friend lost bracelet I gave her to repair in India

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d take the one that’s left to a jewelry store to see what it’s worth. At least then you’ll know if she’s lying to you. Can’t really be mad that she lost it, but if she’s lying that it’s fake you can be mad.

op here. okay, I didn't think of that. I can go to any jewelry store for this?

Any jewelry store that is large/reputable enough will be able to do the testing to tell you the pure gold value and if it's real gold and the karat weight. You can also go to a gold and silver dealer.

Right now this is causing a lot of drama.. Frankly, I think my husband will be pissed if I do that. It seems there is some in-between gold jewelry we are not accustomed to in the US. For me I think of it as being real gold or fake but since they value heavier jewelry perhaps gold wrapped is still valued.. I'm just going to leave it... Dh is getting mad about this.

If your mother in law often goes to this jewelry store in India to buy her own jewelry/gifts to her relatives, not knowing she has been scammed, wouldn't your husband want to let his mother know about this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has to be one of the weirdest stories I’ve ever read in DCUM and ranks up there with pine cone lady, the lightly fried tuna lady and the lady who wanted to take her toddler to the 11pm NYE seating at Ruth Chris.

Really? This story feels super normal to me. The only part that rings false is OP's refusal to just go to a US jeweler, particularly since she lives somewhere with a large South Asian community. But that can be chalked up to the cross-cultural dynamics as far as I'm concerned. Otherwise it all feels very normal. Friend 1 asks Friend 2 for a favor, Friend 2 messes it up, Friend 1 gets mad. That's a tale as old as time.

Yes really. If she wants an Indian jeweler, all she needs to do is go to northern NJ (like Parsnippany, etc) where there is a HUGE Indian population. If she's in Philly, it's not far. I am not sure why she can't take it to a Philly jeweler or WITW she would need to ask her friend who's going to India to take it with her and have her track down someone there. It makes zero sense. Neither did the lady who stopped her car to throw a pine cone at someone many moons ago.

[Anonymous]

"Gold wrapped" is not real gold jewelry, OP. I have no idea why anyone would spend $500 on a bangle that has very little gold content. There is a thing in India called '1 gram gold'; looks real, holds up to wear and tear, but it is extremely inexpensive. It's not Claire's level inexpensive, but it's the difference between $1.00 jewelry and $10 jewelry.

[Anonymous]

OP the bracelet is gone but the friendship is more important. You have no idea what really happened at the jewelry store in India.
Probably best to have the remaining one appraised and or copied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I gave an expensive gold bangle to a close friend so she could see if they could repair it. She said the jewelry shop claims it's fake gold and can't/ won't fix it.
A small part of the bracelet close to where the centerpiece attaches to the bracelet was turning black. I was surprised they claimed it was fake, but maybe it wasn't worth their time to fix it. They focus more on selling new bracelets, perhaps? Anyway, she explained this all and kept insisting it was fake. She somehow misplaced it and says they did give it back to her. The bracelet was sentimental as it was a gift from my husband's family. It was a wedding gift, and I have another one. I don't know much about gold from India... but I remember the jewelry store we went to was trusted. DH's mom has been going there for years. My husband doesn't know much either, but he said no gold is 100 percent gold, and it was a wrapped gold bangle. I am surprised she lost it and thinks it's no big deal.

No reason to worry about it or mess up relations with your MIL or DH or long time friend over it. Move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your friend doesn't owe you any money. You asked her to do a favor and you took the risk that the bracelet could get lost or stolen during her travels.

The issue regarding whether or not the bracelet is real gold is a separate matter.

Agree with this, and definitely suspect that it’s not real gold.

But if I was the friend who lost the bracelet I would feel genuinely terrible and be a ton more sorry than OP’s friend seems to be. That’s the main issue here IMO.

[Anonymous]

Are you not Indian and have just married Indian? Bc this is the risk you take giving jewelry to a friend. Not unheard of to “lose” it - the jeweler told her what it was worth so she sold it and bought herself something or some relative of hers liked it so she gifted it to them. And unless your DHs family is exceptionally poor, which I’m guessing they aren’t, no your wedding gifts from them weren’t fake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps next time you’ll do research and condescend to trust an American jeweler.

Op here. Perhaps but it was a gift bought from someone else while we were abroad. It would have been rude to reject the gift and ask for cash to buy one here.

I'm not saying to make the purchase, darling, I'm questioning why you wouldn't trust an American jeweler and/or an Indian jeweler located in the United States to repair and/or appraise a bracelet. There are Indian goldsmiths in New York, for example. Likely also in DC, but I don't have personal knowledge; I do know there are several Indian-owned goldsmiths in NYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

1. Get the other one appraised!

2. Do not expose jewelry to water and knocks if you can help it. If it's 24K gold and won't oxidize, it's going to be very soft and will get dings.

3. The bangles were not expensive unless you guys are all poor: $100 is about 8000 rupees. Of course you saw a ton of banknotes. You could buy another set of higher gold content.


I apologize for being rude, OP, but all this is evident and you're playing dumb here.

Op here. I am not playing dumb. I was told it was real gold and dh still insists it is real. I think because it was custom made it's valued more. This type of bracelet can't be bought at Claire's. They told me they were $600 in US money each.

This basic hollow 14K bracelet is $2250. If they got a solid 18/22K bangle for $600, that was a great deal!
https://www.bluenile.com/jewelry/bracelets/twist-bangle-in-14k-italian-yellow-gold-item-196012

[Anonymous]

I would question your friend a little harder. It sounds sus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps next time you’ll do research and condescend to trust an American jeweler.

Op here. Perhaps but it was a gift bought from someone else while we were abroad. It would have been rude to reject the gift and ask for cash to buy one here.

I'm not saying to make the purchase, darling, I'm questioning why you wouldn't trust an American jeweler and/or an Indian jeweler located in the United States to repair and/or appraise a bracelet. There are Indian goldsmiths in New York, for example. Likely also in DC, but I don't have personal knowledge; I do know there are several Indian-owned goldsmiths in NYC.

+1

[Anonymous]

OP must have received what is called 2-gram gold or “covering” jewels in India: usually silver that is electroplated with real gold. It costs a fraction of solid gold jewelry and looks just as authentic when it’s new. Many women in India including my mom and aunts wear this now for safety reasons, since real gold jewelry is an attractive target for thieves. If you wear it too often or don’t take good care of it the covering can wear off and expose the metal beneath.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you not Indian and have just married Indian? Bc this is the risk you take giving jewelry to a friend. Not unheard of to “lose” it - the jeweler told her what it was worth so she sold it and bought herself something or some relative of hers liked it so she gifted it to them. And unless your DHs family is exceptionally poor, which I’m guessing they aren’t, no your wedding gifts from them weren’t fake.

This is how friends treat each other? Why would this not be unheard of?

[Anonymous]

Ask friend for the jeweler's number and name. Say you will call to make sure there wasn't a mistake. If she refuses, you have your answer. She's lying.

[Anonymous]

You should take care of your own jewelry repairs. It's not worth trying to save money by asking someone to bring it all the way to India??!!