Pitfalls to beware of when buying your engagement ring (a letter to you from the owner)

I empathize with the people who have no initial idea of what they’re buying, who don’t have any experienced advisors and who are at the mercy of advertisers on TV or the internet. The same goes for the poor person who must deal with a salesperson who needs to make a sale, but has very limited knowledge. You might not want to buy such an emotionally charged item from a person who is limited to showing you “what happens to be in stock” when you come in. They may not know jewellery, but they do know how to sell.

So many people are buying the “sizzle” instead of the steak.  Advertising companies use words that seem to say one thing, yet legally mean something very different.  Technically they are not lying to you, they are telling you straight out that you are about to get sucked in, and you are too innocent to understand. This advertising ploy is called using “weasel words”.

For example, the word “virtually” means “similar to, but not actually in fact”.  It does not mean “the same as”.

Another pair of weasel words is “best” and “better”. “Best”, legally means “as good as any other similar item” not “the one that is head and shoulders above the competition in some way”.  If you want what we refer to as “best” in every-day English, then you want a “better” product. In legalese, "best" is one of the herd and "better" is comparatively superior.

And as soon as you see or hear the words, “in our opinion”, run away. The opinion of a paid spokesperson is only worth something if they are an expert in their field and they are potentially liable for anything they say that is untrue. As an example, many appraisals have a disclaimer on them. That “appraiser” is not qualified or knowledgeable enough to give an opinion and doesn’t want to be held responsible if anything turns out to be wrong. Beware of appraisals generated in store that are used for “Big Markdown Sales”. It doesn’t matter what the real value of an item is, it only matters how much it cost before it was marked down. 50% off of an item appraised at 10 times too high is still a huge profit for the seller, but not a good deal at all for you, the customer. When the sale is over, if you pay their full price, you really get taken!

Here are a few other things to look out for.

“Quantities limited” means there are only a few of something at any location, or maybe there is only one piece in stock. This tactic allows a vendor to avoid a criminal charge of “bait and switch”, which can be laid if the seller hasn’t stocked any of an advertised sale product and then tries to sell you something else for the same money but not the same quality.

"Wholesale to the public" implies that the price is the same as the amount the dealers are paying. It also implies that you will get huge savings, but this phrase can be part of their registered name or trademark. Then it means nothing at all about pricing or costs. It is just the name they chose to do business under. And it works!

So, how can you be sure that you are not getting ripped off?

Think to yourself, how expensive is the location that these guys are operating from? We dealers all buy from a very limited pool of suppliers. If a low rent shop pays the same price for a product as one in a mall, the mall store must charge a bigger mark-up. Their costs are so high that they have to make more from you on every purchase  just to stay open. You pay for every frill; all of the snow removal in winter and everything in the “Mall atmosphere” as well as the malls’ advertising. I’m not suggesting that you shop in a dump, but the less of your money the store wastes each month, the less they need to charge you for the same service.

Another point for you to consider; We sell Canadian diamonds that come from a mine partly owned by Tiffany’s. We both offer an identical stone to a customer, I mean, exactly the same cut, the same polish, the same symmetry, the same weight, the same colour and the same clarity. They even have identical grading appraisals from the GIA (the Gemological Institute of America, the most respected appraisers around). We are both offering you a triple X stone, the best there is on the planet!

Do you think that they’re going to sell you that stone for the same price as we do?

I don’t think so. 

And yes, we are comparing apples to apples here.  Yes, they have a great name in the trade, but are you willing to pay the premium for that name? Some do and some think that they would rather not. And please don’t think that I’m picking on Tiffany’s. Any high overhead store is going to charge you more, for exactly the same goods, as a qualified independent shop, like us.

So please, come in and put us to the test. We can start small and as we build up your trust in us, I think that we can make you glad that you came in.

Daniel.

P.S. We have cats.

New Arrivals Part 2- New Stones

We've got our second wave of new sterling silver arrivals! That's right, even more rings, pendants and earrings are waiting for a good home. There's more Labradorite and Moonstone of course, but we also couldn't resist a few new stones. Here's just a tiny taste of the newest new arrivals. For pictures and prices of all our newest treasures, take a look at our facebook album :) http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10151042589433775.437003.186709363774&type=1

Our first new obsession is a gemstone called Chalcedony. This stone is such a cool shade of blue-green, it makes you think of clear, warm ocean water found in much warmer climates than Hamilton.

These beautiful checkerboard faceted earrings are incredibly light-weight and perfect for every day, or dress them up for a special event. They're $85 and we also have a pair with Labradorite for the same price.

Next is Sunstone. This iridescent stone has a similar shimmer of colours that you get with Opal, Labradorite and Moonstone (which is probably why we were so drawn to it) but with a wonderful bright orange base.

You can grab this fun ring for $107.50 and/or this cute pendant for $95.

Next are two stones with very similar colouring; Prehnite and Phenacite. The pale green of these stones is really beautiful.

Here we have the Phenacite in an elegant pendant. With the only silver being the filigree bail, you really get the full impact of the stone's colour. This pendant is an awesome deal at $22.50.

And these are the Prehnite in some great hand-textured earrings. The texture of the silver really stands out next to the stone. These can be yours for $137.50.

And finally, a stone that we got into last year and is still one of our favourites, Green Amethyst.

