The Story of the Ring

My mom and I are trying to get the word out on something that happened to us with a jeweler that we used for a long time. Please read the following email that my mom sent out to friends and family.

I wanted to let all of you know that Neustaedter's Fine Jewelry on Lindbergh switched the stone in Jennifer's 2 carat aquamarine with a stone of much less value when I took it to be repaired because the stone fell out. It took me 2 months of getting all the information before I went to them with my case. Jennifer and I took it to the store in August 8. When I picked it up at the end of August and gave it to Jennifer she said she didn't think it was her stone. This was the ring we gave her on her 21st birthday and she wore it as her something blue on her wedding day. She even loaned it to one of her best friends to wear on her wedding day.

I took it for an appraisal at another jewelry store. The appraisal was done by a jeweler in Fenton -- Jewelry Connection. The appraisal was a great deal less than the original appraisal and the jeweler said the stone was new. I took it back to Neustaedter's and the owner, Richard, said he had no ideas what I was talking about. He went to the back of the store with the ring/stone for about 5 - 10 minutes and returned with the employee, John, who does the work. The Neustadter's employee who works at the store (repair work) and did the work in the store admitted changing the stone. Unfortunately I was not present to hear any of their conversation because the owner's wife refused to allow to go to the back with the owner. At first John and Richard said they would look for the stone. I told them to call me when they found it. Richard didn't call so after several hours I called him and he said that John, the jeweler, couldn't remember if he chipped it or broke it since it had been two months and he forgot!! I continued asking for the stone and after several conversations Richard, the owner, said it had been thrown away. I told him that the stone belonged to us and they had no right to throw it away without our permission. The owner said he knew nothing of the stone switch. I told the owner I really didn't understand how an employee can order stones without the owner knowing. A friend who had worked there said that back then the policy was that no one ordered stones but the two owners This is the short version of a very long and stressful ordeal. The funny thing is that a friend had told me for years they switched stones and did other things, but I kept on going

to them. We made so so many purchases from them over

the last 13 years and even recommended them to friends. You can imagine how happy my friend was when she could say "I told you so." If you use them as a jeweler just beware and be sure to check your stones. You wonder how many people haven't noticed the difference in their stones or haven't gone to all of the trouble to get a new appraisal to prove they were wronged. Once I confronted them about the stone switch, the owner Richard and his wife, Jackie, were very, very rude to me. Richard, the owner, never once called me back. I had to call him back every time even though he said he would call me. He NEVER apologized for what happened, nor did his wife or daughter apologize for

the way they treated me once I showed them the evidence that the stone had been switched. They made me feel as if I had done something wrong. I have never been treated to rudely.

We really wanted the cracked/chipped stone back. They had no right to throw it away! It was not their decision to make. It was our stone not theirs.

Thanks for reading...