Big Boys Hobbies

Did I get ripped off?

Mud-puppy

Mud-puppy

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OK..so you know that bracelet I just found on the 16th? Well, unbeknownst to ME, the Wife took it to a local high end and well respected Jeweler here to have 'cleaned' and to fix that little safety chain....She was told the cost for repair/cleaning was $12......

Now, I did not know about this until today when she had me go pick it up...I said, "You did WHAT?.."What? You KNOW they dipped the damn thing in aqua regia and probably peeled off at least a gram!" She said they wouldnt do that! I said when it comes to gold people will do just about anything!

So when I picked it up I had them weigh it on their scale....when the weight came out light, I said "Wait a dman minute! That thing weighed 25.7gr last week! They said "all scales weigh different"..:no: I asked if they dipped it in aqua regia...they said "No, we just clean it with water and a mild cleaner"

I said, "Listen buddy, I'm gonna take it home and weigh it in on MY scale and the damn thing better be 25.7!" Well, here are the results! Before I go all Crazy Ivan up in this mutherhubbard, I thought I better run this past you guys for advice...

Is it possible there was a gram of sand/dirt in here? Do jewelers tend to rip off gold on unsuspecting people with acid?

Let me know if I have to go kick some jeweler jewels! I will humbly await any knowledgeable advice on the slow burn simmer setting..

Mud
 

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WOW, I have no idea but I guess it could have been possible that some dirt was stuck in between the links. You'd think it would weigh more since they added a clasp... Did you give it a good bath before initially weighing it the 1st time?
 
Could there have been any sand, dirt, debris and/or moisture in any of the crevices or joints?
 
MrNovice said:
WOW, I have no idea but I guess it could have been possible that some dirt was stuck in between the links. You'd think it would weigh more since they added a clasp... Did you give it a good bath before initially weighing it the 1st time?
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They didnt replace anything except to solder on the safety chain end...I dont think theres any way dirt or sand could get in between the link pins or anything like that...it all seems pretty tight, but hey, I'm sort of new at this...hoping somebody can tell me how to proceed...I guess there coulda been silt in there right?

The whole damn deal made me bristle when I asked them to weigh it and they said that thing about the scales! All they had to say is "Yeah, there was a lot of silt hidden in this item" or something like that...I'da believed that, seeings how that fine silt jams up camlocks as we all know...

I'll storm on in and create a hell of a ruckus, or take it nice and peaceful, present them with my concerns and pictures, and negotiate an reasonable settlement if needed...Am I being too petty over $25 of gold missing? Am I wrong on the whole deal and it was just dirt/moisture?? Surely some of the old guys know what goes on at jewelers....Either way, theres a follow up post coming that we can all learn from I hope! $12 seemed pretty cheap for a repair/cleaning huh?
Mud
 
A respectable jeweler should not have be taking off gold of pieces gold items. Ther is a chance that dirt could account for the weight difference. I would re calibrate your scale test it again and see what it comes out as
 
They could have polished it on a belt sander but still that is a major difference in weight!
Seeing as you are keeping it I wouldn't go all rambo on them. But something is fishy as heck so I sure as hell would never go to that jeweler again. Warn others too.
It amazes me how some folks do business. Never going back costs them way way more in the long run than their one time little profit.

Good thing you didn't bring in a diamond cluster ring for cleaning, you would have got it back full of CZ's.
 
I'm guessing it was probably just dirt, but you never know...

Do the links have hollow cavities inside of them? Or are there places for moisture to hide? It doesn't take much water to equal 1g.
 
Irons said:
They could have polished it on a belt sander but still that is a major difference in weight!
Seeing as you are keeping it I wouldn't go all rambo on them. But something is fishy as heck so I sure as hell would never go to that jeweler again. Warn others too.

Good thing you didn't bring in a diamond cluster ring for cleaning, you would have got it back full of CZ's.
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I had NO intention of keeping it, but evidently the Wife does I guess...I have NOT told her yet about the discrepancy, Why? Just to say "SEE! I was right"..I'll be out $25 of gold and not get any hot loving besides! I'm in a lose/lose here! Not only that, but I had to PAY the damned jeweler myself! So yeah, a guy has to think about this...probably best just to present it to her, put on some music and light a candle huh? Keep my yap shut?

