Questions for PSers who've sent stones to Leon

[Dancing Fire]

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

IMO...Leon's business has out grown LM so something got to give (quality control) like Toyota cars of the past few yrs.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

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.

It is better to know this now than never. I am too wearing my wedding set together against Leon's very frank advise. I had my e-ring made to work with the wedding band, and was told in a more polite manner by Brian Gavin, that eventually they would wear each other down, but there is so little contact it would take years. But Brian did not have an issue with wearing them together.

One of the reasons I chose not to work with Leon on the e-ring was because I didn't feel like dealing with arguments over the e-ring wedding band issue, and the height of the stone. I personally did not want my stone set super low because I did not want it looking smaller. Since my DH gave me the diamond, I wanted to ensure that happy memories were associated with it. I do not feel the same attachment to my wedding band or e-ring setting. I feel like the detail work of my e-ring is not as nice as a Leon ring, but big picture, it is everything I want. The shank is the right width, the stone is set at a perfect height, it looks wonderful with the band. The big picture is more important to me.

Any why he would hold rings that you own hostage for his own "educational purposes." I don't get that at all. I can't believe it only held for 16 months either.

 

[Harriet]

Aoife, MissyDebby, TL,
Thanks for your empathy.
P.S. TL, here's a snippet for you. Leon called and asked if I wanted to buy a tsavorite from him. I asked him how it compared to my 3.22ct (which he set 2 years ago), and he said his was "way better." If there's one gem I know, it's tsavorite.

My band is like the one labelled r879. As can be seen, the melee is not in direct contact with my engagement ring's shank. Unfortunately, it would cost as much to re-make the band as it would to buy a new one. Also, the melee is of questionable quality (now that I have more experience with jewellery, I'm able to tell the difference between what LM uses and what a number of other jewellers use). I was stunned when LM refused to clean my set as he was my jeweller and I hadn't asked him to do so in at least 6 months.

I have been quiet about LM for months because I didn't want to delve into my hurt. I am glad that Sparkles nudged my into sharing my story, as I now see how it might help you all.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Aoife, MissyDebby, TL,
Thanks for your empathy.
P.S. TL, here's a snippet for you. Leon called and asked if I wanted to buy a tsavorite from him. I asked him how it compared to my 3.22ct (which he set 2 years ago), and he said his was "way better." If there's one gem I know, it's tsavorite.

My band is like the one labelled r879. As can be seen, the melee is not in direct contact with my engagement ring's shank. Unfortunately, it would cost as much to re-make the band as it would to buy a new one. Also, the melee is of questionable quality (now that I have more experience with jewellery, I'm able to tell the difference between what LM uses and what a number of other jewellers use). I was stunned when LM refused to clean my set as he was my jeweller and I hadn't asked him to do so in at least 6 months.

I have been quiet about LM for months because I didn't want to delve into my hurt. I am glad that Sparkles nudged my into sharing my story, as I now see how it might help you all.

I can't imagine how upsetting this is for you. I do think sharing this, as hard as it is, will benefit a lot of other people and prevent them from having the same feelings.

 

[Harriet]

LoveStreet,
I'm sorry for the hijack. If I may, I'd like to share one more incident.

Please look at this page: http://www.artofplatinum.com/portfolio/details.php?image_id=544 I know LM did NOT take a picture of my finished ring as his studio was under renovation at that time. I suspected that that wasn't my spessartite, and my dealer, who had supervised it from rough to finished, confirmed my suspicion. Even worse, please see the thumbnail at the bottom of the page. That is my hand, my ring, and my bad photography. I did not send the picture to LM. We had been "Friends," and he'd copied it from my page without asking my permission. Oh, and he denigrated my Loliondo as "just another spessartite."

 

[Love Street]

Harriet - this is all very disturbing. I'm so sorry that your relationship with your previously trusted jeweler went so downhill, and on top of it that the workmanship on your special wedding band was subpar And that's NOT your Spess in the big picture? And he used your handshot without your permission?! Double Thank you for sharing your experiences, as painful as they are. This is incredibly helpful not only for me (and probably others here now as well) but also for future PSers.

