My custom setting and honest opinions please

[Indylady]

Ditto to everyone else; the airline seems wonky and the split shank is hardly split at all. Good luck, and I really do hope that you will like it much more once you have a chance to try it on, and if you don''t, I hope that everything gets taken care of and Leon gives you a refund.

 

[Liane]

Oh, wow, I had no idea.

What on earth could possess someone to treat a repeat customer so poorly? It boggles my mind.

 

[oddoneout]

I cannot believe the horrible customer service. You did not get what you asked for. I cannot see the split shank in the picture from arms length away. I can see the space around the stone as well. I''m so sorry this happened. I don''t know what to suggest (other than what others suggested).

 

[packrat]

Pretty much everything has already been said, but I wanted to chime in w/hugs for you, and I hope it is great in person!

 

[StonieGrl]

Greetings colored stone fans. I have been lurking here for about 9 months enjoying all of your expertise and experience and most of all, the pics and stories that go with your stones and resulting jewelry.

I ''joined'' up today because I was so horrified by read here about Leon Mege. I have 6 gemstones to set (more on those later/different thread) and I was considering Leon. I WILL NEVER and I mean NEVER use him after this thread and the other ones that show a picture of a RETAILER who is an egregious bully.

Boom, I am so sorry your experience was so unpleasant!!! The design and ultimately buying experience should be a POSITIVE part of the whole thing and you have this BULLY who is trying to horsehockey you into accepting this ring.

Of course Leon ONLY accepts cash and wire transfers---he must have had credit payments ripped out of his nasty little paws when he treated credit card clients in this manner. This way, he feels that what he says goes.

Boom, print the entire thread and mail it to him. Tell him precisely what must be done to this ring to make it a PROFESSIONAL custom made ring that makes you happy. And when he has done this, you will post that photo for us all to see as well as this piece of lame workmanship.

I went to a jeweler, Oliver Smith, this weekend with a gorgeous stone from Gene Flanigan and I specifically asked about customer service. The jeweler told me that they don''t take one cent in advance of the custom work because until the customer is thrilled with their custom made jewelry, they do not consider the job done and payment due.

Show THAT to Mr. Leon Mege.

 

[Arcadian]

There''s not much else I can say that everyone else hasn''t. Its very sad that you''re unhappy with the ring, Boom. Its something that you should love, not feel regret about.

Irregardless of the ring,the other issue is Leons attitude sounds damn funky. Granted he''s got some gorgeous rings but I don''t take well to a prima donna attitude. Just my opinion.


-A

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I saw this thread this morning, but didn''t have time to comment.

When I saw the first picture (before you said who it was) my thought was, that looks like a Leon knock off that was poorly done. I was shocked to find out it was Leon himself who did it. I feel you pain because I just went though an ordeal with my sapphire RHR where a benchman did something he wanted to do despite the jeweler telling him not to. The work was poorly done, and I could tell by looking at it, and the they said it was fine. When I put the pictures up, everyone noticed the problem. Yeah the pics were blown up, but I could see the issue.

That being said here are my thoughts

1) I think waiting to see the ring in person is fair. Since Harriet''s ring is the "prototype" ring for his website, his photographer might have done a quick job on the pics thinking you would be the only one to see them (stupid idea being that so many Leon owner''s post their pics on here).

2) I don''t understand Leon''s attitude. There is a much better way to handle this.

Sorry you have to deal with this.

 

[Kay]

Boom, I am so sorry you are going through this. I hope the ring will look better in person, but it clearly was not what you ordered. The most glaring problem to me is the shank. The split area is much too short -- only two diamonds deep. Leon has done such lovely split shanks in the past -- I don''t know what he was thinking with this one. It does not look like a split shank from the top at all.

I was considering Leon for a future project since I adore his prongs, but what he did with your ring and how he has treated your concerns has totally turned me off to using him.

Hugs.

 

[AustenNut]

I have nothing to add but just wanted to say

((((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))

 

[Laila619]

Boom, I'm so sorry sweetie.

The way he is treating you makes my blood boil.

 

[Kaleigh]

BOOM,

This is outrageous. To be treated in this manner? It makes me soooo angry. I have only dealt with him once. It was fine, nothing great, but nothing bad either. This makes me want to call him and say are you kidding me??? He''s really making a poor mistake in handling this.. I don''t know if he reads PS. If he does, Leon please make this right......