I aint never gonna let her have a look and run off with any more of MY gold stuff though, of that I can tell you!:mad::laughing:
Mud
 
You got ripped off! Is there a way they can remove one of the links?
 
$25 worth of gold missing isn't much considering there probably was a little debris somewhere that came out. I would just chalk it up to a "lesson learned" type thing. Definitely don't let anyone "clean" it again since there are ways we can do that at home cheap and easy now.

Or just for the fun of it, you could go in there and raise a stink...make for a good story and if they are scraping, they'll think twice about it but surely won't admit it. Maybe some of the "Clean your find" guys have experienced something similar even cleaning their own stuff. I don't know, but ANY risk of something like this happening is too much, IMO.
 
Yeah well...lesson learned...Some would say, "Hey, you found it, so be thankful" And I am, but still, you ALL know what we go through for ANY gold, its tough work all the way around!....Just to have some slick tie wearing fancy pants jeweler rip you off of a gram without doing any of the heavy lifting?

Sure, No big deal in the scheme of things! Whats $25 dollars to me? When you figure beer and gas and smokes, I bet I have easily pist that away just today alone!...Still...it frosts my biscuit!...like a 3' tall french pastry chef! I guess the Big Loser in this tragedy was the original owner who paid retail price and then went for a swim!:laughing: Yeah...that makes me fell a whole lot better! I gotta plan now! Wheres that Barry White hot luvin album from the 70's? Yeah baby!
Mud
 
Unless you didn't calibrate your scale the first time via tare or there was one hell of a flea parking his rump on it when you decided to weigh it the first time, I'm not sure where you lost a gram. Maybe check with Jenny Craig? ;)
 
Swing4TheRing said:
Unless you didn't calibrate your scale the first time via tare or there was one hell of a flea parking his rump on it when you decided to weigh it the first time, I'm not sure where you lost a gram. Maybe check with Jenny Craig? ;)
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The thing should weigh the same on it as it did a few days ago right? All my other finds still weigh the same as they did when I first found them....my scale might not be accurate to one thats certified, so thats why I brought the bracelet home and did a reweigh.....my issue is its coming up light to what it weighed last week...and I weighed it several times even...
Mud
 
Mud-puppy said:
The thing should weigh the same on it as it did a few days ago right? All my other finds still weigh the same as they did when I first found them....my scale might not be accurate to one thats certified, so thats why I brought the bracelet home and did a reweigh.....my issue is its coming up light to what it weighed last week...and I weighed it several times even...
Mud
Click to expand...

Could be possible he pulled a "switch-a-roo" and replaced the bracelet with one very identical that is plated, thus weighing out different because it is not the density of gold. Might be worth an acid test just to be sure you still have what is marked...
 
Prob not much you can legally do except warn others + maybe having some fun with making a scene on a busy day.
You should start by posting the business name and address where ever you tell the story. Strip it down to Just The Facts and let readers draw their own conclusions. Perhaps file a BBB report- those things are worthless, but they do form a public record that others will see.

I'm with you tho. It aint the money, but if some SOB is stealing (and that's what it appears to be), nail him for all he's worth.
 
Mud-puppy said:
The thing should weigh the same on it as it did a few days ago right? All my other finds still weigh the same as they did when I first found them....my scale might not be accurate to one thats certified, so thats why I brought the bracelet home and did a reweigh.....my issue is its coming up light to what it weighed last week...and I weighed it several times even...
Mud
Click to expand...

Even if it's miscalibrated, if you haven't screwed with it it should weigh the same. A 3lb brick on a scale that measures it 1.5lbs will still weigh it the same later unless reset and recalibrated. Digital scales pretty much recalibrate themselves everytime they are turned on, maybe not correctly but it shouldn't change unless it's been adjusted manually somehow.
 
Suck it up as a lesson, and divorce the wife.. I think she has something going on with the jeweler.. :shock:

This sounds like a Earl reply, maybe cause I never got out hunting today
 
I'm going to take a guess and say it was dirt and mud. Maybe even a little wet when you weighed it.
Should have weighed it in store and they write the weight on the receipt. Even if they did steal a little you have no proof.... so it's better to think it was sand
 
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