyone pictures when they plan something like that.

  Here's the part that makes this genuinely maddening. When he bought the ring back in October, he tried to get it resized immediately. The jeweler talked him out of it. Wait until after the proposal, she said. Bring her in and we'll resize it to fit perfectly. Which sounds like good advice. Thoughtful, even. Except that it put him in the position of proposing with a ring that didn't fit, and then returning it for a resize that the store now says isn't possible because it can only be taken down two sizes.

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  via Andre Jackson

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• "Fast forward to May, I finally did the proposal after dealing with a bunch of significant family issues, as to why it got delayed.

  I did a scavenger hunt proposal, I localised all our greatest memories into our home town and she'll go find all the boxes with riddles leading to the next place, and finally to the proposal site.

  I proposed and she said yes, but wouldn't you know the ring doesn't fit at all. It's way too big, it literally can't sit on her finger, so it went back in the box after she got to wear it for not even an hour because it's literally slide right off her hand."

  -Life_Extreme2054

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  via Jackie Tsang

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• So he goes back. A different staff member says it can be exchanged. Come back Tuesday, talk to the manager. Tuesday arrives. The manager looks at the ring under a microscope and delivers the verdict: wear and tear. Too much wear and tear to exchange.

  Wear and tear. On a ring that was worn for less than an hour at a proposal and then placed back in its box. The logic here requires some serious gymnastics. A ring that couldn't physically stay on a finger somehow sustained enough wear and tear in under sixty minutes to void an exchange. A customer who specifically tried to resize the ring at purchase, was told not to, and followed that advice in good faith, is now stuck with a $2,500 ring his fiancée cannot wear.

  He did everything right. He bought the ring. He planned the proposal. He listened to the jeweler. And his fiancée has nothing to show for it. Sometimes the most infuriating stories aren't about dramatic betrayals or spectacular failures. Sometimes they're just about a microscope, a policy, and a store that had every opportunity to make this right and chose not to.

  He deserves better. She deserves a ring that fits.

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• "We take it back to the jewellers the next day and a different lady says it can only be taken down two sizes, and it'll need to be exchanged. I thought that was weird. I didn't know that. Come back Tuesday and the manager will exchange it, it shouldn't be a problem.

  Tuesday comes, I get to talk to the manager now and he tells me again that it can only be taken down two sizes. I told him what the lady told me, that you can exchange it. He has a quick look at it with his microscope and goes nope! There's too much wear and tear on it, we can't exchange it. F*cking what? Wear and tear from a ring that can't and has barely been worn?

  So now I'm stuck with an over sized engagement ring, that I literally tried to get resized when I first purchased it, and my fiance has nothing to show for it. All because of this "wear and tear". And I was mislead about ring resizing.

  I get that in part it was my fault for waiting so long, but regardless, I would have still had the same issue trying to exchange it because of the "wear and tear".

  So what the f*ck do I do now?"

  -Life_Extreme2054

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  _{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}

• CpuJunky

  Proposals are a big deal and I'm happy for you both!

  So, you knew her ring size, but the salesperson said not to buy the ring in her size? And ring you bought was 2+ sizes too big? Wear and tear after 1 hour?

  This Jeweler is awful to say the least.

• MinnNiceEnough

  Bring it to another jeweler and ask their opinion.

• Alt123Acct

  Find a jeweler who MAKES rings and melts down others and uses software for modeling and what not. Seriously, like a REAL jeweler and not just a salesman running a shop. That person will work wonders for you. I used a guy that turns out my own grandmother used to go to his father's shop. He remembered her as a kid/apprentice. That's the sort of person who will take the ring and see an artist problem not a math problem when it comes to approaching editing existing rings or even re smelting into something else and reusing the stone in a different configuration.

  Edit: the guy specifically said to me "I remember that ring, what's your name again?" when he saw that I brought in a few family pieces to inquire about resmelting into a new ring before I ended up with the ring I used to propose. We ended up not recycling that one but he instantly knew it was one he worked on decades ago. 

• Plutoisaparkinglot

  So many business transactions are toxic these days. Places are so busy hooking every possible dollar out of our wallets. They don't seem to care that they lose you as a customer forever, as well as anyone who hears your story. Caveat Emptor, wallet emptier.

• JesusOnaBlueBike

  Name and shame the company.

  Start to finish they did a terrible job. Engagement rings are usually a one time purchase so you have to take the time to explain things to the buyer. Like that the rung can only come down 2 sizes.

• StreetsFeast

  Michael Hill pull this kind of sh*t. They are known for refusing repairs. Get acquainted with your rights via ACCC and just go back there and stand your ground. If you can bear it.

• tetheredvoid

  Take it to different jeweler and let your fiance design a new ring around the stones. The metal can be reused and she gets something really special.

• NotOurCat

  Michael Hill is a mall jeweller. Take it to an independent goldsmith. They should be able to do anything you want with the ring.

• ReplacementVivid4419

  Coming from the other side of similar situation, it was incredibly disappointing not being able to wear my engagement ring. The jewellers had told my soon-to-be fiancé the same thing — to size AFTER proposing. But if you can find out your parenter's ring size, then you should 100% resize before getting down on one knee.

  If that shop won't do it, then don't buy from them. Go somewhere else, and make your day perfect.

• Miss_Silver

  What's the ring style? Because unless its something super funky or something like an eternity ring I doubt it can only be taken down two sizes. Your Jeweler's being weird.

  Souece: I'm a goldsmith and I've literally sized a solitaire ring from an 8 to a 3.5 before.

• Raequaza22

  Chain jewelers are the worst!

  When my husband proposed to me, he had a family ring when he proposed to me. It's 3 bands that have now been welded together. Now, he knew my size and took it to a chain jeweler to have it resized. Problem is, they didn't resize it as a triple band thickness, just a single. So it still didn't fit.

  After he proposed I took it to a local jeweler who not only explained why the sizing was wrong, but fixed it right then and there for me.

  100% go to a local jeweler to get it resized.

  Congrats on the engagement!

• sweadle

  Take it somewhere else to be resized.

  They were right not to size it before you proposed. Because if you had got the size wrong, and they needed to resize it again, that's not something that's good to do over and over. They are either stretching the metal or taking some out. You want to do it as little as possible.

  Was it a used ring? If so, that's probably why they can't resize it again.

• suncontrolspecies

  Report that place to the right authority and go to another store and pay them for the resize... it shouldn't cost that much honestly

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