Leon Mege sapphire ring

[Cockatiel]

With Leon, I would expect it’s not feasible. Have you read his tome about pricescope lol?

I know what you mean....I've read about him lolol.
I wasn't understanding the terms of the original exchange very clearly and read the original post again, and it says that the new setting will need to be paid for in order to get the old diamond back. I hope if that's what ends up happening, Leon and OP can agree on a reasonable price for the setting.

 

[whitewave]

OP, I am sorry about the situation you have found yourself in. I had to go back and see a picture of your diamond ring. It is gorgeous! I am sorry that you were not wearing it and felt the need to change it, but you already seem regretful over that decision.

My advice is to work with Leon to come up with a reasonable amount for the setting and get your ring back! I would advise that you find a nice lab stone or a cheaper sapphire and enjoy the ring as your everyday ring even while still having your beautiful diamond ring. Installment plan to pay for the setting was a good suggestion, another one will be to apply for a credit card with 0% apr intro offer where you can pay the balance off over 12-18mo. Good luck!

I think the issue is: she can no longer afford the $800 engraving and therefore, she can not afford to pay for the setting he made, which was his solution for her to get her diamond back. I assume the setting is more than $800.


Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

OP I really do feel for you.

Would you tell us the approx value of the new ring?

 

[whitewave]

I agree... And I don't think he's likely to help either. The finishing from the one photo of the sapphire ring leaves something to be desired. Granted, its one photo, but he's not what I would call an accomodating vendor from all I have seen.

I completely agree. It’s either one really bad photo, or the new ring is not up to Leon’s standards.

 

[elizat]

In light of the whole situation/timeline,perhaps Leon would be open to splitting the cost of the setting, you each absorbing a slight loss, and you receive your diamond back, and he retain the sapphire ring, add the engraving, and then sell it on his website.

Alternatively, perhaps Leon would be amenable to a short-term installment plan for you to pay for the setting and then once the setting is paid in full paid he'd send you your original 1.32ct diamond along with the setting you paid for, without the center sapphire but including the diamond melee, yes?... IMO if he is not willing to send you the empty setting then you shouldn't have to pay for it.

I agree. Why should she have to pay for a product he retains and can- and probably will list for sale?

 

[Rfisher]

I’m afraid the sapphire ring just isn’t me at all, as much as I *really* want to like it. I had asked Leon if he would consider selling it to someone else because I do think it could make someone else’s heart sing.

He has my Barier setting simply because he unmounted the diamond from it. In fact, when we started this process in The Before Times, I was also going to buy a colored stone from him to go into the Barier setting (which is why you see the three stones he suggested in his photo).

At this point, I would be over the moon to get my original diamond back. I’m not certain I’ll be able to afford whatever Leon will charge. I’ll let you know how this ends.

Not appropriate for the situation to say this - but I had to laugh at The Before Times.
I love Mad Max.

 

[whitewave]

I agree. Why should she have to pay for a product he retains and can- and probably will list for sale?

I’m agree it’s messy. I somewhat feel like since she posted on PS, he is going to be unwilling to help her. I mean he REALLY hates pricescope. IMO based on things he wrote.

 

[lydial]

WTH is up with LM? The setting isn’t to his own standards. I would never work with him again (personality conflict) but when I did in 2010 he was uptight about quality and design. I think the ring is “almost” what you want. He should get you 2 additional tapered French cuts and remake the setting with French-French- tapered French- Sapphire- tapered French- French - French. That would be beautiful.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Yes, the biggest problem here is that you were working with Leon. From all I have heard and read, he is pretty unmovable. Business is business and I certainly understand that but seems like he could give on some aspect of it so that you could both come out ok. In a perfect world, you consigned a ring, he has almost delivered it and he probably really is off the hook. However, when someone is miserably unhappy with the outcome and has come upon hard times, one would hope that he could somehow bend a bit. This is why so many vendors furnish CADs or pics - it could have alleviated a lot of headaches on both ends.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

First of all, if you gave him the picture of the VCA ring with the understanding he was going to make that ring with the stones reversed, he didn't come close to the inspiration ring. The french cuts would have had to have been custom cut to match the taper and proportions of the original ring. Did he tell you he was just using square french cuts or not? If he didn't, then I would not accept this ring as an acceptable repro of the ring picture you provided. I will give Leon credit for normally having exceptional artistry and producing elegant pieces, but this one doesn't meet his usual standards at all.

