Warning: be very careful with Cartier customer service when something goes wrong with a polish!

I have been really disappointed in my Cartier store at Tyson's Corner in VA. I now go to a certified Cartier store for all my service, and they said so many people are unhappy with service here in the DMV. So sad given what we spend in watches and jewelry.
Have you tried the one on Wisconsin in Chevy Chase? They took off a link from my TF and now I'm thinking of just getting it shined. I actually don't want scratches/gold metal removed....
 
sorry, this might seem like a dumb question but when you polish the bracelet and the scratches are removed, gold comes off; does that mean that the love bracelet is not 18k white gold any longer for instance? Is it then let's say 17,5 or something like that?

I've let my love bracelet polish quite often in the Cartier boutique..
 
Goodness, I’m so sorry this happened to you! Thanks for sharing your story, so I can avoid it.
Just last week I went in and Cartier offered a polish (I think they offer to everyone as a good gesture), I said NO!!!!! (the SA looked at me like I’m strange.)
Now I trust only myself and the Cartier jewellery cleaner, the result is good enough for me.
 
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sorry, this might seem like a dumb question but when you polish the bracelet and the scratches are removed, gold comes off; does that mean that the love bracelet is not 18k white gold any longer for instance? Is it then let's say 17,5 or something like that?

I've let my love bracelet polish quite often in the Cartier boutique..
It will still be 18K gold, but with polishing you are literally getting gold buffed away. The scratches are basically buffed/polished out, which essentially means the outside layer gets polished away. You lose gold every time, which is why you can kind of tell which bracelets have been polished a few times--they lose the sharp edges. Cartier only recommends getting the bracelet fully polished at most twice in the lifetime of the bracelet.
 
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It will still be 18K gold, but with polishing you are literally getting gold buffed away. The scratches are basically buffed/polished out, which essentially means the outside layer gets polished away. You lose gold every time, which is why you can kind of tell which bracelets have been polished a few times--they lose the sharp edges. Cartier only recommends getting the bracelet fully polished at most twice in the lifetime of the bracelet.

Thank you very much for your answer! :smile:
 
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It will still be 18K gold, but with polishing you are literally getting gold buffed away. The scratches are basically buffed/polished out, which essentially means the outside layer gets polished away. You lose gold every time, which is why you can kind of tell which bracelets have been polished a few times--they lose the sharp edges. Cartier only recommends getting the bracelet fully polished at most twice in the lifetime of the bracelet.

oh another quick question: Why does Cartier recommend to fully polish the bracelet just twice in the lifetime? Does it lose its "worth/ value" if you polish it more than two times?

Thanks :*
 
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sorry, this might seem like a dumb question but when you polish the bracelet and the scratches are removed, gold comes off; does that mean that the love bracelet is not 18k white gold any longer for instance? Is it then let's say 17,5 or something like that?

I've let my love bracelet polish quite often in the Cartier boutique..
No, karats are not the same as carats. Carat is stone weight, karat is purity, so it is still 18k.
 
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oh another quick question: Why does Cartier recommend to fully polish the bracelet just twice in the lifetime? Does it lose its "worth/ value" if you polish it more than two times?

Thanks :*
It literally is polishing away gold, so you're losing gold every time you polish it. Think of polishing like getting sandpaper and sanding away at a surface. Yes, you'll make the surface smoother--but you are doing so by physically getting rid of the outer layer. As I mentioned previously, you CAN tell which bracelets have been polished too many times--they do not have that "crisp" edge look. I can always tell which used bracelets have been polished several times, because the edges are subtly more rounded.
 
I think Cartier shines/buffs their products all the time even before we buy them.

I had an incident happen to my Love Bracelet recently, which I talked about on another post. Basically a day after I bought my bracelet I had to take it back for a shine/buff treatment, which took a scratch off completely. I asked my SA if that would affect the bracelet in any way and she said it wouldn't and that the person in charge of the shine/buff treatment had actually worked that afternoon on new pieces which apparently had micro scratches in them. She also explained that the shine/buff treatment was not an actual polish, meaning that the Cartier pieces are not supposed to get damaged/altered by it.

When it comes to the new pieces being shined/buffed, it makes sense. There are so many people going into the boutique every single day, trying on the jewelry and scratches are unavoidable. I figure they do this service to maintain their products in pristine and sellable condition.
 
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I have heard from quite a few people that cartier did the polish-- even after the customer requested them not to, or when the customer didn't request it--- cartier makes such a big deal about shining because it's such a big decision to scrape away some of the gold, I wonder why there are so many instances where cartier has did the polishing w/o permission-- its irreversible and seems like such a major decision on their part. They should change their policy where the customer has to sign off on a polish-- it makes me never want to send my bracelet off for service in fear it's going to come back with a polish I didn't not request
This! I wonder why they err so much on polishing, given that lots of people don't want to polish and also that it entails work on their side? Besides, unless it's a really deep scratch, I figure it's all going to get scratched anyway so the shine wouldn't last that long.. I also personally prefer the patina look.
 
I have been really disappointed in my Cartier store at Tyson's Corner in VA. I now go to a certified Cartier store for all my service, and they said so many people are unhappy with service here in the DMV. So sad given what we spend in watches and jewelry.
Sorry for digging up an old thread but was wondering where do you go if you don’t mind me asking? I am looking for recommendations in the area.