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Working with Leon Mege

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There are so many Leon threads with positive comments, good experience and beautiful rings with near perfect workmanship. Occasionally someone feels he's rude or not accomodating to their requests but I don't ever remember reading any complaint about the actual product.

But this just goes to show that Leon does not just criticize other people's work. He has a strong opinion and expresses it.
 
Date: 4/7/2008 11:45:11 AM
Author: swingirl
I don''t ever remember reading any complaint about the actual product.
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there have been a few in the time i''ve been on this forum. it''s not often but it has happened..
 
Ellen, thanks for posting the link.
I found it very interesting, I just wish I had seen it when it was up on his site...
I think it''s pretty amazing how many people that don''t know him, and have never spoke with him still want to judge him. I wish someone who had worked with him had called him back then to clarify the situation, might have put the whole thing to rest.
To each their own!

Sorry to the OP again. This is def a threadjack! BUt, hey! At least you are getting all the info!! LOL
 
Thank you for all the info.

This reminds me of when people want to meet famous people they admire, like rock stars and such. I never want to because I''m afraid if I don''t like them in person it will ruin their work. Unfortunately, in this case you have to meet the artist LOL.

I''m now leaning towards a simple Solitaire. So if I do get it from Leon, hopefully it will be pretty straight-forward.
 
Thank you for all the info.

This reminds me of when people want to meet famous people they admire, like rock stars and such. I never want to because I''m afraid if I don''t like them in person it will ruin their work. Unfortunately, in this case you have to meet the artist LOL.

I''m now leaning towards a simple Solitaire. So if I do get it from Leon, hopefully it will be pretty straight-forward.
 
I will chime in with my short experience with Leon. I emailed him about a ring I wanted quoted and he responded within 24 hours. I then phoned him to clarify a few things and he was quite pleasant. I later quoted Whiteflash on the same ring and they were actually $500 to $800 higher. Since both quotes were a little out of my budget I picked a different style and again requested quotes from both. Again Leon responded via phone with a reasonable number. Whiteflash was quite nice and helpful also (I was purchasing my diamond from them) but they were higher than Leon on this style also.

In the end since I haven''t made up my mind which style I want to go with I had WF mount the stone in a simple Tiffany 6 pt.
When I do make up my mind, I''ll be going with Leon. Not only will I get a custom ring, but for less money than WF. Hard to beat that.
 
Oh interesting. I imagined him as being really rude if you went back and forth, so it''s nice to know he''s patient -- and competitively priced!
 
I, too, had a bad experience with Leon.
I have seen where he is highly recommended, and I think his website shows beautiful work.
With that said.... I sent an email to ask what he would charge for a piece he already had on his website. Am I crazy to wonder what it is going to cost - even if it is just a ballpark figure - BEFORE I mail my precious diamond out to someone?

Well, rather than him coming out and telling me, "I don''t quote unless you send me your stone", which would have been more respectable,
He told me the following,
"Thank you for your interest. The questions that you are asking me indicate that you didn''t get a chance to visit my web site and you don''t realize what types of jewelry I work on. I do not sell semi mounts. I make custom made pieces. If you are interested I can quote the cost of making one for your stone."
....uh....I thought that is what I was asking?
Anyways, long story short - very talented man, but I don''t even want a quote from him anymore. Maybe I''m "overly sensitive", but out of all the quotes I have been shopping for lately, he is the only one who rubbed me the wrong way. And its sad, because I can honestly say, if he were cheaper than the next guy, I''d rather pay more. I can find another talented jeweler who will appreciate my concerns elsewhere.
All in all, No hard feelings, best of luck to him, and again, very talented jeweler.

 
rae, I could be wrong, but it honestly sounds like he misunderstood you. Engish isn't his first language, and I am positive he has given hundreds of quotes without seeing ones stone first. Just a thought!
 
I was not aware that he was foreign. And with that said, I can appreciate that it is difficult to express yourself in writing.

Perhaps you are right. Maybe just speaking to him in person or on the phone would be the best advice to give someone.