At this point, unless you want to challenge the inaccuracy of the sapphire ring (which likely won't go over well with him), I'd ask him to please reset your diamond into your gorgeous SB setting (which is an outstanding setting!), and tell him due to the coronavirus and lost income or whatever, you would have to make payments on the other setting, but that you would prefer that he keep that setting and sell the ring if possible.

As for the SB ring, the easy solution is to wear that ring on your left hand. It's a wider setting and perfect as a standalone ring. You don't need to worry about wearing a separate band with it if you don't want to. These are not your original rings anyway, so there is nothing at all wrong with wearing the SB ring as your wedding ring.

Bottom line, I'd do what I had to do to get my original ring back. Many of us unfortunately have made jewelry mistakes and lost some money. We just have to learn from those mistakes and move on. I really hope you can work this out!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I'm missing something here, maybe.
You gave LM a clear picture of an inspiration piece, he said that he could make a close approximation- he gives you no control/input and then presents you with a ring- that while beautiful, doesn't look remotely like the inspiration or the quality you expect and are paying for? And now, you're SOL because of it? He didn't make what you asked and already this 'deal' was heavily in his favor. I would want him to recast and modify so it at least looks like what you asked for. At his expense.
He didn't deliver on his end.
If you want your diamond back, I don't see why you have to eat the costs of that other setting made out of your control when he didn't fulfill his end.
It doesn't make sense.

 

[Cockatiel]

I'm missing something here, maybe.
You gave LM a clear picture of an inspiration piece, he said that he could make a close approximation- he gives you no control/input and then presents you with a ring- that while beautiful, doesn't look remotely like the inspiration or the quality you expect and are paying for? And now, you're SOL because of it? He didn't make what you asked and already this 'deal' was heavily in his favor. I would want him to recast and modify so it at least looks like what you asked for. At his expense.
He didn't deliver on his end.
If you want your diamond back, I don't see why you have to eat the costs of that other setting made out of your control when he didn't fulfill his end.
It doesn't make sense.

I agree with you.

For me I advocated for paying for the new setting in order to get the old diamond (and the old setting as well as the unmounted new setting) back, solely because of my assumptions that I've formed from what I've read over the years regarding other PS'ers dealings with Leon. He's just not as accommodating as your typical PS jeweler. I just assumed he may not be inclined to remake the whole ring in order to better approximate the inspiration ring without additional charges. I mean if the engraving is going to cost additional $800 then a remake or repair or whatever would only incur further costs? You'll at least need more diamonds or different diamonds, to me, it seems like.

But yeah I realize I am responding in a totally different manner than I would be if the jeweler involved was a different one. I imagine if it was anybody else, this "pay for the new setting that doesn't look like your inspiration picture just so you can get your old ring back" thing would not even be an idea. I'd be wanting either a return of the old diamond and ring, or a re-attempt at the sapphire ring, at no charge obviously.

 

[nala]

Im gonna ask again for another pic and angle. As it appears now, this ring looks nothing like the inspiration and I would not hesitate to tell an artist like Leon that he did not deliver what you agreed on. Appeal to his sense of artistry and tell him that he did not meet your request. Maybe you can get an appraisal and present it to him as confirmation that he created a lopsided unfinished rustic ring. Maybe you can use the appraisal to threaten to take him to small claims court.

