ComplaintsforSandberg Jewelers, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I brought in a 200 year old antique ring to Sandberg Jewelry to be resized the first week of February 2022. The owner ***** suggested in addition to the resizing I get the diamonds reset. She told me they are well versed in antiques. I agreed to have the work done and a few days later she called and told me they "melted the ring". She refunded the money she charged me for the repairs ($692.00) and gave me back what was left of my ring in a plastic baggie. The ring is completely destroyed and unrecognizable. I requested a refund for cost of the ring and the owner told me she would not consider that. The ring was originally purchased at *********************** in *** in November of 2021. I have included a photo of the ring from *************************** site in its original condition and a photo of the damage caused by Sandberg Jeweler as well as a receipt for the original cost of the ring. I am seeking a resolution through the BBB because I feel as though I was misled by this jeweler. I brought in my ring to have it resized and the extra work was suggested by the owner. She assured me her jeweler was more than capable at making the repairs but instead it was destroyed and I'm left without any recourse. I am seeking a refund for purchase price of the ring which was $3,400. Thank you.

  Business response

  03/31/2022

  ****,

  I understand that you are disappointed with the antique ring you purchased from a jeweler in ********. 
  

  You came into our store to have the ring sized.  I told you upfront that the ring was in poor condition.  I told you that you should return the ring to the ******** jeweler.  In addition, I told you that I would never have sold a ring in that condition, for any amount, to my clients.  I gave you a quote because you did not want to return the ring to the ******** jeweler.  You left our store to think about it.  You returned days later and said that you wanted us to do the repairs. I did not pursue you.  You returned on your own free will and asked us to repair your ring.  You paid in full and did not question the amount.

  Unbeknownst to us, the ring had been previously repaired with lead solder.  Cleverly coated and/or hidden by someone along the way, we could not have seen that there was lead in the ring.  This would have not occurred during the original manufacturing process, but with lead repairs made to the ring.  I would never knowingly subject myself or staff to lead.  When we put heat to the ring, the lead melted like butter and the top of the ring became detached.  We stopped immediately and notified you. 
  Your husband told me that the ******** store where you purchased the ring, claimed that we should have known it had lead.  That begs the question: why didnt the ******** seller of the ring know that the ring had been repaired with lead and disclose this?  Or if the ******** seller didnt detect the presence of lead, how could we?
  While this ring could be reassembled, I am not exactly sure how it would turn out.  A laser welder would need to be used.  Of course, there would be need to be precautions taken to prevent contaminating that jeweler, their tools, and environment.
  I strongly recommend that you do not expose yourself or young children to the lead.  Consult a lead abatement expert on whether the ring can be coated with an environmentally approved material to protect anyone in contact with the ring. 
  I take great pride in being a third-generation jeweler.  I have fourth generation customers. This does not happen overnight.  This does not happen without consistent good service and product.  I fervently defend my reputation and history.   

  Customer response

  04/07/2022

   
  Complaint: 16944639
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Unfortunately, ***** offered no solution in her reply. The weeks we were dealing with her she never once offered a resolution. Its clear that she has very little intention of finding one, as this is the same response she posted onto our ****** review simply copy and pasted here. 

  What we believe to be fair is for her to pay us the full cost of the ring ($3,400) as it was destroyed in her care and while doing changes she recommended. 
  We went back to both the original jeweler as well as a 3rd party jeweler who specializes in antique restorations. Their responses, which we copied below, make it abundantly clear that the cause for the rings destruction was due to the ineptitude of ***** and her handling of the ring: 
  ***** emailed us and said:
  We sized the ring smaller.  We then started to add tips to the diamonds.  When heat was applied the top of the ring fell apart.
  
