Questions for PSers who've sent stones to Leon

[Sparklelu]

I do not have a Leon and frankly was put off by his website and his rules of engagement before I even found PS. I do have one question? Does he still send muli thousand dollar jewerly back to its owner wrapped in bubble wrap? Or has he begun using beautiful presentaion boxes such as the other PS vendors do? And what is the bull-ony about not having an in house photographer to send pics? He is in NYC for heavens sake, the area from 23rd street to 37th street is filled with all kinds of professional photographers who would jump at the chance to take pictures of nice quiet well lit jewels. Which I must say was my favorite part of my recent BGD purchase. I have never had a glamour shot but my ring did! How fun!!!
I do thgink his work is beautiful and if one of his designs appeared on my finger I would be very happy, however life is too short to worry that the crotchety old man won't like me!
That said I will continue to ooh and ahh over the beautiful work you guys all post! I hope every one who does work with him has a great experience.
Lovestree and others waiting for their Leon's I can't wait to see pics!!! Happy Halloween!

 

[texaskj]

What Elisa said 100 percent. There are other fish in the sea. I wonder if Leon ever reads any of his reviews

 

[Harriet]

Thanks, Lovestreet. I have taken my business elsewhere. The French cut infraction was one among others. I wish you all the best, nonetheless.

 

[Imdanny]

Good for you, Harriet. You always said you would if he crossed you.

 

[arjunajane]

TBH,
if even Harriet - who owns many LM pieces, has been a long-term customer, and has undoubtedly spent thousands of dollars there -
can't get respect and acceptable service, it makes me wonder how others have a chance

Granted, I don't know the whole story between H and LM, but still..

 

[Harriet]

Iamdanny,
Thanks.

AJ,
Suffice it to say that I've had to retire my wedding band because of its workmanship.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Does he still send muli thousand dollar jewerly back to its owner wrapped in bubble wrap? Or has he begun using beautiful presentaion boxes such as the other PS vendors do?

He now uses very nice presentation boxes.

 

[missydebby]

Hey Y'all. I'm on my second project with him and thus far, I've turned him and Perry into a few knots while deciding on what to do.

Ok. So anyways, you know I'm a huge cheerleader thus far. I'll keep you informed if anything happens to change that for me. Based on Harriet's and other multi-project former clients, I guess what holds true for the stock market holds true for Leon: "Past performance is not guarantee for future returns..."

 

[Harriet]

After six pieces, I daresay that the stock market is more predictable than LM.

 

[sparkles]

After six pieces, I daresay that the stock market is more predictable than LM.

Thats hilarious!

Dare I say, 6 very "High End", substantial pieces, Harriet.

As it was your design he copied, it's obvious you've outgrown him and it was time to move on!

Did you find an alternative design?

I also seem to remember a time with him making snide remarks when asked to set smaller stones...

 

[LGK]

interesting to hear this. I have thought there was a gender issue as well.

hi bgray-glad to hear I'm not the only one, although tbh I have restrained from posting as much in the past out of concern of being told I was jumping to conclusions. Based off all I have read on PS and my own experiences, I no longer have a doubt this plays at least some part in his unpleasant behaviour-which is very disappointing, more so considering his industry

Ever since he told Boom that he pities her fiance for putting up with her I have thought this.

I had suspected it before that, but it was really reading about Boom's experience that made me positive. I'm old enough to have been around when this kind of attitude and comment (LM's pity-your-husband comment) was not uncommon. It was meant as a put down directed at an uppity woman then (40+ years ago), and there's really no other way to take it now. Each person who is contemplating working with Leon Mege has to decide whether or not the end result is worth dealing with the potential for that kind of treatment. Thinly veiled contempt is not exactly my idea of a good basis for a working relationship. But that's just me.

Big fat ditto. I would definitely not be up for paying my hard earned money out to somebody who might take it into his head to treat me like a naughty five year old if I don't conform perfectly to his idea of what a woman ought to act like... which I'm guessing is along the lines of seen-and-not-heard. Not cool.

But yes, his settings are gorgeous, so I do understand the lure.

ETA: As as whether he actually *is* somewhat misongynist or not? Maybe, maybe not, but, it's a gut feeling I certainly had for awhile, but after reading Boom's thread (yikes!) that was enough to make me pretty sure that's the case. It's not *that* unusual, unfortunately... most especially in male-dominated professions (like jewelers) which have strong traditions and tend to attract the kind of people that get along better with stuff than with people.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

After six pieces, I daresay that the stock market is more predictable than LM.

Really? I am now wondering how long my wedding band will last?