 

[brandy_z28]

I am so sorry Boom! I too thought it was a Leon imitation ring, not an actual LM ring!

I think the ring is quite lovely and I really hope it''s just camera shy and you love it when you see it. From the photos it doesn''t appear to be a masterpiece from the perfecter of perfection that we''ve all come to expect to see from LM. I''d like to say that he''s human and not infallible but his customer service and lack of appreciation is totally inexcusable!

It seems to me as if his ego is a bit overly inflated and in order to make that point clear I think he not just has to lose a few customers but quite a few customers. I''ve dreampt of owning a LM ring but I would never tolerate or accept that behavior. It''s just a shame that LM won''t really see the potential customers he''s losing.

 

[T L]

I''m shocked that there are no complaints, based on past experiences I''ve read about (Boom is not the only one I know of that was dissatisfied with the outcome of a ring, but felt they couldn''t do anything about it). Well, Boom, if you need to lodge a complaint, go for it!!

http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/jewelry-designers/leon-mege-inc-in-new-york-ny-89215/

 

[Gailey]

What an unmitigated disaster we have going on here, and I don''t just mean the ring.

Firstly, let me say to Boom, I''m sorry this has not been a pleasant experience for you. I had a bit of a ring disappointment today so I know how you feel. I just have to add in that I am not referring to my new BGD ring, but something that was done locally.

So, what do we know?

#1
Boom is a prior customer of Leon. Presumably up until now a happy one if reports of this being her 4th project are correct. So Boom knows about Leon''s "quirky" nature, odd business practices etc. I''m also going to assume that she has also read what people have had to say about him here. The one thing I think many would agree on is that Leon is a very polarising character. You either love him or you hate him.

#2
I think it is also fair to say that if a newbie joins this forum and researches Leons pieces, that person will find rings etc., crafted with sheer genius. How many times can you find "never saw a Leon I didn''t love" written here. Coupled with that, there are also many threads that speak to his brusque, sometimes rude nature. The reality is that sometimes that''s the price you pay for genius. It may not be ideal, it may not be professional, but it is what it is. Anyone spending upwards of $3K not doing their due diligence and weighing up all these things about Leon before commissioning him is just plain naive. No Boom, I don''t think you were naive.

#3
There is no escaping whatever the rights and wrongs of the execution (and many have given their opinions about that), Leon appears to have been downright bloody rude to Boom and that in my book is unacceptable, unjustified and if he did it to me it would cost him my trade for the future. Get that man someone to manage his "Front of House".

#4
As to the faults that have been identified with Boom''s ring, here are my thoughts. Even if the spinel is off-oval, it must surely be possible to make the air-line equidistant around the complete perimiter regarless of shape. Question is, in doing so, would this enhance the off-oval or disguise it? I don''t know enough to make that of call. A man of Leon''s calibre should know that, probably does know that. Maybe his decision to sacrifice the symmetry of the airline in favour of a uniform outer halo was the lesser of two evils in setting a stone that was not true. Of course what he should have done was pick up the phone and say'' "Hey Boom, your stone is wonky and this is what I think we should do to try an minimise the off-oval, what do you think? "

#5
As to the shank, it looks nothing like Harriets shank. I think we are all agreed on that. Now is that because of poor execution of Booms wishes, limitations of the size and shape of the stone or what? I have no idea. Again, Leon ought to have pointed out to Boom the reasons why the two shanks would not look similar if this is what she specifically asked for.

By not taking these two opportunities to to talk to Boom about the design and execution of her ring, it will no doubt cost him a chunk of business. Maybe he''ll take a course in people skills, but folks don''t count on it.

*6
Voices of reason have advised Boom to reserve judgement on the ring until she sees it. Others have said don''t accept delivery and ask for your money back. The pragmatist in me says take the ring Boom. After all, your money is now safely tucked up in his bank and whether you accept or decline the ring it is not likely to impact the swift return of your money. The fact that this appears to be a cross-border transaction just adds a layer of complexity for Boom, that I understand only too well. There''s a chance when you see the ring in person you may be satisfied, even if you aren''t thrilled. If you detest it so much that you want a refund, you can have your stone un-mounted locally, send the setting back with a letter explaining your grievences. He may honour your request for a refund or not, in which case you can consider a lawsuit. How realistic is that when you live in another country? If you did sue, and you did win, you will still have to collect, and that''s not easy either. It''s entirely possible to spend more than you stand to recover in these circumstances.