Thanks!
 
Date: 4/16/2008 11:10:49 AM
Author: rae024
I was not aware that he was foreign. And with that said, I can appreciate that it is difficult to express yourself in writing.

Perhaps you are right. Maybe just speaking to him in person or on the phone would be the best advice to give someone.

Thanks!
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Definitely.
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Maybe you could consider giving him another chance someday. I think calling might very well help! And you''re welcome.
2.gif
 
Rae024, your experience is unusual to me, too. When I asked Leon for a quote based on a design from his website he quickly gave me a price. He gave me a range of cost based on how much melee he would need to use. He also emailed me the cost of one of his ready-made pieces. So I don't think he holds off on the price quotes. I wonder if he thought you wanted the setting but wasn't interested in having him set the stone. That he never does since all his setting are custom made for a specific stone. Sorry you didn't have a good experience with him. I also wonder if it was a miscommunication based on the language, although he does speak English well. There are a number of other designers that do beautiful work so I hope you find someone for your project.
 
Date: 4/16/2008 10:59:20 AM
Author: rae024


I, too, had a bad experience with Leon.
I have seen where he is highly recommended, and I think his website shows beautiful work.
With that said.... I sent an email to ask what he would charge for a piece he already had on his website. Am I crazy to wonder what it is going to cost - even if it is just a ballpark figure - BEFORE I mail my precious diamond out to someone?

Well, rather than him coming out and telling me, 'I don't quote unless you send me your stone', which would have been more respectable,
He told me the following,
'Thank you for your interest. The questions that you are asking me indicate that you didn't get a chance to visit my web site and you don't realize what types of jewelry I work on. I do not sell semi mounts. I make custom made pieces. If you are interested I can quote the cost of making one for your stone.'


....uh....I thought that is what I was asking?
Anyways, long story short - very talented man, but I don't even want a quote from him anymore. Maybe I'm 'overly sensitive', but out of all the quotes I have been shopping for lately, he is the only one who rubbed me the wrong way. And its sad, because I can honestly say, if he were cheaper than the next guy, I'd rather pay more. I can find another talented jeweler who will appreciate my concerns elsewhere.


All in all, No hard feelings, best of luck to him, and again, very talented jeweler.

Click to expand...

OK so now I KNOW I'm not crazy!

I did exactly the same thing: he has THE SETTING EXACTLY on his website of a ruby cluster ring. I want the same ring, except with a sapphire.

I e-mailed him asking if he could give me a ballpark figure on that setting, with a slightly smaller stone (I gave him the size that Jeff White is cutting for me).

First he told me he couldn't give me a price without the stone in hand. So I asked him to simply tell me how much the ruby cluster ring would have been (EXACTLY as posted on his website), except without the centre stone. Easy, right? NOPE.

After 2 more e-mails where I restrained my frustration at what was a very simple question, here is the reply I got: He gave me a quote for the labour only. ie: for the setting without ANY stones (ie: no centre stone OR surrounding diamonds and pears!). WTF?

Between what CrookedRock had to say about the defect with her finished ring, this thread, a few others, and my own experience with a very simple question regarding a ring he had already made, I will go elsewhere.

Maybe he has lots of customers. Good for him. I don't have unlimited $$, patience or faith, in someone who is beautifully *artistic* but definitely could use some people skills.

I'm only getting ONE ring. And I won't settle for a crapshoot.
 
Date: 6/21/2008 9:27:16 PM
Author: LostSapphire
Date: 4/16/2008 10:59:20 AM

Author: rae024



I, too, had a bad experience with Leon.

I have seen where he is highly recommended, and I think his website shows beautiful work.

With that said.... I sent an email to ask what he would charge for a piece he already had on his website. Am I crazy to wonder what it is going to cost - even if it is just a ballpark figure - BEFORE I mail my precious diamond out to someone?


