Any recommendation for craftsmanship quality as high as Leon Mege?

[Mast1120]

Hi everyone - I’d be so grateful if anyone could give me a recommendation of a custom jeweler whose quality is as good (or better!) than Leon Mege, who works in the “liquid platinum” style (Graff/Harry Winston style)

I’ve looked through lots of the threads here and seen lots of jewelers recommended, but my takeaway was that while there are lots of great jewelers who will do custom work (David Klass, Steven Kirsh, Caysie van Bebber to name a few) they either work in a very different style, or aren’t quite up to Leon Mege’s craftsmanship standard.

I tried working with Leon Mege a couple years ago and it wasn’t really a success. The workmanship was excellent, but the design just wasn’t what I had wanted or tried to communicate and I’ve learned from my mistake that I am just not able to communicate with him in a way to get the outcome I want.

I’m now finally getting ready to remake my ering (yay!) which I’ve never been happy with and I’m looking for someone who can do that same quality and style of work but who I might have better success, communicating and working with to get a result I’m actually happy with.

Any advice or recommendations from you guys would be so so very much appreciated as I really don’t want to have a disaster this second time around again.

Thank you!

 

[Bonfire]

Have you considered Victor Canera or Mytal Hannah?
I’m not sure of the look you are hoping to achieve, but these two are masters in their craft.

 

[Kim N]

I believe Victor Canera and Erika Winters have similar craftsmanship quality to LM.

 

[musicloveranthony]

You should find a jeweler who forges - no casting

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[oldcutclubmember]

What kind of a setting are you looking to create? Halo? Solitaire? 3 stone? Modern? Antique inspired? Do you have any inspo pics?

Are you ok with giving the designer a general idea and having them come up with a design in a rough sketch and hand forging? Or do you want to be able to see a specific CAD down to the .01mm and be involved in the adjustment? Do you want CAD and hand forged based on the CAD? Are you ok with CAD and cast? Perhaps CAD and cast in parts and hand assemble?

 

[lovedogs]

Definitely victor canera or meytal hannah are who came to mind for me given the aesthetic you like

 

[yssie]

What kind of a setting are you looking to create? Halo? Solitaire? 3 stone? Modern? Antique inspired? Do you have any inspo pics?

Are you ok with giving the designer a general idea and having them come up with a design in a rough sketch and hand forging? Or do you want to be able to see a specific CAD down to the .01mm and be involved in the adjustment? Do you want CAD and hand forged based on the CAD? Are you ok with CAD and cast? Perhaps CAD and cast in parts and hand assemble?

^^

 

[McLaren]

Another vote for Victor Canera.

 

[Mast1120]

Thank you for the replies, only just able to get back online now.

@Bonfire and @lovedogs thank you for the suggestions - neither VC nor MH have exactly the style I’m looking for Maytal Hannah’s work is a bit less solid and both MB and Canera’s style is a bit less “Liquid Metal” than I’m hoping for but I appreciate the recs!

@Kim N I LOVE Erica Winters but for this ring I don’t want something quite so delicate or nature-inspired (at least that’s how I see her work) but that is absolutely exactly the level of craftsmanship I am looking for, just in a different style

@musicloveranthony definitely going hand forged - all the way!!

@oldcutclubmember and @yssie I would say I don’t know enough about jewelry making/design to be at the level of giving input at the CAD level (although I totally see the benefit of having a plastic cad to look at before something gets forged - that would be amazing) but for things like whether to set side stones flush with the top or bottom of a diamond girdle ~ I just wouldn’t know what direction to give or why it should be done one way or another, so I’d need someone who would be able to tell me it should be done x way because xyz… if that makes sense? I’d like to get to that point, but I’m not there yet. I think I’m really looking to show inspiration pics and have a discussion, and then see a drawing and give some feedback on that, and maybe ask some questions (like whether to set side stones flush with the tip or bottom of the girdle and how much space you need to leave at the bottom of a diamond to get good light return, and what angle side stones need to be set at to look right from the most important perspectives etc) - and then I’d be happy for them to just do their thing!

I’m probably looking for a 3 or 5 stone ring. I’m struggling a bit with trying not to just make this a do-over of my original ring (just the way I wanted it to be) because my current ring will always be my original ering, and I also don’t want to make my current ring the “bad” version and spend a ton more money on something that is too similar - that said, I can’t get the idea of what I wanted it to be out of my head, so I’m working through that. I thought if I got recs for different jewelers I could look at their work and see incorporate their style into the new design. I’ve attached some pics of rings of Leon’s that show the style I’m thinking of - and I’ll find some non-Leon ones to include and add them tomorrow!

Thank you for all help!

EDIT: I’ve looked some more at Victor Canera and while a lot of stuff on his site is more angular or more blocky than I want, it looks like he can also work in the style I’m looking for so I will reach out to him and see if he will do custom work - I’d still love any other recommendations if they come to mind though!

 

[yssie]

Victor's style IS more angular and art deco. It just is. Liquid metal isn't his wheelhouse. I would say definitely reach out to steven kirsch. Why do you feel SK's workmanship isn't pristine - have you seen one of his pieces in-person which makes you hesitant? A friend has a threestone from him, she has eagle eyes and she's completely content several years on. (LLJsmom here on PS).

 

[Mast1120]

Victor's style IS more angular and art deco. It just is. Liquid metal isn't his wheelhouse. I would say definitely reach out to steven kirsch. Why do you feel SK's workmanship isn't pristine - have you seen one of his pieces in-person which makes you hesitant? A friend has a threestone from him, she has eagle eyes and she's completely content several years on. (LLJsmom here on PS).

