Jeweler in DC/Annapolis/Baltimore Area

[ika411]

Hi everyone! Does anyone know of any reputable knowledgeable jewelers in the DC area? My boyfriend and I are looking to get a sapphire engagement ring in the near future. After looking at many rings in person and doing a lot of research online, we're leaning towards getting our own loose stone. However, when we were at a few big jewelry stores (Helzberg and Lenkersdorfer in Tysons Corner), we found the salespeople to not be very knowledgeable and frankly very much like used car salesmen. When we asked about the origin of the sapphires, they could not provide the information. And when we asked whether or not they had unheated sapphires, one guy told us that "there are no unheated sapphires in the world"! We all know this is not true.

We're wondering if anyone has any recommendations for jewelers in the DC/Annapolis/Baltimore area. We are fine with finding a loose stone on our own so they don't necessarily need to be able to help us with that. We have my boyfriend's grandmother's old diamond engagement ring and would like to try to incorporate the stones from it, although this is not a requirement. We want platinum and really like the Scott Kay settings so someone that carries Scott Kay or able to do something similar would be ideal. We would prefer someone local, but if there isn't anyone in the area, someone elsewhere would be fine as long as they are reputable and responsive. Has anyone ever dealt with Leigh Jay Nach in NYC? I've read mixed reviews about them.

For those of you wondering, we're leaning toward 2-3 carat round/oval unheated sapphire in royal blue. If anyone has suggestions on where we can find one, please feel free to post too.

 

[GemFever]

I'm afraid this won't be super helpful, as I don't have a specific jeweler to recommend. But I have seen some intriguing-looking small jewelers in Bethesda, maybe you could give them a try? I think they are somewhere on Norforlk Avenue. Although when I stopped by a couple "local jewelers" in Rockville, they didn't strike me as too knowledgeable about color stones. Still, the place in Bethesda looked sweet, I keep meaning to go. If you go, please write about it!

- Anya

 

[pregcurious]

I would stay away from mall stores, in general.

Quest Jewelers sells custom and stock engagement rings, and many PSers have been happy with them:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-quest-jewelers-masterpieces.35129/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-quest-jewelers-masterpieces.35129/[/URL]

I can personally recommend Quest based on a successful modification they did to a semi-custom setting I bought from another vendor. I have not done a full custom piece with them, but have received a quote on a simple eternity band. Their prices are reasonable:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thanks-to-quest-jewelers-for-my-reset.163316/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/thanks-to-quest-jewelers-for-my-reset.163316/[/URL]

Tiny Jewel Box is a high end jewelry store in Dupont Circle that has a decent selection of colored stone rings, considering most stores have none. I visited and there was a salesperson (Richard?) there who was quite knowledgeable about rubies, and was very helpful in suggesting stock settings and custom options. Their goods and prices are high end, but I think they are worth a visit. They can source stones for you, but I think it would be very costly. Their custom work is CAD/cast, and they have some custom pieces on display.

For other high end jewelers, Pampillonia Jewelers and Chas Schwartz & Sons are located in the Mazza Galleria. Pampillonia has beautiful, classic, high quality pieces, and has some beautifully executed custom work, but is very pricey. I think their salespeople were really great, and there was a bench person in the store who was readily available. They were not snobby at all. Chas Schwartz had beautiful estate pieces, and a decent selection of mid to high end settings. I received a quote from a custom project, and was not impressed with the price or the general customer service that I received from the salesperson who was the middle man to the artisan.

All these places I've mentioned have websites that give you a good general feeling for the atmosphere of the store.

I. Gorman is another well-known jeweler, but I have not visited.

For sapphires, there have recently been several threads about sourcing sapphires in the Colored Stone forum. A good place to start is Justin_Cutter's thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-58-ct-blue-sapphire-gemsthailand.163440/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/5-58-ct-blue-sapphire-gemsthailand.163440/[/URL]

 

[ika411]

Thanks Anya and Preg! I read Justin's posting last week and found the thread to be extremely helpful!

