I received my amethyst ring this week, and ... it's going back. Had to play a bit of hardball to get the refund, as buried in the shop policies is the fact that layaways are non-refundable. The stone has a great deal of very visible abrasion, but the end result is that it's this huge stone that doesn't sparkle--it basically looks plastic, or like a cabochon, despite being faceted.
In the description she mentioned 'normal wear' to the stone expected for its age, and an issue where maybe someone tried to polish it that's visible under magnification. Um, no, visible to the naked eye in natural light, and the effects of the abrasion visible in all light.
The ring (pinned on my returns board) is in no way an engagement ring and I seriously doubt it ever was, but the shop billed it that way because it's their specialty. I threatened to write one or more reviews, and that got her attention. Seriously, though ... can you imagine, a few days before Christmas, you finally get the ring, you intend to pop the question on Christmas Day ... and then you're horrified to notice the damn ring won't even catch the light! Far from sparkling like the pricey gemstone it is, it looks like something from the gumball machine you feed quarters instead of pennies. If that were the situation, I'd be gnashing my teeth to powder. I told her I considered myself quite lucky that all I was trying to do was buy a ring for myself. She's very polite, but as far as I'm concerned, should never have touched this ring. Good to excellent condition only, my a$$.
So, I have a significant refund coming soon, and I bet none of you can guess what I plan to spend it on