reputable jeweler in san jose

[bling]

does anyone know a really reputable dealer in san jose california. If i decide to buy my stone off the internet, but pick my setting from here, i would like to bring it to a very honest jeweler to set it, without having to worry about the ol'' switcherooo...
any suggestions out there?
is it rude to ask to watch them set the stone? just wondering...thanks!

 

[Hest88]

A bunch of people use Willow Glen Jewelers.

 

[hoorray]

Joe Escobar's is also good in Campbell. THere have been several threads recommending them here, and I bought a setting form them 10 years or so ago, and was very pleased with the quality.

Everyone has always told me it's best to know your stone through some identifying mark like a "grade maker" inclusion, although I've never asked to check it when I've picked up jewelery.

 

[shaygirl]

we just bought a new setting last weekend at Joe Escobar, I second the recommendation. I brought in a stone that I bought online and they were very cool about it (they said that they can generally match internet prices on stones, but they lose out on sales because of the tax). They had a wonderful selection of settings, and they are custom ordering something for me to my exact specifications. It will take a few weeks but should be worth it. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them, at least stop by and see the selection. We worked with Mark (I think one of Joe's sons?). Good luck!

 

[Mara]

I also recommend both Willow Glen and Joe Escobars..visited both of them when we were looking for our ring. JE has a GREAT selection of settings, better than almost any store I visited and the staff was very helpful and let me take pictures of the settings on my hands etc...WG was very small, boutiquey almost, I went there to look at their 8*s and not really for any other reason, but while their service and staff was great, personally I did not think they had a great selection of settings nor did I see anything that interested me. JE had by far the best selection of settings that appealed to me. Pricey though--many designer names.

Also JE has an online site (I think it's www.escobardiamonds.com) with alot of pictures of their settings, and also they have their stone inventory online if you want to take a look at it. Their prices are pretty good for the stones themselves, but most of their stones are only GIA certed with no Sarins so you may have to try to push harder to get information on crown/pav angles if you are interested. I was not interested in buying our stone from them..but it was interesting to check out their online inventory which supposedly matches what they have onhand in the store.

If you feel like taking a drive down the coast a bit, check out Garrett Jewelers in Aptos, CA. That is where we got our stone and had our setting custom made. Jeff Garrett is great, owns the store with his wife, and they are very personable and helpful as well. You can tell them that Greg and Mara recommended you.

Good luck..have fun searching....custom made is the way to go in my opinion if you cannot find what you want. In most cases it's cheaper than buying a 'designer' name even!

 

[bling]

That sounds great..i will go and check JE out. Thanks for the recommendations. Can i also assume from everyones rave remarks that he is trustworty...no swicheroos or anything like that... sorry..i dont mean to offend at all, but its a concern of mine. thanks again!

 

[Mara]

switching a diamond isn't common at all...it may sound like it could be easy to do or if you hear a horror story you may feel a little worried, but it's not common AND a company who did that would not be around very long at all...not to mention you'd hear about it through bad press I am sure. If you get a laser inscripted stone, that is one way to ensure you know it's your stone as you can see the inscript with a 10x loupe normally OR if you get a stone that is an SI or similar, find the inclusion with your eye so that you can readily identify your stone in the future.

 

[liltanlines]

Actually Mara,

J. Escobar just had an employee who was arrested for switching out a diamond... There was an article in the Mercury news about it.... Theres a small jeweler in San Jose called the Jewel Box Jewelers. They are in the Whole Foods Shopping Center on the corner of Hamilton and Bascom. Great Service, small and quaint! Great prices AND they have this machine that actually takes a digital image of your stone. I took my 2 1/2 ct. ring in for the prongs to be tightened, and they gave me a copy of the image of the stone. When I came in to get my ring, they took another image of it and compared the 2 images so I knew I was getting the correct stone back... It was very soothing to know... Just my 2 cents. I will not shop at JE again knowing they had someone swapping stones!

Lil

 

[MrsFrk]

The Goldsmith Gallery in Los Gatos is wonderful. Small outfit, Geoff and Richard are the owners, Geoff is a master metalsmith. Excellent work, friendly, eminently trustworthy.

I've wandered about the Jewel Box before. Never had any work done, but the staff is very friendly.