Leon Mege review.

[kcoursolle]

Ellen, I can understand your reservations about posting this. I really appreciate a good honest review from someone I trust and this is exactly what your post is. I think it will be incredibly informative to people who want to work with leon in the future. I think his customer service skills are clearly lacking and although I looooove his work I''ve been hesitant thus far to work with him.

 

[:)]

Ellen that was an incredibly good, informative, and well balanced review. I have missed you lately.

I hope one day to meet you in person at a PS event. HUGS and sincere well wishes to you.

 

[Ellen]

Thanks all.

I did want to be fair, as he was not totally unreasonable on this, but definitely didn''t handle things the way I would, were I the jeweler. I didn''t want it to be a "don''t use Leon" review. It just is, what it is, and people can take away from it what they choose.

And I appreciate you all being upset for me, but let''s just enjoy it instead!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 7/23/2008 4:34:03 PM
Author:
Ellen that was an incredibly good, informative, and well balanced review. I have missed you lately.

I hope one day to meet you in person at a PS event. HUGS and sincere well wishes to you.

Hey you! I missed you while I was typing VERY slowly!

I miss you too, it's good to see you.

I'd love to meet you too someday! And thank you.

In fact, I'd love to meet all you ladies someday!

 

[miraclesrule]

I have read a LOT on the Leon Mege issues and I have to say, I would still use him.

Ellen, your ring is simply beautiful and I understand your heartache over the scratches and the chips. If Leon offered to have it polished out than maybe you should do it, even if it means that you have to ship it again. Although I know that shipping in itself carries risk.

Sometimes, the most technically talented people lack the expected social skills. ( I might be one of them, so this may be biased). I know that everyone here wants a high quality piece of jewelry and everyone has such great advice on how to do that in an informed way.

Personally, and this is just me....I wouldn't care so much about subpar social skills if the craftsmanship was outstanding and the price was right. After all, the interaction would be a very small part of the process, but the results would be years of enjoyment.

Now, if one get crappy craftsmanship results after crappy cocky service, that is a combination I detest and makes my blood boil.

I will go into a spin when that happens. I suppose I have an above average tolerance for some cockiness and/or arrogance if it is backed by action and results.

However, I did pause when I read about the other experience....I can't remember her name...huge, gorgeous bling of a ring and the sizing insert issue. That was distressing.

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

Date: 7/23/2008 2:49:16 PM
Author: kcoursolle
Ellen, I can understand your reservations about posting this. I really appreciate a good honest review from someone I trust and this is exactly what your post is. I think it will be incredibly informative to people who want to work with leon in the future. I think his customer service skills are clearly lacking and although I looooove his work I''ve been hesitant thus far to work with him.

Ditto!!
Ellen-- I''m so sorry that you had to go through this ordeal -- your ring is absolutely stunning... and it''s just too bad that the entire experience didn''t meet your expectations.

 

[icekid]

Ellen,

Thank you so much for sharing your detailed, yet pertinent experience. We all love Leon, but it''s so important that people know what they may potentially getting into when working with him. I have to admit that I may still have him make me a ring someday, but that''s with the full knowledge that problems may occur. So many thanks to you for keeping our eyes wide open.

Most importantly, I hope you are able to put the experience fully behind you and enjoy your ring to the fullest!

 

[Ellen]

miracles, it''s just not worth it to me to have it sent off for repolishing. My gut says don''t do it, and I''m listening. I really am ok with this. Sometimes I wonder if I haven''t had a little help with this, I handled it amazingly well.

And I agree with dealing with less than perfect behavior, if the outcome is an outstanding piece. That''s why I went with him, knowing full well I "might" run into the attitude. I just never dreamed the rest would follow....


Thank you all!

 

[miraclesrule]

((((((( Ellen)))))))))<--------- big hugs.

I now how much it sucks. :::sigh:::

 

[Miranda]

Oh Ellen. What an ordeal. I appreciate your candor. I''m glad you have a beautiful ring to show for all that you''ve been through. And whatever else is going on, I hope it will be all better soon.

 

[coatimundi_org]

I'm so so sorry about the scratches and nicks on your beautiful aqua. The photos show it all. Thanks for writing a very informative review. Your ring is so stunning! Nothing could hinder that stone's beauty!

 

[Harriet]

El, I''m really really sorry. Hugs.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

{{{{hugs}}}} from me, too, Ellen.

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks for the great review Ellen...they always a wonderful thing around here.

