{"id":10972,"date":"2013-10-23T16:09:29","date_gmt":"2013-10-23T20:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=10972"},"modified":"2015-08-24T16:22:28","modified_gmt":"2015-08-24T20:22:28","slug":"can-you-return-a-bad-diamond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/can-you-return-a-bad-diamond\/","title":{"rendered":"CAN YOU RETURN A BAD DIAMOND?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Can<\/div>\n

I’ve been Asked this many times before:<\/p>\n

Can you Return a Bad Diamond?<\/h2>\n

\nIt brings up a lot of Questions<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\nFirst off, What is a Bad Diamond?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nA Bad Diamond could be (and most likely is) a Low Quality Stone…<\/strong> Generally this is a Stone with a Huge Eye-Visible Flaw in the Center of it, a Diamond with a Prominent Ccrack or Chip in the side, or a Diamond that has a Yellow or Brown Hue to it.<\/p>\n

\nThat’s what Most would Consider a Bad Stone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nBut, a Bad Diamond could also be a Diamond that is NOT what they said it was<\/strong>. Like for Instance, if the Store told you that the Diamond you Bought was a VS2 and come to find out it’s really only an SI1. Most Folks would Consider this BAD<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nAfter all, you Want what you’re Paying for, and you don’t Want to Feel like you’re Getting Ripped off<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So can you Return a Bad Diamond?<\/h2>\n

\nIt all Depends!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nIt Depends on Many Factors, like what the Store’s Return Policy is<\/strong>… Most Jewelers offer anywhere from 1 Week to 3 Months for a Full Refund (some do Charge a Hefty Restocking Fee<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\nBut a lot of Stores also have Certain Disqualifiers as well. Things that say that if you Size, Alter, Engrave, or Special Order a Ring, there are NO Returns!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nMake sure you Read their Return Policy Before you Buy the Ring<\/strong> (Some Stores even have NO Return Policy!<\/strong>)
\nFind out!<\/p>\n

\nIf it’s Past the Return Date<\/strong>, you probably could do a Trade<\/strong> if needed.<\/p>\n

\nBut if the Stone isn’t what was stated at the Time of Purchase, then Things get a Little Bit more Difficult and Complicated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Diamond is NOT what was Stated!<\/h2>\n

\nIf you don’t get in Writing what the Salesclerk told you, then it’s your Word Against Theirs<\/strong>. This usually Doesn’t Favor the Customer! <\/strong>So make sure they list the exact Clarity, Color, Cut and Carat Weight on your Receipt<\/strong> or Appraisal<\/strong>. You don’t want to rely on “Oh Trust me, it’s a Good Stone<\/strong>” or “It has lots of Sparkle” or “It Appraises for Double the Sale Price” or even “Ladies Diamond Ring”… NO!<\/strong> That Doesn’t Help you in the Least.<\/p>\n

\nBecause “a Good Stone<\/strong>” Means Nothing. Good to Who?<\/strong> An I1 Diamond could be “Good<\/strong>” in some people’s Eyes. After all, it’s Better than No Diamond at all!<\/p>\n

See what I Mean?<\/h2>\n

\nEverybody has Different Tastes, and considers “Good<\/strong>” something Different as well. It could be SI1, it could be I1, it could be VS or VVS… You just don’t know<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nGood is Irrelevant!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nGood Cut? Good Clarity? Good Carat Weight? What?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s All Crap!<\/h2>\n

\nGet the REAL Quality in Writing<\/strong>. That way you’re Not Surprised Later<\/strong> (Surprise, you Bought the Lowest Quality Available!) If you don’t get the Quality in Writing then you’ll really never know!<\/p>\n

\nNow, what if you Buy the Stone (let’s say it’s Sold as an SI1), and you take it somewhere else and they say it’s an SI2 instead?<\/p>\n

