victoriouslegion
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2012
- Messages
- 33
The piece: ~45 pointer stones, 7+ carat, F/G, VS clarity eternity band. You can see the list of minimums I had for Mark prior to agreeing to moving forward in another thread I'll like, but here's a short list: no clouds, no pins, 100% eye clean, no haze, excellent cut, the list goes on and on.
The company: Engagement Rings Direct led by Mark Turnowski @ http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/
Before everything else: Caveat emptor, your mileage may vary, etc., and this was my experience, but given that I've basically hear nothing but exemplary praise of Mark, and this experience, I believe he is worthy of recommendation.
First, Mark as an operator. He was personable, and his patience was meaningful -- I told him my standards were ridiculously high, over and over and over and over again -- 5-7 times at minimum I imagine. He was unperturbed. He told me he'd hand select every diamond. He told me I'd have his focus. And, now having the piece and seeing him back his words up throughout the process, I am convinced he was, in fact, invested in letting me have a great experience. I emailed him probably 25 times in the 2.5 weeks it took to close the deal and produce the piece.
Second, research: I must have read hundreds of posts on eternity bands. Mark came up as someone reputable -- there is certainly at least one other reputable jeweler that came up more frequently, but something... something told me he was the right guy for me. Your mileage may vary, but for me, Mark somehow felt right. So I took the plunge!
Third, receiving and vetting the piece: There are some high end jewelers where I live. When I first opened the box and examined the piece Mark Turnowski had created, I thought it was beautiful. But within an hour of bringing it into other lighting conditions [I originally opened it in the kitchen], the sparkle off this ring led me to a nearly uncontrollable: oh my... oh my. But that wasn't enough; I had to compare it with goods at another high end operator.
I took the piece over to one of the most famous highest end jewelers in the area [ I live in a major metropolis area ] to do an in person comparison... and... I put Mark's creation against some of the best eternity bands they had available.
I mean it seriously: I genuinely felt Mark's piece surpassed every eternity band I reviewed noticeably. Their pieces were great, but Mark's piece really felt like it was at a different level, period. The big thing for me is a much looser definition of clarity -- I mean the ability to to simple see the beauty of the diamonds and the sheer fiery felt unrivaled. I'm, by nature, critical of diamonds -- like many Price Scopers, I've loved diamonds since I was little and studied them for years. So when I say I am pleased with how the piece compared, I really am.
I'll leave you with one other quick story from my vetting adventure. When I walked into a top jeweler, there was a fairly senior sales rep in there that within about 30 seconds of me coming into the large showroom asked to look at the ring -> indicating she had seen it across the room. But perhaps the most compelling part was that I think I may have seen a reaction on her face I'd never quite seen from what some might consider a bit of stodgy atmosphere: genuine, perhaps begrudging, admiration and awe. I doubt they are used to people walking in with pieces at this size and quality.
I am incredibly glad I went with Mark. Look, you and I, we will probably never meet in person... but if Mark delivers for you like he delivered for me, I think I'd frankly have no problems making him my jeweler for a lifetime. It's probably obvious, but I am honest to goodness incredibly pleased. Yes, yes, caveat emptor, etc./your mileage may vary, but if this experience is any indicator, Mark is potentially the best jeweler I or my family has ever worked with, period. I'd seen him recommended before, but now I can also testify to his expertise. I am so incredibly glad to have collaborated with this artisan and expert.
Oh, and here's probably even higher praise: we are working on more pieces as we speak. If we end up going and building the pieces, expect another thorough review of our experience.
Thank you Mark!!!!! Thank you LA Love and Asscher Girl for sharing about your beautiful pieces.
