How difficult is Leon Mege to work with??

[CaliBling]

I am seriously considering commissioning Leon to make my ring when we are ready to move forward. I am pretty certain that I will have Mark at ERD find my cushion for me (somewhere in the 2-2.5 carat range), but am torn as to whether I should use him to create my setting or have Leon do it? I keep going back to Leon''s work and am so impressed, but I have read such mixed reviews about his personality. My BF has a strong personality (the CEO of his own company) so he likes things to go his way, and working with Leon may be a little difficult, as I think that he has a very "whatever I say goes attitude"...I will likely only provide my BF the resources and lead him in the right direction, but the majority of the "project" will be handled by him. So, here are my choices:

1. Have Mark find the stone and design my ring
2. Have Mark find the stone and have Leon Design the ring
3. Have Mark find the stone and commission Leon for me- but I would still lilke to see his books before making final decision.

Any info- good or bad??

I have read through most of all the search threads and it made me even that much more confused!!

Thanks all!!

 

[mrssalvo]

I have always found Leon to be very friendly and nice. That said, he is not a build to print benchman, he's a designer. So, if there is a setting on his site or something along the same style that you would want him to make then I don't think you'd have a problem. if you want to present a powerpoint with exact mm measurements, pave requirements etc, then Leon probably would not be a good match. With Leon, there might be a sketch, but there will be no cad/cam, pictures of the progress etc for you and/or your BF's input. You have to love his artistic flaire and really trust his eye for design. If you or he can't do that, I'd pass on Leon. but, personally, i trust his experience and knowledge over what will really look fabulous much more than my own opinion so I'd have no problem just handing over the stone giving him a rough idea of what I want and letting him do his thing.

oh and I'd go with #2- have mark find the stone and then work with Leon yourself.

 

[bem3231]

Leon is currently setting my stone now. In my experience, he has been extremely friendly, open and accommodating. I think that he gets painted with a bad rap as a temperamental ''artiste'' - that has not been my experience with him at all.

 

[sera]

I''m with mrssalvo... I would have Mark pick the cushion and Leon do the design. I had contacted him via email about a setting. The only reason I did not go with him was because I preferred to go with someone local to make a pave setting that I would be wearing everyday (in case stones pop out). I love his work and would not have a problem (as picky as I am) to explain what I wanted based on his other rings and trust his expertise.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I personally have never worked with Leon, but after reading all of the wonderful posts hailing his craftsman ship, I''ve been considering commisioning him to do a piece at some point down the road...

But, there are also a lot of people whom do peg him for being a bit of an "artiste" and difficult.

I think if you''re in love with his work thats a very important place to start, and that alone should provide you with comfort in moving forward.

Oh...and I vote #2

 

[UCLABelle]

I would personally trust Leon Mege, and had contacted him about creating a new setting for my old, three-stone ring.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have also found him to be very nice! The person who will work well with him is someone who appreciates his work and can point to pictures on his site and say, "I''d like one like this one". Then you tell him your stone size, he gives you a quote, you send him your stone, you sign an agreement for what you want, and that''s it. Someone who wants to completely design their own ring and use him as the benchman is not probably the best way to go. If you like the styles he makes and want a similar one, then there should be no issues at all.

 

[Kaleigh]

I''d have Mark find you the stone. Mark has done work with Leon in the past, so perhaps he can pave the way for you in the design process?? I have worked with Leon. He''s a great guy. But he will be flat out about what will work and what won''t. So as long as the design isn''t too far out there desgin wise, your FI should be fine. He''s a master craftsman, and tells it like it is. I''d rather have that, than someone that leads you on, and then produces something you aren''t happy with. I hope this helps, good luck!!!

 

[Harriet]

Not difficult. He re-set my diamond last summer and I'll be going back for more this year.

 

[CaliBling]

Oh, thank you for the feedback! This is what I was hoping to hear, as I just love his work and its likely that I will just look through his stuff and say "that one"! Can someone describe the experience?? For example the first meeting? How much time did he spend with you? Does he have any rings there? Does he have plenty of other rings not on his website in books or catalogues, and more importantly- How long is the wait?? He gave me a quote of $4500-$5200 on one of his designs...is this about the average for him?

Thank you so much in advance for your help!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Harriet went to visit him in person, but many of us do the whole thing over the phone and email. The quote depends so much on the individual ring, but the ones with pave or sidestones seem to often run in that range. The plain platinum settings are much less.

