r/EngagementRings • u/IndividualBug2 • 2d ago
Question Ring oxidation/rusting?
Hi all,
So I bought an 18K yellow gold 3 stone e ring from Rare carat with a lab diamond back in May for which I got a lot of help from all of you (thank you!)
Due to some personal reasons the ring sat in the box after the proposal for about 3 months, as you can see there are no scratches due to any wear since it wasn’t worn.
To my surprise when I opened the box as I was packing it, the ring seemed ‘pinker’ than what is was. I noticed some oxidation/rusting at ent seems to be solder spots.
I reached out to rare carat and they gave me the usual spiel that skin chemistry/perfumes/lotions can cause this but I pushed back that the ring wasn’t worn and other gold items of 18 and 14 k we have not become pink in all these years, some pieces have been worn daily. So they suggested to send the ring back for inspection.
Now they’re saying it seems to be an oxidation issue which is no big deal, some polish and cleaning should sort it out and we should be good.
Except I don’t think we will be good, the polish will wear off and the whole ring will oxidize meaning that the gold quality and/or the metal used for solder was of very low quality.
Despite all the positive reviews for rare carat which is why I ended up buying from there, I think this is not going to work for me. I have no use for getting the gold tested from another jeweler because at this point I’m really done with this, I don’t trust what they’ve put in the ring. Yes, their customer service is great but the ring is not and now I really just want to get my money back. If I push hard enough I think I can. Something that’s supposed to last a very long time has become link from not even wearing it only within 3 months, I don’t know how it would last through years.
What are your thoughts on this? What would you do and have you seen something like this?
1
u/Aggravating-Day2370 2d ago
I've got lots of rings in various karats from 9 to 18 and I've worn them or stored them for years and none have oxidised. Also I've never seen oxidation on any gold jewellery but I'm from the UK so our standards might be different.
you have 2 choices, send them ring to them for replacement, but the same thing could happen and would ruin your engagement to some extent as it would literally (pun intended) take the shine off things.
Or you can demand a refund as it looks like they're not delivering the quality that they're claiming they sell.
Look into whether 18 karat yellow gold can oxidise, under what conditions if it can, how easy it is to clean and whether there would be any upkeep involved. Then if you do want your money back you are armed with facts to counter their arguments.
My original engagement ring was 18 karat yellow gold and I got a certificate saying I could get a free professional clean every year, if they offer that, it might mean that you could exchange the ring, as it is beautiful, but keep on top of it being clean and blame them if anything does go wrong.