I went to Kay for the first time to buy an engagement ring. I had a 1.5 carat center already and wanted 4 pink diamonds added to a band that i was going to buy there. the center stone was in a ring already and we wanted to replace the center in the existing ring with a ruby. I also traded in a 1/2 carat diamond for the band but they had to take it out of a ring. I went ahead and bought a 1 carat wedding band to go with it as well as one for myself.

They Said it would be no problem to do everything but they needed time to find the pink diamonds. I asked if they could put some pink sapphires in it that look good unitl the pink diamonds came in and they said no prob. It was an issue because the diamonds were set in a channel and they said it would cost extra but they would cover it. I was a little unhappy at the customer service at this point because they all seemed rude and talked down to my fiance and i like we didnt know anything about jewelry or money.

After 3 months (YES 3 MONTHS) i recieved a call that the rings were in and done. I recieved the engagement ring and both bands. I asked where the other 2 rings were and they didnt know. I looked at the engaugement and it looked like costume jewelry. The pink sapphires looked plastic and probably the lowest quality sapphires they could find on the floor. There was also a sapphire in the band and it looked the same way. The band and the engagement rings were different sizes when they were supposed to be a sz5. One was about a 4.5 and the other a 5.5. My band looked okay at first but i tried it on and it was too small (i'm a sz 7.5) as it was about a 7. The channels on the engaugement were not straight and had metal on the diamonds and the channels were wavy.

We sent it all back for rework. About 2 weeks later i get a call that "your rings are in" so i go up there and they are the other two that were missing.. The ring i traded the stone in was beat up, scratched, and it looked like someone took huge pliers to take the diamond out and the ring was ruined. The other ring looked good with the ruby in it but thats all they did to it.
I asked where the other ring and bands were and i was told they were being worked on and they didnt know when they would be in. I complained about the ring being torn up and i was told that they send their jewelry to a third party jeweler and there was nothing they could do.

2 More weeks i get another call for the rings..

the channels looked better but the pinks were un touched.. We gave up and decided to wait on the pink diamonds to come in before they messed it up any more. Tried it on and mine barely fit, probably a 7.25 instead of a 7.5 but frusturated we just placed it in the box. My fiance tried her rings on and guess what.. still didnt fit.. the band needed pinks too so we just placed it in a box and forgot about it too.. Sent the engaugement ring back because it was now to big and still not the right size..

Let me note that we have both bought several rings and we know our size!

5 weeks later (YES 5 WEEKS) we get a call that the ring is in. We go in and she tries it on .. Guess what, its even bigger than it was before. We complained about the 1 month wait time for the jeweler and the quality of the work but again we were told that they had to send it to that third party jeweler and there was nothing they could do for us but have it reworked once a month until it was right. Pissed off we gave up and she wore the ring with tape around it so it would fit.

oh and still no word on the pink diamonds other than the guess that it was going to be around $7k for all of them and the work to be done.

I decided to go to Helzbergs (always happy there but they wont buy diamonds like Kay did) to get my pinks. In 3 days they had top quality pink diamonds in. We looked at them and paid for them. they were $4k instead of the $7k Kay told us. but we arent finished yet!

The rhodium plating didnt last 3 weeks before her ring was yellow. I have never seen this happen so quickly!

I go to buy another band for her ring but Kay wont take back the one they screwed up because it had been modified.. Yes, they modified it by placing the pink sapphire in it and now wont take it back. We complain for 3 days. On the third day we just figured to buy another band from them and switch out the modified one because "the width wasnt the same." Customer is always right so we finally get them to take it back and replace with a new one with all diamonds but only after they complain that they are taking a loss because the cost of the sapphire os less than the diamond. I just tell them that it was all theirs and i didnt pay more or less for the crapy plastic looking sapphires. It all pans out.

We take the 2 new bands and the engagement ring to Helzberg and they size everything, solder together, and place the pinks diamonds in the channel for $350 and it was done in 9 days. We see it and it looks like it should, a $13k ring! I was amazed at how it looked and it didnt look like costume jewelry anymore! Its been about 8 months now and it still looks good, rhodium still looks good, and we will never buy or let Kay work on anything again.

But first, we get married! Thanks! ;-) My ring is still the wrong size, and i noticed it is egg shaped and not round. I had never worn it before and we didnt think to have it worked until the day after the weddign when i noticed it (it was in the box the whole time). I look at it and the shank looks like a chevron rather than the ring looking like a band. The inside has very deep scratches going through it and it actually makes it rough on my finger when it moves. There are flat spots and dings on it from the jeweler and after 2 weeks of wearing it, looks yellow.

We will be taking my ring to Helzberg to have them fix it. They have quoted $300 to replace the shank and for everything repaired on it in less than 1 weeks time.

It juse reminded me to tell everyone not to shop at Kay because they dont care about their customers or the quality of the product they sell. They only care about gettign their garbage out of the case and out of the store. If you're in the Wichita area, go to Towne West mall and shop at Helzberg Diamonds! they have a GREAT jeweler and will work with you!