There is likely a thread on the forum that tells Harriet''s experience. She went with the classic solitaire, but it is very beautiful!

 

[mrssalvo]

there was a poster named fanboy who worked with Leon locally. he was trying to decide between going with well known design houses or Leon. in the end, he chose Leon.. here''s his thread and I believe he details his meetings with him..

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-shocking-twist-fanboy-goes-with-leon-and-a-halo.64370/

from what others have said, Leon''s place is a workshop, so it''s not all posh like a jewelry store. he does so you rings that he''s working on and does have books with pictures that go way beyond what he posts on his site. You''d be one of the lucky ones to work with him locally, most here do the whole thing long distance.

 

[bem3231]

Date: 1/26/2008 12:07:58 AM
Author: CaliBling
Oh, thank you for the feedback! This is what I was hoping to hear, as I just love his work and its likely that I will just look through his stuff and say ''that one''! Can someone describe the experience?? For example the first meeting? How much time did he spend with you? Does he have any rings there? Does he have plenty of other rings not on his website in books or catalogues, and more importantly- How long is the wait?? He gave me a quote of $4500-$5200 on one of his designs...is this about the average for him?


Thank you so much in advance for your help!

Although I do not live in NYC (I live in Canada, actually), I met with Leon twice leading up to creating the work order for my setting. Both times were right before Christmas and so it was a very busy time for him and I did not want to take up more of his time than necessary. No, he did not have rings to look at in person, and no, he did not offer anything by way of a catalogue of his work. As previously mentioned, his ''shop'' is a studio space / workshop. He has an office that he uses for meetings with clients. In my experience he was reticent to provide photos of past work just because he says he had thousands of photos and to sort through them all is too time consuming. When we were discussing a particular design element he did go and download an example to show me and provided me with a printed copy of it. I am doing a ''custom'' setting which combines elements of a few of his designs without being an exact replica. We have chatted and e-mailed since then to firm up specific details of the ring. He is very pleasant and accommodating to deal with over the phone.

One thing that I would suggest is to familiarize yourself with the basics of what you want and the related terminology prior to meeting with or chatting with him. Know whether you want a cathedral or solid raised shank or otherwise, know if you want millegrain and what that is, etc., have a sense of what kind of pave you would like (he has nine different kinds of pave listed on his work orders). Have examples of style numbers from his catalogue that display elements that you like (ie: "I like the kind of pave used in r939, I like the detail on the head on r478", etc.). Know the terminology for the different parts of the ring (he has a schematic drawing with associated terms on his website. These are just suggestions based on my experience.

I would say that the quote that he provided you with is about right for something involving pave. The timeframe that he gave me is 5 weeks.

Let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

When I was planning a project and contacted Leon, he could not have been more pleasant or helpful. Emails were returned almost immediately and he was quite charming. Very direct and I felt like I''d know exactly what to expect.

I wouldn''t hesitate!

Jen

 

[CaliBling]

Thank you ALL so much! I really do feel much more at ease, and we are in Boston...so its only about a 2.5 train ride over.

BEM3231- I am definetly going to familiarize myself a bit more, especially if he has that info you suggested on his website...9 different types of Pave!! Wow...

I am so excited, even thought its still a ways away, I at least have a solid game plan now! Thanks ladies!

CaliBling

 

[sna77]

Date: 1/26/2008 7:41:39 PM
Author: CaliBling
Thank you ALL so much! I really do feel much more at ease, and we are in Boston...so its only about a 2.5 train ride over.

BEM3231- I am definetly going to familiarize myself a bit more, especially if he has that info you suggested on his website...9 different types of Pave!! Wow...

I am so excited, even thought its still a ways away, I at least have a solid game plan now! Thanks ladies!

CaliBling

hey, we''re in Boston too... Where do you guys live? FI and I live in Brookline....

Interesting... I wonder what he charges for the platinum martini settigns (if you siupply the 2 stones)? I''m buying a pair of studs for my FI at White flash... I had planned on going with the WF hand made martini setting (no longer on their site, but they''ll make them)... I just check out Leon Mege''s site, and saw his martini settings... they look amazing...
here''s the settings on his site... these look like they sit REALLY close to your ear... no drooping at all:

 

[CrookedRock]

Hey Cali.. I'm in the process of doing a ring with Leon right now too. My conversations with him have been very friendly, and even somewhat funny. I actually like him a lot. I have not gotten to discussing price yet though... Do you mind sharing what setting it was he gave you the quote for? I would like to gather a ball park range for what to expect...