It''s not fair, it''s not right and it''s not nice, but it is what it is. We don''t live in utopia.

 

[VRBeauty]

Boom, before you made it clear that this was a ring crafted by Leon, I assumed someone had put your stone in a stock setting and tried to pass it off as custom. It was very disappointing to read that it was indeed a custom ring.

I think Gailey''s analysis hit the nail on the head. To my mind there is no good reason for the airline not to be equidistant around the ring, but if it is a question of a choosing between a classic oval and airline symmetry, that''s a choice that Leon should have discussed with his client (especially since you are a repeat customer). The same argument goes for the split shank. Since he didn''t bother to initiate either of these conversations, Leon''s "take it or leave it" approach just doesn''t wash with me.

Unfortunately, I also concur with the conclusion Gailey reached in her sixth point. If Leon doesn''t agree to a refund on the setting, I''m not sure what recourse you have short of legal action. Given all the things that can go wrong with even domestic mail services, I''m not sure that I''d want to take a chance on refusing the package in the case of an international shipment.

Hopefully you''ll fall in love with the ring when you see it.... if not, I hope Leon will come to his senses and work with you to come up with a solution that you can both live with.

 

[ma re]

Another car analogy - if I wanted a beige car and the model that I chose doesen't come in beige, I'd expect the vendor to contact me about that issue instead of ordering me a blue one without my knowledge. Something pretty similar probably happened here; he stumbled upon some problems of (my guess) technical nature and made decisions that impact the end design of a piece without discussing it with a customer. Strange logic, to put it mildly.

Looking at additional pictures, I can say that I probably wouldn't have a problem with an airline, as the stone's pink color reflects light to the back of the ring (on the finger itself), and it looks like that color (of a pink reflection on your finger) almost blends with that of the actual stone. But the split shank is a real issue here if you ask me. I'd advise Mr. Mege to look up the dictionary under "split" and he may understand why you're not crazy about the ring - there's almost no split. So, if you wouldn't care about the ring having or not having a split shank, this ring would be pretty much what you asked for, but since you specified "split shank"...

I agree that there's probably not much (reasonable actions) you can do, so I'd advise the following. Either have some skilled local jeweller (as LM is not the only skilled person on the face of the planet) fix whatever can be fixed, or just have another nice stone (that has a more regular outline if possible) set in this ring - again locally, and assuming you can live with an almost-split shank. Or you can always sell the setting on e-bay, as it's Leon original after all, get as much money back as possible and find this stone another setting.

Hope this helps.

 

[T L]

Even with Gailey's thorough analysis above, I still think you should lodge a BBB complaint if things do not go in your favor and you are forced to accept this man's shoddy work. It will help other people that are considering him for a piece since it does affect his BBB rating. Good luck to you Boom, and I hope Leon does the right thing, but the man appears to be too egotistical to admit he did shoddy work in the first place. I hope he proves us wrong.

I was reading over some of his policies in his "Rules of Engagement"

and I'm really shocked that people work with him so readily based on these ridiculous rules. I don't want to quote things from his website, but as for refund policies and ways of obtaining a quote, I think it's downright ridiculous. I know the man thinks he's an "artiste," but so was Michaelangelo, and even Michaelangelo had to make his benefactors happy when he painted the Sistine Chapel. Apparently, LM thinks he's above making anyone happy. The best advertising someone can have is excellent customer service, and this will affect his business in the long run, whether he realizes it or not.

Apparently he didn't give you any drawings or CADS to show you the design before he finished it? I assume so, but not sure. I would think that would be standard in doing custom work. I know where I live locally, my jeweler shows me the wax so I can approve it. There should be some approval in the visual design before it's paid for and finished. I am also shocked that people just pay him the balance before giving approval to some kind of visual design that is unique to their piece. I could be wrong on some of these counts, but it appears that you didn't receive any visual design prior to giving him payment.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 9/24/2009 8:49:38 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Even with Gailey''s thorough analysis above, I still think you should lodge a BBB complaint if things do not go in your favor and you are forced to accept this man''s shoddy work. It will help other people that are considering him for a piece since it does affect his BBB rating. Good luck to you Boom, and I hope Leon does the right thing, but the man appears to be too egotistical to admit he did shoddy work in the first place. I hope he proves us wrong.