These earrings caught our eye because of the sleek lines paired with the sparkly briolette stones. You really have to see these in person the get the beautiful colour and sparkle of the Green Amethyst. These earrings are $122.50.
We've got a whole lot more to look at so come in and check out all the new arrivals, and browse through the rest of our jewellery- there's always a lot to see!
And, for the rest of September, show us a McMaster or Mohawk student ID and shop tax free!!!

What to do about rings that will not stay face up

This is a very common problem, and one with a large number of solutions. Every finger is different: the best way to obtain a customized solution for your ring is to bring it in for us to look at. We can consult with you personally on the options that fit your finger, and give you the best information for your needs.

The following is a general overview of all the options available.

For regular fingers (with slightly oval knuckles), the muscles are oval and slightly larger than the knuckle, with a small to medium “pocket” at the point where the finger joins to the hand.

Correct fit: When putting your ring on, it should clear the knuckle freely and then feel snug as it compresses the muscle while sliding on. The ring should fit snugly into the “pocket”, with sufficient friction to stay upright.

Rings that rotate on this type of hand are often top-heavy and have two major factors contributing to the problem: they could be hollowed out at the top with only thin rails contacting the finger, or are very thin at the back. This type of ring is loose in the pocket and lacks sufficient friction to stay upright.

Here is a ring that is both hollowed out at the top and thin at the back.

The easiest solution to this problem is to re-make the ring wide enough at the back, so it bridges the “pocket” and engages the muscle.

This model is wider at the bottom than it is at the top which will help it engage the muscle while still looking sleek when it's on your finger.

An alternative is to apply a plate across the inside of the top to increase friction, as shown here:

In extreme cases you may need  to do both. This will usually correct the problem.

For non-standard fingers; that is, Fingers with smaller muscles than regular sized knuckles,

   Fingers with enlarged knuckles and regular muscles or

   Fingers with enlarged knuckles and small muscles,

there are a variety of measures and appliances that can be employed.

The simplest solution to a wide, oval knuckle is to reshape the hole to a matching oval.  The ring is then applied sideways to clear the knuckle and rotated 90 degrees to continue over the muscle and into the “pocket”.

There are appliances that fit inside the ring that ride up and down to compensate for the variations in diameter. The inexpensive “sizers” do not work well as the legs that attach them to the shank are folded over to overlap on the outside. They often become an irritant to the adjoining fingers.  Also, they only work well on rings that are the same size all along the side. The better version of this idea floats on a spring system and doesn’t have to slide on the ring. The attaching tabs are at the bottom rather than the sides. These work well and are still modestly priced. Shown below is the floating spring option set with tabs not yet fixed to the ring.

Both of these are temporary fixes and will last from a few months to a few years. These will help if the variation in diameter is less than a full size.

One advantage to these ways of solving the problem is that there is no heat required to attach the appliance. All of the following do require heat above 1500 degrees. If your ring has heat sensitive stones, they must be removed and re-installed after the work is done. For example, consider a silver ring with a large Amethyst. If we heat the ring with the stone in, it can transform into a Citrine or go completely colourless. Similarly, an Emerald in a gold ring could crack or shatter from the heat. Other than Diamond, all stones are sensitive to heat to some degree.

The easiest permanent fix requires soldering small spheres onto the inside surface at the “4” and “8” o’clock positions. The balls give extra rollover resistance while remaining invisible and work by riding, unfelt, in the hollows of the muscle on each side. They vary from ¼ of a millimeter to ½ a mm. This attack works on variations of up to one size.

The picture below shows two samples with the small spheres. Both samples have the spheres at different locations, depending on the size of the ring and the finger it will sit on.

Next up is the “harp”, a lyre shaped insert that is permanently fixed to the inside bottom of the ring with two arms that can flex to allow passage over the knuckle and then return to clasp the sides of the finger. Elegant and effective, this alternative works up to a size and a half in variation. A harp not yet soldered to the ring is shown below.

For fingers with arthritis or where the variation is greater than two sizes, we have two alternatives. The less expensive consists of two interlocked hinged flat sections that can slide over each other like a baby bracelet. They can extend up to four sizes and compress back down when in position. While the ring looks the same from the front, a drawback is that this is not a very pretty option when viewed from the back. This option is shown below in its fully compressed position.

Finally, we come to the best, and most expensive, of the variable ring backs: the “finger fit shank”™. It matches the appearance and shape of the original ring except at the very back where the locking mechanism is located. It is hinged, opens up to accommodate five sizes in variance and is very secure. It has a stainless steel insert that prevents the ring from opening up all the way and falling off. It locks in a manner very similar to that of a key ring. We generally put these on high value pieces like engagement rings.

Here is a ring fitted with the “finger fit shank”™. The ring is fully closed and the locking mechanism is engaged.

This picture shows the locking mechanism while it's open.

 

Here is the “finger fit shank”™ when it is completely open.  

And here you can see that the ring looks no different from the top when fitted with the“finger fit shank”™.

As always, there are exceptions to the rules. The best way to determine how to correct your specific problem is to come in with the piece and your finger to let us examine it. We can then show you what the appropriate options are and you can choose what you want.

To view some of our work, go to www.westdalejewellers.com. If you have any questions, or want to book a consultation with us, give us a call at 905.777.1101.