topic Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet..... in Jewelry

HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

Q4u — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 20:24:10 GMT

I just received my Judith Ripka link bracelet wih the initial charm. First of all, I love the style, really do!! But something caught my eye in the reviews when someone said that it just didn't seem to weigh the 37.8 grams advertised. That got me thinking that I should weigh my bracelet. Something I've never done and didn't think to do until I read that.

Mine came, and I weighed it. It is 29.4 grams of sterling silver, with a difference of 8.4 grams of missing silver. I sell on eBay and own a calibrated gram weight scale. Even if there is a discrepancy between our scales it would not translate to over 8 grams!

I always thought that the weights (fine metals and gemstones) that QVC advertised on their jewelry were guaranteed to be at least what they advertised it to be!!

I am really disappointed in this finding and find it serious enough (to me) to add jewelry to the items I may not purchase in the future. I left a review outlining this but don't know if it will be posted.....

You all need to know this.... !

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

faeriemoon — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 21:11:28 GMT

Wow; I hope QVC sees this and contacts you. That's a huge discrepancy.

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

Blondelle — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 21:23:43 GMT

I have a gram scale too. While not fancy it was given very good reviews for accuracy when I bought it with people testing it against their pro scales. My large size bracelet came in at 45.3 grams. Even if it's a bit off it's still more than the gram weight QVC gave for it.

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

maestra — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 21:24:04 GMT

Wow, that is terrible. I was attracted to this bracelet by the silver weight. Please keep us posted.

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

Q4u — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 21:28:31 GMT

I just got off the phone with customer service and she was kind of shocked. Said she would give this info to their corporate headquarters.

The more I think about it the more I'm convinced that there are probably many more out there like mine. How many people even think about weighing their items or even have the means to do so.

I would suggest to those who want to know how much their bracelet weighs to either take it to their jeweler who'll probably be happy to do this for you. Or the next time you're at the post office to buy stamps, take it off and ask if they wouldn't mind telling you how much your bracelet weighs.....

I'm sending mine back....

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

Q4u — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 21:30:16 GMT

BTW, my bracelet is the 8".... I think I forgot to mention that.

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

iTalia — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 21:49:56 GMT

I guess I'm having a hard time understanding why exactly you're sending this bracelet back then. You said you love it but just the weight is off from what Q advertised. That is enough to send something back that you really love?? It's interesting how we all handle things differently. That wouldn't matter to me in the least if it was a piece I really loved. In a way, it seems like you may not have truly loved it as much as you thought.

Is anyone really going to know your bracelet is missing 8.4 grams of sterling silver? Furthermore, others have mentioned their same exact size bracelet is measuring more than what Q said. Perhaps scales are off?

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

Q4u — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 22:11:46 GMT

Yes I like the style. But there are other issues.... it has a tinny sound when the charm hits the links and I can't stand that cheap, higher pitched sound. I have a smidge under a 7" wrist and bought the 8" and it has 1/2" drape! Difficult to put on.... but my biggest complaint is that I paid $200 for this bracelet. That's a LOT of money for a sterling bracelet and I understand that Ripka's name is part of that expense. 8.4 grams is a lot of silver to be off!! And I feel taken by it.. I have never cared if anyone knows if my jewelry is real or not or that no one will know it's missing the silver I supposedly paid for. The issue is price vs quality and the fact that QVC guarantees that their weights are at least what they advertise them to be..... yes, it's going back.

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

Q4u — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 22:30:25 GMT

Furthermore, others have mentioned their same exact size bracelet is measuring more than what Q said. Perhaps scales are off?

That's always a possibility however I sell on eBay and own a gram weight scale that's calibrated. I'm always checking to make sure it's good.

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

sunshine 919 — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 22:35:21 GMT

Q4U Thank you for letting us know this. I understand sending it back. When they present some pieces they totally talk about the gram weight and if that is incorrect I understand. I was under the impression that this is how they justify the price for JR pieces. On top of that silver prices have come down. Sorry this happened.

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

Blondelle — Sat, 05 Sep 2015 22:47:08 GMT

8 grams of .925 silver is worth less than $3 I think. Silver is less than $15.00 an ounce. 925 isn't pure silver. That's silly if you really love the bracelet. The silver is such a small part of the cost. I might be concerned if it were gold, but not silver.

My scale is accurate to a tenth of a gram. I just checked it against the given weights for quarters, dimes, and pennies. I don't know why there should be such a difference in weight unless different suppliers were used for the tubing of the plain links and there were different wall thicknesses. The textured links are castings, and the hearts are stamped.

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

Q4u — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 01:04:48 GMT

I love the style of the bracelet and explained the other problems that bother me about it. It's a very pretty bracelet but the sound of the charm against the links is tinny and has already gotten on my nerves. Regardless of the cost of silver, this has never been QVC's policy regarding weights of precious metals or stones for that matter. QVC has always said that the item we get would AT LEAST be the weight stated and probably more (Affinity says this all the time)....

Can you imagine if even half the bracelets sold skimped on silver even at a low price per bracelet what the total savings for the manufacturer would be?? When you consider that customers rarely think of weighing their purchase.... that skimping on the metal would be an easy deception (if it's that and I'm not saying it is).

When you go to the butcher and buy meat that has to be weighed... an unethical butcher could weight the scale just a hair on every purchase (it's illegal for a butcher to do this btw)... end of the day they have a tidy little extra pile of money. Same concept here.

If my bracelet is the only one lighter in silver than it should be, then that's great. And I sincerely hope everyone who got theirs thoroughly enjoys it. Mine's going back....

Re: HEADS UP Re0 Judith Ripka Link Bracelet.....

RipkaGal — Mon, 07 Sep 2015 22:10:11 GMT

I read what I think is your review, stating the weight difference. I just got mine yesterday, and was really surprised at the tinny sound of the bracelet. It just feels and sounds different than the solid sterling bracelets I have from her in the past. So I weighed it on my kitchen scale. It came to approx 1.5 oz. According to Google, that converts to approx 42.52 grams. I do recall Judith saying that the gramweight was only for the chain and not the heart charm. I also have the 8" (large) bracelet. So, it seems like the weight they gave is probably pretty accurate.

That said, personally I'm really disappointed in the look, feel and sound of this bracelet. I was really excited to see a larger bracelet at a reasonable price point again, but it turns out the links are hollow and it sounds and feels that way. It's not on par with her older pieces. Obviously a lot of people like it, which is great. Personally, I"ve noticed a decline in her pieces, as well as a major increase in her prices, since silver prices went up several years ago. Silver prices have dropped, so I thought maybe this bracelet was a sign that she would be going back to what we had seen in the past. But it looks like that's not going to happen.