A WIFE said she feels she has been sold ‘fool’s gold’ after finding out her Argos wedding ring is a fake.

The woman, who asked not to be named, was told by two jewellers that her wedding band, hallmarked and sold as 18ct gold, is ‘brass’ or ‘9ct gold’ at best.

The 55-year-old has worn the ring since marrying her husband, now aged 52, in a Headington church in 2004.

They bought the ring in the central Oxford branch of the retail giant for £99.99.

Oxford Mail:

The woman, who lives with her husband in Headington, said: “I really feel this is Argos selling fool’s gold, because that’s how I feel: a bit of a fool.

“When they said the ring was brass I laughed - I thought they must have made a mistake.

“People might say ‘it’s a cheap ring, what do you expect?’ but I expect it to be what it says it is. It’s a reputable company.

“No matter how much you pay or where you bought it from, if it’s got a UK hallmark you expect it to be what it said.”

They took the ring for re-sizing in June, only for it to snap during enlargement - baffling the jeweller, who then tested it.

An email sent by the jeweller to the couple, seen by the Oxford Mail, states: “We tested metal and [it] appears to be brass."

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They then took it to reputed jeweller Reginald Davis in Oxford High Street, which produced another report stating: “The item has been acid tested and in my opinion the metal is no better than 9ct yellow gold.

“It has been incorrectly stamped or the marks are false.”

The customers have been back and forth with Argos, tracing credit card records to prove the purchase, and gaining a written apology and offer of a refund.

But they say it is not enough and suspect others could be unwittingly wearing false rings.

In 2001 Argos issued a product recall after fears that gold hallmarks had been illegally faked.

The woman said: “This is not the first time - for it to happen again is really concerning.

“They don’t appear to be making any effort. I think they should really think about recalling the batch of jewellery.”

She said the 5mm band was ‘more than just a ring’ and the offer of simply refunding the £99 was ‘taking the Mick’.

She added: "My ring is worthless, beyond repair and not wearable. It’s fool’s gold, it’s just a lie.

“It feels like I am missing a part of me - it’s about the blessing of the ring and the significance.

“That ring would have been left to my daughter."

The pair believe buying the same ring in today’s market would cost hundreds of pounds, and a ceremony to have new rings blessed will be extra.

She added: “I’m very disappointed with the response. Something on this level should be taken more seriously - it’s a crime to put a stamp on the wrong quality of gold or silver."

An Argos spokesperson said: "We are investigating this with the customer."

David Marcus, the manager at Reginald Davis who tested the ring, said the case was 'unusual'.

He said: "People can confuse anything stamped inside a ring with hallmarks, which is not the case.

"These looked like genuine hallmarks but it was not a genuine piece."

He said though department retailers might think they are selling genuine pieces, staff often do not have an expert eye for spotting fakes. 

But he added that testing gold was 'very easy' and people can easily pop into an independent jewellers to have theirs checked.