Well, rather than him coming out and telling me, 'I don't quote unless you send me your stone', which would have been more respectable,

He told me the following,

'Thank you for your interest. The questions that you are asking me indicate that you didn't get a chance to visit my web site and you don't realize what types of jewelry I work on. I do not sell semi mounts. I make custom made pieces. If you are interested I can quote the cost of making one for your stone.'



....uh....I thought that is what I was asking?

Anyways, long story short - very talented man, but I don't even want a quote from him anymore. Maybe I'm 'overly sensitive', but out of all the quotes I have been shopping for lately, he is the only one who rubbed me the wrong way. And its sad, because I can honestly say, if he were cheaper than the next guy, I'd rather pay more. I can find another talented jeweler who will appreciate my concerns elsewhere.



All in all, No hard feelings, best of luck to him, and again, very talented jeweler.


Click to expand...


OK so now I KNOW I'm not crazy!


I did exactly the same thing: he has THE SETTING EXACTLY on his website of a ruby cluster ring. I want the same ring, except with a sapphire.


I e-mailed him asking if he could give me a ballpark figure on that setting, with a slightly smaller stone (I gave him the size that Jeff White is cutting for me).


First he told me he couldn't give me a price without the stone in hand. So I asked him to simply tell me how much the ruby cluster ring would have been (EXACTLY as posted on his website), except without the centre stone. Easy, right? NOPE.


After 2 more e-mails where I restrained my frustration at what was a very simple question, here is the reply I got: He gave me a quote for the labour only. ie: for the setting without ANY stones (ie: no centre stone OR surrounding diamonds and pears!). WTF?



Between what CrookedRock had to say about the defect with her finished ring, this thread, a few others, and my own experience with a very simple question regarding a ring he had already made, I will go elsewhere.


Maybe he has lots of customers. Good for him. I don't have unlimited $$, patience or faith, in someone who is beautifully *artistic* but definitely could use some people skills.


I'm only getting ONE ring. And I won't settle for a crapshoot.
Click to expand...



Interesting. I had the exact same thing happen. Initially, I asked Leon for a quote to make a solitaire for my emerald cut. He gave me an exact figure. Then I changed my mind about the design and asked what he thought of putting baguettes with my emerald cut. His first response was that he has "no opinion" of that design. I thought that was odd since he has many such rings on his website and I thought having an opinion on a design idea is part of his job. Still undeterred, I asked for a quote. He wrote back and said that the labor would be $2,200, but that he couldn't tell me anything beyond that until I sent him my stone. I certainly didn't want to send him my stone without knowing if I could afford to proceed, so I asked again for a more exact quote. He wrote back and said that the side baguettes could run anywhere between $600 - 2,000. That means that the project could cost as little as $2,800 or as much as $4,200! In contrast, when I asked Maytal for a quote on the same project, she gave me an exact amount plain and simple. This is one of several reasons that I decided to go with her.
 
Date: 6/21/2008 10:44:48 PM
Author: Demelza




Interesting. I had the exact same thing happen. Initially, I asked Leon for a quote to make a solitaire for my emerald cut. He gave me an exact figure. Then I changed my mind about the design and asked what he thought of putting baguettes with my emerald cut. His first response was that he has ''no opinion'' of that design. I thought that was odd since he has many such rings on his website and I thought having an opinion on a design idea is part of his job. Still undeterred, I asked for a quote. He wrote back and said that the labor would be $2,200, but that he couldn''t tell me anything beyond that until I sent him my stone. I certainly didn''t want to send him my stone without knowing if I could afford to proceed, so I asked again for a more exact quote. He wrote back and said that the side baguettes could run anywhere between $600 - 2,000. That means that the project could cost as little as $2,800 or as much as $4,200! In contrast, when I asked Maytal for a quote on the same project, she gave me an exact amount plain and simple. This is one of several reasons that I decided to go with her.
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That''s what I couldn''t figure out: the $$ he gave me was for a setting + labour, no centre stone (as I would be supplying that), but also no price for the surrounding cluster of 8 x 10 pts and 2 x pears!!