 

[minousbijoux]

Not quite in the Maryland end of DC, but close enough to warrant your attention: Hunt Country Jewelers. You'll find that several PSers have had gorgeous pieces made by them. Its family-owned and I believe the son is a gemologist:

http://huntcountry.com/HCJ/HCJHome.jsp

 

[winternight]

I'm in DC and while I've seen lovely set sapphires I'm not aware of any local source
For what you're looking for. Honestly for the size and price you'll be paying why
Not take a day trip or long weekend to NYC? I'm considering the same for myself
To see some things in person.

 

[kelpie]

Not quite in the Maryland end of DC, but close enough to warrant your attention: Hunt Country Jewelers. You'll find that several PSers have had gorgeous pieces made by them. Its family-owned and I believe the son is a gemologist:

http://huntcountry.com/HCJ/HCJHome.jsp

Love these guys, especially if you are considering a sapphire.

I cannot reccomend Quest at all, I found them horrendously incompetent.
Tiny Jewel Box has the best collection I've ever seen, everything is just exquisite but super pricey.

 

[winternight]

Not quite in the Maryland end of DC, but close enough to warrant your attention: Hunt Country Jewelers. You'll find that several PSers have had gorgeous pieces made by them. Its family-owned and I believe the son is a gemologist:

http://huntcountry.com/HCJ/HCJHome.jsp

Love these guys, especially if you are considering a sapphire.

I cannot reccomend Quest at all, I found them horrendously incompetent.
Tiny Jewel Box has the best collection I've ever seen, everything is just exquisite but super pricey.

I am curious do they have a nice selection of loose gems in stock?
Tiny jewel box is lovely, but then again for the price you might as
Well also look at neiman's and saks at their estate pieces. N

 

[kelpie]

Not quite in the Maryland end of DC, but close enough to warrant your attention: Hunt Country Jewelers. You'll find that several PSers have had gorgeous pieces made by them. Its family-owned and I believe the son is a gemologist:

http://huntcountry.com/HCJ/HCJHome.jsp

Love these guys, especially if you are considering a sapphire.

I cannot reccomend Quest at all, I found them horrendously incompetent.
Tiny Jewel Box has the best collection I've ever seen, everything is just exquisite but super pricey.

I am curious do they have a nice selection of loose gems in stock?
Tiny jewel box is lovely, but then again for the price you might as
Well also look at neiman's and saks at their estate pieces. N

They have safes full of loose gems and rough, lots of older material that's tough to find. They are precision lapidaries, which is one of the reasons I like them so much. It's very hard to find a jeweler who knows how to correctly handle the more delicate colored stones.

 

[ika411]

I'm in DC and while I've seen lovely set sapphires I'm not aware of any local source
For what you're looking for. Honestly for the size and price you'll be paying why
Not take a day trip or long weekend to NYC? I'm considering the same for myself
To see some things in person.

Thanks for the suggestion Winter. We're not concerned about finding a good local source for sapphire, but rather a good jewelry who can do a platinum setting and work with the loose stone when we get it.

 

[bobsiv]

You may want to look at Dominion Jewelers in Falls Church (not too far from Tysons). They specialize in custom work and have won some local awards. I'm a lapidary in the area and I use them to set my best stones. They have comparable prices to some of the other local shops, but their quality is way above any other place I've used.

 

[ika411]

Thanks everyone! We live in Arlington so anywhere in VA is fine. Will definitely check out Hunt Country, Quest and Dominion in the coming weeks.

 

[pregcurious]

Please let us know what you think of the 3! Out of these, I have only been to Quest, but am open to others.

 

[ika411]

Hi all! So we finally made it out to Dominion, Quest and Hunt Country. We liked all three even though they had different feels to them. I was wondering if anyone has ever had more contemporary pieces made by Hunt. Almost everything we saw in the store and on their online archive were bezel and had an older feel to me. Specifically, I'm looking for a ring with six prongs, and engravings/etchings along the band with milgrain. If anyone has anything with any of this, I would love to see it! Thanks a bunch!

 

[ika411]

I forgot to mention that we're leaning towards the 6-prong trellis.

 

[kelpie]

I forgot to mention that we're leaning towards the 6-prong trellis.

I have a 6 prong from them. But your description leaves me confused, engraving and milgrain don't sound contemporary.

 

[ika411]

Thanks Kelpie! And you're right. I'm confusing myself as well.