Also, as far as I'm concerned there is no threadjacking going on - I'm happy that people feel like they can share stories on this thread that they might have previously held back on telling. My stone is out my hands now, so most of my initial questions of September 30 are moot, and I'm happy that this thread continues to live in other ways that are helpful for me and, I hope, the PS community.

 

[Aoife]

LoveStreet,
I'm sorry for the hijack. If I may, I'd like to share one more incident.

Please look at this page: http://www.artofplatinum.com/portfolio/details.php?image_id=544 I know LM did NOT take a picture of my finished ring as his studio was under renovation at that time. I suspected that that wasn't my spessartite, and my dealer, who had supervised it from rough to finished, confirmed my suspicion. Even worse, please see the thumbnail at the bottom of the page. That is my hand, my ring, and my bad photography. I did not send the picture to LM. We had been "Friends," and he'd copied it from my page without asking my permission. Oh, and he denigrated my Loliondo as "just another spessartite."

Oh. My. Word. The level of disrespect this demonstrates is incredible. Arrogance, hubris, contempt for others....

Harriet, thank you for sharing these details. As painful as they must be to you, I truly appreciate your willingness to share your experiences.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

LoveStreet,
I'm sorry for the hijack. If I may, I'd like to share one more incident.

Please look at this page: http://www.artofplatinum.com/portfolio/details.php?image_id=544 I know LM did NOT take a picture of my finished ring as his studio was under renovation at that time. I suspected that that wasn't my spessartite, and my dealer, who had supervised it from rough to finished, confirmed my suspicion. Even worse, please see the thumbnail at the bottom of the page. That is my hand, my ring, and my bad photography. I did not send the picture to LM. We had been "Friends," and he'd copied it from my page without asking my permission. Oh, and he denigrated my Loliondo as "just another spessartite."

I remember you saying that he wanted to take a picture of it, you were out of state right? So what I am left wondering is did he make another ring, or is that a real photo?

The pic of the ring on your hand, he took it off your page? If you enlarge it, his copyright is on it So he copied a picture from someone and than copyrighted it?????

Why a jeweler would trivialize their customer's stone boggles me. You know you have some exceptional pieces that are admired my many.

It was your jewelry that got me into Leon, I am sure he gained a lot of customers because you took the time to put your pieces up. The fact that he basically walked all over you makes me so .

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Harriet, I know you're a lawyer - is there anything you can do about the picture? Or would it be too much of a hassle to pursue it? Leon seems to play by his own rules, no matter how inconvenient or disrespectful they may be - grrrrr.

 

[Dancing Fire]

LoveStreet,
I'm sorry for the hijack. If I may, I'd like to share one more incident.

Please look at this page: http://www.artofplatinum.com/portfolio/details.php?image_id=544 I know LM did NOT take a picture of my finished ring as his studio was under renovation at that time. I suspected that that wasn't my spessartite, and my dealer, who had supervised it from rough to finished, confirmed my suspicion. Even worse, please see the thumbnail at the bottom of the page. That is my hand, my ring, and my bad photography. I did not send the picture to LM. We had been "Friends," and he'd copied it from my page without asking my permission. Oh, and he denigrated my Loliondo as "just another spessartite."

breaking news...Harriet is the master designer behind the scene... .. thanks for sharing.

 

[Harriet]

breaking news...Harriet is the master designer behind the scene... .. thanks for sharing.

Huh? Breaking news ... DF is a goofball.

 

[Harriet]

LoveStreet,
Thank you for letting me share your thread. In spite of what has happened to me, I hope you get what you want. To be fair, LM did a good job on my other rings.

Ltl,
To my knowledge, LM did not make another ring. When I saw his comments on it (something along the lines of the stone's intensity matching that of its owner), I called him to tease him and to give him the opportunity to come clean. He confirmed that he was referring to me. In other words, he Photoshopped another spessartite into my setting. As for his derogatory comments on my gems, I don't care because I know what I own.

B.E.G.,
I don't think there's any cause of action.

