shape
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Mona (Instagram: moissy_diamond_jewelry) formerly fr. Starsgem

tpl001

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 11, 2019
Messages
57
I will! I remember that post too and when I mentioned it she said fine I could send it back to get a replacement. Well when I suggested she sends a new stone, I get it set at a local jeweler and mail the old stone back to her she didn’t reply for 5 hours then sent me a message saying “sorry for the late reply” but didn’t address any actual messages I sent lol. So I messaged her again asking about it and she didn’t even open the message at all. Real shame because I was going to order my wedding bands, a ring for my man and I was hoping to get earrings but I don’t feel comfortable ordering from her anymore and I just hope she doesn’t treat anyone else this way. I’ll ask one more time Sunday evening when it’s rheir Monday and if she doesn’t respond then I’m going to go ahead and get PayPal to step in. The only issue is she didn’t break down the individual costs on the invoice so I don’t know how that’ll work. Maybe a 40% refund or partial refund? Maybe she’ll reply once I open a dispute.
@baileydare16 I am so sorry about your stone color. The ring and the cut is gorgeous though. Maybe you can estimate the cost of the stone based on her etsy price. I think Mona should honor her promise of replacement. I think she said something about replacement promise on her IG. This make me rethink my second project with Mona.
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
Well after I sent her that long message threatening s PayPal dispute she went ahead and replied. She said she’ll order me a new one tomorrow when the factory is open then she told me it’s “not a big problem” and to have a nice weekend. So hopefully she orders a new stone and I can get this old one replaced :D
 

sd_flp

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 24, 2019
Messages
653
Well after I sent her that long message threatening s PayPal dispute she went ahead and replied. She said she’ll order me a new one tomorrow when the factory is open then she told me it’s “not a big problem” and to have a nice weekend. So hopefully she orders a new stone and I can get this old one replaced :D
I’m going to cross my fingers for you. I hope everything works out and you get the stone you want!!!

I’m being cautiously optimistic, but I’m glad that she was able to work with you. Thanks for keeping us all in the loop!
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
0740170F-D175-41CA-8544-DCF6068798A8.jpeg 4AD480B9-44CE-4F55-9C10-7B25280B19AD.jpeg

The stone is very much a chameleon which I’m thankful for. It’s facing up really white here at the beach, it’s the whitest I’ve seen it look. The cut is to die for. It still shows a lot of yellow/warmth from the side though. I hope whatever stone she gets cut looks exactly like this one.
 

miafab

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Messages
60
0740170F-D175-41CA-8544-DCF6068798A8.jpeg 4AD480B9-44CE-4F55-9C10-7B25280B19AD.jpeg
The stone is very much a chameleon which I’m thankful for. It’s facing up really white here at the beach, it’s the whitest I’ve seen it look. The cut is to die for. It still shows a lot of yellow/warmth from the side though. I hope whatever stone she gets cut looks exactly like this one.

I know you were looking for a white stone, but man, that one's to die for! I would keep it in a heartbeat :kiss2:
The more I look at it, the more I like it
 

cressyrose

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
38
0740170F-D175-41CA-8544-DCF6068798A8.jpeg 4AD480B9-44CE-4F55-9C10-7B25280B19AD.jpeg

The stone is very much a chameleon which I’m thankful for. It’s facing up really white here at the beach, it’s the whitest I’ve seen it look. The cut is to die for. It still shows a lot of yellow/warmth from the side though. I hope whatever stone she gets cut looks exactly like this one.

It really is such a beautiful stone! I ordered a custom GH from Mona a little while ago, as well - I hope mine turns out just as pretty as yours! ::)

(Also, I'm losing count of how many pieces I've been ordering from Mona/Starsgem/Tianyu. Anyone else like me?)
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
:lol:
I know you were looking for a white stone, but man, that one's to die for! I would keep it in a heartbeat :kiss2:
The more I look at it, the more I like it
I would love to keep it but the color difference between the center stone and side stones is super noticeable in just about every light except the one I got pics in lol. I think it would make a lovely plain solitaire. Mona isn’t going to lose any money because someone messaged me saying they want to buy this stone when I return it and they’re arranging it with Mona. So everyone wins :D
 

miafab

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Messages
60
:lol:
I would love to keep it but the color difference between the center stone and side stones is super noticeable in just about every light except the one I got pics in lol. I think it would make a lovely plain solitaire. Mona isn’t going to lose any money because someone messaged me saying they want to buy this stone when I return it and they’re arranging it with Mona. So everyone wins :D