Pictures [ I will try to put up more and better ones later, they really fail to do the piece's beauty and fire justice. Also, I'm a guy with fairly large hands, so the ring is going to look a bit smaller than it does in person. Also, for some reason all the pictures are inverting when I'm posting them, but you can expect me to try and post some more up later:
Video... again, pardon the relatively low quality and ambient noise -- will try to post up more and better later:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6hTlP_p2f8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdaM2R4Aoj4&context=
The company: Engagement Rings Direct led by Mark Turnowski @ http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/
Before everything else: Caveat emptor, your mileage may vary, etc., and this was my experience, but given that I've basically hear nothing but exemplary praise of Mark, and this experience, I believe he is worthy of recommendation.
First, Mark as an operator. He was personable, and his patience was meaningful -- I told him my standards were ridiculously high, over and over and over and over again -- 5-7 times at minimum I imagine. He was unperturbed. He told me he'd hand select every diamond. He told me I'd have his focus. And, now having the piece and seeing him back his words up throughout the process, I am convinced he was, in fact, invested in letting me have a great experience. I emailed him probably 25 times in the 2.5 weeks it took to close the deal and produce the piece.
Second, research: I must have read hundreds of posts on eternity bands. Mark came up as someone reputable -- there is certainly at least one other reputable jeweler that came up more frequently, but something... something told me he was the right guy for me. Your mileage may vary, but for me, Mark somehow felt right. So I took the plunge!
Third, receiving and vetting the piece: There are some high end jewelers where I live. When I first opened the box and examined the piece Mark Turnowski had created, I thought it was beautiful. But within an hour of bringing it into other lighting conditions [I originally opened it in the kitchen], the sparkle off this ring led me to a nearly uncontrollable: oh my... oh my. But that wasn't enough; I had to compare it with goods at another high end operator.
I took the piece over to one of the most famous highest end jewelers in the area [ I live in a major metropolis area ] to do an in person comparison... and... I put Mark's creation against some of the best eternity bands they had available.
I mean it seriously: I genuinely felt Mark's piece surpassed every eternity band I reviewed noticeably. Their pieces were great, but Mark's piece really felt like it was at a different level, period. The big thing for me is a much looser definition of clarity -- I mean the ability to to simple see the beauty of the diamonds and the sheer fiery felt unrivaled. I'm, by nature, critical of diamonds -- like many Price Scopers, I've loved diamonds since I was little and studied them for years. So when I say I am pleased with how the piece compared, I really am.
I'll leave you with one other quick story from my vetting adventure. When I walked into a top jeweler, there was a fairly senior sales rep in there that within about 30 seconds of me coming into the large showroom asked to look at the ring -> indicating she had seen it across the room. But perhaps the most compelling part was that I think I may have seen a reaction on her face I'd never quite seen from what some might consider a bit of stodgy atmosphere: genuine, perhaps begrudging, admiration and awe. I doubt they are used to people walking in with pieces at this size and quality.
I am incredibly glad I went with Mark. Look, you and I, we will probably never meet in person... but if Mark delivers for you like he delivered for me, I think I'd frankly have no problems making him my jeweler for a lifetime. It's probably obvious, but I am honest to goodness incredibly pleased. Yes, yes, caveat emptor, etc./your mileage may vary, but if this experience is any indicator, Mark is potentially the best jeweler I or my family has ever worked with, period. I'd seen him recommended before, but now I can also testify to his expertise. I am so incredibly glad to have collaborated with this artisan and expert.
Oh, and here's probably even higher praise: we are working on more pieces as we speak. If we end up going and building the pieces, expect another thorough review of our experience.
Thank you Mark!!!!! Thank you LA Love and Asscher Girl for sharing about your beautiful pieces.
Pictures [ I will try to put up more and better ones later, they really fail to do the piece's beauty and fire justice. Also, I'm a guy with fairly large hands, so the ring is going to look a bit smaller than it does in person. Also, for some reason all the pictures are inverting when I'm posting them, but you can expect me to try and post some more up later:
Video... again, pardon the relatively low quality and ambient noise -- will try to post up more and better later:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6hTlP_p2f8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdaM2R4Aoj4&context=
So glad you love your ring, I'm so glad you chose Mark!
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