ETA: I am not sure why he thought he could try to pull that on you

 

[Harriet]

Hi,
Long time no see. Yours is a different type of setting, so let's be optimistic.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I'd be willing to forgive Leon for a LOT of things, including being difficult to work with, overly sensitive and rude, as long as the quality of his pieces remains high. But I really can't forgive him for the way he treated Boom. That was the last straw for me. He's not the ONLY talented jeweler out there - when I hear about the great experiences people have with Maytal Hannah or Mark Morrell or Ocean Pearlman, who are equally as good but treat their customers with respect, well... Leon really doesn't come out well in that comparison.

Harriet, I must have missed the thing with your French cut design and Leon. I'm shocked that he would try to pull that on you. I've admired many of your Leon pieces and you were such a good customer for him - I guess he really doesn't have a sense of customer appreciation.

 

[Harriet]

B.E.G.,
Thanks for your compliment and, above all, understanding. I have not discussed the French cut incident till now. Having to retire my wedding band hurts the most. He will not see another penny from me.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

B.E.G.,
Thanks for your compliment and, above all, understanding. I have not discussed the French cut incident till now. Having to retire my wedding band hurts the most. He will not see another penny from me.

Eep, that's really awful about the wedding band. Will you be getting a new one? I hope so! Your 3 ct. honker deserves more sparklies next to it

 

[arjunajane]

Iamdanny,
Thanks.

AJ,
Suffice it to say that I've had to retire my wedding band because of its workmanship.

I am very sorry to hear of this, H - can you please remind me how long you had the w-band for?

You must be quite disappointed and hurt.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Suffice it to say that I've had to retire my wedding band because of its workmanship.

H - Curious as to what was wrong with the workmanship to make the ring unwearable. I am having several rings made by Leon right now - all very delicate so I am a bit worried.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I'd be willing to forgive Leon for a LOT of things, including being difficult to work with, overly sensitive and rude, as long as the quality of his pieces remains high. But I really can't forgive him for the way he treated Boom. That was the last straw for me. He's not the ONLY talented jeweler out there - when I hear about the great experiences people have with Maytal Hannah or Mark Morrell or Ocean Pearlman, who are equally as good but treat their customers with respect, well... Leon really doesn't come out well in that comparison.

Harriet, I must have missed the thing with your French cut design and Leon. I'm shocked that he would try to pull that on you. I've admired many of your Leon pieces and you were such a good customer for him - I guess he really doesn't have a sense of customer appreciation.

I haven't heard a negative word about Maytal and would certainly trust her to do a special setting. But you can find some negatives about others you mentioned. I think MM is much like Leon in that he is an artist and there are no problems if you choose a stock setting, but if you are a somewhat undecided, extremely picky PS-type person, it may or may not go well! I nicely asked a couple of questions about alterations to a stock setting and he just stopped replying to me...seriously, just a couple of emails.There are others who have similar stories here. he does beautiful work, though. And like Leon, if you want an exact copy of one of his established settings, it can be pretty easy and trouble-free.

I am sad to hear you had problems, though, Harriet. I haven't read the whole thread to know Boom's story, either. Very sorry to hear it.

 

[rosetta]

Oh my. That is awful Harriet.

I might forgive rudeness, but poor workmanship?

Outrageous!!

 

[Love Street]

Harriet - I'm very sorry to hear about your wedding band. I, too, am concerned about workmanship problems (and the underlying issue that it was apparently not remedied satisfactorily). Is this a pave band or your French cut band? I'm considering French cuts for my current project, and a pave band after that...

 

[Amethyste]

Love Street - I have not worked with Leon (although have communicated a number of times), so take what I say with a grain of salt..
but it saddens me that someone must feel so stressed and forced to 'walk on eggshells' around their jeweller, for fear of him sabotaging or rejecting the project.
The custom experience should be interesting and rewarding..this just sounds complicated. The fact that a "PITA price" actually exists is very disappointing. When you are laying down your $$ for custom, you should have the right to ask the questions and send the photos which you feel will impact the end product, without fear of being punished.

Don't get me wrong, I completely understand your motivation for seeking out others' experiences - however, it has also been shown time and again how LM can act on a whim with any one client's project - as in, there isn't much rhyme or reason to his behaviour.My advice would be in line with Charmy's - if you really wish to continue working with Leon, try not to over-think it so much.
Use the phone instead of email, where possible. Good luck, I hope you get the ring you desire (without a PITA tax!).

oh my... Thank you for saving me all of that typing energy but putting into words what I had in mind!!!

The fact that you have to walk on Eggshells to be on his "best" side isn't what I have in mind when it comes to having a custom piece made. It's already stressful to start with - no added extra nail biting necessary!!

