My custom setting and honest opinions please

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 10/12/2009 3:51:06 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady
I could be sick. Everything about this man now makes my blood boil.

What a horrid experience.. simply tragic. He is the epitome of too much of an ego. Yes, he is talented but good golly.

Grow a set and fix what is obviously wrong. There are jewelers everywhere who would do the same to one, please the client and two, to save what little respect people who have read this thread may have had for him. I cannot fathom what you are going through sugar and I am so sorry for his obvious lack of class or tact. Such an UNPROFESSIONAL email should NEVER have been sent by him, it only affirms what I have heard over and over. What a terrible disappointment.

Bless your heart for going through this.. I''m angry for you..

Hugs to you.. I hope its not as bad as it seems but IF SO, he should fix it post haste.

I agree. He should make no airline, and a bigger split from the side. Unfortunately due to the shape of the stone, the choice would be either to have an unsymmetrical halo(difficult and may not come out well) or as done with no airline but a little space where the stones isn''t completely oval.

The fact Leon isn''t willing to redo with no airline and smaller split shank will just dissuade many from considering him. When you pay his prices for a ring and don''t have a guarantee to be happy only to be given what is in the work order I think many will pass including myself.

 

[LD]

Oh Boom, my heart goes out to you.

Well, you have waited until you received the ring and your post above just shows how incredibly disappointed you are. Honestly that''s not how a new piece of jewellery should affect you.

If you do decide to email Leon and explain that you''ve received the ring and tried to keep an open mind but in person the issues you saw with the photo do exist perhaps it might be worth considering what could be done to rectify the bits you don''t like? For example, if LM won''t provide a halo to fit and is saying it has to have symmetry then how about a bezel (like the Tiffany rings pictured in the work order)? I have no idea whether it would be possible to add an inner bezel to the setting so the halo doesn''t have to be redone? Probably not possible but might be worth exploring. I would think that the split shank would need to be re-done.

I don''t really know what to suggest because I haven''t dealt with LM but I HAVE commissioned many many jewellery pieces and I do think it''s worth a last shot trying to get this sorted out. Of course, you may be so fed up with it all that you just want shot of the thing and sell the setting to recoup some cash and start again.

Either way, I do hope you find a solution.

 

[StonieGrl]

Boom, I am so sorry both for the disappointment in the ring itself and the completely ridiculous treatment you received from Leon Mege.

I wish it had gone differently for you.

I want you to know (and you too, Leon, if someone is reading this to you, LOL) that I had two stones I had figured would be set by Leon but after reading your experience with him, his emails to you, and his COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE ON HIS WEBSITE ("Rule of Engagment" please give me a break) plus his cash only policy, it is clear he has no commitment at all to customer service and that he is most likely a misogynist and my feminine self will be spending my money elsewhere, thank you very much.

And just to make a point, Leon, your work as featured on your site is not "artistry,'' (original, groundbreaking, etc) pretty much all of work is a rip-off of other high-end jewelers (hello Tiffany, Cartier, and Harry Winston), but what you had to offer was a precise quality of benchwork that clearly has left your shop at this exact point in time. Which is not surprising, it must be impossible for you to hang on to employees.

Boom, consider popping all the gems off that setting, taking the metal and having it redone by a jeweler who will make YOU happy and give you a ring you will want to see first thing in the morning when you wake up. Scrape that dude off your shoe, he''s not worthy.

 

[TravelingGal]

Boom, what a bummer. I thought maybe the airline had a chance to look better, but I didn''t think that split shank would look any more prominent in person. I''m sorry you are so disappointed in the ring and that Leon is not working with you on this one.

Date: 10/12/2009 8:50:13 PM
Author: StonieGrl
Boom, I am so sorry both for the disappointment in the ring itself and the completely ridiculous treatment you received from Leon Mege.

I wish it had gone differently for you.

I want you to know (and you too, Leon, if someone is reading this to you, LOL) that I had two stones I had figured would be set by Leon but after reading your experience with him, his emails to you, and his COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE ON HIS WEBSITE (''Rule of Engagment'' please give me a break) plus his cash only policy, it is clear he has no commitment at all to customer service and that he is most likely a misogynist and my feminine self will be spending my money elsewhere, thank you very much.

And just to make a point, Leon, your work as featured on your site is not ''artistry,'' (original, groundbreaking, etc) pretty much all of work is a rip-off of other high-end jewelers (hello Tiffany, Cartier, and Harry Winston), but what you had to offer was a precise quality of benchwork that clearly has left your shop at this exact point in time. Which is not surprising, it must be impossible for you to hang on to employees.

Boom, consider popping all the gems off that setting, taking the metal and having it redone by a jeweler who will make YOU happy and give you a ring you will want to see first thing in the morning when you wake up. Scrape that dude off your shoe, he''s not worthy.

IMHO, your response is a bit over the top. My guess is you''ve never talked with the guy, and to call him a misogynist? You''re not sounding much better than you think he is with your insults.

 

[T L]

Boom,
I guess you''re not sending him the letter of apology and a gift as he predicted you would.

I''m sorry the airline and the shank are not up to your standards. I hope you can at least enjoy the ring as the stone is really the center of attention, and it is a killer stone. Thank you for the update. My very best wishes to you for this and all future pieces of jewelry.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Boom,

I was hoping that the ring would look better in person for your sake. I am sorry things didn''t turn out they way they did, and I agree that that e-mail was inappropriate, regardless of Leon''s English skills.

