Frustrating reset visit!

[Lottie]

I am in the process of resetting my little oval and I wanted to blend two rings into one. I have a pretty good idea in my head of what I want - thread for this is here if you are interested

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/paging-pregcurious.164336/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/paging-pregcurious.164336/[/URL]

I went to a local jewellers and he had lots of really beautiful rings in a kind of polished wave design with stones bezel set into them and I thought Perfect! He and I will be right on the same page! So I called him and explained what I was hoping for, but when I got there and showed him the rings I liked and my rings (white gold - I wanted it unplated so that its that beautiful creamy colour - which a lot of the rings in his shop were and they were all made by him). He literally ignored everything I said and told me what he was really into at the moment which is really heavily textured yellow gold, with a white gold bezel cup on top of the ring holding the diamond.

He then said (despite the fact that I did tell him that I am keeping my original wedding ring) that instead of making one ring he would harvest all of the diamonds from my rings including my wedding ring and make three rings which would look fantastic stacked together. After lots of oh yesses and how lovelies he showed me a photo similar to the engagement ring he had decided to make me - it had a 1.5-2ct radiant diamond set into it which looked amazing but is completely incomparable to my 0.51 oval. That radiant would have looked incredible even if it was mounted with superglue onto the edge of a bale of hay.

He was a really nice guy, really chatty and clearly very passionate about his craft, his rings were lovely but it was the biggest and smoothest bulldozing I have ever received! - I even said at one point "hmm, the rough choppy texture is nice but what I really want is the lovely smooth texture you have on the inside of the ring all over my ring" I may as well have said "please disregard anything I am saying, my head is full of shaving foam". His prices were quite reasonable too, especially as he has decided that I am buying yellow gold and keeping my white gold for another day - which obviously with gold prices the way they are is madness!

The worst part though, is that now I have to ring him and tell him that I loved his ideas but they are not for me - any volounteers?

 

[cookies]

This jeweler is not a good match for your project. Don't feel bad. Since you don't like the style of his jewelry, it is unlikely that you will go back there anyway..

 

[ame]

Just so long as he doesn't start ordering anything in or starting anything for you!

 

[Lottie]

Just so long as he doesn't start ordering anything in or starting anything for you!

That would be awkward! He takes a 60% deposit and signed contract before starting anything and I did say I wanted to speak to Mr L before confirming or paying/signing anything. I'll ring him when the shop opens and explain why I am not going ahead.

 

[susimoo]

Lottie, that sucks!!
I hate when you think you have found a suitable vendor and then they just turn out to be not such a good fit.
I am sure you will find someone to make your beautiful oval even more fabulous!!!

Ps If you want a laugh, I moved from the Uk to Australia in June. I have been thinking about resetting my RB and didn't have time before the move so checked out a few jewellers here with varying degrees of disinterest. The worst one I had to make an appointment to see and I explained my vision, maybe 3 stone but with an art deco vibe - definitely don't want a halo. Not that i don't like halo's, I love them, just not on me.
So he spent the next 10 minutes googling, yes, googling halo's.
I let him ramble them politely excused my self and left. I will be a solitaire girl for evermore after that experience. I'll just have to grow it again!!!

 

[rubybeth]

Ugh, I feel for you, I wouldn't go back or call if I were you. I had a similar experience when I brought a colored stone to verify its measurement so I could order a white gold blingy halo setting from eBay, and the salesperson showed me all of the plain yellow gold settings they could order for me (which were twice as expensive as my eBay find) even after I told her what I was planning on doing.

 

[ame]

I also would not bother contacting him.

 

[Amys Bling]

Awkward. Better for everyone involved if you move on from them.

 

[JewelFreak]

Aaargh, annoying waste of time, eh? That's what gets me -- in addition to complete bewilderment at how often vendors do not listen to their customers. It's so darned basic. Especially when, as you did, they say, "I want XXX," a practical do-able thing. How hard is that? Very, I guess. Good thing you discovered his one-track enthusiasm before you plunked down 60%!

On to the next one -- you'll be doubly happy with what you get!

--- Laurie

 

[Circe]

Oy, Lottie, that stinks! Though I do have to admit, I snickered a little at the descriptions you and Susimoo gave - classic examples of craftsmen off on some weird trip of their own. It's natural for an artist, but if they want to be good businessmen, they need to learn to listen to their clientele! They can follow the Muse with original designs (or, once they get famous enough, 24/7).

