Leon Mege ring, genuine or copy/fake ?

[needfullshinythings]

Hi all, this is a call to all of the ps'ers who are familiar with his work or actually own some of his pieces of art.
I spotted this ring recently but it didn't speak to me until I went into the shop and had a closer look, much to my surprise there was a stamp that said " MEGE 750 " I asked the man in the shop the history of the ring and he said that it was sold to him by a lady who said she had it made for herself. He then explained that he had it sent off to have full uk hallmarks put inside the band as it only said 750. I asked about the Mege stamp and he had no idea what it meant.
After much discussion he agreed that I could take the ring to verify its authenticity as long as I left a good deposit, so here I am.

It is an 18ct yellow gold Amethyst & diamond cocktail ring. Amethyst approx. 17-18ct, dia approx. 0.30ct ( 30 stones )
Basically put do any of you have concerns regarding the Mege stamp or is this a familiar mark ?




All opinions are welcome, I prefer honesty. TIA.

 

[SapphireLover]

I thought he only worked in platinum? I suppose the maker isn't that relevant though, if you like the ring, buy it, if you don't like it, leave it. Don't buy it just because it might/ might not be Leon Mege.

 

[chrono]

Many years ago, Leon Mege used to work with 18K yellow gold but not anymore. Still, there might be other people out there with his name. That said, Leon does not stamp his name as his hallmark - he has his kitty logo. As SL said, buy it only if you like it. It is highly doubtful that it was made by Leon.

 

[SB621]

I would just email Leon and ask him. I would think a unique ring like that he would remember if he made it.

I have a ring made my leon about 8+ years ago. It is stamped LEON MEGE and then his kitty logo. I would assume this is not the same Mege as his stamp has changed I think at least twice but the kitty symbol has always been part of the hallmark to my knowledge.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That is not a brand like Cartier which makes the ring more desirable and valuable because of the brand. Buy only if you love the ring.

 

[Niel]

That is not a brand like Cartier which makes the ring more desirable and valuable because of the brand. Buy only if you love the ring.

The extra cost associated with LM is based of the exceptional quality. This, even of made by LM, is not up to the normal/current quality standard of LM.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but buy it if you love it,not because you just want the name.

Also, he still does yellow gold sometimes.
https://leonmege.com/index.php/portfolio/shop-now/paraiba-halo-gold-statement-ring-detail

 

[needfullshinythings]

Many thanks for your posts everyone.
I fully understand that the piece is not " worth " more just because of the name attached, my curiosity is with the mark being genuine or fake. As Diamondseeker pointed out, he is not of Cartier or Tiffany fame but is his work now being copied or faked ?
Have any of you come across such pieces or know of them being out there ?
I think SB621 is right about contacting Leon about it, maybe he would be pleased that he has become worthy of copying
Whatever the outcome is I will have learnt something for free so all is good in the world
Thx all.

 

[mrs-b]

Just to clarify -

Leon does work in yellow gold, because some years ago he made a yellow gold ring for me. Also, on his website on the front page is a photo of a platinum ring, a rose gold ring, and a yellow gold ring.

I'm not making any comments about the workmanship - frankly, I can't make out a lot from the photos (I'm old - what can I say?) - but I can tell you that Leon has always worked in yellow gold...for a price.

ETA - He may well have developed his signature stamp in more recent years. Agree with the poster who said the only way to find out for sure is to ask him.

 

[arkieb1]

I don't know of anyone copying Leon's work I think it far more likely its a very early piece of his and over time his stamp and logos and website and everything else has developed and changed. Emailing him is an excellent idea only he will know for sure if it is something he made.

 

[luv2sparkle]

If you look at Leon's portfolio, he does have a beautiful ring in yellow gold. At the time he made my ring, he told me he works in gold and platinum.

 

[SapphireLover]

Did you ever contact him? What was his response?