I was reading over some of his policies in his ''Rules of Engagement''

and I''m really shocked that people work with him so readily based on these ridiculous rules. I don''t want to quote things from his website, but as for refund policies and ways of obtaining a quote, I think it''s downright ridiculous. I know the man thinks he''s an ''artiste,'' but so was Michaelangelo, and even Michaelangelo had to make his benefactors happy when he painted the Sistine Chapel. Apparently, LM thinks he''s above making anyone happy. The best advertising someone can have is excellent customer service, and this will affect his business in the long run, whether he realizes it or not.

Apparently he didn''t give you any drawings or CADS to show you the design before he finished it? I assume so, but not sure. I would think that would be standard in doing custom work. I know where I live locally, my jeweler shows me the wax so I can approve it. There should be some approval in the visual design before it''s paid for and finished. I am also shocked that people just pay him the balance before giving approval to some kind of visual design that is unique to their piece. I could be wrong on some of these counts, but it appears that you didn''t receive any visual design prior to giving him payment.

Umm, how do I say this politely. TL, please don''t be offended but I am not sure that your continued vociferous oposition of Leon''s terms of business is helping Boom and I really don''t mean to be unkind, but the point is, likely she is stuck with it.

I don''t think it''s fair to continue to bash his terms of business. As I said before, they are what they are and if people don''t like them, they don''t have to choose to work with him. Boom did choose to work with him and clearly must have known and understood his terms given that she''s done it 3 times previously. I''m not a lawyer, but de facto contract springs to mind.

The man is a genius/artiste, call him what you will. He doesn''t hold himself out to be politeless personified, business man of the year, or a plaster saint, so why we keep expecting he ought to be serves no useful purpose.

Boom asked for opinions on the setting and we have given them, along with advice about what her courses of action might be.

Can we not leave it at that?

 

[dragonfly411]

Gailey - no offense to YOU but his practices in this instance are NOT ok. The customer did not get what she asked for, she didn''t receive the type of split shanking she asked for, she didn''t receive a halo of smaller stones as she asked for, and the halo doesn''t even seem to fit her stone. In this case she shouldn''t be stuck with a product that differs from what she asked for. It is also not ok to treat a REPEAT customer with such disrespect and disregard. I''m not quite sure where you are finding ground to defend this, but his actions are not acceptable under and terms.

This particular piece also does not reflect "genius" work either.

 

[decodelighted]

See how you feel when you get the ring itself. Maybe it isn''t exactly what you''d envisioned but that really happens in MOST custom jobs. If it hasn''t happened to you so far, consider yourself very lucky!

BTW: I do think it isn''t exactly what you asked for. The split isn''t noticeable ... the airline does look a wee bit wonky. It does have the effect of "pre-made" halo vs CUSTOM halo as far as the FIT is concerned. But the pave and prongs are the usual Leon standard - which just makes the whole thing more perplexing. Like there''s got to be a "bad one" every once in a while, even among very talented people ... and this is that "bad one". Which SUX for you.

RE: Leon. Here''s the thing. He takes liberties. He doesn''t always give people what they want - he gives people what he thinks is best. That should really be clear to anyone who reads these forums. As is the fact he''s difficult and moody and gruff. His own policies are clear and you roll the dice when working with him. He has THE RIGHT to be and act however he wishes and conduct his business however he wishes. None of us can dictate how he *should* be. We vote with our dollars. Some of us think the product he produces is worth risking time & $$ and potential heartache in the HOPES of getting a fabulous final product NO MATTER WHAT THE COST. Some of us don''t.

I imagine this thread will cost Leon more $$ that he can believe is possible. And its his own behavior that will seal that fate. Lets just realize that karma will work this all out and offer Boom our sympathies for her bad luck in this instance. Hopefully the ring will be beautiful & wearable & of SOME value when she gets it and not a total wash. Perhaps she''ll even grow to love it. It doesn''t change the fact that she didn''t get what she *asked for* and that Leon DOESN''T SEEM TO CARE ABOUT THAT AT ALL. That legacy will remain on these web pages for a good long while. Remember that when it comes time to vote with your dollars. If only to set your expectations REALISTICALLY for this tempermental vendor.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 9/24/2009 10:50:13 AM
Author: dragonfly411
Gailey - no offense to YOU but his practices in this instance are NOT ok. The customer did not get what she asked for, she didn''t receive the type of split shanking she asked for, she didn''t receive a halo of smaller stones as she asked for, and the halo doesn''t even seem to fit her stone. In this case she shouldn''t be stuck with a product that differs from what she asked for. It is also not ok to treat a REPEAT customer with such disrespect and disregard. I''m not quite sure where you are finding ground to defend this, but his actions are not acceptable under and terms.