Well, I love your ring so much, I''d probably use Leon even if he slapped me in the face and smacked my behind when I drop of the stone as long as it looks half as good as yours. Of course, I''m being a bit tongue in cheek here...more of a compliment to how pretty your ring and stone are than a question of whether he is worth it or not.

Sorry about those scratches and dings...it hurt to see.

 

[iheartscience]

Oh goodness...I''m so sorry about the scratches and nicks! However, as I''m sure you know, your ring is still stunning.

I appreciate your honest and fair review, and I''m interested to read your review about Quest at a later date, too. I think it''s great that you put everything out here in a reasonable manner and shared the bad and the good.

 

[ladypirate]

Ellen, I''m so sorry about the scratches to your aqua and the poor customer service you experienced, but I am thrilled for you that you have such a beautiful piece of jewelry to call your own.

*Hugs* Kudos to you for handling the whole thing so well!

 

[777_LDY]

Date: 7/23/2008 12:53:53 PM
Author: Ellen

You know, if this had happened a few years back, my Type A personality most likely would have sent it to be repolished. But as I jokingly told someone not too long ago, my personality has moved down the alphabet, I''m not quite so anal anymore.

I really do appreciate all your thoughts, and I''m glad to hear I apparently achieved the type of review I was striving for.

You are such a riot Ellen! Even in a tough situation you can turn lemons into lemonade. You have a wonderful personality and I just want to make sure you know that. You are right that there are greater things in life to worry about and this certainly could have been worse, but I am still sorry that you had to go through all of this. It was certainly unnecessary but I think that you handled it the very best you could and regardless of what happened you still have one beautiful ring.

I think you gave a wonderful review, and I know that it will certainly be helpful to others in the future. This isn''t the first time that I''ve read something happening to a stone while with Leon, in addition to the communication issues, so I do think that it is important for consumers to be aware, especially with softer stones. Yes he is a wonderful craftsman, however one should seriously consider "what if something does go wrong" and accept that they may not have as much say as they might want in a "custom" ring. That is not always something one prepares for with a trusted jeweler.

I hope all else is well with you Ellen. I know I haven''t been around much lately either. Sending you ((((hugs))))

 

[autumngems]

This is reason I won''t use him. he was extremely rude to me the first time I contacted him and from what I see here he seems to think he''s above reproach. He picks his clients? Give me a break.

 

[bee*]

Sorry to hear that Ellen. Your ring is an absolute beauty and that''s awful about the scratches.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Ellen, many THANKS for the comprehensive review. Your ring is stunning, and I truly hope that you get a great deal of pleasure wearing it.

I have to admit that I'm intrigued by Leon. His work is simply exquisite, but i just don't know if i have the stomach to deal with him.

 

[Cachette]

I`m sorry Ellen your experience was less than perfect. It should of been.

Hugs to you.

Cachette

 

[Ellen]

Thank you all for your thoughts and hugs, hugs are good.

Tgal, your post cracked me up. Funny lady.

2of2, hopefully I''ll get the Quest review done in the next few weeks. I can only imagine how long that will take.

Miss7''s, thank you. That was such a nice post! But then, you''re such a nice person, I guess I shouldn''t be so surprised.

And yes, where have you been, you''ve been missed! Yer prolly staring at that gorgeous ring, aren''t you??

Again, thank you to everyone who''s posted, and for letting me know I managed a fair account. That really was important to me.

One thing I hope people get out of my experience, as I thought about everything last night, and all the many posts I''ve read about Leon. Several people in the past have said he gets a bad rap, and at one point, I wondered if they weren''t right. But after dealing with him myself, I would imagine, for the most part, he gets what he deserves, the good, and the bad.

 

[pixley]

Ellen,
This was a really brave and fair post, especially considering the depth of devotion to all things Leon on here. It chaps my hide to think that this could happen to one of our most respected and prolific PSrs (or anyone for that matter). In the past, I’ve worked for people of Leon’s ilk, whose success allows them to turn away clients and get away with a certain amount of audacity on the client relations front, but I hope this will be a lesson to him to be a bit more considerate in his future interactions with those of us who aren’t in the trade, who actually get emotionally attached to our treasures big and small...

I admire your clarity around the issue and your ability to move forward. The ring truly is sublime in all ways. One question occurred to me that might help others down the road – do you think a thorough, independant appraisal of the stone would’ve helped support your case as to when and where the damage occurred? So often we overlook the appraisal route prior to setting because we purchase from trusted PS vendors, but I wonder if it might be an added layer of security when sending a stone off to someone who obviously has an ever growing team of craftspeople working beneath him and cannot possibly monitor all the steps of the setting process as closely as a 1 or 2 person shop would…

Again, thanks for this candid post and for all the help you’ve given everyone over the years!

