My Appointment with Leon Mege

[mrssalvo]

I'm going to chime in with the gals who vote for the solitaire. since you are a still a bit unsure I wouldn't move forward with a suggested 3-stone that you really weren't seeking. maybe talk to leon again and say you've thought about it long and hard and just really have your heart set on a solitaire and would love for him to do it but if he really is against it you can easily take your business elsewhere. I've seen a few other designers out there than can produce an equally beautiful product. add to that blingy eternity band you'll have yourself a wonderfully classic and beautiful set

(this coming from a cushion/halo owner

)

 

[elmo]

I agree mssalvo. Something is confusing me about this. One of the benchmark pricescope rings was Boston Jeff''s cushion solitaire that Leon made from an ERD cushion that wasn''t much bigger than this. So I don''t understand why there would be an issue.

 

[goobear78]

I was surprised too, especially since even on Leon''s site he has rings that are 1ct and less that look BEAUTIFUL in his settings. Sure, my ring isn''t the 4+ cts he''s used to, but hey, it''s not puny either.

My feeling on this is that it had nothing to do with my stone and everything to do with the issues between Leon and ERD. I spoke to Mark about what Leon said and Mark told me Leon made disparaging remarks on the price or size of three of Mark''s customers in the last three weeks. At first Leon told me it was a beautiful stone, then once he knew I got if from ERD, he started talking about how small it was and he said he couldn''t figure out why it looked so small and you know the rest.

 

[mrssalvo]

goobear..you know you've got a beautiful stone and got it at a very fair price from Mark. i surely wouldn't let whatever is going on between Mark and Leon interfere with you getting what you really want. business is business..you sought out the best bang for your buck and were happy with mark. now you are searching for your setting. if you want the Leon solitaire, tell him and have it made. If his remarks and ill feelings toward Mark really does bother you, just take your business elsewhere. vote with your hard earned dollars.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 9/24/2008 12:51:18 PM
Author: mrssalvo
goobear..you know you''ve got a beautiful stone and got it at a very fair price from Mark. i surely wouldn''t let whatever is going on between to interfere with you getting what you really want. business is business..you sought out the best bang for your buck and were happy with mark. now you are searching for your setting. if you want the Leon solitaire, tell him and have it made. If his remarks and ill feelings toward Mark really does bother you, just take your business elsewhere. vote with your hard earned dollars.

Ditto.

You''re a better woman than me though. I would have have told him off in russian then walked out.

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/24/2008 12:58:25 PM
Author: elle_chris

You''re a better woman than me though. I would have have told him off in russian then walked out.

LOL. I would have LOVED to do that. Unfortunately, I don''t know Russian.

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/24/2008 12:51:18 PM
Author: mrssalvo
goobear..you know you''ve got a beautiful stone and got it at a very fair price from Mark. i surely wouldn''t let whatever is going on between to interfere with you getting what you really want. business is business..you sought out the best bang for your buck and were happy with mark. now you are searching for your setting. if you want the Leon solitaire, tell him and have it made. If his remarks and ill feelings toward Mark really does bother you, just take your business elsewhere. vote with your hard earned dollars.

Thanks Mrssalvo. You are so right!

I do like my stone a lot, but after all that went on, I''m not so sure about it or what to do. I feel like that sounds awful and I''m not a super sensitive person, but after having his trash my stone so much, it did get in my head a bit and now I''m thinking maybe I should trade up for something larger. UGH.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 9/24/2008 1:07:20 PM
Author: goobear78

Date: 9/24/2008 12:51:18 PM
Author: mrssalvo
goobear..you know you''ve got a beautiful stone and got it at a very fair price from Mark. i surely wouldn''t let whatever is going on between to interfere with you getting what you really want. business is business..you sought out the best bang for your buck and were happy with mark. now you are searching for your setting. if you want the Leon solitaire, tell him and have it made. If his remarks and ill feelings toward Mark really does bother you, just take your business elsewhere. vote with your hard earned dollars.