Finally! That's great that everything has worked out! I'm so glad for you and I hope the next stone is perfection ;-)
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
So I got a quote from a local bench jeweler that has experience working with moissanite. They want $140 to switch the stones out and Rodiun plate it. I think I should get to keep the old stone for this massive mistake and try to sell it to recoup the costs. What do you guys think? Between paying for shipping the stone back and the jeweler it’s going to be almost $180 out of my pocket for this..
Jeweler said it’s $70 to switch the stones out and $78 for rodium plating which is just their flat fee. There aren’t any other decent bench jewelers around here, most outsource their work
 
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kb1gra

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 6, 2012
Messages
1,118
So I got a quote from a local bench jeweler that has experience working with moissanite. They want $140 to switch the stones out and Rodiun plate it. I think I should get to keep the old stone for this massive mistake and try to sell it to recoup the costs. What do you guys think? Between paying for shipping the stone back and the jeweler it’s going to be almost $180 out of my pocket for this..
Jeweler said it’s $70 to switch the stones out and $78 for rodium plating which is just their flat fee. There aren’t any other decent bench jewelers around here, most outsource their work
That's way steep for replating. I've never paid more than $30. The $70 for the stone setting sounds fair, though.
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
That's way steep for replating. I've never paid more than $30. The $70 for the stone setting sounds fair, though.
That’s what I was quoted. Either way I’m pretty pissed about this entire situation and being our money because of Mona’s mistake. She’s arguing with me so I just opened up a PayPal dispute and told her she can deal with it there because I’m tired of dealing with her. I strongly suggest people do not buy anything from her and take your business elsewhere.
 

cressyrose

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
38
So I got a quote from a local bench jeweler that has experience working with moissanite. They want $140 to switch the stones out and Rodiun plate it. I think I should get to keep the old stone for this massive mistake and try to sell it to recoup the costs. What do you guys think? Between paying for shipping the stone back and the jeweler it’s going to be almost $180 out of my pocket for this..
Jeweler said it’s $70 to switch the stones out and $78 for rodium plating which is just their flat fee. There aren’t any other decent bench jewelers around here, most outsource their work

How about you send back the ring and have her switch the stones? You'll be shipping either way and she won't charge you extra?
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
How about you send back the ring and have her switch the stones? You'll be shipping either way and she won't charge you extra?
Because I don’t really trust shipping into China and she said herself it was risky. If anything happened to it then I’d be out $800. Also the way she has treated me tonight has REALLY broken my trust with her. At this point I just want a refund for the stone and to take my business elsewhere. It’s been an absolutely nightmare.
but I can’t ask for the stone refund because Mona won’t even tell me what the original stone cost.
 
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cressyrose

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
38
I've worked with Chinese clients before (which required lots of shipping) and things were always fine!! I think if you choose a reputable service with a solid tracking system you should be good :)

It's strange that Mona won't tell you the cost of the stone, though?
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
I've worked with Chinese clients before (which required lots of shipping) and things were always fine!! I think if you choose a reputable service with a solid tracking system you should be good :)

It's strange that Mona won't tell you the cost of the stone, though?
She’s been extremely sketchy and I just don’t feel comfortable sending this ring back. She still denies anything is wrong with the first stone. Then she told me I was making things complicated. Then accused me of just wanting a free ring and she said I’m the only person that’s ever complained about a stone from her. Not to mention it was absolute heck to get her to even agree to cut a new stone in the first place. It’s been the worst customer service experience I’ve ever had.
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
Okay well she just messaged me...
She’s agreed to replace the stone and pay the cost of having it reset locally if I send the old stone back and take my mean comments off pricescope
she also said she will not do business like me anymore.
 

miafab

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Messages
60
Okay well she just messaged me...
She’s agreed to replace the stone and pay the cost of having it reset locally if I send the old stone back and take my mean comments off pricescope
she also said she will not do business like me anymore.