 

[dani13]

Sna77-

Re: Leon's studs, you may find this thread interesting: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-earrings.58933/

What size are you shooting for for your FI's studs? Leon's martini's look amazing....

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 1/26/2008 8:30:58 PM
Author: sna77

Date: 1/26/2008 7:41:39 PM
Author: CaliBling
Thank you ALL so much! I really do feel much more at ease, and we are in Boston...so its only about a 2.5 train ride over.

BEM3231- I am definetly going to familiarize myself a bit more, especially if he has that info you suggested on his website...9 different types of Pave!! Wow...

I am so excited, even thought its still a ways away, I at least have a solid game plan now! Thanks ladies!

CaliBling

hey, we''re in Boston too... Where do you guys live? FI and I live in Brookline....

Interesting... I wonder what he charges for the platinum martini settigns (if you siupply the 2 stones)? I''m buying a pair of studs for my FI at White flash... I had planned on going with the WF hand made martini setting (no longer on their site, but they''ll make them)... I just check out Leon Mege''s site, and saw his martini settings... they look amazing...

here''s the settings on his site... these look like they sit REALLY close to your ear... no drooping at all:

As far as I know, no one has reported the price of just the martini settings. Someone here had jackets and martini settings done at the same time, and the total was $3000. She speculated that the martini settings might be $1000 and the diamond jackets $2000, but I would bet that the martini''s are less and the jackets are a little more.

If you price the martini settings, please let us know your quote. It would be interesting to know because those are certainly the prettiest I have ever seen. However, I would have him make 4 prong martini''s because I prefer the look of 4 prongs more.

 

[CaliBling]

Date: 1/26/2008 9:26:47 PM
Author: CrookedRock
Hey Cali.. I''m in the process of doing a ring with Leon right now too. My conversations with him have been very friendly, and even somewhat funny. I actually like him a lot. I have not gotten to discussing price yet though... Do you mind sharing what setting it was he gave you the quote for? I would like to gather a ball park range for what to expect...

Hi CrookedRock! I asked him for a quote on Style R906...I love the Head and Shank, but would like to change the stem- to more a cathedral (I think) setting...I tried to cut and paste on his website but its copyright protected

 

[CaliBling]

Date: 1/26/2008 8:30:58 PM
Author: sna77

Date: 1/26/2008 7:41:39 PM
Author: CaliBling
Thank you ALL so much! I really do feel much more at ease, and we are in Boston...so its only about a 2.5 train ride over.

BEM3231- I am definetly going to familiarize myself a bit more, especially if he has that info you suggested on his website...9 different types of Pave!! Wow...

I am so excited, even thought its still a ways away, I at least have a solid game plan now! Thanks ladies!

CaliBling

hey, we''re in Boston too... Where do you guys live? FI and I live in Brookline....

Interesting... I wonder what he charges for the platinum martini settigns (if you siupply the 2 stones)? I''m buying a pair of studs for my FI at White flash... I had planned on going with the WF hand made martini setting (no longer on their site, but they''ll make them)... I just check out Leon Mege''s site, and saw his martini settings... they look amazing...

here''s the settings on his site... these look like they sit REALLY close to your ear... no drooping at all:

Hi Sna77- My BF lives in Norwood, I am still in Cali...getting ready to move this summer!! Don''t think that we will stay in the town of Norwood, thinking of maybe Wellesley, Wrentham, or possibly Weston...we are looking at a few different towns but haven''t quite decided. Brookline is a great town!! You are so close to the city too!! What is nice is that being in Boston, we aren''t too far from Leon, I am sure that he would be just as easy to work with via email/phone, but I would like to discuss in person.

 

[CaliBling]

Date: 1/26/2008 9:26:47 PM
Author: CrookedRock
Hey Cali.. I''m in the process of doing a ring with Leon right now too. My conversations with him have been very friendly, and even somewhat funny. I actually like him a lot. I have not gotten to discussing price yet though... Do you mind sharing what setting it was he gave you the quote for? I would like to gather a ball park range for what to expect...

I forgot to ask, why type of style are you looking for?? Just curious...I am intrigued how he takes an idea and makes his own creation!!