This particular piece also does not reflect ''genius'' work either.

Dragonfly, I would agree with you that his practices in this instance are not OK. I think if you read my original thread you will see that I plainly said that if he treated me the way he has treated Boom I would not be knocking on his door a second time.

And again, you are correct, the customer did not get what she asked for - no argument. But neither did she send him a carbon copy of Harriet''s stone either. Unless the dimensions of the two stones match to the nth degree, then the finished product is not going to look the same. Seasoned members have speculated as to why this might be - did you read those comments? You say that she shouldn''t be stuck with a product that differs from what she asked for. My suggestions (and those of others) merely suggest that with the stone she sent to Leon it may not be physically possible for her to have what she asked for and preserve the structural integrity of the ring. At which point I suggested this was where Leon should have picked up the phone. Hardly defending him now is it?

And I agree again, she ought not to be stuck with a product with which she is less than happy. I don''t think I was necessarily advocating that, rather suggest the reality that she might be stuck with it and what are her options? Again, seasoned members have suggested she see the ring before she decides. She lives in another country as do I. I cannot speculate on every courier policy, but I do know that Fedex will only insure a jewellery item up to the value of $500 in Canada. Boom is not going to have much confidence if she decides to send the ring back, with only a $500 rider.

Might I politely suggest you read my comments again, because I have certainly not defended Leon. What I have sought to suggest is that continued bashing of his stated policy is not helping Boom in deciding what to do. She already knows his policies inside out.

 

[T L]

Date: 9/24/2009 10:36:50 AM
Author: Gailey
Umm, how do I say this politely. TL, please don''t be offended but I am not sure that your continued vociferous oposition of Leon''s terms of business is helping Boom and I really don''t mean to be unkind, but the point is, likely she is stuck with it.

I don''t think it''s fair to continue to bash his terms of business. As I said before, they are what they are and if people don''t like them, they don''t have to choose to work with him. Boom did choose to work with him and clearly must have known and understood his terms given that she''s done it 3 times previously. I''m not a lawyer, but de facto contract springs to mind.

The man is a genius/artiste, call him what you will. He doesn''t hold himself out to be politeless personified, business man of the year, or a plaster saint, so why we keep expecting he ought to be serves no useful purpose.

Boom asked for opinions on the setting and we have given them, along with advice about what her courses of action might be.

Can we not leave it at that?

Gailey,
I am just highlighting points about his business so that people are aware of them and that they don''t end up like poor Boom, with something they didn''t ask for. Perhaps this thread has gone off on that tangent, but many threads such as these do. In the end, Leon is still a businessman, and I would think that anyone who is selling merchandise for a living would be held to a minimum of standards in the consumer marketplace, regardless of the "genius" or "artiste" in him. As I stated before, even Michaelangelo had to make his benefactors happy.

I would welcome Leon to come on PS and defend these business practices, or any PS''er to tell me why he has such business practices. So far, I haven''t seen one PS''er really stand up for him, and that is a bit shocking in light of the so-called "genius" work that he does. In a way, this thread is exposing some things about Leon that might help future potential customers decide if he is the right/wrong person to work with, so I do think that is beneficial. Maybe some customers like the way he works, and that''s fine as well. Perhaps we need to start a new thread since this is going off on a tangent, and I am partly responsible for that. I do apologize.

 

[innerkitten]

Boom, I really like the ring a lot! Especially in the hand shot.I do see the space but the workmanship looks very good to me. I'm sorry to hear you had a not so great experience though. Thats awful

 

[DianaBanana]

I wasn''t sure whether I should post or not, as most of you know, I also commissioned a custom ring from Leon that turned out to be different than what I was expecting...I really sympathize with you Boom, I know exactly how you must have felt when you received the picture and your heart sunk.

Although this is just a layman''s guess, I would assume that if the halo and airline were to follow the outline of an unsymmetrical stone, the result would be a lack of symmetry in the outline of the ring which, in my mind, would be much more promininant than the small variance in the airline.

I think the ring is quite stunning in the real life sized pictures, I hope it brings a smile to your face when you see it in person. If it does, I hope your experience with Leon won''t keep you from enjoying it.

