Jeweler says my 2.05 I color AGS 000 VS1 is inferior to his 2.02 I color GIA Ex-VG-Ex SI1?

[waveoff]

Just an update to the ring saga…

We found a local jewelry maker that has a pretty large operation to modify the ring to our liking. My fiancé started to like the diamond not being set low in a basket. But that hideous forged head holding the diamond had to go. The jeweler swapped in a Stuller 29228:1087:S head that suspends the diamond so that it can be seen. He also integrated the shoulders into the head and then resized the ring back to the original sized after the modifications were done. The head is now 1.1 mm lower and looks way less utilitarian. More importantly, my fiancé is very happy with it!

 

[Kim N]

Just an update to the ring saga…

We found a local jewelry maker that has a pretty large operation to modify the ring to our liking. My fiancé started to like the diamond not being set low in a basket. But that hideous forged head holding the diamond had to go. The jeweler swapped in a Stuller 29228:1087:S head that suspends the diamond so that it can be seen. He also integrated the shoulders into the head and then resized the ring back to the original sized after the modifications were done. The head is now 1.1 mm lower and looks way less utilitarian. More importantly, my fiancé is very happy with it!

Wonderful, glad the jeweler was able to fix it to both your satisfaction and your fiancée's!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Looks much better! So glad you were able to find someone to work with that could understand and deliver what you wanted.

 

[Patty]

Oh that head is much better! Beautiful ring…congratulations on picking a beautiful stone and making sure that the setting was what you wanted. It’s lovely!

 

[lovedogs]

Soooo much better!

 

[JenniferMarie90]

Just an update to the ring saga…

We found a local jewelry maker that has a pretty large operation to modify the ring to our liking. My fiancé started to like the diamond not being set low in a basket. But that hideous forged head holding the diamond had to go. The jeweler swapped in a Stuller 29228:1087:S head that suspends the diamond so that it can be seen. He also integrated the shoulders into the head and then resized the ring back to the original sized after the modifications were done. The head is now 1.1 mm lower and looks way less utilitarian. More importantly, my fiancé is very happy with it!

That looks so much better! I like the way the diamond is cupped and the prongs look nice and secure.

 

[waveoff]

Thank you everyone for the compliments and for the input/advice from beginning to end!

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum so I just wanted to ask a question: I noticed @waveoff didn't mention the name of the jeweler trying to convince them to go with an inferior stone, and no one asked who it was. Is that because it is against forum etiquette to do so? I ask because I am just getting into serious jewelry buying and am likely to be using a lot of the vendors listed on PS and the "pushing and inferior stone and telling you you're wrong/crazy for not wanting it" is something I would be very scared of given my inexperience. I know it's tough because there is no private messaging on PS (my first thought was to ask who it was that way) but I was just wondering about the whole thing in general...

Thanks so much

 

[Kim N]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum so I just wanted to ask a question: I noticed @waveoff didn't mention the name of the jeweler trying to convince them to go with an inferior stone, and no one asked who it was. Is that because it is against forum etiquette to do so? I ask because I am just getting into serious jewelry buying and am likely to be using a lot of the vendors listed on PS and the "pushing and inferior stone and telling you you're wrong/crazy for not wanting it" is something I would be very scared of given my inexperience. I know it's tough because there is no private messaging on PS (my first thought was to ask who it was that way) but I was just wondering about the whole thing in general...

Thanks so much

Not against forum etiquette to name the jeweler or ask who it is. Perhaps the OP just didn't want to out the jeweler publicly. Likely no one asked who it was because we (unfortunately) see a lot of stories like this on the forum.

 

[musicloveranthony]

It won’t let me edit my original post so here are pictures of the certs.

That is a spectacular light performance image. I wouldn't trade that stone. Sorry, I commented too soon. I see the final images and what a GREAT stone!! Also, so glad you found a setting fix that she likes and will serve her well

 

[waveoff]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum so I just wanted to ask a question: I noticed @waveoff didn't mention the name of the jeweler trying to convince them to go with an inferior stone, and no one asked who it was. Is that because it is against forum etiquette to do so? I ask because I am just getting into serious jewelry buying and am likely to be using a lot of the vendors listed on PS and the "pushing and inferior stone and telling you you're wrong/crazy for not wanting it" is something I would be very scared of given my inexperience. I know it's tough because there is no private messaging on PS (my first thought was to ask who it was that way) but I was just wondering about the whole thing in general...

Thanks so much

It was a local jeweler that originally made the ring. The name of the jeweler was Smithology Custom Jewelry located in Sewickley, PA. I was going to try not to mention any names, but my experience was so negative that I really do no have a problem mentioning them now.

I left a very detailed, honest review on Google Maps for Smithology. I even gave them 2 stars. As soon as my review was posted, the owner started soliciting positive reviews from other customers and my review was eventually taken down by Google. There were no reviews posted for a long time until my negative review showed up and then suddenly he had a bunch of 5 star reviews.

 

[waveoff]

That is a spectacular light performance image. I wouldn't trade that stone. Sorry, I commented too soon. I see the final images and what a GREAT stone!! Also, so glad you found a setting fix that she likes and will serve her well

Thank you! The end result ended up being perfect after we found a jeweler who actually listened.

 

[luckygreen317]

Look, if he can’t even set the diamond properly in the prong seats and secure the prong tips, I would have ZERO expectation he can do anything else you are requesting
I understand you want to give him this opportunity to fix this but clearly he doesn’t have the skill set. Personally I wouldn’t step foot back there or let him make another attempt at this. I wish you well.