So she's sending you a new stone in a whiter color and will pay the cost of having it reset locally?
I would expect she would want the old stone back, I would too if I was the seller.
This seems like a very good compromise to me.
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
So she's sending you a new stone in a whiter color and will pay the cost of having it reset locally?
I would expect she would want the old stone back, I would too if I was the seller.
This seems like a very good compromise to me.
It’s a good compromise now but it’s taken over a week of back and forth to get to this point and it only happened after I opened a PayPal dispute. I think getting to this point has been ridiculously difficult and she insulted me lol this is supposed to be my engagement ring and this entire experience has just been stressful and nightmarish. I’ve cried over it several times. I just hope nobody else has to go through it
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
18,018
It’s a good compromise now but it’s taken over a week of back and forth to get to this point and it only happened after I opened a PayPal dispute. I think getting to this point has been ridiculously difficult and she insulted me lol this is supposed to be my engagement ring and this entire experience has just been stressful and nightmarish. I’ve cried over it several times. I just hope nobody else has to go through it
Exactly. This should have been offered by her from the beginning. Not only after a dispute
 

FutureChocolateMLK

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 11, 2018
Messages
1,072
It’s a good compromise now but it’s taken over a week of back and forth to get to this point and it only happened after I opened a PayPal dispute. I think getting to this point has been ridiculously difficult and she insulted me lol this is supposed to be my engagement ring and this entire experience has just been stressful and nightmarish. I’ve cried over it several times. I just hope nobody else has to go through it

I cannot believe she insulted you like that. I’d be pissed too! I’d also get a full refund, leave my comments up, and take my business to Stars Gem. Just my opinion though!
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
I cannot believe she insulted you like that. I’d be pissed too! I’d also get a full refund, leave my comments up, and take my business to Stars Gem. Just my opinion though!
She’s already cut another stone and said she would pay to have it re-set locally so I’m just going to go with it. I wanted a full refund but she isn’t interested in that and I’m tired of this dragging on lol I just want it over and done with
 

sd_flp

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 24, 2019
Messages
653
She’s already cut another stone and said she would pay to have it re-set locally so I’m just going to go with it. I wanted a full refund but she isn’t interested in that and I’m tired of this dragging on lol I just want it over and done with
I’ve been following your posts and I’ve refrained from commenting because I couldn’t find the right words. I just wanted to say that I feel really bad about the whole situation. :(2 I hope everything gets fixed and you can finally move on from this.
 

cressyrose

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
38
I think we have to remember that Mona is a person, not just a seller. She probably also felt insulted after being told that you wanted both the old stone and the new stone. It's great that she offered to compromise.

Working with Mona will always be a little different from working with Starsgem. Starsgem employees are just employees, so they're not as invested in their work. Mona runs her own thing, so she'll put herself personally into her business. That's what makes her especially lovely to work with when things are going well, but that probably also results in her responding more strongly to complaints.

All in all, I'm glad things are settling! I hope you love your new stone!!
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
I think we have to remember that Mona is a person, not just a seller. She probably also felt insulted after being told that you wanted both the old stone and the new stone. It's great that she offered to compromise.

Working with Mona will always be a little different from working with Starsgem. Starsgem employees are just employees, so they're not as invested in their work. Mona runs her own thing, so she'll put herself personally into her business. That's what makes her especially lovely to work with when things are going well, but that probably also results in her responding more strongly to complaints.

All in all, I'm glad things are settling! I hope you love your new stone!!
Thank you! I know she’s more personally invested in her business but that’s why I expected her to handle things much better than the other companies. It was handled in the worst possible way and it’s not good business practice to call your customers liars. Hopefully the new stone is better
 

Ra2nl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
236
She’s already cut another stone and said she would pay to have it re-set locally so I’m just going to go with it. I wanted a full refund but she isn’t interested in that and I’m tired of this dragging on lol I just want it over and done with

I just want to say i'm not speaking on behalf of or for Mona. I'm not here to offend or judge anyone especially not @baileydare16! This is just my own opinion. English is not my native language so excuse me for my words,grammar and long story.


You're not happy with the color of your main stone. You expected something different and it's your good right to speak to Mona about this. If i ordered something, i want to receive that too!
In your case Mona said there was nothing wrong with your stone. Going back and forth on the chat, Mona told you to send the ring back to her for a replacement. You don't want to send the ring back because you're afraid the ring might get lost.

