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- Oct 19, 2013
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Moving this out of ‘the two week’ thread.
This thread was prompted by a project with Sako.
Not ‘bad’ things to say, but one broaches something a little uncomfortable /odd of a situation or just a plain question, and it can explode into more uncomfortable-ness with the vendor.
Two other vendors are mentioned earlier in this thread, but a couple posters do reference a couple other earlier threads about situations with Sako. Some deleted soon after they were created by the OP. Their stories are not mine to tell.
After I posted my experience thread with him, more PS’ers off line either contacted me to talk about their experience, or it came up during a unrelated convo, or I asked them for objective input and they shared their experiences. Their stories, again, are not mine to tell.
It seems well known in certain circles what you experienced/felt in your experience isn’t uncommon, and it’s also not uncommon for him to add design/labor/material -and the fees that go with them- on his own and unknown/unasked for/unapproved by the customer. So not ‘bad’ but I think possible knowing beforehand would change how the situation is navigated?
I will add that I now feel I should have been even more specific in my uncomfortable experience rundown of my collet ring. I wasn’t that terribly specific, and it still came around to bite me in the ass.
After the collet ring, I sent him an antique ring to restore. I asked him what my options were with the prongs. He told me ‘you choose- I don’t want to get blasted on PS’
I asked him what was going on. That he’s mistaken I didn’t blast him at all with what I said about the collet ring he made for me. That he can read my words here and we can clear the air.
He stated he chooses not to and doesnt and won’t come here to read. He didn’t expand on his hurt feeling and what made them so - just told me he was fine and joked around. It was uncomfortable to say the least.
Text word are tough to really get the intentions meant behind them, and on all sides.
Anyways - I asked for tab like prongs to be similar to what was existing. I showed him a picture of his prior work, and said I do not want it to look like that - if it does have to, I’ll reconsider the project options/budget. The picture of his prior work had long spindly round wire prongs that nearly reached stone table facets.
In the resultant process photos showed what looked to be nearing exactly what I asked it not to be.
He didn’t seem happy at all that I pointed it out, and I get the feeling they were unplanned reworked to be shorter than what they were ultimately going to be if I didn’t say anything. And not that it matters - they are nowhere near tab like. They are like round wire claw.
You can read in my collet thread I vaguely discussed CAD fees. I do think any vendor charging $300+ for each and every cad should mention that up front.
I did not find this out until after I was two CADs deep. The first cad had extra designs that weren’t discussed in the initial pictures given as examples when I agreed to send him my stone, and he gave me a ‘$x total’ price. We vaguely discussed the design and possibilities. Extra costs were discussed vaguely. I stated to go back to the original simple plain design as originally discussed. The second cad had more and different designs on it. So it’s not like I willfully whimsically went on a cad generating spree. They were there due to miscommunication and still tallied.
$700+ in cad fees plus additional unknown charges for the design/labor/materials to be added to the original quote for his additional design preferences had me concerned.
Not much later - I did mention to him I was uncomfortable with this project and how it was panning out. That I didn’t even know what the price range of the setting was going to be with the additional designs/labor/material he added. I offered to pay him one cad fee and we can part ways, no harm no foul.
He acted confused and disappointed - but yeah so was I.
He believed the cost of the additional design was stated. It couldn’t be found in the convo. But then he did let me know.
Things obviously progressed from there to continue on- he kept saying this design as it was, needed to be seen and I’d be happy with it.
If he would have initially quoted me an accurate ‘$x total’ price of what his intended total turned out to be - I would have said thanks but no thanks for this specific spinel. And that’s fair. He can charge whatever he wants to charge. Me asking for more labor/material/design shouldn’t be free (even tho other vendors do operate that way) - but that’s not the case here.
I truly do believe he’s got many clients that can give him essentially a blank check and not be bothered. And that’s ok for them.
When the ring was finished - I mentioned the shank was too thin. I had requested no less than 2mm in the design phase. I did have to go back and screenshot the convo where this was said, for him to see. His reply wasn’t ‘oh crap I goofed’. His reply was to take a picture of his handwritten notes transposed to ‘no more than 2mm’. It was a non-issue for him, as the way I took reading it.
He offered a future free re-oxidizing if I posted it both ways, because of this.
I honestly had the feeling at one point it was more than one person replying on the messages. I have no proof of this and it’s most likely not true. But it sure seemed that way at times.
On to your project. It doesn’t help, but I do feel the images of your ring do look like his design aesthetic typical type. Not a bad thing - but not what you wanted. If he’s reluctant to minimal metal if it’s envisioned that way- I wouldn’t pursue it.
With what you’ve said you envisioned, especially since mentioning the basket. I wouldn’t tweak/rework the current setting and expect to love it unconditionally.
I do think he truly wants to have you love the ring he’s creating for you and be happy and willing to explore options with you to get there. I do think you both can find a way to achieve that and be fair to both parties.
Could maybe he offer a custom cut a cab or a lab stone for the center / post it to sell it to someone else so there’s less $ loss on both sides? You’d probably have to give up those pears tho.
The price you mentioned for the setting +custom cut pears isn’t chump change but it isn’t obscene in the realm, either.
I don’t know if this will help you - but I do wonder how much metal on top view this CVB ring would have on a center stone your size.
I also wonder if your pears being larger than intended (if I’m reading what you wrote correctly) was maybe due to a respect of the material in them not being cut smaller. That in itself may have altered your intended design. Maybe.
I do hope you let us know how this all pans out, and I’m hoping however it ends is mind clean for you.
The point of this thread isn’t bashing. It’s constructive knowing nuggets of info to help us operate /navigate projects with certain vendors.
We all know by others experience you mostly can’t go dictate design aesthetic, or mm, or expect 100% perfect symmetry with victor canera, and you get billed for melee a certain way by LM (I think it was him) and it’s an accepted nugget of info if you wanna go do a custom with them.
Samsies here. It’s not bashing.
Be very clear and simply state wants and needs with Sako. Repeat them.
Ask again when you aren’t sure or replies aren’t clear.
Or he’s known as a vendor you need to blind trust his aesthetic he’s curating as OldMinerJewelry and love the item for what it ends up at as, and go with the flow of whatever he bills you is ok.
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