I agree with @Bonfire and would go to one of the PS trusted resources. From trying to ”sell” you on one of his diamonds to using a stock head. I wouldn’t trust he would be able to correct the work. I know you have invested money with this jeweler already and maybe ask for a discount on his work and walk? David Klass in LA is who I have worked with on several projects.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I agree with @Bonfire and would go to one of the PS trusted resources. From trying to ”sell” you on one of his diamonds to using a stock head. I wouldn’t trust he would be able to correct the work. I know you have invested money with this jeweler already and maybe ask for a discount on his work and walk? David Klass in LA is who I have worked with on several projects.

I believe they were able to find another jeweler that corrected the ring. Scroll up a bit and I think you will see it. Didn’t use the same one obviously! Looks much better!

 

[waveoff]

I agree with @Bonfire and would go to one of the PS trusted resources. From trying to ”sell” you on one of his diamonds to using a stock head. I wouldn’t trust he would be able to correct the work. I know you have invested money with this jeweler already and maybe ask for a discount on his work and walk? David Klass in LA is who I have worked with on several projects.

We ended up using a different jeweler to fix the ring to our liking. JAB Jewelry Designs in McMurray, PA did the repair and included an insurance appraisal. I would highly recommend anyone in the area to check them out.

 

[VanessaNicole]

I really like your setting! I’ll see what my jeweler says when I bring the ring back to have the stone set lower. If he starts acting all righteous again and tells me that I need to sign his liability waiver I’ll definitely go elsewhere. I have heard nothing but good things about David Klass and will definitely keep him in mind.

The ring design I was going for is similar to a design that Vanessa Nicole Jewels in San Diego posted on one of her YouTube videos. On my initial visit with my jeweler, I showed him the video and some screenshots from the video showing the ring detail. He said it was an easy design he could do in a couple of days. After I got the ring, he started bashing the ring in her video by saying her design was a cheap casting that wouldn’t last and that she uses CZ’s in her settings. I guess her 133 five star reviews on Google maps don’t mean anything either? I would have had her design our ring but I was on a time crunch by time I discovered her online. I may end up reaching out to her to see how much she might charge to fix this. I’m sure any other jeweler I use wouldn’t want me to sign a waiver!

@waveoff First, thank you so much for taking time to watch my educational ring videos – I feel honored to learn that my video inspired your ring design!

I just now saw my name in your message thread here and wanted to chime in. (As Macaulay Culkin said in Home Alone, "This is my house and I have to defend it." Lol)

I'm saddened and surprised to learn what your jeweler said about my work. Wow! I can 100% guarantee our rings are not made with CZs. In fact, they're set with color-matched ideal cut melee. Also, our rings are absolutely built to last and I'm grateful to report that repairs on our rings are a VERY RARE. In fact, I could count on only one hand how many repairs we've had within the last decade. (And that's after years of wear n' tear, so not at all manufacturing-related).

As someone who is Type-A and a perfectionist when it comes to creating exceptional rings for clients, I hope that my videos continue to inspire...
Jewelry is incredibly meaningful, and it warms my heart to know how many amazing women are wearing my rings and learning from my videos.

Thank you for standing up for my work and pointing out all of my 5-star reviews – As the one who communicates with each client and also sets diamonds, I take pride in doing everything I can to go above and beyond for clients to earn those reviews one-by-one, and I cherish the joyful experience that comes with making each new ring.

Wishing you a beautiful rest of your day!

Always in service,
Vanessa Nicole

 

[waveoff]

@waveoff First, thank you so much for taking time to watch my educational ring videos – I feel honored to learn that my video inspired your ring design!

I just now saw my name in your message thread here and wanted to chime in. (As Macaulay Culkin said in Home Alone, "This is my house and I have to defend it." Lol)

I'm saddened and surprised to learn what your jeweler said about my work. Wow! I can 100% guarantee our rings are not made with CZs. In fact, they're set with color-matched ideal cut melee. Also, our rings are absolutely built to last and I'm grateful to report that repairs on our rings are a VERY RARE. In fact, I could count on only one hand how many repairs we've had within the last decade. (And that's after years of wear n' tear, so not at all manufacturing-related).

As someone who is Type-A and a perfectionist when it comes to creating exceptional rings for clients, I hope that my videos continue to inspire...
Jewelry is incredibly meaningful, and it warms my heart to know how many amazing women are wearing my rings and learning from my videos.

Thank you for standing up for my work and pointing out all of my 5-star reviews – As the one who communicates with each client and also sets diamonds, I take pride in doing everything I can to go above and beyond for clients to earn those reviews one-by-one, and I cherish the joyful experience that comes with making each new ring.

Wishing you a beautiful rest of your day!

Always in service,
Vanessa Nicole

Thank you for posting on this thread! Your pieces are beautiful and I have no doubt that your work is top notch. I still watch and enjoy your videos on YouTube.

It’s a shame that some jewelers feel the need to bash other jewelers to make it seem like their work is better. It must be commonplace with smaller shops though. I recently had a stone reset in another ring and the jeweler started boasting about how he was the guy everyone would being repairs to at the big jewelry building in downtown Pittsburgh because everyone else in that building was a hack. Well, he reset the stone but every single prong was crooked and it took him 3 tries to make it right. Then I found out that his “custom” pieces are not fully custom. He makes designs using CAD and then has a manufacturer in China make them. When he receives the pieces, he smooths down any rough areas and then sets and stones that need to be set. And then he charges a huge markup on his pieces. This is all stuff he was bragging about after I told him I wasn’t paying $150 for a sterling amethyst ring that I could get at the gold and silver shop for slightly above scrap price. Anyway, thank you for not being like other shady jewelers!