 

[VRBeauty]

Boom: I was also hoping that you would like the ring more once you saw it in person. I''m so sorry that you''re disappointed.

 

[Boom]

I'm definitely not going to email Leon, I don't want to receive another ugly response.
The ring is what it is, and I have come to accept that.
Fortunately the stone remains as nice as I remembered, so even in this setting, it shines.
I think it was TL who said that it's all about the coloured stone, and settings are secondary (or something to that effect), I'm beginning to agree with her.

And thank you again to everyone, I hope your setting dreams come true.

 

[mariedtiger]

Boom, I am so sorry that the ring turned out to be such a disappointment, and is now ruined for you. My heart goes out to you, as I can imagine the strength of your emotions concerning this whole experience, not to mention the money you''ve lost. I hope you can give yourself the space you need to grieve what should have been a joyous occasion and turned out very differently.

Marie

 

[mariedtiger]

Hi Boom,

We posted at the same time. How wonderful to read your upbeat post! I wholeheartedly agree that the gemstone comes first and am so glad to hear it shines in the setting (despite everything)!!!

I can just imagine how gorgeous your gem is IRL!

 

[chrono]

That stone is a beauty; look at that colour shouting in the picture. No matter how one feels about the design, it is still a well made setting and shows off the Mahenge very well.

 

[T L]

Date: 10/13/2009 7:45:10 AM
Author: Chrono
That stone is a beauty; look at that colour shouting in the picture. No matter how one feels about the design, it is still a well made setting and shows off the Mahenge very well.

Ditto on that, and it''s gorgeous!! WOW!!

 

[Lovinggems]

Boom your photo makes the ring look really pretty. Not to make light of your situation and I know your setting is really expensive, but maybe you can keep it as it for a while, but if you decide to reset the stone later on you can get a custom cut stone for the current setting, that way you get two gorgeous rings.

 

[dragonfly411]

Boom - I''m glad to see you feeling even slightly better. I love that stone!

 

[CharmyPoo]

I think both the stone and setting are gorgeous!! I love them both.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

I don't give praise often on pricescope being as spoiled as I am, but I can honeslty say the stone is a fireball and the setting is beautiful and compliments the stone nicely. Your macro photography skills are also fantastic that shot is so clear and lifelike, what camera did you use?

IMO the pave work is superb, very even and delicate and I like the size of the split, just big enough to know its there but not so much that it draws attention away from the stone.
Congratulations, not exactly what you wanted but still of really high quality and beauty.

 

[brandy_z28]

Hey Boom! I''m sorry the ring is a disappointment but I think overall it''s very lovely and I hope you can enjoy wearing it or at least sell the setting and re-coup enough to go with your original setting plan, your mahenge is

! I think you''ve handled this situation very well and have a great attitude. I''m not so sure I''d have held up as well, kudos and hugs to you!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Boom, I too am so sorry that you didn''t like it better when you saw it in person. I was so hoping that the airline wouldn''t be as glaring in person as in
the photos.

When I see the photo of the ring on your hand it looks drop dead gorgeous to me. Stunning stunning stone and the setting does enhance the beauty of it.
I hope that you get so many compliments every time you wear it, that you will be able to wear it with joy. (if that is what you choose to do)

I am deeply sorry that it has been a painful experience for you. I also hope you will be able to shake the feelings left by Leon''s email.

 

[LD]

Boom - I totally agree with TL''s comment. Often on the coloured stone forum we say the central coloured stone should be the piece that grabs your attention and it does in your ring. You focus on the colour more than anything else. I''m so glad that you''re starting to see your ring in this way. xxx

 

[LGK]

Boom, I''ve followed your thread here and I wanted to say that although you have had a horrid experience I applaud you for posting it here, I''m sure it wasn''t easy to do that. It has certainly made up my mind about never using LM; and, though mostly his work is more modern than my taste, there were a couple of times I considered it briefly. Now, there''s no way in hell I''d ever go through him, especially after reading that email

(OMG who writes stuff like that to a client? Really! I don''t care what kind of a strange sense of humor you have, that crossed sooooo many lines...)

I''m so sorry the ring isn''t any better in person

I think everyone was hoping it would be a little less wonky IRL.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Boom, I'm sorry you're disappointed in the ring. I can see a bit of an airline, but to me it isn't distracting and doesn't detract from the overall beauty of the ring. The split shank issue also doesn't take anything away from the beauty of the ring. As others have said, the center stone is what should attract all the attention, and it does. You have a beautiful ring - wear it in the best of health and enjoy it.

 

[StonieGrl]

Boom, that is one ROCKIN'' STONE!!! Looks beautiful on your hand.

 

[Fly Girl]

That is a stunning stone and a very beautiful ring.

 

[cushioncutnut]

It turned out gorgeous. The stone certainly takes center stage. In spite of your feelings towards Leon''s lack of etiquette, I sure hope you find yourself falling in love with this ring. It really is stunning!!!

 

[vc10um]

That is one HECK of a stone, Boom! I really hope that seeing it in all its beautiful sparkly glory allows you to enjoy the ring for some time.

And thanks for sharing your story...I''m sure you''ve saved a lot of PSers out there a lot of potential grief...

 

[Burberrygirl]

It''s a gorgeous ring! I''m sorry things didn''t go as planned, but I hope you still enjoy it.

 

[mariel]

I think it''s a gorgeous stone and setting however I am sorry that you had to go through such a painful ordeal. Do enjoy the ring as it''s a stunner