Leon and AVCs

[sdr53]

I recently requested a quote from Leon for a halo setting for my AVC. I received a reply which stated that the setting I was interested in was "reserved" for clients who purchased their cushion from Leon. Anyone here have a similar experience. I know that some of you have AVC with Leon settings. If so, is this a new policy, or if not, how did you overcome the initial response?

 

[bebe]

Hmm, that's interesting. I have no idea why he would impose that restriction. Maybe it is his round about way of "branding"
a particular look he assumes is his and he wants to use only his stones. Dunno.

 

[kenny]

Every AVC he sets is a lost diamond sale for him.
Sure, any outside diamond he sets is a lost diamond sale, but I think this policy is his way of competing with a very very popular cut he's getting sick of seeing.

While this seems petty and nasty, keep in mind all business IS all about money, not some code of niceness.

 

[swingirl]

Every AVC he sets is a lost diamond sale for him.
Sure, any outside diamond he sets is a lost diamond sale, but I think this policy is his way of competing with a very very popular cut he's getting sick of seeing.

While this seems petty and nasty, keep in mind all business IS all about money, not some code of niceness.

ditto. Try asking Tiffany to set your stone in their setting. I am not comparing Tiffany and LM, but it's their business, their policy and they are going to make policies that favor their business.

 

[AnaSpark]

Does this mean that Leon is unlikely to accept any AVCs for setting??

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, he is going to lose more some PS business if he starts requiring the stones be purchased from him. This about money, nothing else. He can make extra profit when he sells the stone. If he makes that a blanket rule for all diamonds, then so be it. But if he singles out just AVC's, then I won't be recommending him anymore. He would be hard pressed to find stones that meet up to the cut and light performance of AVC's.

I've about reached my limit considering recent posts. I have been recommending him for a long time, but I see that it is about time to give my business and recommendations elsewhere.

 

[kenny]

Restaurants charge a corkage fee when you bring your own wine.

Maybe LM should do this with diamonds.

 

[yssie]

Restaurants charge a corkage fee when you bring your own wine.

Maybe LM should do this with diamonds.

Oh I'm sure he does - I'm sure all vendors do, only most itemize your quote/invoice such that you'll know how much your corkage and/or PITA fees were

 

[AnaSpark]

Well, he is going to lose more some PS business if he starts requiring the stones be purchased from him. This about money, nothing else. He can make extra profit when he sells the stone. If he makes that a blanket rule for all diamonds, then so be it. But if he singles out just AVC's, then I won't be recommending him anymore. He would be hard pressed to find stones that meet up to the cut and light performance of AVC's.

I've about reached my limit considering recent posts. I have been recommending him for a long time, but I see that it is about time to give my business and recommendations elsewhere.

Hi DS2006! I've been following the recent posts because I planned to have an AVC e-ring set by Leon and am starting to feel very uncomfortable with that decision. If a number of people are coming out of the woodwork with complaints about the quality and durability of his rings, in addition to his distaste for AVCs, I am hesitant about working with him on such an important project. I definitely want my ring to withstand years of wear (and a little bit of tear). Unfortunately, I haven't come across any settings I love as much as the Leon 3 and 5 stone styles...

 

[wintotty]

Which Halo design is that? Coldfusion?

I see my setting is listed as only for the stones sourced by them, too. I had him set the AVC on the setting, so I guess he decided to change the policy later.......

 

[lily1120]

I would like to add one thing as someone who has a Leon soliaire... he is such a pompous, arrogant man !! ok.. maybe two things.. what I was going to say is that, you know how we all rave and think his double claw prongs are so amazing? Well be surprised by this- I took my brother in law to purchase a stone with Yekutiel from ID Jewelery. He ended up going with him for the setting also, a double claw prong setting. In my head i was like " sure your double prongs are going to be nice but not as nice as my Leon" Boy did I eat those words. ID Jewelry's double prongs were just as good i couldn't tell the difference at all!. I am currently trying to get Leon to reset a new stone into my old setting that is a bit bigger than the old stone and I'm pretty sure he's going to be negative about it and tell me I need a whole new setting. If he does I am totally taking my ring to IDJ and getting them to mess with the head and set the new stone. hmph!

 

[Gypsy]

The man is just an... anyway it's not polite to use the term I was going to.

If he can start providing something other than crappy pics of the stones he's selling maybe this makes sense. But I gotta tell ya. When I first started posting here we recommended Dimend Scassi a lot. Guess what happened? Their lovely settings started to be reserved for their own sourced stones. Next thing you know they aren't setting diamonds at all in their settings unless purchased by them.

Does ANYONE recommend them anymore unless someone specifically requests a Chicago jeweler? No. You know why that is? If you have to jump through too many hoops and you become a pain, no one is gonna spend the time to type out a paragraph with all your little 'quirks' and recommend you.