Hugs to you, Diana

 

[Harriet]

Boom,
I know it''s small comfort, but the melee in my halo are smaller than they appear in the picture. The reason that there''s an airline is because my spinel is not a perfect oval. Leon made what is probably the correct decision, but should have communicated with you about it.

TL,
If you must, start a new thread. Like Gailey, I suspect that your "vociferousness", coupled with the comparisons to your LOGRs, are distressing to Boom. Thank you.

DianaBanana,
You are a sweetheart.

 

[Lovinggems]

A big hug to you Boom.

The only thing I can''t live with is the nonexistent split shank, can it be fixed without redoing the whole ring, you might want to ask now before it''s in the post. Or could you ask for a partial refund?

 

[mariedtiger]

Boom, here is yet another hug to you. What a process to go through for something that is meant to be a joyous experience! I''m hoping your stone will work its magic, and the setting with all the unwanted details will still be so well made that it makes a statement of its very own, and you can consider it independently&separately from the rest of the experience, despite your understandably big disappointment.

Marie

 

[T L]

Date: 9/24/2009 9:28:53 PM
Author: Harriet
Boom,
I know it's small comfort, but the melee in my halo are smaller than they appear in the picture. The reason that there's an airline is because my spinel is not a perfect oval. Leon made what is probably the correct decision, but should have communicated with you about it.

TL,
If you must, start a new thread. Like Gailey, I suspect that your 'vociferousness', coupled with the comparisons to your LOGRs, are distressing to Boom. Thank you.

DianaBanana,
You are a sweetheart.

Harriet,
I did apologize above in response to Gailey's thread. No need to repeat this as if to single me out. Thank you.

Boom,
I certainly hope this turns out the way you want, I apologize again if I distressed you in any way.

 

[Boom]

I''m back with sort of an update.

I have to apologize for going MIA but I fell into a mini depression and was hounded day and night by this issue. Yesterday, I wanted to call Leon and sat with the phone in my hand for a couple of hours but ended up sending him an email instead. I really couldn''t handle talking to him again.
Finally today, I told myself I had to snap out of it. I was not going to let this interfere with my life anymore.

Leon wrote back to say the ring was made correctly based on the work order and he will not remake the ring. So that''s that.

I don''t know what I will do with the ring when I get it. The setting is ruined in my eyes but I love my stone. I think I will eventually have it replaced with something that fits better.

I do thank everyone for their opinions and thoughts. I was extremely touched by the support you guys have shown me.

To dianabanana, I hope you get the setting that you asked for. I followed your story from the beginning and understood exactly what you wanted. I was shocked when you posted the photo Leon sent you. I''m so glad he agreed to remake your setting.

Date: 9/24/2009 11:08:05 AM
Author: decodelighted

BTW: I do think it isn''t exactly what you asked for. The split isn''t noticeable ... the airline does look a wee bit wonky. It does have the effect of ''pre-made'' halo vs CUSTOM halo as far as the FIT is concerned. But the pave and prongs are the usual Leon standard - which just makes the whole thing more perplexing. Like there''s got to be a ''bad one'' every once in a while, even among very talented people ... and this is that ''bad one''. Which SUX for you.

deco - I don''t understand this. Because he is an artiste, I should accept that I was unlucky that I got the ''bad one''? Really?

I''ve been an ardent fan of Leon''s for many years, from back when he made the rings himself. I was so happy when I could finally afford his rings. Despite the distance, this would have been my fourth ring made by him. I''m in the process of upgrading my RB. I also had plans for a sapphire 3 stone ring in the next couple of years. I''m not a VIP customer of Leon''s, but I had not considered anyone but him for these projects. It''s over for me now.

 

[Boom]

So Leon likes to have the last word.

He sends me this email.
It sounds like you are unhappy with this ring. From what I understand you are not happy about the width of the split and the width of the airline. Are there any other objections? What airline width do you think you’d specify if you were doing it again?
You don’t have to answer if you don’t feel like answering. I am just trying to understand how I should prepare a work order with future customers to , make sure there is a full understanding of what will be done.

My reply:
Really? I couldn''t sleep and couldn''t function for the last few days because I was so depressed. My husband offered to fly me to NY to talk to you personally. You make hundreds of these gorgeous rings, but for me, I have to save in order to own a few of your beauties. It was very very important to me and it''s ruined. So yes. I am unhappy with this ring. But I''m taking it because I can''t let this control my life anymore.