  
  From the Original Jeweler:
  You never, ever, ever want to apply direct heat on top of a piece like this. I cannot emphasize this point enough; in fact, when I read your initial email to ******** ******* business partner, we both gasped at the idea of "retipping" a piece like this. It is not only absurd as this type of setting doesn't even have tips like a modern prong setting does, but it is a surefire, guaranteed way to ruin a ring of this age. Back in the era when this piece was made, there weren't standardized construction practices like we find in modern jewelry: because of this, jewelers would use really whatever they had on hand to ****** the gold and silver elements of the ring together, and it is extremely common for lead to be part of this mystery ****** alloy. Lead ****** is very common to see not just in repairs of Georgian era jewelry, but in the actual fabrication of an original piece of this age (in the business, antique jewelers call this old type of ****** ******** This clay ****** is precisely why you would never, under any circumstances, apply heat directly to the top of a ring this old. When resizing an antique of this age it is imperative to use laser tools to complete the job to ensure that the heat is localized to just the back of the ring as to not compromise the rings integrity. Anyone who is familiar with early 19th century jewelry is well aware of this, which is one of the big tip offs that this jeweler has not worked extensively with pieces this old.
  
  From the 3rd party Jeweler:
  
  The closed back settings often had a small piece of tin behind the diamond that reflected light back through it.More to the point, the closed back settings trap dirt behind the diamonds. If you try to heat that kind of setting it ***** the dirt onto the back of the diamonds. You can not ever retip that kind of setting with a torch.
  
  We went in for a resizing only and all the other suggestions which resulted in the destruction of the ring were recommended by *****. Its clear she did not understand what she was looking at or the materials used in a 200 year old ring and as a result destroyed it. Even worse is the poor customer service and complete lack of responsibility on her part. This is a one of a kind piece that simply cant be replaced so what we believe to be a fair resolution is for her to pay us for the full cost of the ring ($3,400) as it was destroyed in her care and while doing changes she recommended.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  04/15/2022

  We will settle this matter for $3400.00 in return for the ring and a signed settlement agreement. 

  Customer response

  04/16/2022

   
  Complaint: 16944639
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  We accept the settlement in the amount of $3,400 and will return the ring but we would like to see a copy of the settlement agreement she wants us to sign before we can accept the resolution and close the case.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  04/28/2022

  Here is the settlement agreement

  Customer response

  05/04/2022

   
  Complaint: 16944639
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  

  
  

  We will agree to sign the document, but need to make a few changes. We will agree to remove the reviews which to the best of our knowledge was

  Yelp

  The knot 

  Google

  
  

  If there are others we have forgotten and have not listed, please let us know and we will remove those within 5 calendar days of being contacted. We will not contact the Jeweler about removing reviews. We will remove above reviews within 5 days of signing the agreement.

  
  

  We are requesting payment within 5 business days of signing the agreement. 

  
  

  We are requesting to keep possession of the ring. It is a one of a kind piece and cannot be replaced so we are seeking an expert jeweler who can restore the ring. It has no value to ***** Sandberg who stated that the ring was in poor condition upon initially seeing it, and the she would never have sold a ring in that condition, for any amount, to my clients, surely it has no value to her in its destroyed state, not to mention her concern with exposing herself or staff to the materials in the ring as noted in her initial response to our complaint.

  
  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  05/11/2022

  We reject the counteroffer. 

  Sandberg is to receive the ring.

  As we are aware ******* left a review on Wedding Wire in addition to the ones that they mentioned.  We also require a statement that ******* has not left or made any comments or reviews regarding Sandberg in any manner on ********************************** or like platforms.  Whether or not the comments or reviews are to the general public, private group, forum, or any other similar organization or association. In addition, that they will not do the same in the future.  

   

  Customer response

  05/11/2022

   
  Complaint: 16944639
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  We will remain in possession of the destroyed ring. 
  

  We will remove posts from
  

  Wedding Wire
  Yelp
  The knot 
  Google
  
  Sandberg is free to write a final statement which we will review and sign prior to closing this case. We will not have any further contact with the business directly and will not submit any additional statements. We will remove above reviews within 5 days of signing the agreement. We are requesting payment within 5 business days of signing the agreement. 
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  06/01/2022

  We offered to refund the purchase price of this ring in exchange for the ring. We also know of the 4 mentioned social media platforms.  However, we need to know that there are not more that ******* has posted to.  We refuse to play hide and go seek with our reputation.  
  

  For $2000.00 we will accept ********* last settlement offer. 

   

  Customer response

  06/01/2022

   
  Complaint: 16944639
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Our final offer to resolve this through the BBB was in our last response. 
  
  

  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

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