 

[sna77]

Date: 1/26/2008 9:41:05 PM
Author: Dani
Sna77-

Re: Leon''s studs, you may find this thread interesting: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-earrings.58933/

What size are you shooting for for your FI''s studs? Leon''s martini''s look amazing....

Thanks Dani, I saw that thread before and that''s where I got the idea to have LM do the settings...

Anyhow, I have 2 stones picked out right now... Whiteflsh is bringing them in house... Hopefully they''ll be good... I literally spent 2 days online trying to find a matched pair with good HCA scores etc. LOL. I ended up finding to .9ct stones (1.8tcw)... They are F SI1s... I guess I''ll give LM a call Monday (he was out last Friday) and see what he says... I''ll report back.... in a new post.

OP: sorry for the threas jack!

 

[sna77]

Date: 1/26/2008 11:37:33 PM
Author: CaliBling

Hi Sna77- My BF lives in Norwood, I am still in Cali...getting ready to move this summer!! Don''t think that we will stay in the town of Norwood, thinking of maybe Wellesley, Wrentham, or possibly Weston...we are looking at a few different towns but haven''t quite decided. Brookline is a great town!! You are so close to the city too!! What is nice is that being in Boston, we aren''t too far from Leon, I am sure that he would be just as easy to work with via email/phone, but I would like to discuss in person.

CaliBling... You guys are doing the long distance thing now? My FI and I did that for a year (she was still in Manhattan, I moved to Boston a year earlier for work). That year was really tough... I somehow managed to convivnce her top move to Boston before we got engaged--although she didn''t have to wait that long once she moved there... haha

We decided on Brookline, since we are both city people having lived in NYC for years... Although i actually went to college in Wellesley and have a friend who just moved there with his wife... You have a huge ranges of towns there btw... Weston and Wellesley are both great, they border the city and have 2 of the best school systems in the state... wrentham has an Outlet center and is in the middle of nowhere... LOL.

I''m not sure how old you guys are (FI and I just turned 30), but Wellesely I think is much younger, and "hipper" than Weston... Weston is much more old money... Every kid in that town is in prep school despite paying the highest taxes in the state... Wellesely is certainly very affluent as well, but is much more hip... Nice restaurants, a great downtown area, etc.

Basically, if you''re a doctor, lawyer or other well -earner, you live in Wellesley. If you own the Boston Celtics, you live in Weston on a $21 million estate:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/16/living_large/

 

[CrookedRock]

Date: 1/26/2008 11:40:57 PM
Author: CaliBling

Date: 1/26/2008 9:26:47 PM
Author: CrookedRock
Hey Cali.. I''m in the process of doing a ring with Leon right now too. My conversations with him have been very friendly, and even somewhat funny. I actually like him a lot. I have not gotten to discussing price yet though... Do you mind sharing what setting it was he gave you the quote for? I would like to gather a ball park range for what to expect...

I forgot to ask, why type of style are you looking for?? Just curious...I am intrigued how he takes an idea and makes his own creation!!

Gorgeous ring you chose! That one grabbed my eye too! Just not sure if I want a halo or not though. I am kinda leaning towards a very small halo that is just barely visible from the top. The style I love is r782. It says it is a cushion stone, but I think it looks like an oval. Mine will be cushion though, and I am thinking of hahing him double the width of the lower band part and leave the top nice and thin. But when I meet with him I am open to any creative idea he throws at me!

Are you having him make you a band too?

 

[dani13]

Date: 1/27/2008 7:29:12 AM
Author: sna77

Date: 1/26/2008 9:41:05 PM

Author: Dani

Sna77-


Re: Leon''s studs, you may find this thread interesting: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-earrings.58933/


What size are you shooting for for your FI''s studs? Leon''s martini''s look amazing....

Thanks Dani, I saw that thread before and that''s where I got the idea to have LM do the settings...


Anyhow, I have 2 stones picked out right now... Whiteflsh is bringing them in house... Hopefully they''ll be good... I literally spent 2 days online trying to find a matched pair with good HCA scores etc. LOL. I ended up finding to .9ct stones (1.8tcw)... They are F SI1s... I guess I''ll give LM a call Monday (he was out last Friday) and see what he says... I''ll report back.... in a new post.



OP: sorry for the threas jack!

