In the evening of May 25th, 2009, I went to Landers Jewelers. A young lady and Scott received me. I showed him our deformed rings, and told them that I was looking for wedding ring replacements. I first settled on a man’s 14k gold ring for myself, but had difficulty finding a nice ring for my wife. The young lady told me that their diamond rings were on sale. Scott then took out a pretty ½-carat diamond ring. I asked Scott for a microscope for further examination, but the store did not have one. A dime-size small store magnifier did not help, and I was hesitant about the ring. Scott said that he would give me 50% off for the holiday sale plus an additional $100 off. He even agreed to pay sales tax for me. I thought that I might be unable to get such a good deal if I missed the Memorial Day sale. I asked Scott if he had the certificates to certify the authenticity of the diamond and gold, and he said that he would pack them for me. Everything was sound and perfect, and I paid the jewelers. Scott packed them into boxes, and I took them home. Back home, I realized that the certificates were missing. I immediately called the store, but reached no one after several tries.
On the next day (May 26th), I look at the rings under a microscope. The man’s 14k ring looked fine with a clear “14K” letter marked inside. However, nowhere on the diamond ring were there any marks to indicate its authenticity, except two blurred letters that were either “HK” or “11K”. When I showed the ring to my American friends, I was also embarrassed to learn that the design of the three-stone diamond ring was typical for an engagement ring. I later started to get nervous to read one of the web pages that linked “HK” to plated gold rings.
Terrified, I rushed to Landers Jewelers store right after work (on May 26th). After I asked Scott for the certificates, he claimed that the store receipts were the certificates, which was very different from my understanding that certificates are usually issued by manufactures to authenticate the gold and diamonds. I then showed him a clear mark of 14k on the man’s ring, and told him that the “14K” was nowhere on the diamond ring, expect the blurred letters that were either “HK” or “11K”. He examined both rings using his magnifier, and said that the “HK” stood for a manufacturer. When I demanded a formal certificate for the jewelry, he said that there were no other certificates but the store receipts. When I mentioned that these two blurred letters could also mean plated gold, Scott became very angry, yelling “Excuse me, Excuse me”, and pushing his body towards me. I was scared that he might attack me. I then put the two rings on the store counter, and stepped out of the store so that others would see us if I was attacked. Once I was out of the door, I told them that I decided to cancel the transaction, and told them again that the two rings are on the counter. So far, the store has not refunded me the money yet.
Cons: be careful.
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