This is a review a purchase I made that was 1. never received in its loose or unset form and 2. complicated by my inability to reach the merchant to resolve the situation.
In October 2019, I made a successful purchase of three items from Kosnar Gem Company on Etsy. Unbeknownst to me, sales tax was charged to me even though I do not reside in the same state as the company. Brett offered to send me a gemstone of my choice of similar value or a higher value item provided I pay the difference. I opted for a pair of kyanites and paid a difference of $450 via Square on 10/29/19.
Brett held on to the gems as I planned to have him set them in earrings. After some minor delays in communications, we agreed on studs 11/25/2019 via Etsy message. He stated that there would be a delay in starting the project due to the holiday rush and we agreed to touch base after the new year. After this last communication, I have unable to reach him or his wife Allyce despite multiple attempts through different modalities:
1/9/2020: Message via Etsy to follow up
2/8/2020: Email requesting the stones be shipped to me, no response--at this point I was quite concerned but an acquaintance in the industry advised me to wait until the end of the month due to the Tucson Gem Show
In between 3/3 and today, I have left multiple voicemails on both Brett and Allyce's phones with a request for a call back without response. Finally, I sent another email requesting a response and/or refund by the close of business today 3/6/20.
At this point, I have no recourse to obtain a refund or the item or even leave a review and consider the money lost. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and still hope for a resolution but this is likely naivete on my part and unrealistic.
Please proceed with caution when purchasing from Kosnar Gems and don't wait like I did (in any situation really) if your gut is telling you something is off. Thank you for your time.
In October 2019, I made a successful purchase of three items from Kosnar Gem Company on Etsy. Unbeknownst to me, sales tax was charged to me even though I do not reside in the same state as the company. Brett offered to send me a gemstone of my choice of similar value or a higher value item provided I pay the difference. I opted for a pair of kyanites and paid a difference of $450 via Square on 10/29/19.
Brett held on to the gems as I planned to have him set them in earrings. After some minor delays in communications, we agreed on studs 11/25/2019 via Etsy message. He stated that there would be a delay in starting the project due to the holiday rush and we agreed to touch base after the new year. After this last communication, I have unable to reach him or his wife Allyce despite multiple attempts through different modalities:
1/9/2020: Message via Etsy to follow up
2/8/2020: Email requesting the stones be shipped to me, no response--at this point I was quite concerned but an acquaintance in the industry advised me to wait until the end of the month due to the Tucson Gem Show
In between 3/3 and today, I have left multiple voicemails on both Brett and Allyce's phones with a request for a call back without response. Finally, I sent another email requesting a response and/or refund by the close of business today 3/6/20.
At this point, I have no recourse to obtain a refund or the item or even leave a review and consider the money lost. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and still hope for a resolution but this is likely naivete on my part and unrealistic.
Please proceed with caution when purchasing from Kosnar Gems and don't wait like I did (in any situation really) if your gut is telling you something is off. Thank you for your time.