Thanks Mrssalvo. You are so right!

I do like my stone a lot, but after all that went on, I''m not so sure about it or what to do. I feel like that sounds awful and I''m not a super sensitive person, but after having his trash my stone so much, it did get in my head a bit and now I''m thinking maybe I should trade up for something larger. UGH.

Seriously, at this point I wouldn''t bother with him.
Regardless of his feelings towards ERD, you''re a client. Commenting on your stone in any negative way doesn''t earn him points. You''re paying him, not the other way around.
I''m sorry, but for me, there''s no setting in the world I want enough to put up with that crap. In your case, you''re not even sure of what you want.

Do yourself a favor and look at Maytals pieces. You may find out he''s not the only one that does beautiful work.

 

[goobear78]

Thanks elle_chris. I''ll check out Maytals pieces!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Goobear - We are having Maytal make our ring. We are in early stages but she has been extremely pleasant and my boyfriend really likes her.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/24/2008 1:07:20 PM
Author: goobear78



Thanks Mrssalvo. You are so right!

I do like my stone a lot, but after all that went on, I'm not so sure about it or what to do. I feel like that sounds awful and I'm not a super sensitive person, but after having his trash my stone so much, it did get in my head a bit and now I'm thinking maybe I should trade up for something larger. UGH.

Goo, why would you consider upgrading? You said yourself that you think this has everything to do with what is going on between the guys and not your stone (and I do too now). Please, as hard as it may be, ignore what Leon said. It was extremely rude, and apparently petty. He's having a problem with Mark, so what does he do? he takes it out on your stone. There is no way on God's green earth Leon doesn't know that for all but a few women, size is everything. There's no way he couldn't have known that his remarks were going to hurt you. No. Way. I have thought this from the minute I first read what he said, but I tried to keep my trap shut. But frankly, I am so pissed off at Leon, I don't care anymore. Why should I be diplomatic, he certainly isn't. He intentionally hurt your feelings, imo (and now is making you doubt your stone to boot). I wouldn't give him the time of day now if it was me. Just my .02.

Keep your stone, it's lovely. And like I said before, find someone who shares your vision on a setting. Make this story have a really happy ending.

Ok, I'm done.

 

[bgray]

Goobear-Please dont doubt your stone. Its a lovely stone and a very generous size. Mounted it will look twice as large. They all do. I have more to my Leon stories than I can even post here. He is a petty and nasty man. Who has alienated a lot of customers both in and out of the industry. Pleasejust re-focus on finding a style you like and have Whiteflash or Mark or Maytal or Quest do it. You dont need Leon to achieve what you said you wanted.

 

[mommy2iz]

goobear - gosh, this post made me so sad. and irritated. this is supposed to be such a fun and joyous time for you. don''t you dare doubt your gorgeous rock! it''s definitely of a size that most women would drool over! many dream of owning something this size! take your business elsewhere. minimally, it was unprofessional of leon to make such comments. forget him! there are many others capable of making you a ring you will be deliriously happy with wearing! he is not worth your time or energy...life is too short. be happy! can''t wait to see pics of the finished creation!!!

 

[goobear78]

Ellen - Thank you for sharing your opinion. I think you are exactly right. Leon knew what he was saying and shame on him. The more I''ve thought about the situation, the more upset I''ve become. And I''ve thought a lot about this and what Leon said to me in both meetings. When I first posted, I was trying to be fair and didn''t post all the negative things he said to me about my stone in case I was wrong about him and he was just trying to be honest. I have no doubt now, especially what I''ve learned since my first meeting with him, that Leon did this deliberately and without any reservation for me as a customer or a woman who had her ER & WB stolen, I told him what happened.

