My Lukewarm James Allen Review

[AN0NYM0US]

This past Christmas I wanted to buy something nice for my Wife. Months before she had mentioned that she really wanted a nice pair of earrings, studs. Well I thought this was the perfect idea, she gets a nice gift and I can justify lurking on PS even more.

I checked out the usual PS recommended vendors and found a nice pair of asschers (she wanted something square, but not princess) on the James Allen website. I emailed them and received a response very quickly. I was told the diamonds would be a nice match for earrings and they put them on hold for me. I picked out the setting style for the earrings and opted for 18kt white gold and screwbacks.

I was impressed with the speed of the production. Within a couple days of receiving my payment I received an email with the Fedex tracking number. A couple days after that the earrings arrived. This was at a busy time (mid December) and shipping internationally.

When the Fedex arrived I opened the box immediately. I have to say James Allen has the best packaging/presentation that I have seen from an online retailer. Everything fit perfectly in that grey box and looked great. You can tell a lot of thought and attention went into their presentation.

The diamonds were beautiful. Clear, colorless, square and sparkly. Both were graded as "Ideal" by James Allen and they fit the billing. The setting looked well made, no visible flaws, seemed solid and the posts were straight...and smooth. They didn't make them with the screwbacks I wanted, and ordered.

Now these weren't expensive diamonds by any means, but they weren't cheap either.

1) GIA .53ct D SI1 VG/EX
2) GIA .55ct F SI1 VG/VG

And I wanted screwbacks to help in keeping them secure. I contacted James Allen and told them about the oversight. They gave me two options 1) Return the earrings to get the customization done. They will pay for shipping or 2) Refund the $25 fee they charged for screwbacks. I originally thought I would send them back to get the proper backs put on, but concerns regarding shipping and customs (I had to pay $500 in tax and was worried customs would try to collect it again when the earrings were reshipped) caused me to accepted the refund.

Overall I am ok with the earrings, but remember I approached them with the two diamonds I selected (they didn't have them marked as a pair on the site), the stock setting style and backing preference. All they had to do was put it together and they still didn't get it right.

 

[leeac]

Sounds like JA offered to make it right. Personally, I wouldn't be satisfied with something that wasn't completed per spec. Have you talked to JA about your concerns about customs? I say go ahead and send them back in, and see if JA can help you out with how to handle the customs issue.

 

[VRBeauty]

Yanno - I'd be upset too, especially since you're talking about an international order and the associated time and customs fees. And I agree with you- if I'm ordering something from a live individual, I expect them to let me know if there's some aspect of my order that isn't do-able when I place the order, or to consult with me before shipping the order if that isn't discovered until later. I do not expect to discover it myself when I open the parcel. And that's especially true when we're talking about a high dollar item!

Two thoughts: 1) it may depend on where you are, but I recall from an earlier thread that repairs are not treated as new purchases for customs purposes, and a company like JA would know how to set up the paperwork to ensure that you don't have to pay double duty if you do return the earrings tor new backings. 2) A lot of women, myself included, do not like screw-back earrings. The screw backs posts are thicker than most regular posts and uncomfortable to put in, not to mention the problem of actually tightening that little nut on the screw etc. I knew I wouldn't be wearing my diamond studs as much if they had screw backs. "Plan B" for me was to get heavier, more secure friction backs to use with the regular posts. Before you send your earrings back to JA, you might want to go to a nearby jewelry store and see whether your wife likes screw-backs, and whether different friction backs or another system might work better for her.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I do agree that these kinds of mistakes are very irritating. I had a vendor make something differently than I ordered once. As it turned out, I liked the mistake! In this case, had you asked here about screw-backs vs. push-backs, I think you would find that the majority prefer pushbacks. They are easier to take on and off. It would drive me nuts to have to screw them on in the morning and unscrew them every night. Plus that will wear down the threads eventually. I have never lost a stud, but I do have insurance on mine. So all in all, this isn't as bad as it seems, other than they did not complete your order correctly which is a valid complaint.

I think you are an awesome husband to want to hang out on PS to buy your wife diamonds, by the way!

 

[minmin001]

I'm sorry that happened especially for international order. But do you know for sure that your wife wear screw backs?
I myself can not make myself wear it because it hurts too much for me to put it on and take it off, so if my SO order one for me I have either not wear it much or try to change it to a push back. If she has no problem with it then I think JA should work with you to get the order correct w/o have you to pay for anything more.

 

[junebug17]

I don't blame you for being annoyed with an error like this, I would be too. But I'm also one of those who absolutely cannot wear screw backs - my earlobes were so sore from them I still cringe at the thought of it. And as DS said, they take so long to put on and take off. I always felt that my earrings drooped a little as well. I had mine switched to push backs with large backings and feel that my earrings are very secure. Maybe your wife would prefer the earrings the way they are now. I'm sorry for your frustration, though.

The earrings sound so lovely! Would love to see a pic!

 

[chrono]

I think it's a cultural thing with regards to screw backs. Push backs are only for costume jewellery while earrings of value are all screw backs where I grew up. Thus till today, push backs are not mind clean for me and they also feel insubstantial with such a skinny post. For me, I'm used to the thicker posts of screw backs and experience no issues wearing them. No soreness and also no drooping. I even sleep with them on.

Anon,
Have you contacted JA about the shipping and tax issues in order to correct their setting error? What did you find out?

 

[SMC]

Does JA offer La Pousette backs? I don't have any, but I read they offer the comfort of friction backs and the security of screw backs.

 

[nala]

I appreciate your review and understand your disappointment.

 

[Azusa]

understand the frustration of buying something overseas and its not 100% what you requested for, however i am also one of those people who likes pushbacks a lot more. Screwbacks are hard to put on and eventually the threads will wear out, i have a pair of diamond studs and never had a problem with pushbacks, in fact i never lost a pushback earring while i am wearing them.

 

[AN0NYM0US]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Yes my wife actually likes screwbacks. She didn't care at all they were friction backs though, it was me that was disappointed

And other than the oversight, JA was pretty great to work with. They always responded quickly with very polite and professional customer service people. Their work was quick and of quality. If it wasn't for the one screw up I'd be singing their name from the hilltops. I'd still consider them if/when I have another project in mind, but maybe not as my first choice. As always YMMV.