Value for money in jewellery

Just before Christmas something happened that I feel gave retail jewellery a bad name. A youngish bloke came in to the gallery to ask if we bought gold. His fiance had broken off their engagement but she hadn't got to keep the ring, he had. He'd paid £2,000 for it at a high street jewellers in Leeds centre and had been to a couple of the many places offering to do him a favour and take all his lousy gold off him. He was offered £45.00, the ring was 18ct white gold with a cluster of diamonds along the centre. None of the places he'd visited were interested in the diamonds, they were only chips and weren't worth much. The amount of gold in the ring when I weighed it was only worth what he had been offered, it was so very light. At first his beef was with the places buying gold but really it was the the high street store that was at fault. If he had had the ring handmade, with better quality diamonds and more substantial density, it would have cost him about £1,200. For £2,000 you would expect platinum. The public don't realise how much they are being ripped off by large faceless chain stores, talk to any goldsmith/jewellery designer and compare what answers you will get compared to the high street store when you ask, "what is the standard of that gold? 9ct? 14ct? 18ct? 24?, how much does it weigh? and what quality are the stones" Not only will handmade jewellery usually be a distinctive design but on price and quality it will always be better.