Underwood Jewelers

For 30 years my wife wore a 2-carat oval diamond solitaire in a Tiffany style setting on her left hand. In 2023 we decided to upgrade her ring. We put a 4-carat oval diamond solitaire with accent diamonds on layaway Memorial Day weekend. We made payments on the ring until we picked it up Labor Day weekend. The main reason we decided to buy the ring at Underwoods was because our salesperson, MaryLou, told us that if we ever decided to sell the ring, that Underwoods would buy it back for the value that we paid for it. When we picked it up, we received no paperwork with the ring. The salesperson who delivered the ring told us that she would ask Marylou to expedite the appraisal so that we could get it insured as quickly as possible. The appraisal had not arrived by November, so I called and spoke to Marylou. She didn’t remember our names or what we had bought but promised to get the appraisal resent. It arrived about 10 days later. There was nothing on the receipt or the appraisal stating a warranty period or the buy back that was promised. Because this ring was a surprise to our family, my wife didn’t wear the ring until Thanksgiving. The week after Christmas, she was wearing the ring around the house and the diamond fell out. To say she was heartbroken was an understatement. She was terrified that she had almost lost our major investment. We took the ring back to Underwoods. Our salesperson, Marylou did not recognize us when we walked in, so someone else offered to help us. We mentioned to the salesperson that yes, we had purchased the ring there and that Marylou was our salesperson. She called Marylou over and Marylou looked at the ring and said, “I hope you have it insured.” My wife said, “I do, but I don’t want to file a claim for it because they will raise my premium.” My wife explained that she wondered if the setting was too light weight for a diamond that size -reiterating that she had worn her 2-carat for 30 years and never had an issue. Marylou’s comment was “These big diamonds get caught on things all the time.” Marylou wrote up the ticket to get it repaired and that was basically it. She offered no sympathy or empathy at the distress my wife explained about being worried that the setting was not very strong. We asked the question about the ring being under warranty and about the buy back that was promised. Marylou said that there was no warranty because that was what the insurance was for. She also stated that the buyback would be for the “forever mark” diamond because they want to make sure they get those back, but it wouldn’t be for the setting. Marylou’s attitude was aloof and impersonal during the whole interaction, leaving us to believe that she was disappointed that the diamond was found and we were not filling an insurance claim to have the whole ring replaced. She called a few days later and told us that the jeweler would not repair it because it was too badly damaged, so they were sending it back to the manufacturer. We were called a couple of days later and told we could pick it up. When we picked up the ring, Marylou was with another customer but asked someone else to deliver the ring to us. We asked to check the “forever mark” number under the microscope to ensure that it was our original diamond. We mentioned that Marylou had told us about the buyback and we wanted to make sure that we knew how much we would be leaving to our heirs when we passed. We also asked this salesperson about a warranty and she said that it is usually a year on this type of ring. Again, nothing in writing. There was no charge for the ring repair. My wife was still very frightened to wear the ring because when it broke, she had not felt it catch or tug on anything. She just looked down and saw the empty setting. She took the ring to another jeweler to have the size checked so that she could make another ring purchase. That new jeweler asked her if she knew that it was out-of-round. She did not know that because she only wears it around the house – too afraid of losing the diamond to leave the house with it. In February, I took the ring back to Underwoods and asked to return it. Marylou told me that they would not give me a refund but they would take it in as an exchange for one of equal or greater value. I said, “That is not what you told us when you sold it to us.” I told her that I wanted a full refund because the setting is too fragile, and my wife is afraid to wear the ring. She went and discussed it with the manager. The manager agreed with Marylou. I asked to speak with the manager and she told me directly that they would not take it back after 5 months – again nothing was in writing. We were about 2 weeks past the 5 month mark. I explained again that the setting was too fragile and even the manufacturer couldn’t repair it. (It had been placed in a new setting when it was returned to us). I explained that Marylou was a sales machine who would tell you anything to get you to buy something. It feels to us like Underwoods sells inferior settings and encourages you to get insurance, so they get another sale when the mounting fails. Very disappointed. We have lived in Jacksonville for 40 years and always thought they were the best jewelry store in town. No longer. Don’t risk your investment by purchasing from them. Buy from someone who gives at least a one-year guarantee and stands behind their products.