warning about the jewelery in tesco

When i was staying at the dolphin hotel waikkal in june i had a ring made at the jewellery shop at the back of tesco, i was so pleased it looked perfect, gold ring with white sapphires all around, WELL !!!! now 4 months later the gold has worn off and i don%26#39;t know what metal it is but the ring looks horrid and the stones have all scratched and look dull, i bought orange sapphire earrings in Kandy and they are fine, my husband bought the ring for £150 pounds for our 25 wedding anniversary so i am really upset, i wanted to warn others, we ordered the ring early on in our holiday and they kept putting us off collecting the ring, saying it will be ready tomorrow, untill the day before we came home, we will be returning next year and i would like to go and demand a refund, BUT its such a tiny little village i imagine it will be quiet embarrassing as word will get around i wouldn%26#39;t want to spoil our holiday, i think i will put it down to experience,so if anyone is going to buy jewellery in sri lanka go to a reputable shop, the one Blackie takes you to in Kandy is great.

warning about the jewelery in tesco

oh my goodness my sincere apologies to TESCO it was ASDA not TESCO SO SO SORRY !! ASDA NOT TESCO..

warning about the jewelery in tesco

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your '; rip off '; ring.

It%26#39;s been a regular query on this site. Where to go to buy jewellery in Sri Lanka?.

The answer is always ,,, go to a reputable jewellers and make sure the jeweller is happy to accompany you to the government agency which is set up for the purpose of testing and making sure that you are getting what you pay for.

They test all gems, verify the authenticity and issue a certificate to that effect.

I know it%26#39;s too late for you but for others that follow, gems in Lanka can be a great bargain if bought properly or the worse buy you could ever make if bought wrong.

Even the 1st answer recommending a shop in Kandy where the driver will take you.. The shop may be great and of course he%26#39;ll take you there, because he%26#39;s onto a huge commission..

Guess who pays his comission?. Tha6s right,, it%26#39;s the customer.

There are plenty of excellent reputable jewellers around who%26#39;ll be more than happy to have the gems verified with you.

Once again, sorry you got scammed, especially on something like your 25th anniversiary.

Rod.

Good to draw this lesson to others%26#39; attention. When we were at the Dolphin (2004) there was a jewellers in the hotel. They were very good (price-wise) and had other shops (Kani Lanka) and Galle. There was plenty of reason to believe they were reputable and the jewellery we bought still looks terrific today. Hindsight is a wonderful thing... no real need to use the beach boys for important purchases!

Is Aida Jewels in Bentota a reputable shop? I bought something from them last time we were in Sri Lanka,and am considering buying from them again in Feb.

Thanks

Pete

Hi Pete and Julie,

I have no idea about the jewellers you mention, good, bad or indifferent.

But,, as you%26#39;re going back there in February, you could take the stuff you bought last time into a UK jewellers and get it valued.

Compare what you payed, with what the UK jeweller says and you%26#39;ll know.

Personally, if I was paying out more than a few quid on jewellery I%26#39;d buy from somewhere that I could use the State Gem Corporation to verify that I was getting what I wanted.

Rod.

Hi Pete, Julie %26amp; Rod

Aida%26#39;s are indeed one of Sri Lanka%26#39;s most reputable chain of jewelllers, they sell top grade and quality items, maybe not the best value in Sri Lanka as they are mainly based around hotels and tourist resorts like Bentota, but all the same will not sell duds!!

People should ALWAYS be VERY wary about buying expensive gems and jewellry in Sri Lanka and maybe the best place to do this would in Colombo itself with many top class jewellers there, and of course you can ask them to accompany you to the government assessment centre to get them classified as genuine or not., free of charge

If a trader/jeweller refuses this request, you should NOT buy from them!

Regards

Dave

Hi Suzi

Such scams wheather you are foreigner or local are experienced alike. As suggested any jewellary or similar purchases must be purchased from a well reputed jeweler.

There are two well known well reputed jewellers who have been in the business for over four decades in Colombo and and other towns.

1 SWARNA MAHAL JEWELLERS

2 VOGUE JEWELLERS

You can enquire from any reliable source, anyone will certainly recommend these two. We have been buying all jewellary with these guys and we are pretty happy.

I am afraid I do not recommend any other place.

Trust this infor will help anyone who wants to but jewellary!!

Hi

Just read in a review that someone bought a piece of jewellery in Sangems which is a shop very close to the Dolphin,and did a really good deal apperently.

My husband and I (I sound like the queen now!!!) LOL! are very interested in buying a nice ring when we%26#39;re there next year but after reading this thread am worried about getting it wrong and ending up with shoddy goods.

Can anyone tell me whether Sangems actually are a reputable company or is it more likely to be the luck of the day there. The couple that just bought a ring seemed to do well but just wanted some more feedback please.

Sally

I can highly recommend Sangems jewellers, I have had quite a few items made there now and each item has been valued way above cost paid

The last item I had made was a diamond and sapphire ring designed from a picture I took with me (picture is still with Mohammed at Sangems)

We paid £1800 for the ring and it has been valued in UK AT £5500

Please rest assured you can buy with confidence at this jewellers store ....but please barter I always do.

Seems a long time since this post first starting going around.

I have no doubt that the jewellers mentioned in the last post is wonderful, but,, why not get the government certificate of authenticity anyway.

I know, if I was spending a fraction of that money, I%26#39;d get it verified.

A car hired to run into Colombo and back would cost about 4000 rupees. £ 20 quid. To take the jewellery to the Government set up, Sri Lankan gem and Jewellery Authority, at,

Sri Lanka Gem and Jewelery Exchange,

Level 4--5,

East Low Block,

World trade Centre,

Echelon Square,

Colombo.

The testimng service is completely free and you%26#39;ll know for sure. I certainly wouldn%26#39;t spend much money with anyone who wouldn%26#39;t accompany me to the testers.

Rod.

pores