Giselle
Rock Island,#2UPDATE Employee
Mon, October 17, 2016
Hi, I'm a current employee of Helzberg Diamonds.
I'm so sorry that this happened to you and that you are upset with the service that you have received. We have this problem sometimes in the store that I work at. A customer will come in for an inspection (usually they are over due but sometimes they are on time) and we I or my manager will find something wrong with the ring (I am a full time key holder and Branded Diamonds Representative, and I am also a top performer in my store, so I do know my stuff when it comes to jewelry and I can detect loose stones or other issues much easier than some others can even if the issue is small) and the customer will say that they recently brought in the jewelry before and the last associate that inspected it did not see any problems with it.
I believe that as far as your initial inspection on the 5th, this can be just another example of human error. Not everyone is as meticulous as I am when it comes to inspections and not everyone can spot things as easily (especially an associate that is new). We are not perfect and sometimes things can go unnoticed especially in a busy store. Inspections and repairs are one of the things that my store in particular does a lot of. Time and time again I will check over other associates' work inspecting a ring and I will find something that they didn't see--sometimes vice versa. Usually if I'm not sure I will ask someone else to bring over another set of eyes.
As far as your ring being "cheap" as you said before, as far as Helzberg goes, I suppose the prices are indeed lower at Helzberg than at other places, but since we are a part of the American Gem Society, we price our jewelry what it is worth--unlike other places who mark it up very high to make you think it's worth more than it is and make a huge profit (what an actual rip off is). We are the only national jeweler that it backed by the AGS, and I'm not sure how much you know about them but they are one of the most prestigious gemological labs in the country.
I'm not sure what collection your ring is from, but we offer diamonds at that same price point that have perfect gradings on cut, and light performance, such as the Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece which comes with its own grading report and is a super ideal diamond. The diamonds we have in our company are nothing short of exceptional and we are incredibly honest and forthright with what our customers are receiving. Which is why we have things like the Angular Spectrum Evaluation Tool (otherwise known as the ASET device) as well as gem scopes, and national grading charts.
Perhaps my region's stores run differently from the rest of the others but I have seen nothing but fairness and honesty from this company and we have the credentials to prove it.
I'm sorry that you feel your fiance didn't spend a lot of money on the ring he gave you, but that is not a reflection of the quality of our merchandise since it is priced what it is worth. Diamonds become loose, and you cannot blame the associates or the company for diamonds being loose--especially since they likely were not like that in the store. We do not build rings just for the stones to come loose on purpose the second you walk out with it. That's ludicrous to think that we would even be capable of such a thing.
You also have a platinum setting which is malleable, and depending on how your diamonds are set, this can also contribute to them becoming loose over a short period of time. Channel set diamonds are more secure than prong set ones, but prong set lets in more light, and while channels are more secure, once the channel wears down or is shifted out of place, all the diamonds become loose at once, where if it were prong set it would only be the ones where prongs are flat or bent. It also depends on whether or not the jeweler tightened the stones when he resized your band. If it's a channel set band the stones NEED to be retightened when they go in for resizing otherwise they will become loose.
Anyway, I'm not sure of the causes of the problem on your ring, but I think getting a lawyer is a bit extreme. I would just send it in for repair especially if the store is covering the cost of the repair for you. Being without it is hard but I guarantee they will do a two day rush for you so you can have it back right away
Also 100 days is PLENTY of time to decide if a ring isn't working for you (that's over 3 months)!
I think that your concerns are very very real and I understand where you are coming from, but respectfully I think you are being incredibly unreasonable especially given the fact that the associates are working their butt off for you and trying to make you happy. I don't know how you can say they aren't accommodating you when they offered to repair it and you refused....
I hope that your situation was resolved and that you didn't actually try to sue Helzberg, because you would have lost.
Samantha02
Mesa,#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, October 02, 2008
I am a past employee of Helzberg Diamonds. I can understand your frusturation with the issue that you had, and I am sorry about the experience you had to and may still be having to endure. I am not sure if you are aware that while platinum is the hardest metal, it is also the most malleable. That means that the diamonds in a platinum band are more apt to becoming loose, and that the metal scratches easier than, say, white gold. That is why I am hoping that your fiance purchased the Extended Care Plan. If he did, ALL of the maintenance on the ring will be free of charge, as long as you go in for your monthly cleaning and inspections. Don't get me wrong- I am a past employee for a reason. But I always made sure to keep my integrity and morals in tact! I am one of those sympathetic people... you know, one of the only ones left that were in or are in jewelry sales. Here's hoping that you get some closure to this experience. I truly hope that in the sense of EXCELLENT customer service, they make sure your ring is taken care of.