All,
Please be aware that LM asserts copyright over anything he makes, per his work order. Let's say you present him with your original design. Because you are first-in-time, the design is your intellectual property, despite what his work order claims. Unfortunately, your only recourse is a civil suit, which would be an expensive and lengthy endeavour.

 

[sparkles]

LoveStreet,
I'm sorry for the hijack. If I may, I'd like to share one more incident.

Please look at this page: http://www.artofplatinum.com/portfolio/details.php?image_id=544 I know LM did NOT take a picture of my finished ring as his studio was under renovation at that time. I suspected that that wasn't my spessartite, and my dealer, who had supervised it from rough to finished, confirmed my suspicion. Even worse, please see the thumbnail at the bottom of the page. That is my hand, my ring, and my bad photography. I did not send the picture to LM. We had been "Friends," and he'd copied it from my page without asking my permission. Oh, and he denigrated my Loliondo as "just another spessartite."

breaking news...Harriet is the master designer behind the scene... .. thanks for sharing.

Harriet, correct me if I'm wrong.....weren't a large % of the rings you own born from your own designs presented to Leon?

Can you please design a new setting for my 5ct..... All you need now are a few good benchies and your set......

Sorry going off on a tangent here.

 

[Lula]

Interesting thread. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences with LM -- good and bad.

But what I want to know is, surely several of his talented apprentices have struck out on their own? I imagine he may be difficult to work for. Does anyone know if Leon has lost any benchmen and if they have gone to work for other shops and/or set up their own shops? That may be another way to get "Leon quality" with out "Leon 'tude"

 

[Harriet]

Sparky,
A friend put together the tsavorite setting and I drew upon the Art Deco period for the spessartite. As for the spinel, I tweaked a setting that LM had already made (the small split shank tapering into one was my idea). The other three are just classic designs not unique to him. Please please leave your honker in a simple and elegant solitaire.

Portree,
I know of someone who quit after less than a month at LM. I believe the guy is experienced, but I don't know where he's gone.

 

[sparkles]

Harriet,

At the end of the you didn't drop enough DIME in Leon's direction for him to consider the relationship to be of any value.

You have to spend this sort of cash before your brought into the "INNER SCANCTUM" and receive the "ROYAL" treatment.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-perry-chen-thank-you-once-again.151761/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-perry-chen-thank-you-once-again.151761/[/URL]

VERY BEAUTIFUL Collection.......I might add

It amazes me how Leon went from 0 to HERO for the vendor of choice for cushions, in what seems like seconds. Kiddies, let's not forget the more than capable, cushion finding vendors who put in their blood sweat and tears dealing with all our stuff over the years.

Jonathon - Goodoldgold
Brian - BGD
James Allen
WF

Sorry if I forgot any vendors....

Harriet.....if you don't want your crappy collection I'll take it....hahah but please get on a plane with hubby and dogs. I expect nothing but hand delivery.....

I promise I will make you the following on your arrival

Laksa
Mee Siam
Char Kway Teow
My world renowned version of curry kapitan
Clams Vongole
lots of italian food
Pancetta linguine with ricotta and panfried leaks....
Marmite pork..........this one even left f.I.L gobsmacked......authentic Malaysian style.....

Heck, I'll even throw in a BA KUA sandwich for breakfast.

I gotta go, in the middle of making sushi and spring rolls for the kids snack when they come home for school. I wish my kids would eat vegemite sandwiches......

 

[yssie]

Harriet,

At the end of the you didn't drop enough DIME in Leon's direction for him to consider the relationship to be of any value.

You have to spend this sort of cash before your brought into the "INNER SCANCTUM" and receive the "ROYAL" treatment.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-perry-chen-thank-you-once-again.151761/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-perry-chen-thank-you-once-again.151761/[/URL]

VERY BEAUTIFUL Collection.......I might add

It amazes me how Leon went from 0 to HERO for the vendor of choice for cushions, in what seems like seconds. Kiddies, let's not forget the more than capable, cushion finding vendors who put in their blood sweat and tears dealing with all our stuff over the years.