What Now?<\/h2>\n

\nIf the Quality of the Stone is only 1 Grade off <\/strong>(like VS2-SI1, or SI1-SI2, or I2-I3) then there’s Nothing you can do<\/strong>! The FTC’s Guidelines Allow for Different People’s Opinions<\/strong>. They Allow Jewelers to be off by as much as One Full Grade when Judging Diamond Quality. So Legally, you can’t do anything<\/strong> if they Sold you a VVS2 Diamond and it ends up being a VS1 instead!<\/p>\n

It’s Perfectly Legit!<\/h2>\n

\nThe Best Way to Overcome such Situations, is to Buy a Certified Stone<\/strong>. I Only Recommend 2 Certificate Companies: GIA<\/strong> (#1) and AGS<\/strong>. Nobody Else! <\/strong><\/p>\n

\nIf you Buy Certified, chances are, the Diamond you are Buying IS the Diamond you are getting. It just Makes Sense and it’s Worth Every Penny (Certs usually Cost a Little More<\/strong>). <\/p>\n

NOW… 2 Grades or More off?<\/h2>\n

\nWhat if the Grade is off by more than 1 Grade? This is where things get Interesting…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nIf the Jewelry Store tells you that the Diamond you Bought is a VS2 (for Example), and you take it somewhere else to get it Appraised (a Real Gemologist or Appraisal Service), and they say it’s an SI2 (2 Grades Lower<\/strong>), then you may have Room for Legal Action<\/strong>. But, I wouldn’t take this Route until you’ve Exhausted every other Possible means.<\/p>\n

\nTake the Diamond, and your New Official, Documented Appraisal, back to the Store you Bought it from. Speak to the Manager or Owner<\/strong> (please make sure you Speak with the Person in Charge of the Jewelry Store, that may also be the Corporate Office<\/strong> if it’s a Big Company). Show them the Results and tell them you would like to get a Better Quality Stone that more Matches the Quality listed on your Receipt. More than likely they will Oblige<\/strong> and Help Resolve the Situation. No Jeweler wants a Bad Rap!<\/strong> (Word Spreads Quickly) If it is a Mix up, or the Tag was Wrong, or the Paperwork was Incorrect, give them time to Fix things<\/strong>. Humans Make Errors after all!<\/p>\n

\nBut, if the Store won’t Help you<\/strong>, and wants to Fight and Argue, then you probably have No Choice but to Seek the Aid of a Lawyer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nThis is all Good Advice, but Sadly, Most Stores are Not to Blame…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people only have to Blame themselves!<\/h2>\n

\nMost People do Not get the 4C’s in Writing<\/strong>. Most people do not know what “Good” or “Bad” Quality really is. Most People Buy Diamonds Solely Based upon the Cheapest Price<\/strong>. They don’t Check out the Store’s Reputation. They Don’t Check the BBB<\/strong>. They don’t even Ask what their Return Policy is.<\/p>\n

\nSo before you Cry “You Sold me a Crappy Diamond!<\/strong>” you need to ask yourself:<\/p>\n

\n“Did I Ask what the Quality was?<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n“Did I Shop and Compare Stores and Diamonds?<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n“Did I Compare Stones Side by Side?<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n“Did I look at the Stone under a Microscope?<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n“Did I Buy a Certified Stone?<\/strong>“<\/p>\n

\n“Did I do my Homework?<\/strong>“<\/p>\n

\nThese Answers will give you a Better Idea of who’s at Fault<\/strong> and what a Bad Diamond really is.<\/p>\n

\nIt will Help you from Running into the Situation where your Fiancee looks down at her Stone and says “There’s a Black Spot in my Diamond!<\/strong>“<\/p>\n

\nIt’s all in taking the Time to Educate yourself. Learning about Diamonds. Studying and Comparing Stones. <\/p>\n

You MUST Ask Questions!<\/h2>\n

\nThat way, a “Bad<\/strong>” Diamond doesn’t turn into a “Ugly<\/strong>” Situation!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve been Asked this many times before: Can you Return a Bad Diamond? It brings up a lot of Questions! First off, What is a Bad Diamond? A Bad Diamond could be (and most likely [Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9,7,6,29,3,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-carat-weight","category-certification","category-clarity","category-color","category-diamond-guide","category-diamonds","category-engagement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10972"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}