I will answer your questions because I want to spare others from this kind of experience. It clearly is a problem because I know you recently made a setting for a sapphire that turned out totally different from the customer''s expectations as well.

First, the split shank. It is not the width of the split, it is the length that is the problem. As the name implies, the split should be clearly visible from the top, just like the red spinel ring as well as the recent pink cushion spinel ring you made. I don''t think the customer should be expected to specify how deep/long the split should be, because how would we know? You are the expert.

Next, the airline. If I were doing it again, I''d say no airline. Then if you had to add one, you should be telling the customer why an airline is needed and how big it''s going to be. I would expect the airline to be minimal and equidistant on all sides because that is the point of going custom. So that the setting fits the stone like a glove. I''m going to be blunt. With this setting, it looks like another stone (slightly more elongated) could be put in without modification. The airline on my asscher halo is nothing short of perfect.

I know you are an artiste, I respect that. But at the same time, as customers we have certain visions as well. Please if you need to make changes for technical or aesthetic reasons, explain to us so that we know what to expect. Customers come to you for their dream settings despite the distance or the cost because they want to see their dream settings built by a master. When you take liberties with the design without informing us, it totally crushes us.

Perhaps you didn''t expect such a long answer. The truth is, I put you on a pedestal, and I know you do some of the best work out there, but I won''t be coming back again.

His reply

Your unhappiness is solely a product of your imagination. I am sorry you feel this way. I am going to do something nice – I will reply to your email point by point, so you can see for yourself how ridiculous your logic is. I don’t blame you personally, I feel that you are a kind and nice person. I am guessing someone is misguiding you and I will try to get you to hear my end of it.


>>> It was very very important to me and it''s ruined. >>>
How do you know ? You haven’t seen the ring yet.

>>> As the name implies, the split should be clearly visible from the top>>>
Name does not imply that. Many customers love short split, it’s a matter of personal preference. The reason we fill the work order is to agree on specifics, just like you pick a wallpaper when you hire a contractor. If you were to ask me I would suggested the size of a split I’ve done.

>>> Because how would we know? You are the expert. >>>
If I am the expert – why don’t you take my word that it is a beautiful ring perfect for the stone, done just right. I’ve seen it you haven’t. I have advantage.))))

>>> If I were doing it again, I''d say no airline. >>>
So you think you’ve made a mistake choosing an airline. Why would you blame me for your choice? I disagree that this is a mistake, but again – this is a matter of personal preferences, your wish is my command.

>>> you should be telling the customer why an airline is needed>>>
Again – it’s not needed, it’s a choice of a design, your choice, you’ve made it.

>>> I would expect the airline to be minimal and equidistant on all sides>>>
You are correct and it is. The airline is uniform, 0.3 mm wide. This is what we do most of the time. If you have a preference of particular airline width you should have specified it on your work order that you SIGNED.

>>> it looks like another stone (slightly more elongated) could be put in without modification>>>
Not true, it’s equal to the highest degree, you cannot use the photograph to asses it because the image comes out distorted. I never send photos of finished work and exception that I’ve made in your case I’ve come to regret. At least I would expect a benefit of a doubt by a long time customer.

>>> The airline on my asscher halo is nothing short of perfect.>>>
According to my records ( and if my memory serves me well) your asscher cut ring DOES NOT have an airline.

>>> I know you are an artiste>>>
No, I am a jeweler. I create a piece of jewelry according to customer’s wishes using my artistic abilities to achieve the best possible result. Artistic interpretation is not a science and cannot be argued in this manner. If you feel my artistic abilities are not on par with your artistic requirements simply find another jeweler. No need to insult me.

>>> When you take liberties with the design without informing us>>>
Please read the work order you’ve signed!!!!

>>> I put you on a pedestal>>>
I am still alive.

>>> you do some of the best work out there, but I won''t be coming back again>>>>
Trust me you will. The real question is –will I take you back? Of course I will. I like you. You are fun. I haven’t had such a clear case of temporary jewelry blindness since 1995. I think you will get over it. Get a good night sleep, take an aspirin, wait for a week or so and by that time doctor “pink spinel ring” will arrive and will put you out of your misery. I know right now your head is preoccupied with images of airlines and splits in a size of Grand Canyon, but when the dust clears I expect a nice gift with a letter of apology.

My regards to your husband, my heart is going out for him.