Jonathon - Goodoldgold
Brian - BGD
James Allen
WF

Sorry if I forgot any vendors....

Harriet.....if you don't want your crappy collection I'll take it....hahah but please get on a plane with hubby and dogs. I expect nothing but hand delivery.....

I promise I will make you the following on your arrival

Laksa
Mee Siam
Char Kway Teow
My world renowned version of curry kapitan
Clams Vongole
lots of italian food
Pancetta linguine with ricotta and panfried leaks....
Marmite pork..........this one even left f.I.L gobsmacked......authentic Malaysian style.....

Heck, I'll even throw in a BA KUA sandwich for breakfast.

I gotta go, in the middle of making sushi and spring rolls for the kids snack when they come home for school. I wish my kids would eat vegemite sandwiches......

I'll eat vegemite. All day long

Sparkles, I really think the problem is that Harriet has opinions and doesn't consider those opinions to be less 'worthy' than her jeweller's. From much of what I've read on here, most people who successfully navigate multiple transactions with Leon *and* remain satisfied customers are those who firmly believe in his superiority regarding all things jewellery, put final faith in his opinions above all others - including their own, and consider his work to be that of a master - the likes of which no one else can hope to match.

 

[sparkles]

"All Hail Leon"


Agreed entirely Yssie.....

 

[Imdanny]

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...

Amethyste, do you still have your stunning ruby ring? Have you told us/ are you able to tell us who made it? It made an impression on me as much as Leon's pieces have.

 

[missydebby]

Hi, just want to chime back in that it's sounding like there's a massive pile on going on. Sparkles, I love you, but I have to say again that there has been both good and bad experiences.

Please understand - I am not discounting Harriet's or Boom's ordeals. But please, also do not discount mine or Mrs. Flintstones.

I am not spending like Mrs. Flintstone. Hardly. My Ering was 9k and my new project is gonna be round 7k. And Leon and Perry have treated me also with the utmost respect and care. And I wasn't being just a serf either, in thrall of the master. I went on a couple of intense wild goose chases with my center stone and design with this current project. Perry sourced me many a beautiful option and outrageously good prices. (BTW, it's a fancy colored center diamond, and the prices for those are waaaay less in the direct sunlight as the prices up can look up between vendors of white diamonds. My center oval from Perry is $1800, and he could have easily charged me $3000 and it would have still been much lower priced than comparable stones from any of the colored diamond websites.)

As far as my time discussing things with Leon. He was a complete and total gentleman the whole time. And I don't fell like getting into the details, but during the wild goose chase of my design, he did a couple of things that went above and beyond the call. And as far as the quality of my ering, it's perfect and lightens my step everyday I look at it.

 

[yssie]

Debby - I can only speak for myself but I'm not discounting your or Mrs. F.'s experiences or the quality of your pieces - quite the opposite, in fact.

What I'm saying is that I feel like the people most suited to working with Leon and building a successful, lasting relationship with him are those who truly believe that "Leon knows best" wrt jewellery design, proportions, style... and your posts and Mrs. F's further cement my feelings: there is a very real idolatry there that I don't understand - maybe it's misplaced arrogance on my part, but I honestly, truly feel that I know better than any designer what would look best in a piece that I'm creating, though suggestions for improvement are always welcome. Different strokes for different folks.

I will say that reading some recent posts (not yours) is frankly rather painful - when I email vendors with my admittedly often amateur ideas I do not apologise for them, and if they make suggestions that I don't fancy I certainly don't agree because I feel they know better than me, and be left worrying about what I will find when I open the box (though this particular story had a happy ending from the sound of things). I want to know the whats and whys behind any changes or suggestions, and I want to know what's going on every step of the way because I do *not* have trust and faith that my vendor will be able to create something more beautiful than the very specific image I have in my head, and I definitely don't believe that his skill w/ metal is something unique/unmatched - needless to say, Leon and I would not be a good match

JMHO.

 

[Imdanny]

Hi, just want to chime back in that it's sounding like there's a massive pile on going on. Sparkles, I love you, but I have to say again that there has been both good and bad experiences.