At first, I took him at his word about the size and thought, well, you know, he usually deals with larger stones. But then other PS members told me he had worked on smaller stones than mine and without comment about the size then even on his own website I saw beautiful stones that were less than my "tiny" (his words) 1.75 ct, that blew that defense out of the water. I don''t think he was expecting was for me to cry about it, but honestly, I don''t think he cared one way or another. Maybe that was a bonus, because he wanted me to be unhappy with my stone from ERD. To Leon, I''m just a small customer with a small order and he doesn''t care about building a rep with me or what else I may have in the future. He wanted to get back at Mark, he knew where it came from (I told him straight out) so in my book he is a very small minded individual. That said, he does do great work, but no, I''m not going to go to Leon. I just made my mind up as I typed this. It''s too bad, because he might have made a killer solitaire, but at this point in time, I don''t want to give him my money. My husband now hates this guy and said he didn''t want me going to him, but that it was up to me if I wanted to go ahead with him or not.

I will give Leon a call and explain exactly why I won''t be going to him. He should know that he lost this customer and why. Not likely he''ll care, but I can move on.

I''ve got to say that I do doubt my stone and it has taken some of the fun out of this process, for now, but, I''m a big girl and I can get over what a little minded petty person said.

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/24/2008 2:45:19 PM
Author: bgray
Goobear-Please dont doubt your stone. Its a lovely stone and a very generous size. Mounted it will look twice as large. They all do. I have more to my Leon stories than I can even post here. He is a petty and nasty man. Who has alienated a lot of customers both in and out of the industry. Pleasejust re-focus on finding a style you like and have Whiteflash or Mark or Maytal or Quest do it. You dont need Leon to achieve what you said you wanted.

Thank you bgray. You''re right 100% and I''m going to focus on getting a setting from a vendor who will actually want to work with me and wants my business. I just had to think it all through and make sure I wasn''t reacting based on emotion. And everyone''s advice has been so helpful!

 

[goobear78]

Thanks mommy2iz - you are also 100% right. Life is too short!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/24/2008 3:10:54 PM
Author: goobear78
Ellen - Thank you for sharing your opinion. I think you are exactly right. Leon knew what he was saying and shame on him. The more I''ve thought about the situation, the more upset I''ve become. And I''ve thought a lot about this and what Leon said to me in both meetings. When I first posted, I was trying to be fair and didn''t post all the negative things he said to me about my stone in case I was wrong about him and he was just trying to be honest. I have no doubt now, especially what I''ve learned since my first meeting with him, that Leon did this deliberately and without any reservation for me as a customer or a woman who had her ER & WB stolen, I told him what happened.

At first, I took him at his word about the size and thought, well, you know, he usually deals with larger stones. But then other PS members told me he had worked on smaller stones than mine and without comment about the size then even on his own website I saw beautiful stones that were less than my ''tiny'' (his words) 1.75 ct, that blew that defense out of the water. I don''t think he was expecting was for me to cry about it, but honestly, I don''t think he cared one way or another. Maybe that was a bonus, because he wanted me to be unhappy with my stone from ERD. To Leon, I''m just a small customer with a small order and he doesn''t care about building a rep with me or what else I may have in the future. He wanted to get back at Mark, he knew where it came from (I told him straight out) so in my book he is a very small minded individual. That said, he does do great work, but no, I''m not going to go to Leon. I just made my mind up as I typed this. It''s too bad, because he might have made a killer solitaire, but at this point in time, I don''t want to give him my money. My husband now hates this guy and said he didn''t want me going to him, but that it was up to me if I wanted to go ahead with him or not.

I will give Leon a call and explain exactly why I won''t be going to him. He should know that he lost this customer and why. Not likely he''ll care, but I can move on.

I''ve got to say that I do doubt my stone and it has taken some of the fun out of this process, for now, but, I''m a big girl and I can get over what a little minded petty person said.

Honestly, I don''t think anyone can blame you, and I applaud you. People like this don''t deserve your business/money. Yes he makes great settings, but at what price?? So do a lot of other people. I''ve already decided, should I ever have another chance to go custom, it would never be with him. There are plenty of other great jewelers at our fingertips.

