Miner's Emporium Jewelry Store — Local services in Rocky Mount

Times are hard for many people these days, for me as well. So yesterday, as I was walking near Downtown Rocky Mount, an impulse compelled me to enter the Miner’s Imporium to sell my gold UNC alumni ring. It was a very humbling experience which was made even more depressing by the way the store owner and his assistant handled their purchase of my ring.

After I approached the counter where the shop assistant was standing, I told her that I wanted to sell a gold ring, but that I first needed to get it off my finger (which I eventually did after considerable difficulty). The shop assistant briefly glanced at my ring and said that it was probably fake - that it was only gold plated. Then she scratched it on something that looked like a whetstone and added a few drops of some chemical. After observing the results for a few moments, the shop assistant said that the ring might be made of 14 carat gold, but that she needed to get her manager to look at it.

The manager/shop owner came out, greeted me, and then carefully examined my ring. He then repeated the same scratching/chemical analysis process that his assistant had previously done, during which time he asked me if the ring was mine. I told him that it was indeed my ring and that I was the person whose name was inscribed inside it. After carefully inspecting the results on the whetstone, the shop owner explained how the results differed from what they would have been if my ring had been made of 18 carat gold. He then proceeded to tell me that, although the ring was stamped on the inside as having been made of 18 carat gold, that the stamp was fake - something that was applied by the seller after the ring had been made. He further told me that he has had years of experience with the gold alumni rings sold to UNC students and that he knew for a fact that none of the sellers offered authentic 18 carat gold rings. The shop owner then took several moments doing calculations using a calculator. After pausing a moment as if in deep consideration, he then picked up a different calculator and did several more calculations. In an almost apologetic tone, the shop owner told me how much he would pay to buy my ring. He said that I was welcome to go to a pawn shop, but that they would only offer me half as much as what he was offering.

Already dejected by the necessity of selling my ring, and reluctant to haggle about the price elsewhere, I accepted the shop owner’s offer.

In retrospect, I have to say that I have a strong suspicion that I was cheated - that my ring was indeed made of 18 karat gold and that the shop owner, sensing my current economic plight, had unscrupulously paid me considerably less than my ring was worth. I came to believe this because, after having given it some thought, it seemed to me that such a renowned school as UNC would not permit alumni ring sellers to fraudulently offer their products on campus if the rings were not made of the metals as described.

I cannot...

I've taken repair work to them a few times over the years and they always do a great job. They're very friendly and helpful. I just had my wedding ring repaired. After twenty years my diamond fell out, and luckily I found it immediately. Miner's Emporium repaired it beautifully, and made sure my set was built up and strong to ensure it would last. They were as excited for me, as I was! Very...

If I could share zero stars, I would. I spent a great deal of money with these people because they were supposed to be family friends but the charm bracelet I purchased is gold plated and has a rose gold tent to it after miners burned the gold off when they were soldering the charms on the bracelet. I was so heartbroken. I would not do business with...