 

[qubitasaurus]

I really like the sapphir ring. But it doesnt look anything like your inspiration picture beyond both being examples of bezeled low set square stones, with some channel set stones layed into the band. That kind of misses the point -- it's like my husband describing the ring as 'it's blue' (lumping it together with every othe blue ring her ever saw). I am a bit surprised that he delivered something so far from the photo. And as others said above it looks very rustic -- weirdly given the grace he is known for and also given the inspiration photo.

I dont know your recourse though. I suspect its minimal, so like others I'd suggest paying for the setting on a payment plan and getting your daimond back. If need be could liquidate the sebastian barier setting to help raise funds. I just looked it up and it took my breath away. What an unbelievable ring.

What's happening at the moment is temporary -- i'm sincerely sorry to hear it has been so bad, however I am also sure itll be possible to recover in the future. If you have your daimond back then you can resend it to Paris to be set again in something slightly lower and less intricate down the track.

While the leon setting isnt really something you need or want-- and I can see why. I could see you setting it down the track with a red spinel (or even a gren emerald, can look at the thegemcollector for spinels (note theyll be cheaper but included) and jr Colombian emeralds for emeralds again cheaper but included). CS could help you -- I'd probably bet they can find a better stone on a budget than leon merge.

Itll probably be more than a little upsetting as a trajectory. But it will end in the right place...

 

[Begonia]

Get the ring and the setting back. Insist on it. The new ring isn't close and has some design flaws. Just say, I want my ring back by "this date". He can try to sell that ring on his site, and shame on him for being in the business so long and handling it this way. Some people here can help with the wording.

Hey Leon, give her back her ring.

 

[yssie]

I feel like a full page of background is missing here. Leon, for all his peculiarities, is no design slouch. He's meticulous... and opinionated.

The Leon I know doesn’t just jump from E/W cushion center, tapered baguette sides, bright cut pave shank, no migrain to E/W cushion center, straight french cut sides, migrain channels, and no pave down the shank. Was there truly no conversation regarding design beyond what you’ve outlined? What’s on your work order?

Do request more photos if you haven't seen the ring in-person yet - that one picture is really quite dreadful.

 

[lissyflo]

Yes, definitely ask for more photos. It’s a very odd picture he’s sent you - ignoring the quality of the photo, why the three random gemstones in shot? Was it as comparison to convey the sapphire’s colour/tone to you? It’s not the kind of photo set-up I’d associate with him as a highly finessed brand either. It looks like a progress shot a bench might send, which just doesn’t fit with his stylised approach.

And going back to him with the details on your work order, as Yssie suggested, is a great idea. From what I know, he’s not the type to make a replica of someone else’s ring (plus, as hand made, the outcome isn’t exactly predictable), but were precise features defined to delineate which parts to take inspiration from? That will help you pin down how much recourse you have, but I fear, contractually, it’s likely to be your problem to resolve, unfortunately. How one person takes an inspiration to an end result won’t be same as another. Any problem with the quality of craftsmanship is absolutely his problem to resolve though, so definitely ask for more photos before progressing. Good luck!

 

[lissyflo]

I’m thinking out loud more than anything, but another approach could be to suggest to him that you’re paying a (considerable) premium for a ‘Leon’ vision and style, but that you don’t see common elements of his work in the ring as currently executed.

I think of his style as flowing, fluid, elegant and soft. If you can present specific examples of tapered french cut shoulders, delicate bezels on sapphires, etc from his catalogue, you could compare and contrast to this ring? If you’re paying a premium for a specific aesthetic then you should see that reflected in your piece and I’m not sure that I’d pick this out as an LM creation in a lineup. (But more photos first, as it may just be that the one picture you have is the equivalent of ‘passport style’, where nothing and no one look good!)