It made no sense, because all I really needed was a ballpark on the very ring he had fabricated less the centre stone....I would have been good with that, as I know my stone will be slightly smaller than the ruby so I knew the budget price would be slightly on the high side...better that than no surprises.

So strange. Maybe he didn''t want our work.
 
I think that some of these situations mentioned could very easily be due to the fact that English is Leon's second language. I have not worked with him yet, but did receieve a quote and plan to have him create my upgrade when the time comes. I wonder if the use of the term "exact setting" Lost Sapphire used confused him since he considers all of his work custom and could have thought it meant for him to make setting without a stone and send it off like that..just a setting? I don't know. I just think there are so many things that can get confused in e-mail and then add to that the fact that English is not his first language. Just makes me wonder.

Edit to add: I am in NO way trying to cheer-lead anyone into using Leon, this thread just had me wondering....
 
For my diamond solitaire, Leon gave me an exact price. However, for my spinel and tsavorite, he was unable to for the sidestones and melee (although he gave me exact prices for the labour). I asked him why and he replied that he wouldn't know how much the diamonds would cost until he bought them. Understandably, he wasn't going to buy them until he had a firm order in hand.

Burk,
I'm in agreement with you.

I do not have Leon on a pedestal. Like Lost Sapphire, I don't have unlimited funds, patience, or faith. If I were to encounter any problems with Leon that couldn't be resolved to my satisfaction, I would take my business elsewhere. Without hesitation.
 
Date: 6/21/2008 10:55:05 PM
Author: Burk
I think that some of these situations mentioned could very easily be due to the fact that English is Leon's second language. I have not worked with him yet, but did receieve a quote and plan to have him create my upgrade when the time comes. I wonder if the use of the term 'exact setting' Lost Sapphire used confused him since he considers all of his work custom and could have thought it meant for him to make setting without a stone and send it off like that..just a setting? I don't know. I just think there are so many things that can get confused in e-mail and then add to that the fact that English is not his first language. Just makes me wonder.


Edit to add: I am in NO way trying to cheer-lead anyone into using Leon, this thread just had me wondering....
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I just want to be clear that I'm in no way saying that I think Leon is a bad guy or that people shouldn't work with him. I was very close to using him myself and would have had I not had such a good feeling about Maytal. I suppose it's possible that he misunderstood what I was asking him, but I rather doubt it. He was very clear that he simply couldn't give me a quote on the baguettes until he had my center stone. And maybe that's just the way he works -- I'm not saying it's bad, just that it didn't work for me as I needed to know ahead of time how much (within a few hundred dollars) the setting would cost. I don't think there was any confusion about me wanting him to set my stone.

In the end, I think it just comes down to finding someone who is a good fit. I know that it's really important for me to work with someone who will respond kindly and reasonably should a problem arise. Whatever his good qualities might be, I'm not sure this is necessarily one of them -- at least not based on some of the things I've read about him over the years. Perhaps that's unfair as I know there are always two sides to every story. That said, for me, it just wasn't worth the risk.
 
I totally agree, Demelza! You have to work with someone who is a good fit (especially because sparkly projects aren''t exactly cheap
2.gif
). I''m so glad you were able to have that with Maytal! I was not trying to criticize or place judgement, just wondering.
21.gif
 
Date: 6/22/2008 1:01:35 AM
Author: Burk
I totally agree, Demelza! You have to work with someone who is a good fit (especially because sparkly projects aren't exactly cheap
2.gif
). I'm so glad you were able to have that with Maytal! I was not trying to criticize or place judgement, just wondering.
21.gif
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No worries -- I totally understand what you're saying. I do think it's possible that there might be a cultural (if not language) barrier at play. Having had only very limited contact with Leon, I can't say much other than what my gut feeling is about working with him. I hope your future project with Leon goes smoothly. His work is undeniably beautiful!

ETA Your daughter is adorable!
 