Please understand - I am not discounting Harriet's or Boom's ordeals. But please, also do not discount mine or Mrs. Flintstones.

I am not spending like Mrs. Flintstone. Hardly. My engagement ring was 9k and my new project is gonna be round 7k. And Leon and Perry have treated me also with the utmost respect and care. And I wasn't being just a serf either, in thrall of the master. I went on a couple of intense wild goose chases with my center stone and design with this current project. Perry sourced me many a beautiful option and outrageously good prices. (BTW, it's a fancy colored center diamond, and the prices for those are waaaay less in the direct sunlight as the prices up can look up between vendors of white diamonds. My center oval from Perry is $1800, and he could have easily charged me $3000 and it would have still been much lower priced than comparable stones from any of the colored diamond websites.)

As far as my time discussing things with Leon. He was a complete and total gentleman the whole time. And I don't fell like getting into the details, but during the wild goose chase of my design, he did a couple of things that went above and beyond the call. And as far as the quality of my engagement ring, it's perfect and lightens my step everyday I look at it.

So some people had satisfying experiences and some had truly bad ones. How is that a "massive pile on going on"?

I'm not discounting your positive experience but I don't think anyone else here has done so either.

And to be honest, I'd rather hear about your personal experiences, instead of posts about "a massive pile on" because this
comes off as cheer leading. Who cares about taking sides? People should read the entire thread and make their own decisions. Isn't that the point of PS?

No offense but I have a lot of respect for Harriet, for example, and the fact that she's done six
projects with Leon. Likewise, I appreciate hearing the experiences of everyone who has done or has tried to do business with Leon.

If you were to show me a post where someone criticized Leon unfairly, I might feel differently, but I don't see anything unfair or unreasonable in this thread.

 

[crown1]

Debby - I can only speak for myself but I'm not discounting your or Mrs. F.'s experiences or the quality of your pieces - quite the opposite, in fact.

What I'm saying is that I feel like the people most suited to working with Leon and building a successful, lasting relationship with him are those who truly believe that "Leon knows best" wrt jewellery design, proportions, style... and your posts and Mrs. F's further cement my feelings: there is a very real idolatry there that I don't understand - maybe it's misplaced arrogance on my part, but I honestly, truly feel that I know better than any designer what would look best in a piece that I'm creating, though suggestions for improvement are always welcome. Different strokes for different folks.

I will say that reading some recent posts (not yours) is frankly rather painful - when I email vendors with my admittedly often amateur ideas I do not apologise for them, and if they make suggestions that I don't fancy I certainly don't agree because I feel they know better than me, and be left worrying about what I will find when I open the box (though this particular story had a happy ending from the sound of things). I want to know the whats and whys behind any changes or suggestions, and I want to know what's going on every step of the way because I do *not* have trust and faith that my vendor will be able to create something more beautiful than the very specific image I have in my head, and I definitely don't believe that his skill w/ metal is something unique/unmatched - needless to say, Leon and I would not be a good match

JMHO.

good post. i believe in giving praise for a job well done but the adoration thing is kind of painful for me also. i enjoy being the one who selects what i fancy rather than feeling i must depend on the taste of another. different strokes.

 

[Harriet]

Missydebby,
I was as giddy as you are after my initial projects with LM. In four years of working with LM, this is the first time I have ever posted anything negative about his craftmanship or customer service.

Yssie,
Thank you for raising the point about idolatry. If one is an educated consumer, one should be able to think independently.

Sparkles,
Nice try!

 

[missydebby]

Hi, let me try to explain. I said pile on not to due to anyone's specific experiences but because there seems a kind of glee in taking these very real experiences and, I don't know, kinda pumping them up further.

But I'm obviously just a mindless cheerleader and don't know how to let people make up their own minds. That's just so so soooo obvious from all my posts where I shut down dissenting opinions, wag my finger at Harriet and Boom instead of trying to be encouraging, and where I idolize him and can't fathom why Leon's personality would not work with the way others want to create their jewelry.