And I honestly think that once you find the right jeweler, and start the design process, enthusiasm for your stone will be renewed. I really do. Don''t dispare!

I look forward to seeing what you end up with, and you are very welcome goo.

 

[dani13]

Hi Goo,

Just catching up on this thread now...I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND about your decision to not go with Leon. I feel so bad for you, because this process should be nothing but exciting and fun-please dont let him take that away from you!!!! Your stone is GORGEOUS!!!! And I agree with Ellen- there are PLENTY of other designers that can do a fabulous job! You will find someone you''ll want to work with to make your ring exactly what you want it to be...And hopefully, once you do, your negative outlook on the whole process will change for the better....

 

[elle_chris]

goobear- Totally understand how you feel but I just want to remind you- you knew going in that Leon isn''t always the nicest. In fact, there seems to be a 50/50 chance you get the mean side. He''s curt, short and sometimes insulting. With that said, you need to take what he says with a grain of salt.
He''s set smaller stones without comments on the size which leads me to believe it''s all about ERD and nothing to do with your stone so don''t take it personally! I know it''s hard, hell, If I hear one more person ask me if my rings are real "because I don''t look like the type to wear them", I''m gonna punch ''em

.

You have a beautiful stone that deserves a beautiful setting. at this point, Leon is faaar from the best match for you. Find someone that can work with you on helping you envision the ring you want without any type of commentaries because they don''t like who you bought your stone from. I mean, he''s just being trivial and you don''t need to deal with his emotional hang ups with ERD.

 

[sklingem]

Good decision - especially telling him why you are NOT choosing him. A jerk is a jerk. No need to sugarcoat it.

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/24/2008 5:57:26 PM
Author: elle_chris
goobear- Totally understand how you feel but I just want to remind you- you knew going in that Leon isn''t always the nicest. In fact, there seems to be a 50/50 chance you get the mean side. He''s curt, short and sometimes insulting. With that said, you need to take what he says with a grain of salt.
He''s set smaller stones without comments on the size which leads me to believe it''s all about ERD and nothing to do with your stone so don''t take it personally! I know it''s hard, hell, If I hear one more person ask me if my rings are real ''because I don''t look like the type to wear them'', I''m gonna punch ''em

.

You have a beautiful stone that deserves a beautiful setting. at this point, Leon is faaar from the best match for you. Find someone that can work with you on helping you envision the ring you want without any type of commentaries because they don''t like who you bought your stone from. I mean, he''s just being trivial and you don''t need to deal with his emotional hang ups with ERD.

Yes, I expected him to be curt and not to have his "vision" questioned, that''s true. But I didn''t not expect him to be so petty and mean just because of some beef he''s got with ERD. I wasn''t expecting that at all. Anyway, water under the bridge.

I can''t believe people actually say that to you about your rings. Crazy. It''s like this guy who sat down next to me on the train and saw what I was reading (Nora Roberts) and said, "Well, back to your trash..." WHAT?

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/24/2008 1:57:35 PM
Author: CharmyPoo
Goobear - We are having Maytal make our ring. We are in early stages but she has been extremely pleasant and my boyfriend really likes her.

I can''t wait to see your setting. It''s going to be stunning! Her work is so lovely. I''m glad you are having a good experience.

 

[Kay]

Goobear,

I think your cushion is stunning and quite substantial. Personally, I would put it in a simple solitaire (the only choice for me would be single or double prongs). I think side stones would take away from the lovely shape of your cushion.

I can certainly understand why you would not want to work with Leon at this point. However, I would not call and tell him so unless and until you have found someone else who can give you a solitaire as stunning as his are (assuming he will do a solitaire for you even though it is not his first choice for your stone). There are plenty of jewelers who do beautiful solitaires, but I have yet to see one (other than Cartier) that matches Leon''s delicate claw prongs. (Not saying they don''t exist, just that I personally have not seen another jeweler as good with prongs.) I love Leon''s double claw prongs when they are close together. Sometimes he does them wider apart, and I personally don''t like that look as much. I just love model 986.