I can understand why he can''t give a quote on a piece when the stone is still an unknown. How could he even guess the price of the melee or side stones when the exact size of the center is unknown? I agree that it is not like he makes stock semi-mounts such as BK. Not to mention that diamond and metals prices change, and if people do not even have a stone yet, then he probably doesn''t want to say a price and then when the person sends the stone, they get a different price and get mad. This is just not the same as buying a ring from Pearlman''s. He can usually give a price on the classic solitaire setting if you know the size of your stone, though. But a custom project is going to take some estimating time from him, especially if there are side stones involved.
 
Date: 6/22/2008 8:38:41 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I can understand why he can't give a quote on a piece when the stone is still an unknown. How could he even guess the price of the melee or side stones when the exact size of the center is unknown? I agree that it is not like he makes stock semi-mounts such as BK. Not to mention that diamond and metals prices change, and if people do not even have a stone yet, then he probably doesn't want to say a price and then when the person sends the stone, they get a different price and get mad. This is just not the same as buying a ring from Pearlman's. He can usually give a price on the classic solitaire setting if you know the size of your stone, though. But a custom project is going to take some estimating time from him, especially if there are side stones involved.
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I hear ya, DS.
Here's the thing though: we went through that whole exercise as you described above, the gist of which I understood completely. But I still needed to somehow figure out if I could *afford* to shop with LM, or not.

So after numerous e-mails similar to your note above, I suggested the following: "Leon, let's pretend I want you to make me the ruby cluster ring. Please give me a price but take OUT the cost of the ruby". "Use your already-made ruby cluster ring as the basis for this quote". I'll use that as my ballpark figure".

After that e-mail, what I got was the quote of the setting/labour only, with a very specific note from him to say that BOTH the ruby and diamonds were not included. So that wasn't very helpful.

And I don't want to get onto a Leon bashing bandwagon. But I deal with people on a daily basis whose 1st language is not english, so I am extremely careful and simple in how I word things. That being said, I can still see how there may be a miscommunication on some people's part..but in my case, I don't think so...

It just tells me that for the kind of relationship I need with the person who will be remaking my ring, I'd prefer someone who had better communication skillls. I'll leave it at that, as he was in no way rude or dismissive with me, just rather difficult to communicate with.
 
Date: 6/22/2008 8:38:41 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
I can understand why he can't give a quote on a piece when the stone is still an unknown. How could he even guess the price of the melee or side stones when the exact size of the center is unknown? I agree that it is not like he makes stock semi-mounts such as BK. Not to mention that diamond and metals prices change, and if people do not even have a stone yet, then he probably doesn't want to say a price and then when the person sends the stone, they get a different price and get mad. This is just not the same as buying a ring from Pearlman's. He can usually give a price on the classic solitaire setting if you know the size of your stone, though. But a custom project is going to take some estimating time from him, especially if there are side stones involved.
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I totally understand what you're saying, but, in my case, I did have a stone and provided him with exact measurements. Maytal was able to to give me an exact quote knowing the dimensions of my stone, my ring size, and the color/clarity I was looking for in the sidestones. I'm not wanting to bash Leon as I really don't have strong feelings about him one way or another. It's perfectly within his rights not to give exact quotes on sidestones, but, for me, I didn't really feel comfortable sending him my stone knowing that there could be such a range of prices once he received it. I might have felt differently if I didn't have a strict budget for this project.

ETA Again, I just think it comes down to finding a good fit. Some people might really like the way Leon works, other people might not, and some people might put up with things they don't like because the end product is worth it for them. There's no one right way to do things.
 
Date: 6/22/2008 10:07:38 AM
Author: Demelza

Again, I just think it comes down to finding a good fit. Some people might really like the way Leon works, other people might not, and some people might put up with things they don''t like because the end product is worth it for them. There''s no one right way to do things.
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Well said. I''m glad you felt good about Maytal. A friend of mine just had a ring made by her and couldn''t be happier.
 
we did like his work (especially since we heard good things from people here on ps) but when we called to ask a few questions/opinions from him he was not very (im at a loss for a word) "pleasing"

we decided right there that even though his workmanship seems very quality, we wanted the whole ring process a fun and less stressful one. so we started working with a jeweler that went a little more out of their way for us.
 
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