Who do you think your second choice will be?

 

[Lottie]

Lottie, that sucks!!
I hate when you think you have found a suitable vendor and then they just turn out to be not such a good fit.
I am sure you will find someone to make your beautiful oval even more fabulous!!!

Ps If you want a laugh, I moved from the Uk to Australia in June. I have been thinking about resetting my RB and didn't have time before the move so checked out a few jewellers here with varying degrees of disinterest. The worst one I had to make an appointment to see and I explained my vision, maybe 3 stone but with an art deco vibe - definitely don't want a halo. Not that i don't like halo's, I love them, just not on me.
So he spent the next 10 minutes googling, yes, googling halo's.
I let him ramble them politely excused my self and left. I will be a solitaire girl for evermore after that experience. I'll just have to grow it again!!!

I can't believe he started googling them! Wouldn't it be great if there was an international list of vendors we have used and would recommend?

 

[Lottie]

I am surprised at how common not listening to consumers is, especially with something as personal as jewellery.

I did ring him back and said that both myself and Mr L were very sure that whatever was made had to go with my wedding ring........................big silence (probably imagining his soul drying up for being forced to work with my w ring)................and then he said fine, no problem. He was clearly not going to change his mind on what he wanted to make but was very nice so thats that.

As far as what to do next I am not sure, I live in the UK in a rural part of the country so my options are somewhat limited - I envy you guys so much for having all the PS vendors at your fingertips. I will probably google the independant jewellers in my area with a workshop on site and go and visit a few.

In the meantime I am in contact with Jeff at Whites Gems re a yellow step cut stone that I can have bezel set so if the reset goes on hold while I am looking at least I am still feeding the monster!

 

[ame]

I have to agree with the above sentiment about people not listening to their customers. I am pretty explicit with my direction, and I won't just settle. It actually infuriates me when my direction is ignored or discounted. Because if it's not done as per the direction I give, you're just going to have to redo it. That wastes time for both of us, and reduces my opinion of you and your competency and costs you potential projects with me. I also think that the major manufacturers, Flyer, SimonG, Vatche, etc., should be selling a loupe - perfect products. All the diamonds in their pave, all their metal work, EVERYTHING should be loupe perfect. And higher than 10x even. Set the standard. Impress your customers.

 

[pregcurious]

Hi Lottie, sorry to hear about your resetting woes. Is there anyway you could make a trip into an area with more jewelers? I think it is worth it for the perfect setting. I am still struggling with mine.

 

[Gypsy]

I've had to let down vendors. I normally (truthfully, but you can use it too) just tell them that I have decided on a different vendor for the project who I think is a better fit, and I appreciate their time. That's it. Or, if they are rude, just don't call them at all.

 

[Pandora II]

Lottie, any chance you can go to London? Or can you give me a rough idea of which county you are in?

I have a great benchperson here who does beautiful custom work at reasonable prices and is happy to use your own stones. I might be able to find the name of someone in your area via a private gem forum I belong to here.

 

[JewelFreak]

I have a great benchperson here who does beautiful custom work at reasonable prices and is happy to use your own stones.

Good God, Pandora, that makes me want to stuff my stones into my pocket & hop a plane from N. Carolina this afternoon! No such stellar finds around here!

--- Laurie

 

[Lottie]

Lottie, any chance you can go to London? Or can you give me a rough idea of which county you are in?

I have a great benchperson here who does beautiful custom work at reasonable prices and is happy to use your own stones. I might be able to find the name of someone in your area via a private gem forum I belong to here.

Pandora thank you thats really, really kind of you and I would be very grateful for any recommendation. We do pop up to London every now and again - we are taking N & H to the Natural History Museum at the beginning of Feb next year. We live in Devon so its a bit of a hike but nothing too terrible.

Pregcurious I am so sorry that you are so unhappy with your setting, doesn't it just play on your mind when something is not right?


I feel that I am becoming the woman who does a lot of thinking and not a lot of doing - I veer back and forth on what I want to do but I really want to do something with my rings, I do have my other set which I am really happy with but I love a project and it would be great to turn these rings into something I loved.