ETA: I don't know Leon nor have ever met him. I spoke to him on the phone about the current design I have for my pear ( with side trillions ) and he didn't really want to do it - cause my taste was "passe" - that 1/2 moons would be so much better for my pear. THen I started to think about it and the image of a pear and side moons painted this 'elephant head with ears' in my mind and I decided to not press my wish to get trillions if I went with him cause already, I was frustrated with the fact that he pretty much implied that I was "passe" with my design idea lol.

Leon flies off the handle easily, have little minions to do his work and on top of that, make the customer feel that they are bothering HIM with questions and wanting to express their jewelry dream. Is he too good for us, lowly peeps? He made me feel that my opinion didn't matter when I spoke to him and could imagine him raising his nose in the air, snobbing me and rapidly wipe his shirt with his hands as if I was bad cloud of dust that has just fallen all over him...

 

[Dancing Fire]

i would never be able to put up with this kind of customer service.. i guess the best way to deal with Leon is to send him XX amount of dollars and say..."Leon do whatever you want with my money".

 

[Dancing Fire]

Iamdanny,
Thanks.

AJ,
Suffice it to say that I've had to retire my wedding band because of its workmanship.

like i said before "most likely none of these rings are made by Leon himself" but you're still paying the Leon price tag.

 

[Harriet]

AJ, B.E.G., CharmyPoo, Diamondseeker (miss you), LoveStreet, Rosetta,

Thank you for your kind words. I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer as some of you have rings from him or will soon. My wedding band is his simplest 1-row pave one. I had had it for 16 months when the first melee fell out. I chalked it up to normal wear and tear, and LM repaired it. However, I wondered why it felt so rough. I looked at it extremely carefully -- some stones were set higher than others; some overlapped. I will have another band made, but it will not and cannot replace my wedding ring.

When I went to pick up my repaired band, I asked LM to clean my set. He said "come back in a few months. I'll take a picture of your set as an example of why rings should not be worn together. I'll clean your rings then." I know he instructs customers to not stack rings, but it was my perogative to do so. In addition, there is no pitting on either ring at their contact point, which is why I think there is something intrinsically wrong with the band.



DF,
I know that Leon cannot make every ring. However, as the boss, he should be responsible for quality control.

 

[Matthewmon]

^ was your wedding band the string band that is 1.2mm wide?

 

[missydebby]

Oh Harriet! That just is so lame, it's beyond comment.

 

[Aoife]

AJ, B.E.G., CharmyPoo, Diamondseeker (miss you), LoveStreet, Rosetta,

Thank you for your kind words. I'm sorry to be a Debbie Downer as some of you have rings from him or will soon. My wedding band is his simplest 1-row pave one. I had had it for 16 months when the first melee fell out. I chalked it up to normal wear and tear, and LM repaired it. However, I wondered why it felt so rough. I looked at it extremely carefully -- some stones were set higher than others; some overlapped. I will have another band made, but it will not and cannot replace my wedding ring.

When I went to pick up my repaired band, I asked LM to clean my set. He said "come back in a few months. I'll take a picture of your set as an example of why rings should not be worn together. I'll clean your rings then." I know he instructs customers to not stack rings, but it was my perogative to do so. In addition, there is no pitting on either ring at their contact point, which is why I think there is something intrinsically wrong with the band.



DF,
I know that Leon cannot make every ring. However, as the boss, he should be responsible for quality control.

Well, I'd say this kind of verbal smacking was mind-boggling, but it unfortunately sounds very much in character. I'm so sorry, Harriet. It indeed sounds like an issue with the band. Which, you know, is what most of us who are married do with wedding bands: we wear them.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Diamondseeker, actually you're right. I do remember someone a long time ago e-mailed Mark a powerpoint of what she wanted for a custom project, and he basically told her that he couldn't work with her because the presentation reminded her of this horrible past customer he had But I think the volume of complaints for MWM, MH, OP, etc. are like... a drop in the ocean compared to Leon (who IS the ocean in this case). I'd be willing to risk it with them, but not so anymore with Leon.

Harriet, ugh. I'm so sorry to hear about the craftsmanship, and really, he wouldn't clean your rings until he could make a point with them?!? I find that ridiculous, especially since it's not even like your e-ring or w-band was three-sided pave or something. Your solitaire and the pave band are FINE together. Sorry, I'm just steamed. Do you think it would be worth it, or make you feel better, to get someone else to use the platinum and the diamonds in your original band to create a new one? That way the materials from your original are preserved?

 

[T L]

Does anyone ever report him to the Better Business Bureau? I've seen there's no complaints about him, but I see there's plenty of complaints on Pricescope about him. His grade is A, and no complaints processed, but if people reported him, it would change. Not sure if that would matter to him, but I would care if I were in the business.

http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/bu...designers/leon-mege-inc-in-new-york-ny-89215/

Sorry about your ring Harriet.