disappointed in jeweler

[bluegirl123]

I just recieved back my tourmaline ring and the guy had scratched 2 facets (one per double prong) when he mounted it. I'm not an expert but even I can see that it's scratched with no visual aid.

the saleslady was like.. no that's not from the mounting, your stone could be scratched before.... made me so angry
anyways i asked the jeweler how it can be fixed, he said to send it out to their faceter.. no mention it would be free (didnt really own up to their mistake), but I had to leave for an appointment and i didnt want them to work on it anymore so I dropped it. He tried to console me by saying tourmalines are soft stones and i'll end up with lots of scratches on it anyways in a year

I'm just so disappointed by the jewelers here. I've sent out my tourmaline earrings to Daniel M to mount before because I didnt trust the locals, and thought I had finally found the one as their shop had tonnes of unmounted gems and they did custom work. Guess it was not meant to be but anyways I had to get this incident off my chest. i'm sure you guys are are thinking that im complaining a little too much as it wasnt expensive compared to what i see here.

I want to find a good local jeweler that knows how to work with gem stones. I may have a tiny budget, but when I do need something done, I dont want to resort to sending it out to others. So, what do you guys do to test out unknown jewelers? (if it helps, it turns out this jeweler sends out their stuff... maybe an inhouse metal guy should be one thing I need to look for)

My next project is a blue zircon and it's even softer than tourmalines, which is leaving me quite worried.

thanks!

 

[T L]

I just recieved back my tourmaline ring and the guy had scratched 2 facets (one per double prong) when he mounted it. I'm not an expert but even I can see that it's scratched with no visual aid.

the saleslady was like.. no that's not from the mounting, your stone could be scratched before.... made me so angry
anyways i asked the jeweler how it can be fixed, he said to send it out to their faceter.. no mention it would be free (didnt really own up to their mistake), but I had to leave for an appointment and i didnt want them to work on it anymore so I dropped it. He tried to console me by saying tourmalines are soft stones and i'll end up with lots of scratches on it anyways in a year

I'm just so disappointed by the jewelers here. I've sent out my tourmaline earrings to Daniel M to mount before because I didnt trust the locals, and thought I had finally found the one as their shop had tonnes of unmounted gems and they did custom work. Guess it was not meant to be but anyways I had to get this incident off my chest. i'm sure you guys are are thinking that im complaining a little too much as it wasnt expensive compared to what i see here.

I want to find a good local jeweler that knows how to work with gem stones. I may have a tiny budget, but when I do need something done, I dont want to resort to sending it out to others. So, what do you guys do to test out unknown jewelers? (if it helps, it turns out this jeweler sends out their stuff... maybe an inhouse metal guy should be one thing I need to look for)

My next project is a blue zircon and it's even softer than tourmalines, which is leaving me quite worried.

thanks!

I'm very sorry this happened to you. I live in a large metropolitan area, and there are a lot of jewelers familiar with softer stones. I typically go to jewelers that sell tourmaline jewelery and other "exotics" they made, which tells me they know a thing or two about colored gems. However, that can be difficult to find, depending on where you live. In future, I think it's just best to send the stones to Daniel M, as he is a very economical jeweler and he does really good work. If you buy a premade setting, always ask the jeweler what their experience is with softer stones.

 

[Arcadian]

oh wow, I'm so sorry to hear this

Listen, tiny budget or not, you want your rings to look nice which means without them scratching the heck out of your stone.

I've had plenty of stones set (some softer than tourmaline) without a scratch on them. To me it sounds like he's not the guy to go to.

When I audition a jeweler, I tend to go in their shop and look around, and I ask questions. If I use someone recommended from here (like Kismets setter) and that person uses them a lot, I know I can rely on the fact that person has been vetted. But I still go check them out, even if I don't have anything set initially. Since my guy retired I use T&C exclusively for local setting now.

Where are you located? Maybe someone here local to you can guide you to someone that would be better for the types of stones you want to set.


-A

 

[LD]

It doesn't matter how much the stone is worth - it's worth something to you and you bought it and are going to the trouble to set it. Therefore it's important to be done right. I'm sorry to hear about your problem with the jeweller. I'll echo TL and say that I think you're better sending items to Daniel M who you KNOW will treat your gemstone carefully.

BTW, with Zircon please definitely send to Daniel!

 

[diamondringlover]

Sorry you had such a bad experience, I have no advice as I am still trying to find a good jeweler!!!

 

[beach]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I find it helpful to have the jeweler inspect the stone before mounting and write down on the receipt that the stone is not damaged in any way etc...

 

[T L]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I find it helpful to have the jeweler inspect the stone before mounting and write down on the receipt that the stone is not damaged in any way etc...

That's actually another sign of a good jeweler. They will inspect it with a loupe and tell you if there are any potential problems with setting the stone (ie: internal fracture, inclusions), and if they see any pre-existing damage to the stone. If they don't do that, I would walk out.

 

[iLander]

I sent a Moldavite to DanielM on etsy and he set it no problem.

Moldavite is basically glass created by the impact of a meteor as it hits the earth and makes the sand molten.

Point is, Daniel set my piece of glass, no nicks or scratches.

Now, he did send it back in one of those little cardboard boxes, with the cotton fluff, and no other padding . . . but it got here in one piece.

You're NOT alone in your brick and mortar jeweler issues, here's a whole thread on it:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gripe-list-your-brick-n-mortar-jeweler-problems-issues-rants.145065/?hilit=gripe']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gripe-list-your-brick-n-mortar-jeweler-problems-issues-rants.145065/?hilit=gripe[/URL]

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I've had bad experiences with jewelers setting my stones too, even ones who have experience with soft stones! Sigh. This is mostly why I'm so happy to go to the etsy vendors. Unique hand made jewelery AND no need to worry that they will be careless with my gems!

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

Bluegirl 123 : first of all, I am sorry for your disappointment.
You were looking forward to a beautiful new ring made with your pretty stone
and that didn't quite happen.
Is it that you just want to have someone nearby that you can physically go to for your setting needs
or you are just hoping to avoid sending off your stones in the mail?

I personally don't have time to go to a B&M, although I live near enough to a large
metropolitan area that has some fine jewelers (Whiteflash for example)
I am waaay too busy with my job and family to go there in person.
I really do rely on online vendors like Daniel M, JKT, Sally,,,,,,, etc.

The first time I sent off a gem, there was a little ping of worry, but that was it.
Everything has arrived safely and I have been well satisfied with everything
(ecstatic, for the most part, actually).....

 

[bluegirl123]

thank you everyone for the helpful suggests and comments.

Unfortunately, I live in Canada (but I am close to the border), so the shipping is a bit more of a concern to me. I'm really limited to using USPS and canada post to avoid brokerage fees. I also feel rather silly just sending a stone & setting to an online vendor to have it mounted. I guess I'll just have to either risk more stones in hopes of finding more competent jewelers, or bundle all my needs in one package to online vendors.