That''s a GREAT size, Sna!! Your FI is a lucky girl!!!! And if you have Leon make the martini''s....YUMMO!!!!!

 

[RLG]

Not to thread jack but, this all of the posts on this thread have been reassuring to me, as well. I spoke with Leon on the phone about modifying a ring he has on his site and he said well that could be “cute, nobody has every asked me that before” and then went on to question what is it about the original design I didn’t like and suggesting some ideas. He was very pleasant on the phone, so I was feeling good about the whole thing. Anyways I got an email stating he had received my stone and to email in a couple of days, which I did and got no response. So I tried to call on Friday and he was out. Then I started overanalyzing what he ment by “cute” and maybe if my project was going to run into stepping on his artistic nature. Anyways all of these posts about how professional he is makes me feel better about calling again on Monday. Ok thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Calibiling I hope you have found all of these posts as helpful as I have and good luck with your stone/ring search.

 

[CrookedRock]

Date: 1/27/2008 3:53:33 PM
Author: RLG
Not to thread jack but, this all of the posts on this thread have been reassuring to me, as well. I spoke with Leon on the phone about modifying a ring he has on his site and he said well that could be “cute, nobody has every asked me that before” and then went on to question what is it about the original design I didn’t like and suggesting some ideas. He was very pleasant on the phone, so I was feeling good about the whole thing. Anyways I got an email stating he had received my stone and to email in a couple of days, which I did and got no response. So I tried to call on Friday and he was out. Then I started overanalyzing what he ment by “cute” and maybe if my project was going to run into stepping on his artistic nature. Anyways all of these posts about how professional he is makes me feel better about calling again on Monday. Ok thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Calibiling I hope you have found all of these posts as helpful as I have and good luck with your stone/ring search.

Cute... hmmm. Not a very Leon-like word. He clearly told me that he would make whatever I want, and that it''s not about him, it''s about me! So he will definately design something that will suit you, which is so great. I''d love to know which design you liked and what you asked him to change that he thought was so Cute...
I actually sent him a pic that he flat out told me he hated...lol!

 

[RLG]

I will start my own thread with the design I''m hoping for.

 

[CaliBling]

Date: 1/27/2008 7:37:44 AM
Author: sna77

Date: 1/26/2008 11:37:33 PM
Author: CaliBling

Hi Sna77- My BF lives in Norwood, I am still in Cali...getting ready to move this summer!! Don''t think that we will stay in the town of Norwood, thinking of maybe Wellesley, Wrentham, or possibly Weston...we are looking at a few different towns but haven''t quite decided. Brookline is a great town!! You are so close to the city too!! What is nice is that being in Boston, we aren''t too far from Leon, I am sure that he would be just as easy to work with via email/phone, but I would like to discuss in person.

CaliBling... You guys are doing the long distance thing now? My FI and I did that for a year (she was still in Manhattan, I moved to Boston a year earlier for work). That year was really tough... I somehow managed to convivnce her top move to Boston before we got engaged--although she didn''t have to wait that long once she moved there... haha

We decided on Brookline, since we are both city people having lived in NYC for years... Although i actually went to college in Wellesley and have a friend who just moved there with his wife... You have a huge ranges of towns there btw... Weston and Wellesley are both great, they border the city and have 2 of the best school systems in the state... wrentham has an Outlet center and is in the middle of nowhere... LOL.

I''m not sure how old you guys are (FI and I just turned 30), but Wellesely I think is much younger, and ''hipper'' than Weston... Weston is much more old money... Every kid in that town is in prep school despite paying the highest taxes in the state... Wellesely is certainly very affluent as well, but is much more hip... Nice restaurants, a great downtown area, etc.

Basically, if you''re a doctor, lawyer or other well -earner, you live in Wellesley. If you own the Boston Celtics, you live in Weston on a $21 million estate:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/16/living_large/

Wow!!! Very interesting info on Weston...

Haha...no doubt! yes, we are doing the "long distance thing" for another 6 months...whoever said "distance makes the heart grow fonder" was totally out of line...the situation sucks, and I miss him...totally over-rated! I hope to get my ring soon after the move...

Yes, the towns are ALL over the place Wrentham is close to his kids (this is the only positive point here

)- Wellesley is my vote, Weston is his (he wants something much more quaint in a VERY affluent area)...not my first choice...there is a significant age difference, though, I am 30 and BF is in his mid 40''s. So there you have it...