So you offer Mona to send you a replacement stone and you will pay for a local bench jeweler to have it reset and then send back the old stone at your cost.
When you heard how much your local jeweler was asking for reset and re-dip (too much indeed) you want to keep the old stone to sell it and keep the cost low. Don't get me wrong, it's a very generous offer from you!
I understand you don't want to spend too much for replacement but the less expensive way is sending back to her(for both sides)
You should have ask your jeweler for a quote before you offer this solution to her. She already agreed with your terms and then you changed your mind.
Maybe that's why she thought you want a free ring?
I think this situation might have been different if you have talked to her on the phone (besides the language barrier and i don't know how well she speaks english) Sometimes people can pick up your writing different than what you really mean. Maybe my writing at the moment too.
Mona is running a small business and have to buy stones from other companies unlike Tianyu, Starsgem or Provence so letting you keep the stone will cost her more.
One thing i don't understand is that at a certain moment you want to have a full refund but she wasn't interested.
How do you want to deliver the ring back to China? You weren't comfortable with sending it back.

I think this whole situation was very stressful for both of you. I hope you will receive your stone soon and get the ring you wanted and Mona has learned how to handle such cases for the future.
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
I just want to say i'm not speaking on behalf of or for Mona. I'm not here to offend or judge anyone especially not @baileydare16! This is just my own opinion. English is not my native language so excuse me for my words,grammar and long story.


You're not happy with the color of your main stone. You expected something different and it's your good right to speak to Mona about this. If i ordered something, i want to receive that too!
In your case Mona said there was nothing wrong with your stone. Going back and forth on the chat, Mona told you to send the ring back to her for a replacement. You don't want to send the ring back because you're afraid the ring might get lost.

So you offer Mona to send you a replacement stone and you will pay for a local bench jeweler to have it reset and then send back the old stone at your cost.
When you heard how much your local jeweler was asking for reset and re-dip (too much indeed) you want to keep the old stone to sell it and keep the cost low. Don't get me wrong, it's a very generous offer from you!
I understand you don't want to spend too much for replacement but the less expensive way is sending back to her(for both sides)
You should have ask your jeweler for a quote before you offer this solution to her. She already agreed with your terms and then you changed your mind.
Maybe that's why she thought you want a free ring?
I think this situation might have been different if you have talked to her on the phone (besides the language barrier and i don't know how well she speaks english) Sometimes people can pick up your writing different than what you really mean. Maybe my writing at the moment too.
Mona is running a small business and have to buy stones from other companies unlike Tianyu, Starsgem or Provence so letting you keep the stone will cost her more.
One thing i don't understand is that at a certain moment you want to have a full refund but she wasn't interested.
How do you want to deliver the ring back to China? You weren't comfortable with sending it back.

I think this whole situation was very stressful for both of you. I hope you will receive your stone soon and get the ring you wanted and Mona has learned how to handle such cases for the future.
At one point if I was sending it back for a full refund I wouldn’t be worried because it’s not my ring anymore and I don’t expect it to return safely to me. If I sent the ring back for repairs that’s 100% on me and if something happened to the package or it got lost then I’m now out $800+. When I first told her I would get it set here and cover the costs it was before I knew how much it was going to cost and then she wanted me to cover shipping as well. It really rubbed me wrong that I would be out almost another $200 for a mistake I didn’t make. What really really rubs me wrong about this entire situation is from day 1 Mona has told me I’m completely wrong. She has never owned up to or admitted the stone is warm. She told me I should have set it in yellow gold so it would match better then told me she did the best she could for this price point. When I told her I’ve compared my cushion to other sizeable cushions in GH and that mine looks yellow and other people have agreed, she also said they were all wrong. She has fought me tooth and nail from the very beginning. Then she flat out said I’m a liar and she would never “do business like me” again. Mona is also the one that said I could ship it back to China but “at much risk”. Doesn’t really give me much confidence. I think it all would have gone over much more smoothly if she had just agreed and sent a new stone in the first place instead of calling me a liar and dragging it out so long. And as for what the jeweler quoted me, I thought it was high too and I told Mona I would take it to the other bench jeweler in town to get a quote but she said “No need, thanks”. :???:
 

baileydare16

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
145
All of that being said I’m not going to go out of my way to discourage people from buying anything from Mona. Maybe she’s learned how to handle these situations better, maybe it’s just growing pains since it’s a new business. I don’t wish any ill-will towards her but I did want to share my experience. I will keep you guys updated when I get the new stone which I’m hoping is cut just as nicely as the currently stone :D
 
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