 

[Amethyste]

From Imdanny:
Amethyste, do you still have your stunning ruby ring? Have you told us/ are you able to tell us who made it? It made an impression on me as much as Leon's pieces have.

I do actually, Imdanny ! His name is Steven Kirsh and you can see his work on: www.timelessluxury.net
He is also located in NYC I chuckled when I first saw his website, cause it says "The Art of Pave" while Leon's is "The Art of Platinum". I never had the courage to ask him if they are somewhat "Rivals" ( if he worked for him and couldn't take it anymore and decided to go on his own... ) but his pave work is impeccable!

It's ok to post this right?

 

[missydebby]

Anyhow, I'm just a little hurt that anyone would think that...

But Anywho

Wanna know a quandry? Had I read Boom's thread or known about how Leon treated Harriet, an awesome repeat customer with exquisite taste, I would have never used him in the first place. And even though thus far my experience on the 2nd project is good, after what went down with Harriet, I don't feel secure in it. That's why I intend to give a very honest assessment when it's done.

Like with GOG, there is no fear what-so-ever when it comes to their customer service... but now I wonder if I'll somewhere down the line get the Harriet treatment.


EDIT:
AM, OMG that site is awesome... where was this all my life? What are his prices like? First designer to pique my interest in the same way

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Hi, just want to chime back in that it's sounding like there's a massive pile on going on. Sparkles, I love you, but I have to say again that there has been both good and bad experiences.

Please understand - I am not discounting Harriet's or Boom's ordeals. But please, also do not discount mine or Mrs. Flintstones.

I am not spending like Mrs. Flintstone. Hardly. My engagement ring was 9k and my new project is gonna be round 7k. And Leon and Perry have treated me also with the utmost respect and care. And I wasn't being just a serf either, in thrall of the master. I went on a couple of intense wild goose chases with my center stone and design with this current project. Perry sourced me many a beautiful option and outrageously good prices. (BTW, it's a fancy colored center diamond, and the prices for those are waaaay less in the direct sunlight as the prices up can look up between vendors of white diamonds. My center oval from Perry is $1800, and he could have easily charged me $3000 and it would have still been much lower priced than comparable stones from any of the colored diamond websites.)

As far as my time discussing things with Leon. He was a complete and total gentleman the whole time. And I don't fell like getting into the details, but during the wild goose chase of my design, he did a couple of things that went above and beyond the call. And as far as the quality of my engagement ring, it's perfect and lightens my step everyday I look at it.

Debbie,

Your 3 stone ring choice is excellent, elegant, and refined it would make for a beautiful ring.

I think for your own personal consideration and especially if you will be advising others on Leon/Perry prices you should be properly comparing an Apple to Apple which is very hard to do for that centre oval and in general for colored stones.

That centre oval is that certified? What color did it come back from GIA? Does it have Fluoro?

In general margins from highly competitive PS vendors on colorless diamonds generally range from 3 - 15% on virtual stones so a 75 - 100% markup is very rare. Its possible on colored diamonds with less comparables the markup from most vendors could be a little more but really you don't know their margins or their cost price.

Most of Leon/Perry pricing is hidden allowing them to be inconsistant, from other posters experience their prices on virtual stock are comparable to Pricescope search listings but YMMV.

The pricing on fancy colors changes so dramatically with color even within the same GIA color grade its very hard to pin down a precise value. http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/1695.htm A Fancy Intense Yellow Green diamond comparable but the price could be 2-3X this for a whole variety of reasons.

So really without knowing their cost price you don't know how fair the deal is and persistant praise of their pricing without concrete proof seems to be misleading.

$6800 for that ring is not a steal but it may be a competitive price. That oval may be be sold to you at a better margin than other dealers, but on the other hand maybe the oval cost them $1500 the sides $200 and they are charging you $5100 for the setting. We just don't know so I wouldn't be chearleading them as being a bargain, the truth may surprise you.

 

[Harriet]

Missydebby,
Please do not take the above personally. I think others are responding to my account out of surprise. As before, I have never posted a single criticism of him till now. Even though there are dissatisfied customers, there are satisfied ones. I sincerely hope that your dealings with LM continue to be pleasing.

