Jeweller battles with loyal customer over $12k ring diamond fix

Author: Hannah Filmer ,
Publish Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2026, 8:46am

A woman was told her ring was too old and voided the warranty for a free diamond replacement.

A woman was told Michael Hill “can’t do anything” after diamonds dropped out of their clasps on two rings bought five and 12 years ago because they were “too old”.

The woman, who does not want to be named, said the rings, which her husband worked long hours to buy for her, recently lost their stones, and when she went to the jeweller for a free replacement was told they “can’t do anything”.

After being approached by the Herald, Michael Hill said it was now “working to resolve” the issue with the customer. The spokesman did not offer any further explanation.

One of the rings was purchased 12 years ago at a cost of $12,000; the other was purchased just five years ago.

“These things should last a lifetime; they are meant to be precious, an investment that will stand the test of time and one day be an antique,” the woman said.

“My husband is a tradie and when I added up the hours he had to work to buy me these items, it actually stunned me that they can be so ignorant to blow people off when they have put their faith in them as professionals.”

She said she went into Michael Hill Porirua at the weekend, as soon as she noticed the diamonds in both rings had dropped out, to seek a replacement. Staff told her they would send them away for a quote.

“I said ‘no, I don’t want to do that’ because I don’t feel like I should pay.

“We are not loaded with cash, they are special gifts that I would like to hand down to our daughters and granddaughter, but I feel so shocked and hurt at the lack of responsibility that they are taking.

“We’ve been extremely loyal customers. It’s been our go-to for every anniversary and birthday for the past 17 years and I’ve just told my husband not to go anymore.”

She was told that because one of the rings was 12 years old, it had been “quite a long time”, and they were unable to do it free of charge.

She said her engagement ring, crafted by hand by her stepfather, had lasted 31 years so far.

In late 2025, a woman won a landmark Disputes Tribunal case against Michael Hill after the diamond fell out of her 12-year-old ring. The jeweller argued a ring’s “lifetime” and cited national divorce statistics; however, the tribunal found the ring was not of “acceptable quality” under the Consumer Guarantees Act.

New lifetime warranty rules under Michael Hill meant a person now had to bring in products every six months for mandatory inspection. Not doing so could void the warranty.

“That’s a ball ache, but I’d do it if it meant this would be sorted,” the woman said.

“The staff asked me if I had brought it in in the past 12 months, but I hadn’t needed to.

“I really wonder why there’s a six-month check-in process ... do they expect common problems?”

Both rings were still with the jeweller.

Michael Hill did not answer questions about the warranty process put forward by the Herald.