 

[Rfisher]

Coming back with some thoughts.
-passport photo is probably a spot on description
-What’s the work order say, vs did he give you a sketch is much more accurate/appropriate of a question to ask OP
-OP must have originally thought her diamond was a good even steven trade in for an equal cost to the sapphire she’s seen in real life, plus the FC plus the setting and labor. The SB setting going back to her was always the plan (hence the shot with the loose stones). It doesn’t sound like there was a cost above the trade for the sapphire/setting?
- I wonder how much was said about the SB setting being too delicate and not appropriate for right hand daily wear weighed on LM’s decision to make a sturdy ring, right or wrong in OPs thoughts?

OP has already stated she knows she could have and should have managed this whole process differently.
LM’s probably does think his product is based on that picture (because he doesn’t copy-he improves on the designs), but tailored to fit OP’s wishes. (Straight FC vsTapered FC not being discussed, or was discussed is important here though, I am thinking tapered would cost more?)

I think flip a coin.
guess which personality he will be wearing that day.
dont talk about guesses and thoughts and womanly feelings.
Talk emotionlessly.
or hand the phone to your husband and let them discuss your womanly thoughts and feelings, while you quietly fall under the bus in the background. I say this towards him, not you personally OP.
I think you should be able to get your diamond back, if he hasn’t already transferred it elsewhere. but I don’t think it will be another even steven trade back.

 

[scouty]

Like others have said, the sapphire ring doesn’t look like your inspiration ring AT ALL due to there being no tapering of the French cut diamonds and the band. Also it’s a heated sapphire. I’d be really disappointed in the result and I don’t think engraving will fix the lack of tapering and overall feel. Also, is it just me or does $500 to $800 seem like a lot for engraving?!

So you want your diamond back, because he didn’t deliver your inspiration ring, then why should YOU have to pay for a setting that HE can then go and sell?

I contacted LM about setting my pad sapphire after seeing a PSers pad sapphire ring from him. I emailed LM twice and no one responded. I then called them and they didn’t seem interested in giving a quote or working with me. I walked away with the impression that I wasn’t “good enough“ for them. Had CvB make me a beautiful setting instead.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, definitely ask for more photos. It’s a very odd picture he’s sent you - ignoring the quality of the photo, why the three random gemstones in shot? Was it as comparison to convey the sapphire’s colour/tone to you? It’s not the kind of photo set-up I’d associate with him as a highly finessed brand either. It looks like a progress shot a bench might send, which just doesn’t fit with his stylised approach.

And going back to him with the details on your work order, as Yssie suggested, is a great idea. From what I know, he’s not the type to make a replica of someone else’s ring (plus, as hand made, the outcome isn’t exactly predictable), but were precise features defined to delineate which parts to take inspiration from? That will help you pin down how much recourse you have, but I fear, contractually, it’s likely to be your problem to resolve, unfortunately. How one person takes an inspiration to an end result won’t be same as another. Any problem with the quality of craftsmanship is absolutely his problem to resolve though, so definitely ask for more photos before progressing. Good luck!

The other gemstones were possible stones to go in her SB setting which held her diamond.

 

[motownmama]

Sorry. This is heartbreaking. Can you get more pics though? I really can’t get a sense from that one picture. Profile? Etc etc.

 

[whitewave]

In thinking about this more overnight, I would never have thought that is a ring by Leon Mege.

 

[GliderPoss]

I think the LM ring is absolutely gorgeous and I'm sorry it isn't what you envision. It sounds like a miscommunication on both sides in particular the tapering effect. I understand LM may feel he has abided by the agreed "exchange" and already given his time & effort to create this ring. I would ask for more pictures before you discount it completely! Else see if you can sell this one as is and buy back your original stone.

I too have made the mistake of exchanging stones for bench work and usually lost out on the deal...

 

[yssie]

@mamadelmar, I do want to (hopefully!) make you feel a little better on one front: You didn't take a bath on your exchange. Leon certainly came out ahead judging by current retail for stones like your diamond (which look to be going for ~$8k USD - if he has it recerted that will eat into his margin). However, on the secondary market, you can generally expect to take a 15-20% loss... And I am confident this ring would appear on Leon's website for $6-7k. A Leon Mege ring with a 1.69ct heat-treated blue sapphire with good colour in a platinum mount with four sizable white diamond french cuts is worth $6-7k retail.