 

[missydebby]

Hi, just want to chime back in that it's sounding like there's a massive pile on going on. Sparkles, I love you, but I have to say again that there has been both good and bad experiences.

Please understand - I am not discounting Harriet's or Boom's ordeals. But please, also do not discount mine or Mrs. Flintstones.

I am not spending like Mrs. Flintstone. Hardly. My engagement ring was 9k and my new project is gonna be round 7k. And Leon and Perry have treated me also with the utmost respect and care. And I wasn't being just a serf either, in thrall of the master. I went on a couple of intense wild goose chases with my center stone and design with this current project. Perry sourced me many a beautiful option and outrageously good prices. (BTW, it's a fancy colored center diamond, and the prices for those are waaaay less in the direct sunlight as the prices up can look up between vendors of white diamonds. My center oval from Perry is $1800, and he could have easily charged me $3000 and it would have still been much lower priced than comparable stones from any of the colored diamond websites.)

As far as my time discussing things with Leon. He was a complete and total gentleman the whole time. And I don't fell like getting into the details, but during the wild goose chase of my design, he did a couple of things that went above and beyond the call. And as far as the quality of my engagement ring, it's perfect and lightens my step everyday I look at it.

Debbie,

Your 3 stone ring choice is excellent, elegant, and refined it would make for a beautiful ring.

I think for your own personal consideration and especially if you will be advising others on Leon/Perry prices you should be properly comparing an Apple to Apple which is very hard to do for that centre oval and in general for colored stones.

That centre oval is that certified? What color did it come back from GIA? Does it have Fluoro?

In general margins from highly competitive PS vendors on colorless diamonds generally range from 3 - 15% on virtual stones so a 75 - 100% markup is very rare. Its possible on colored diamonds with less comparables the markup from most vendors could be a little more but really you don't know their margins or their cost price.

Most of Leon/Perry pricing is hidden allowing them to be inconsistant, from other posters experience their prices on virtual stock are comparable to Pricescope search listings but YMMV.

The pricing on fancy colors changes so dramatically with color even within the same GIA color grade its very hard to pin down a precise value. http://www.fancydiamonds.net/view_diamonds/1695.htm A Fancy Intense Yellow Green diamond comparable but the price could be 2-3X this for a whole variety of reasons.

So really without knowing their cost price you don't know how fair the deal is and persistant praise of their pricing without concrete proof seems to be misleading.

$6800 for that ring is not a steal but it may be a competitive price. That oval may be be sold to you at a better margin than other dealers, but on the other hand maybe the oval cost them $1500 the sides $200 and they are charging you $5100 for the setting. We just don't know so I wouldn't be chearleading them as being a bargain, the truth may surprise you.

cerified, GIA, got lots of quotes of certified and uncertified stones from 5 different vendors but I guess I'm just a dummy CCL, so forget it

EDIT: just go a-freekin head and try, try to find a .60 intense greenish yellow oval with strong green florescence, which is what I wanted and priced at a premium as it helps give a "regular" fancy yellow a green glow for anywhere near $1800. OK try even 3k. Go to freeken Leibish's two sites, go to Langermans, go to DBL, ask GOG, and get close. Of course, stupid non insiders like me NEVER have access to what the prices are really. Duh. But I can compare what's out there in retail from the limited suppliers available for colored stones. I loved the help that ALL of these vendors were willing to give to me. Especially Jon and David Friedlander. But on cost alone, no one was even close and Jon from GOG even said as much. Maybe they make their profit on me with the cost of the setting, but, yeah, I am going to them for the setting in the first place and have an overall budget for the project. If I can get more setting because the cost of the center stone is lower, is that lame?

And also, what vendor who sells center and side stones doesn't sell them for a profit. You act like that's new. And the profit is usually based on what they think they'll be able to ask for given market conditions and a lack of general pricing availability, not necessarily based on a percentage of what they got it for.

Oh yeah, but I can't point that out CCL, right, because then I'd be just cheerleader. CCL, sometimes, you are just so smug it kills me.