 

[Ellen]

Hey Pix, thank you for such a nice, thoughtful post.

The suggestion of an independant appraisal being done beforehand is an excellent idea, and yes, I think it would definitely have helped. Then it would have been in black and white just what kind of shape the stone was in. I didn''t have one done, because I was only thinking of it for insurance purposes, and this ring isn''t replaceable. Of course, the thought never occured to have one done for this type of situation, but it''s a great one. Thanks for suggesting it. Hopefully it may help someone in the future!

 

[zhuzhu]

When I had my blue zircon set by a local jeweler, he had accidentally chipped the edge of the stone. He gracefully took the responsibility of the cost of polishing it out and reset it for me.

It is interesting how differently people handle situation.

 

[2Artists]

Thank you so much Ellen for taking the time and energy to write that. I really appreciate how carefully you wrote about your experience.
Huge props to you for being so balanced. It is a rare person indeed who could write such a balanced and well thought out review over a special heirloom that has a great deal of emotional resonance. I am really sorry that this happened.

Mrs.2Artists

 

[bebe]

Ellen, I appreciate your review as hubby and I were discussing Leon last night.
I''m so sorry you had to go through this ordeal. Your experience has given me
reason to perhaps use someone else for a project I am thinking about.
Your aqua is a stunning stone, and in spite of your struggle, I know you will enjoy it.

 

[CrookedRock]

Ellen, I am so glad that you finally shared your story. I remember you mentioning it in my ring thread and I had been very interested ever since.
Firstly, I am so extremely sorry for any stress that the situation caused you. I expressed in my thread the emotional strain my situation put on me, and I do not think it is anything to be taken lightly. I too was going through, and am still, problems that really do tend to put things in perspective, but it does not downplay the added stress.
I put my problems/dealings with Leon into very few words in my thread. Unfortunately I spent half that tread defending myself and my situation based on those few short words, sad but true.
What I really want to say is that I had a very similar situation with Leon as far as attitude. Anyone who followed my posts from the get-go knew I was Leon’s biggest fan due to the quality of his craftsmanship, and to pictures I had seen. I was well aware of attitude problems that could arise when I choose to contact him.
I personally witnessed the ups and downs that you described from conversations, emails, meetings, etc… I was very thrown off in the process by this, bc like you I wanted more of a say than was welcomed by him. One day he was my favorite person, next I wanted to scream at him (which I never did)!!
In the end I did receive a beautiful ring, as did you. And Ellen, you really did as far as the ring goes.
I believe that a PS’er such as yourself knows their stone and knows its inclusions and scratches. It’s unfortunate that this situation occurred. Yes I understand that things over time would happen to the stone, but it doesn’t mean that it is their place to start it off for you.
Interestingly enough, when I first met with Leon he showed me a ring that had a gemstone in it that had a design aspect I was looking for. The stone was a beautiful gemstone (I don’t recall what kind) and it had some sort of wax over the top of the stone that made me even more interested... When I inquired as to what it was, he told me it was to protect the stone while being set. After seeing this I would have to guess that any stone with this protective wax on it would not be scratched, which leads me to wonder if your stone was ever protected by this wax. I know this is all a moot point, but it did strike me as interesting.
Again I am so saddened by any hassle or anxiety this circumstance may have caused for you. One of these days I may post my whole story and the copies of the documents that relate… But for now I feel that you have done an excellent job of portraying how great Leon’s work CAN be, yet how much of a struggle and a lesson in communication it may turn out to be.
Thanks so much for sharing your story. Hugs and more Hugs to you for all that you went through regarding the ring and all the more prominent issues that you are dealing with.

 

[MoonWater]

Hey Ellen, I''m really sorry to hear that your stone was damage and I want to thank you so much for your review. I love your ring so much I decided I wanted to start collecting gems and have them set in various solitaire settings. I contemplated going to Leon because I really love the style of your ring and the claw prongs but now I''m not sure it''s worth it. I would hate to spend a lot of money and get a bad attitude. That would make me fly off the handle and I''m sure it would be a very bad situation. So again, thanks for the review.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 7/24/2008 12:21:49 PM
Author: autumngems
This is reason I won''t use him. he was extremely rude to me the first time I contacted him and from what I see here he seems to think he''s above reproach. He picks his clients? Give me a break.

Would you mind sharing your experience (as Ellen as done in a fair and reasonable manner)?