Leon is NOT Tiffany. I don't care what he thinks of himself. When he can afford million dollar ads in Brides and other wedding magazines then he can start being more picky. Good lord, the man thinks he's Neil Lane.

I can't WAIT till someone replaces that man as the 'pave god' on here.... all we need is one person with his skills and a NORMAL personality and Leon would be left with nothing in his workshop but flies.

 

[Gypsy]

FYI, if any of his senior benchmen are reading this. LEAVE HIM AND START YOUR OWN SHOP!

Get someone who has great phone and email skills is NICE to customers and can close a sale.

You'll have that arse out of business before he knows what hit him!

 

[Gypsy]

Well, he is going to lose more some PS business if he starts requiring the stones be purchased from him. This about money, nothing else. He can make extra profit when he sells the stone. If he makes that a blanket rule for all diamonds, then so be it. But if he singles out just AVC's, then I won't be recommending him anymore. He would be hard pressed to find stones that meet up to the cut and light performance of AVC's.

I've about reached my limit considering recent posts. I have been recommending him for a long time, but I see that it is about time to give my business and recommendations elsewhere.

Hi DS2006! I've been following the recent posts because I planned to have an AVC e-ring set by Leon and am starting to feel very uncomfortable with that decision. If a number of people are coming out of the woodwork with complaints about the quality and durability of his rings, in addition to his distaste for AVCs, I am hesitant about working with him on such an important project. I definitely want my ring to withstand years of wear (and a little bit of tear). Unfortunately, I haven't come across any settings I love as much as the Leon 3 and 5 stone styles...

If you want a three stone of five stone call Maytal Hannah or BGD and just tell them you want something really delicate... Or JBEG. They've got a bench that can match him for prongs.

If you don't want pave, just skip the man.

 

[Love Street]

I just had my AVC set by Leon, though not in a halo setting. Although i was very anxious about working with him, everything turned out totally fine and I found him pleasant on the phone (if sometimes slow on e-mails). And I'm SO in love with my ring with no reservations about how it came out. It's not a pave ring, but I knew Leon was capable of executing it how I envisioned since he had sone so before (whereas I had not seen similar work from the other recommended custom designers).

However, he did say that he views GOG as a competitor, and it seemed to be a touchy subject.

I would strongly advise anyone with an AVC who is considering Leon to just not mention the source of the stone. Why bother? Sure he will probably recognize it or see the AVC inscription when he gets it, but since it is obviously a sensitive subject that causes his hairs to bristle, I strongly suggest not mentioning "AVC" or "GOG" in, e.g., a quote form or e-mail prior to sending him the stone.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[wintotty]

I just had my AVC set by Leon, though not in a halo setting. Although i was very anxious about working with him, everything turned out totally fine and I found him pleasant on the phone (if sometimes slow on e-mails). And I'm SO in love with my ring with no reservations about how it came out. It's not a pave ring, but I knew Leon was capable of executing it how I envisioned since he had sone so before (whereas I had not seen similar work from the other recommended custom designers).

However, he did say that he views GOG as a competitor, and it seemed to be a touchy subject.

I would strongly advise anyone with an AVC who is considering Leon to just not mention the source of the stone. Why bother? Sure he will probably recognize it or see the AVC inscription when he gets it, but since it is obviously a sensitive subject that causes his hairs to bristle, I strongly suggest not mentioning "AVC" or "GOG" in, e.g., a quote form or e-mail prior to sending him the stone.

Just my 2 cents.

Where is your pix????? You NEED to post PIXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LALove]

I just had my AVC set by Leon, though not in a halo setting. Although i was very anxious about working with him, everything turned out totally fine and I found him pleasant on the phone (if sometimes slow on e-mails). And I'm SO in love with my ring with no reservations about how it came out. It's not a pave ring, but I knew Leon was capable of executing it how I envisioned since he had sone so before (whereas I had not seen similar work from the other recommended custom designers).

However, he did say that he views GOG as a competitor, and it seemed to be a touchy subject.

I would strongly advise anyone with an AVC who is considering Leon to just not mention the source of the stone. Why bother? Sure he will probably recognize it or see the AVC inscription when he gets it, but since it is obviously a sensitive subject that causes his hairs to bristle, I strongly suggest not mentioning "AVC" or "GOG" in, e.g., a quote form or e-mail prior to sending him the stone.

Just my 2 cents.

Where is your pix????? You NEED to post PIXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes pics pics pics!!!!!! Love Street you're killing me- I think I've checked here 1000 times since yesterday (slight exaggeration lol) to see if you posted them. Your AVC is THE PERFECT stone IMHO and I can't wait to see it set!! I'm glad you had a trouble free experience w/ Leon and that you love your ring

 

[soggyfred]

Leon recently told us that it would be a 4-6 month wait to set our AVC along with what I considered to be a pretty high quote. We have decided to look elsewhere.