Oh - thank you - I definitely will. It wasn’t that I don’t rate Steven Kirsch’s work, it was just the vibe I got from reading a lot of posts that LM was in a class of his own. But if you rate SK then that’s my answer - I will try him, because that is the style I’m looking for for this ring. THANK YOU

 

[musicloveranthony]

Oh - thank you - I definitely will. It wasn’t that I don’t rate Steven Kirsch’s work, it was just the vibe I got from reading a lot of posts that LM was in a class of his own. But if you rate SK then that’s my answer - I will try him, because that is the style I’m looking for for this ring. THANK YOU

I was looking at a recent post with one of his rings (don't want to name the person out of respect) and wasn't impressed with the metal work. I see a few blemishes and finish issues that I'm surprised made it off the bench

 

[Mast1120]

I was looking at a recent post with one of his rings (don't want to name the person out of respect) and wasn't impressed with the metal work. I see a few blemishes and finish issues that I'm surprised made it off the bench

Ayyy…. In that case I might re-pose the question to the amazing PriceScope community to see if anyone has any other thoughts about who I might reach out to. I really want this ring to be the same quality as my original, otherwise I’m going to have TWO rings that aren’t quite right!

 

[rainydaze]

I have been on here for a while, and the only ones that came to mind were the ones already posted.... and while some have, for the most part, the same level of craftsmanship, they do not have the same aesthetic. As do most of them in that class of workmanship, LM has a distinct look that is instantly recognizable as his... I have not mistaken anyone else's work for his.

The only other jeweler who came to mind is Mark Morrell - he is know for liquid metal. But his aesthetic is also different from LM's. Also, he lost his lease and stopped making his art... thought there was some talk of finding a new place. I checked recently and it did not appear he was back in business.

This is a really tough spot to be in, and I feel for you. I'm sorry your ring did not turn out to be that of your dreams. And that what you want exists with a vendor that you just don't vibe well with. It is disappointing to know what you want, but can't seem to make it work. Fingers crossed someone else does know of someone!

 

[Bonfire]

Are you looking to recreate your original vision that LM couldn’t get right or are you looking to change the style?
You know you want LM’s aesthetic of liquid platinum. You probably won’t be happy with any one else. Is it completely off the table to try again with LM or has that bridge been burned? BUT he has the artistry you want.
Seems there is going to be a trade off somewhere.
Hope you get the ring of your dreams!

 

[Mast1120]

I have been on here for a while, and the only ones that came to mind were the ones already posted.... and while some have, for the most part, the same level of craftsmanship, they do not have the same aesthetic. As do most of them in that class of workmanship, LM has a distinct look that is instantly recognizable as his... I have not mistaken anyone else's work for his.

The only other jeweler who came to mind is Mark Morrell - he is know for liquid metal. But his aesthetic is also different from LM's. Also, he lost his lease and stopped making his art... thought there was some talk of finding a new place. I checked recently and it did not appear he was back in business.

This is a really tough spot to be in, and I feel for you. I'm sorry your ring did not turn out to be that of your dreams. And that what you want exists with a vendor that you just don't vibe well with. It is disappointing to know what you want, but can't seem to make it work. Fingers crossed someone else does know of someone!

Are you looking to recreate your original vision that LM couldn’t get right or are you looking to change the style?
You know you want LM’s aesthetic of liquid platinum. You probably won’t be happy with any one else. Is it completely off the table to try again with LM or has that bridge been burned? BUT he has the artistry you want.
Seems there is going to be a trade off somewhere.
Hope you get the ring of your dreams!

Thank you for the suggestions. I can go back to LM, and try to really get across what I’m wanting and why I want it and ask for some kind of at least semi-accurate of drawing before it goes into production. And ultimately of course it’s only money. And if he is the only person who can do the Liquid Metal style to that caliber then if he doesn’t want to do a drawing I will have to decide if I want to take the risk again, because he has the right to work however he likes! It’s been really helpful to have you all weigh in on this - maybe one way of thinking of it is just to double the cost of the ring in my head and say that’s just what it costs if I want to have a ring made by him - it’ll net out a little more than if I got it from Harry Winston, and I think LM’s quality is as good if not better, so there’s that. It also makes me feel a bit better about the original ring not being right because if he is the only one who could have made it in the style I want, then his process is what it is and you take it or leave it, and it was go through that process or not have it at all! Thanks again everyone

 

[yssie]

Can you share an inspiration photo of what you’re looking for? Or what’s really important to you in terms of specific design elements? Or maybe even what you didn’t care for with the first ring and how you’d want it altered?

Having worked with Leon extensively (and happily) - I can say that he definitely does better with certain styles of information exchange than others. But I imagine that’s true of everyone. Sometimes client and vendor click really well and sometimes they don’t - that’s totally okay, but I can’t figure out if your last project was unsuccessful because of client-vendor-not-clicking or an easily mitigated communications style thing…

 

[LLJsmom]

Lemme just say Harry Winston’s work isn’t that great, IMHO. The height of settings and proportions of side stones aren’t that perfect. I’ve tried on a decent selection of their rings. I have found the stones set too high and without the curve and swoopiness that I see in LM or SK. I would much prefer LM or SK.

 

[LALove]

Hi- I’ve seen in person and in detail or owned rings from CVB, Maytal, Leon and Steven. I love my relationship with Caysie- she’s so easy to work with and I’ve been very happy with her work - which has all been vintage style. Maytal’s work was very good but not in the same category of Leon. Of these 4, I can say Steven’s craftsmanship, including proportions, height etc are in the same league as Leon, IMO of course.