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fixed
but yes I agree completely, it was hard to find an expert in a local store, they were trying to sell anything.
had a 95% platinum / diamond ring returned to me with no hallmarks - how could that happen?
- Thread starter R B Customs
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but yes I agree completely, it was hard to find an expert in a local store, they were trying to sell anything.
There are only four assay offices in the UK:
London Assay Office
Sheffield Assay Office
Birmingham Assay Office
Edinburgh Assay Office
They are private businesses and assay all jewellery before sale, when in the process varies for example my wifes engagement ring was made by a Sheffield Jeweller but the setting was cast in Birmingham it could have been hallmarked at this point but we wanted a Sheffield hallmark as we live in the city so it was sent from Birmingham un hallmarked the diamond was set in sheffield and the ring hallmarked locally.
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Ah okay, thanks for that.
they have just called me
15 seconds after I sent a page long email complaining; was unrelated though.they're maintaining that the hallmark was polished out and that the ring was made up way before the deadline as they can see on the system when it had gone through manufacturing; however, they can't see the processing dept's logs and are not privy to seeing when the ring was sent to the assay office (London or Birmingham) but maintain that it would have been sent and then [accidentally] polished out but not sent back to be marked again. they said that happens a lot when the polishers are doing so many rings a day... personally I don't believe it was polished out as I think that would take a lot of effort to accidentally polish a hallmark out without noticing, especially when they would have to take a hit on paying for it to be re-marked again.
On the plus side they can take the ring back and have it sent to the assay office to be tested and marked 'again' and forward me all of the paperwork to do with it, or I can take it to the Birmingham Assay office and get it done myself and bill them the cost.
I might opt for the second option.
Soldato
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What does a platinum hallmark look like?
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depends on the purity, the one in question being 95% should have 950 stamped on it.
http://www.gold-traders.co.uk/blog/simple-platinum-hallmark-guide/
Soldato
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What other grades of platinum are commonly used fir rings that are sold as platinum?
what the hell its easy
any metal is easy to identify if you know what you doing.if the ring has been altered then yes maybe it was where the hallmarks were not really uncommon. all what ifs dont know the full things of what happened.
if you not happen get refund go elsewhere .
simple platinum tests
http://www.platinummetalsreview.com...wers/how-can-i-test-if-a-metal-is-platinum-2/
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I don't think they'll stamp it. If you send it back they'll deal with the 3rd party who stamp it and then pass it back to you.
They can only stamp it once major work has finished, else it isn't indicative of the actual product - just what it was to start with
Soldato
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Looked these up, quite interesting, I wasn't aware platinum came in different grades as gold does, very interesting indeed. My ring and my wife's engagement, wedding band, and eternity rings all have the hallmarks, good good, mine are recessed, and difficult to tell now, as I think the assay mark is pretty bunged up with skin cells. no doubt a polish would help, but its barely off in the past five years, so little point polishing until I finished working, in a another 20 or more years no doubt.
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:S hard to say really. There are other metals which 'look' like platinum - palladium, white gold etc. but platinum is platinum really; there's not substitute for it. The only differences are the purities, but they may be mixed with other metals for a reason, not to 'dilute them' as it were.
It's a good metal for rings as it doesn't need re coating like white gold, but over time it does develop a slightly dimpled texture akin to pewter but very fine. This is because it's said that instead of scratching it just displaces material instead (moves it to one side)
Are you looking for one or something?
Soldato
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No, quoted myself, I'd never checked the assay marks on our rings before, to be quite honest, I thought platinum was platinum, and never had a second thought about equivalent of a carat mark, but always thought there would be, just never seen platinum of any purity advertised as anything other than platinum.
Strange they used an assayed piece for you initially, the not the second time, likely a rush job, and an oversight on their part due to speed concerned.
Strange they used an assayed piece for you initially, the not the second time, likely a rush job, and an oversight on their part due to speed concerned.
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yes sorry I hit quote and replied half an hour later :/ my bad.
I have found that with platinum it's rarely specified which grade it is, I've even asked local jewellers what purity the ring they were trying to sell was and they didn't specify, or just said something like 'pure' or 'solid' I can't say I've ever seen the grade printed on any information in a highstreet / local store so I think you would be forgiven for assuming there was only one type. It's fair to say that you never really find out which other metal it's blended with though.
There are different grades but I think mostly it doesn't realllly matter as they are blended with other metals for a reason - it' snot a bad thing really. That's why a lot of fine yellow gold jewellery is 18c rather than the coveted '24c' which we are so used to hearing... Sometimes the purest forms of these metals are useless for making rings etc from. for being too soft, or too *something*
I think it is down to being rushed, but they are being a bit cagey about making sure they get it back to theirs to then send off to the Assay office, they told me they called the assay office and they said they won't let regular punters get items hallmarked (which I've checked; you can)
Going to call the Assay office on monday to check again and see what's going on as there are still holes in the story I think.
Not really, I saved thousands compared to what any high street jewelery would charge, got to make my own choices of diamond that I personally selected and put the the thought and time into design a ring and diamond that I believed would be perfect for my love.
Compare that with going to a high street shop and being forced to put up with horrendous sales tactics that make car salesmen seem like angles and then ending up with a pee poor diamond that is massively overpriced and to which you had little say in the matter because you can only buy whatever diamonds are mounted on the rings the shop carries. The money saved can then pay for a damn nice honeymoon!
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Do you think there is the potential for them to have made it up quickly and by 'mistake' used white gold or similar? Now they want it back to check and rectify their error, or to check they haven't made one in the first place?
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^^ WHat he said! the sales tactics are unreal in the stores. people come out completly duped, but happy :S they play feelings and expectations off against money basically.
well this is my fear, or at least a grade of platinum which is not advertised. I simply don't believe them when they say loads of rings have the hallmarks polished off and it happens all of the time but they don't usually get past QC.
Someone posted earlier and said the markings are made on the finished product, not before - in which case all that would need polishing would be any marks left after the assay office have had it.
They seem to really want the ring back and it just smells of some kind of a cover-up [tin-foil-hat on]. I hadn't considered how they would do it, but your solution is obvious enough really; get it back, change it and then sent it to be marked.
Very true although you are forgetting to mention the other type of shop rather than just a highstreet chain type
I bought my other halfs engagement ring from a local jeweller my parents had used over the years.
They specialised in diamonds, chap there helped me pick a good one from their vast collection, then we decided on what sort of band I wanted to go with it.
Once decided the diamond went off to the people who would then make the band and mount with it all costing significantly less than a typical high street national jeweller as well as the internet jewellers I had looked at.
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little update on this:
I'm sending it to the Birmingham Assay office to be x-ray tested and then hallmarked depending on the results of the test. The trader told me the assay office would not deal with the public, but they have actually been incredibly welcoming and very helpful so far.
They have also offered to test the diamond, but I'm going to leave that alone as I'm happy enough with it!
I'm sending it to the Birmingham Assay office to be x-ray tested and then hallmarked depending on the results of the test. The trader told me the assay office would not deal with the public, but they have actually been incredibly welcoming and very helpful so far.
They have also offered to test the diamond, but I'm going to leave that alone as I'm happy enough with it!
If the company are still shelling out for your costs then I'd definitely get that done while it's there, there's no reason not to and at least then you know for sure it's all as it should be.