Expectations on design aside, from numbers alone, you didn't get fleeced on this exchange.

Of course jewellery is never strictly about numbers - expectations regarding design are of paramount importance. I do urge you to check the work order specifics and get more photos. I've been working with Leon for a couple of years - I have a design in progress now - and I've found him to be thorough and reasonable, so I'm certainly biased, but... Talk with him again. By phone if possible. Have your husband join the call.

There is an ending to this story wherein you are whole and happy - if you're not, well, then the story isn't over.

 

[AV_]

I remember the ALVR ring. I am certain Art of Platinum can make one at last as perfect, once the parameters of the copy are agreed upon. The rest, is quiet;

 

[pearaffair]

OP, I would feel exactly the same way as you.

The silver lining is (hopefully) that you now see your diamond with new eyes! And as much as I dislike expensive learning experiences, I can imagine you will learn a lot from this. Myself I have learned I am not good with custom projects >.<

Anyways fingers crossed that this works out for you somehow! I feel for you!

 

[lydial]

@mamadelmar can you update us about the situation? Hoping you aren’t in agony....

 

[headlight]

I am so sorry this has happened. And that you are “suffering in silence”. I think you need to get your diamond back. It sounds like it is a very nice stone. I think the best you can do at this point is put the money together somehow to get your stone and put this behind you. I think many of us here on PS have had ring situations that did not work out and we’ve had to eat it (sometimes a lot) on those funds, myself included, more than once I must admit. So you are not the only person that’s had to go through this nightmare. I have heard negative things about Leon Mege. Back in the earlier days of PS he was highly sought after but I guess he became very difficult to work with, only concerned with his preferences, not that of his client. I would always choose a diamond over a sapphire and I think it best you borrow, if needed, the money to cover his costs, get your diamond, and when you’ve recovered from this expense, reset your diamond in a new mounting. Again, so sorry you are going through it - I’ve been there and it’s horrible but it will pass and just don’t look back.

 

[mamadelmar]

The ring arrived today after a month of very unpleasant discussions with Leon. I am conflict-averse and had really hoped we could have respectful dialogue to find a mutually agreeable solution. The discussions turned into a terrible dance in which he would appear to be on the verge of offering a solution, but then would pull back. His tone would become pugnacious and he’d accuse me of being insulting. I’ve never actually dealt with someone quite like him and found it incredibly stressful, especially as I had come to him based on my enormous respect for him as a craftsman (which I told him repeatedly).

I won’t belabor all the details about our conversations except to say that I think he is rather myopic and focused on his immediate profit. Had he agreed to a mutually beneficial arrangement, it would have engendered so much goodwill and I would have happily purchased from him again in the future. I will also say that over the course of our discussions, I learned that he is not nearly the stickler for quality that he once was.

Originally, I thought I’d bring the ring to another jeweler to engrave or somehow revise once I’m able to do so. But now, I have to say that just looking at it gives me a stress stomachache (and up till now, I’d always associated jewelry with pleasure). This whole episode left such a bitter taste in my mouth. This was the most foolish thing I’ve done in a long time (and unfortunately, with the most valuable piece of jewelry I had!).

I don’t know whether I ought to try to sell it (perhaps along with my Barier setting) to fund the purchase of a pre-loved ring or if I should approach a vintage jewelry vendor about an exchange?

Some posters asked about the work order so I’m sharing it. It was too vague. Learn from my mistake! I’m also sharing Leon’s appraisal, which seems a bit high to me.

 

[Rfisher]

I’m sorry @mamadelmar I have nothing to suggest for comfort.
And then those French cuts, I wouldn’t have guessed they were from Leon Mege.
Maybe he only showcases his true antique frenchies (TRADEMARK) goods and this appears to be something different and flatter?

I know that doesn’t help, I’m sorry.