 

[LALove]

I can't WAIT till someone replaces that man as the 'pave god' on here.... all we need is one person with his skills and a NORMAL personality and Leon would be left with nothing in his workshop but flies.

I agree- I really want to find someone who has his talent for pave design but is professional and kind. I just cannot accept anything less from someone who I am paying big $$$ to. Super friendly isn't required but is a big plus.

To the OP- have you checked out Ocean's work or Maytal's work?

My sister is currently having a ring made by BGD and so far they have been an absolute DREAM to work with!! A dream!!!! Though their settings are not hand made like Leons, I think their work is gorgeous (and they're SO nice!!).

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I would like to add one thing as someone who has a Leon soliaire... he is such a pompous, arrogant man !! ok.. maybe two things.. what I was going to say is that, you know how we all rave and think his double claw prongs are so amazing? Well be surprised by this- I took my brother in law to purchase a stone with Yekutiel from ID Jewelery. He ended up going with him for the setting also, a double claw prong setting. In my head i was like " sure your double prongs are going to be nice but not as nice as my Leon" Boy did I eat those words. ID Jewelry's double prongs were just as good i couldn't tell the difference at all!. I am currently trying to get Leon to reset a new stone into my old setting that is a bit bigger than the old stone and I'm pretty sure he's going to be negative about it and tell me I need a whole new setting. If he does I am totally taking my ring to IDJ and getting them to mess with the head and set the new stone. hmph!

Lily, do you have photos of that ring? I don't have time to look right now but it would be helpful if we could see pics so we'd have an idea about ID Jewelry's work.

 

[Lekde]

I'm sorry that he won't set your AVC in a halo, however, I have a Leon solitaire and the quality, workmaship, and duribility is incredible. We used an OMC stone from JbEG and he was fine with it. He was never snarky or rude, and answered all of my questions with grace. With all of that being said, JbEG are two WONDERFUL women with exceptional settings and high quality craftsmanship. My husband bought my micro pave wedding band from them and it's fantastic. I am in the process of looking into a new setting for my OMC and I think I'm going the JbEG route.

Best of luck to you!

 

[katedrac]

I can't WAIT till someone replaces that man as the 'pave god' on here.... all we need is one person with his skills and a NORMAL personality and Leon would be left with nothing in his workshop but flies.

I agree- I really want to find someone who has his talent for pave design but is professional and kind. I just cannot accept anything less from someone who I am paying big $$$ to. Super friendly isn't required but is a big plus.

To the OP- have you checked out Ocean's work or Maytal's work?

My sister is currently having a ring made by BGD and so far they have been an absolute DREAM to work with!! A dream!!!! Though their settings are not hand made like Leons, I think their work is gorgeous (and they're SO nice!!).

I had my 10th anniversary upgrade done by Victor Canera. I'm still in love with it months afterwards. It's hand made and from the pieces that I saw at his shop, his pave work is impeccable. Just another option for you.

 

[LALove]

I can't WAIT till someone replaces that man as the 'pave god' on here.... all we need is one person with his skills and a NORMAL personality and Leon would be left with nothing in his workshop but flies.

I agree- I really want to find someone who has his talent for pave design but is professional and kind. I just cannot accept anything less from someone who I am paying big $$$ to. Super friendly isn't required but is a big plus.

To the OP- have you checked out Ocean's work or Maytal's work?

My sister is currently having a ring made by BGD and so far they have been an absolute DREAM to work with!! A dream!!!! Though their settings are not hand made like Leons, I think their work is gorgeous (and they're SO nice!!).

I had my 10th anniversary upgrade done by Victor Canera. I'm still in love with it months afterwards. It's hand made and from the pieces that I saw at his shop, his pave work is impeccable. Just another option for you.

Thanks katedrac!
I saw a GORGEOUS ring he made with french cuts: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/beyond-happy-my-victor-canera-french-cut-re-mount.155242/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/beyond-happy-my-victor-canera-french-cut-re-mount.155242/[/URL]

I'll have to go check out his pave..

ETA: katedrac-- I just looked up your ring and I remember seeing it back when you posted it and thinking how stunningly BEAUTIFUL it is and that the craftsmanship looked AMAZING!!!

 

[Gypsy]

Just as an FYI. This isn't the first time Leon has thrown a fit over a competitor. He hates Mark at ERD and started pulling the same crap with stones sourced by Mark.

He gave long lead times and high qoutes and was 'touchy' about Mark too.

