Disappointed with My Ring: A Community Discussion
Hey everyone,
I wanted to take a moment to share my journey with my engagement ring, which, to be honest, has left me feeling a bit disappointed. I know that engagement rings are often symbols of love and commitment, but I never expected to be underwhelmed by mine.
A Bit of Backstory
I fell in love with the concept of an engagement ring long before I got engaged. I spent countless hours researching different styles, cuts, and settings. After much deliberation, I finally settled on a stunning round brilliant diamond nestled in a beautiful halo of smaller stones. It looked perfect in photos, but once I had it in person, it didn’t feel as “me” as I’d hoped.
The Disappointment
Here’s where my disappointment creeps in. The ring, while undeniably beautiful, feels bulky on my finger. I had imagined something that would sparkle effortlessly and complement my hand, but instead, it feels heavy and a bit overwhelming. I often find myself not wanting to wear it, which is the last thing I wanted when this ring was meant to represent such a significant moment in my life.
Additionally, the color of the diamond doesn’t shine quite as brightly as I had envisioned. It’s a G-color stone, but under certain lighting, it takes on a duller hue than I hoped for. I find myself constantly comparing it to the radiant rings of my friends, and that bitterness is not something I want to carry into my new chapter.
Open Forum for Discussion
I know I’m not the only one who has faced ring-related disappointment. Have you ever experienced something similar? Perhaps your ring was not what you hoped for, or maybe you wish you had chosen a different setting? Maybe you went through the painful process of resizing after a few months, or you fell in love with a completely different gem after your engagement?
Tips for Future Purchases
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Try Before You Buy: Make sure to wear rings of similar styles for an extended period. Visit a jeweler and spend time with the options you consider.
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Lighting Matters: Always view the stone in various lighting to understand how it will look in different environments.
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Consult with Friends: Don’t hesitate to bring along trusted friends or family members for their opinions—sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can help.
Show Off Your Rings!
Now that I’ve shared my story, I’d love to hear yours! Please show off your engagement rings and let us know what you love about them (or don’t)! Share your experiences, your tips, or any lessons learned along the way. Let’s use this community as a platform for growth and learning, as we celebrate the beauty of engagement rings and the stories behind them.
Looking forward to hearing from you all!
💍✨
I don’t see the problem? You presented a photo. He’s an artist not a photo machine. No, you’re not justified.
I think they are wildly similar. Honestly just might need shined a little better and I think you’ll be happier with it
One of the problems that I see is that it’s not as shiny and bright looking as the photos, and that may feel disappointing to you. The other thing that I see is that the CAD had a bright yellow gold bar connecting the shank, and that is not the case in your ring. Your ring is not developed by the rounded bar, connecting the two pieces of the shank. I think that would give it more of the look that you are going for. I would nicely return to the jeweler and ask if touched up to bring in as much of the similarities of the fine detail of the CAD. And if it can be shined up because it doesn’t look as bright as brand new gold. It might need a polish as well. I hope this helps.
I also see that in the CAD your prongs at the bottom allow for most of the diamond to be visible in the real he covered it up of the diamond so you can’t see it as well from the sides. The gold is not as delicate in that area and I see why it would disappoint you.
The ring looks like the head is slightly to the right and the donut on your ring is plat not gold.
To me in looks like it really needs to be polished; it could just be the photo vs real life, but it looks like it’s been worn for years vs being brand new. It should have a flawless, shiny finish, and this looks pretty scratched up.
I think the comments dismissing your feelings are wild, I’d feel the same way! Your ring isn’t as delicate or refined as the photos. Yes it’s similar but not equal to the inspo photos. I don’t know what was discussed but maybe there was a mistake made by only providing inspiration and not nailing down a definite design? Perhaps it left too much room for interpretation and the jeweller wasn’t on the same wavelength as you two? Definitely go back and discuss your concerns and see what your options are
Ok. So, no one has pointed out the obvious. They used solid side prong peg head instead of the open one in the photo, which is available from Stuller. The ring mounting for the peg head holding the diamond is a flat bar. In your image, it is a round hole that connects the band together. The last bit is the white gold solder where they mounted the head. The color difference is pretty stark. I am not sure how long you have worn the ring, but it is pretty scratched up and should have never been delivered to you in that condition.
EDITED TO ADD: The jeweler clearly used parts that were on hand that they didn’t need to buy, probably thinking it was close enough. Each piece of the ring you asked for is available in the findings section of a Stuller catalog. There are two other companies that also make this design of components. The pieces just needed to be ordered from the supplier to get you what you wanted. It did not need a CAD or a mold or a custom design fee. Go back to the jeweler. Tell them to get you the Stuller catalog and walk them through the peg head, the cathedral shank with the round mounting hole and the gold finish you are looking for. Generally, for this type of design, you should be able to have it done and back to you in 3 to 4 weeks. I personally know Stuller keeps these pieces in stock, so they should be able to send them to your jeweler fairly quickly.