Of course, if Leon has read this thread, the whole discussion may be moot.

http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=50

 

[goobear78]

I agree Kay, Leon’s work is stunning and his solitaires are the best of the best that I’ve seen. I’ve said that again and again in this post. His stuff is great. His attitude and customer service, sucks. But hey, he agrees with that and told me he’s a bench guy and shouldn’t be doing customer service.

The funny thing is the ring you attached; I actually printed out and brought with me for my first Leon visit. I LOVE that setting! I also agree that a solitaire would be best and I think double claws, which Leon does the best.

I didn’t get a chance to call Leon today because of work, but I will talk to him tomorrow. I hope he does read this post because it’s nothing I wouldn’t and haven’t said to him while in his office. He knows how upset I was by his comments so it shouldn’t be a surprise. I think his work is fabulous, but if he doesn’t want to work with ERD customers, he should say upfront. That said, I don’t hold any negative feelings towards Leon. I realize that his attitude had nothing to do with me. I hope he and ERD can work things out, because together they make beautiful rings!

 

[Fly Girl]

I''ve been following this thread, and just want to say that I''m so glad to hear you decided not to go with Leon. There is no doubt in my mind that you have made the right decision.

Best wishes in selecting a new designer. A solitaire setting with a beautiful wedding band will make a wonderful set.

 

[kelpie]

Jeffrey Bilgore in NYC seems to be able to do those lovely prongs. He also cuts the most beautiful gemstones.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 9/24/2008 2:21:57 PM
Author: Ellen

Goo, why would you consider upgrading? You said yourself that you think this has everything to do with what is going on between the guys and not your stone (and I do too now). Please, as hard as it may be, ignore what Leon said. It was extremely rude, and apparently petty. He's having a problem with Mark, so what does he do? he takes it out on your stone. There is no way on God's green earth Leon doesn't know that for all but a few women, size is everything. There's no way he couldn't have known that his remarks were going to hurt you. No. Way. I have thought this from the minute I first read what he said, but I tried to keep my trap shut. But frankly, I am so pissed off at Leon, I don't care anymore. Why should I be diplomatic, he certainly isn't. He intentionally hurt your feelings, imo (and now is making you doubt your stone to boot). I wouldn't give him the time of day now if it was me. Just my .02.

Keep your stone, it's lovely. And like I said before, find someone who shares your vision on a setting. Make this story have a really happy ending.

Ok, I'm done.

Ditto 100%, imho this is extremely unprofessional of LM - lets consider for a moment all those women he is doing the same thing to (according to Mark), who don't have the support group of PS to help them

Goo, really happy for you that you decided against it, just not worth it. When people are planning weddings, starting their lives together etc, who needs the extra stress of their jeweller insulting them too ?!

Do you like MM's work? I think that solitaire posted earlier would be perfect for your lovely cushion

 

[mommy2iz]

goo - i just wanted to tell you that i wish you lots of happiness as you start fresh! onward and upward! put all this ugliness behind you, and focus on the reason you have this beautiful stone to begin with. hello! remember, you''re in love! you have a gorgeous diamond! you''re getting married! yeah!!!!!

 

[goobear78]

Date: 9/24/2008 11:50:38 PM
Author: mommy2iz
goo - i just wanted to tell you that i wish you lots of happiness as you start fresh! onward and upward! put all this ugliness behind you, and focus on the reason you have this beautiful stone to begin with. hello! remember, you''re in love! you have a gorgeous diamond! you''re getting married! yeah!!!!!

Thanks Mommy2iz! I''m actually already married, but very much in love! My original ER & WB were stolen. Luckily I had insurance and I found the PS community and I''m going to make lemonade for lemons. I really like your positive attitude! Thanks for lifting my spirits!

 

[bgray]

please let us know what you decide--everything --good and bad happens for a reason.