 

[AnaSpark]

I just had my AVC set by Leon, though not in a halo setting. Although i was very anxious about working with him, everything turned out totally fine and I found him pleasant on the phone (if sometimes slow on e-mails). And I'm SO in love with my ring with no reservations about how it came out. It's not a pave ring, but I knew Leon was capable of executing it how I envisioned since he had sone so before (whereas I had not seen similar work from the other recommended custom designers).

However, he did say that he views GOG as a competitor, and it seemed to be a touchy subject.

I would strongly advise anyone with an AVC who is considering Leon to just not mention the source of the stone. Why bother? Sure he will probably recognize it or see the AVC inscription when he gets it, but since it is obviously a sensitive subject that causes his hairs to bristle, I strongly suggest not mentioning "AVC" or "GOG" in, e.g., a quote form or e-mail prior to sending him the stone.

Just my 2 cents.

LoveStreet, I've also been checking show me the bling 18x a day hoping to see your new AVC ring! PICTURES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[vintagelover229]

Leon recently told us that it would be a 4-6 month wait to set our AVC along with what I considered to be a pretty high quote. We have decided to look elsewhere.

I'm sorry to hear this but I'm not surprised.
You wouldn't be the first person who's gotten a high quote/etc to intensionally sway a client from using him. Leons done it before with projects/people he doesn't want to do/work with.

 

[Miranda]

I would like to add one thing as someone who has a Leon soliaire... he is such a pompous, arrogant man !! ok.. maybe two things.. what I was going to say is that, you know how we all rave and think his double claw prongs are so amazing? Well be surprised by this- I took my brother in law to purchase a stone with Yekutiel from ID Jewelery. He ended up going with him for the setting also, a double claw prong setting. In my head i was like " sure your double prongs are going to be nice but not as nice as my Leon" Boy did I eat those words. ID Jewelry's double prongs were just as good i couldn't tell the difference at all!. I am currently trying to get Leon to reset a new stone into my old setting that is a bit bigger than the old stone and I'm pretty sure he's going to be negative about it and tell me I need a whole new setting. If he does I am totally taking my ring to IDJ and getting them to mess with the head and set the new stone. hmph!

Lily, do you have photos of that ring? I don't have time to look right now but it would be helpful if we could see pics so we'd have an idea about ID Jewelry's work.

I second this request! I've worked with ID Jewelry in the past and can speak of their outstanding customer service (they really ARE the best), but, I'd love to see a picture of those double prongs.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I just want to point out that the advantage of going to someone such as Maytal or Leon is that you are cutting out the middleman and going straight to the bench (yes, they have bench people but they are not running a jewelry business). When you go to JBEG, 23rd St., etc., you are paying them to find you a good bench jeweler because I don't think their own employ bench people exclusively. I got one quote for stud settings from JBEG and I thought it was very high compared to what it might have been through someone like BGD. I was very pleased with the price of my daughter's wedding band by Maytal because it was in line with the average cast pieces we saw in a jewelry store and significantly less than Scott Kay. Yet it is handmade and beautifully made.

I did not find Leon's work high for what he does, because if you tried to buy settings like that in a high end store like HW, Cartier, Tiffany, you'd be paying a lot more. That is why I liked recommending him. I didn't care about personality because if someone wanted a setting he had made before, it was mostly trouble-free. He was not the one to go to if a person wanted to control the design process!

But if he is going to make beautiful pieces that cannot stand normal, careful wear, then I need to rethink recommending him. And if he is going to single out Good Old Gold because Jon was brilliant enough to have gorgeous old style stones cut for wonderful symmetry and light performance, then that is my last straw. I appreciate the H&A and the August Vintage line for their excellence as diamonds, and I did appreciate the craftsmanship done by Leon's shop (except that now I know there are some structural issues with the thin settings). It was a great combination while it lasted. But if forced to choose, my allegiance goes to Good Old Gold because the way I have been treated there with all my indecision, buying, returning, questions, etc. over the past 5 years has been nothing but excellent and kind in every way.

 

[Love Street]

It would be such a shame if he stopped setting AVCs or other vendors stones

I'm totally guessing here, but I wonder if what sets off the competitor issues are 1) how and what people are asking (and perceived seriousness of intent) and 2) his particular mood, state of business, workload, etc. - for whatever it's worth. There needs to be a primer stickied for PSers on how to approach LM... jk. Sort of. And even then it might be a crapshoot.

Wintotty, LALove, AnaSpark: That's so nice you want to see pix! I had a photoshoot this weekend so will try to get to SMTB soon! Though it's a little intimidating posting in the current swirl of LM controversy! ah well, nothing new I guess.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Love Street, I am waiting anxiously too!!! Checking over and over to see if they are there yet!!!! Please post pics!!!!