The head has been badly soldered and finished. I don’t believe this was made from the CAD, they were bought in as shank and head and soldered together…
Honestly, I’d be upset also. Doesn’t look like the pic. Even if you want to say the pic is for inspiration, the quality of what was made doesn’t seem all there. And what’s with the 2 notches on the front face of the ring, just under the basket. The ring overall, looks bad to me.
When I was getting a ring made, I found out that not every ring maker who says they can make you a custom ring will actually be designing the entire thing from the ground up. Some of them just take pieces from a catalog and put them together. I think that’s what happened here.
Agree that the prong/basket design is completely different from the inspo pics. I’d be unhappy, too.
I would be disappointed too sister sorry
I wonder how much price was a factor. This may have been the result of the jeweler staying under a certain value? But I agree you should take it back and have a discussion and be ready to pay more. Or you could ask if it can be returned and you start somewhere else.
Anyone telling you that this is fine and you should be happy with it, clearly know NOTHING about ring design. This is a simple design that any good jeweller should know how to reproduce. If they were unable to reproduce this ring to your exact requirements, that should have been disclosed to you before it went in to production. The prongs are wrong, The way it’s mounted is wrong, the setting is wrong. This should have been mounted on a gold donut that was gold, and the sides of the ring are only supposed to go as far as the donut and yours go way past that. Take it back ASAP. The longer you leave it, the less likely you will get help with it. Personally I would ask fr a refund and go somewhere else where they won’t lie to you that they can replicate your design choice.
I think you’re completely justified in your feelings. The ring you received looks old, like it had been in somebodies jewelry drawer for years without proper care. It definitely is lackluster. I would be looking to return personally, and likely find a ring that I love elsewhere. I’m so sorry OP! This sucks
I wouldn’t accept the ring. If you already have when you return take the picture and the ring to show him how shoddy of a job he reproduced the ring you wanted. Hopefully he will remake it to how it should look. It’s a solitaire, how hard is it to reproduce? If he doesn’t file a claim with your credit card. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that. It’s too bad it ruined your proposal plans.
Is this a jeweler on Etsy?
If I got something that wasn’t to my satisfaction, I’d return it. I think what they delivered looks crappy.
Sub par work on top of being a sub par ring. Worthy of refund IMHO. Hate to see these post daily on here
Jeweler did NOT deliver. Don’t settle, you’ll always regret it.
I’m so sorry babe but it looks like a tooth 🙁
I’m not a jeweler but that looks like it’s going to break so quickly. The soldering under the diamond looks…not great.
You should definitely be upset with it. It’s the entire wrong mounting that’s why. They basically somewhat attempted a similar style, but these are the two same ring. The first is the Tiffany website mounting, which is a softened knife edge shank and a 6 prong peg head with slightly softened and raised shoulders. And the second is an open shank knife edge mounting with soldered shoulders and a built base for a peg head. What is most off putting about their finished work is the sunken in “base” they created out of what looks like solder only. It looks like a weak spot for it to break. It’s also white gold right there on the “base” they created and it should be all yellow with the head just white. They’ve used vendor mounting pieces meaning like stuller or another, which isn’t always a bad thing, but their quality of work and design isn’t as skilled as Tiffany & Co (and even they lack in customer support skill). If you can’t get a refund, I would take your ring to another jeweler so that they may use the gold you’ve already bought to be designed, melted, or worked on some more. There are many talented jewelers who take pride in correcting pieces or refurbishing them.
Truthfully I gasped and made a ☹️ face when I swiped. The workmanship is abysmal. They should have been embarrassed to let this leave the shop. It’s clunky and rushed looking and not fair to you and your fiancé.
I am so sorry, what an expensive frustration. 😞
The picture looks familiar to me! Is it Tiffany? I also love the way their prongs look but it’s too expensive for us to afford lol
Definitely not as sleek and polished as the inspiration photo. Is that a gap? The prongs are not the same either.
Personally I’d be of a mind to take it to another jeweller for appraisal (materials and value) before going back to your guy. I have gold rings 60-100 years old that are not this scratched. Even one warped to the shape of my finger, and still doesn’t have etches even tho I’ve worn it daily for nearly 15 years. Something seems off about this to me, enough Id verify the material.
First thing, I think your model ring was 18K and the actual ring is 14K, that accounts for some color difference.
Second, your ring is scratched to hell for just 5 days of normal wear, even for 14K.
I echo all the comments about the setting as well.
I would go to a different jeweler to have it fixed. This jeweler obviously can’t do what you want
I would have never left with it. Does not look like the picture.
I agree, it’s not what you asked for.
You are valid in your worry. I’d like to add, I didn’t happen to see upon quick glance through the comments, but the “scratches” that are on the left side of the prong in your last picture, are 100% from the jeweler slipping while cutting the seat. I myself am a jeweler and can recognize that pattern immediately. They don’t pay attention to detail. I’d go somewhere else.