My experience with Leon Mege

[Melinda]

Errrr, AHEM....
My dear ladies,
There are 2 parts to this story, so please bear with me.
I''ve been procrastinating on recalling my appointment with Leon a few weeks ago, but here it is: My bf took the day off of work on the day we were supposed to meet with him. Basically my baby was running all over town to go to the bank, pick up the stone from GOG, get it independantly appraised, etc. I couldn''t concentrate all day since I was so excited about our meeting with Leon that night. We had an appointment to meet him at his office at 6 pm, an appointment which my bf confirmed twice with Leon that week.
Anyway, we got there and rang the buzzer, but no one ever answered. We were a little early, so we thought maybe he had run out to get a cup of coffee, smoke a cigarette or whatever. The elevator kept ringing and opening on the floor, but there was never a person inside. 45 min. later we were still standing there. I was almost in tears and heartbroken. He had confirmed twice! My whole day had revolved around this moment! We kept calliing Leon''s number, the 1--800 number, but no one was anywhere. We finally put on our coats, scarves and hats and went home all sad and dejected.
My bf was so mad he would have been happy to re-plan with someone else all together. But I''ve been drooling over Leon for months. I knew exactly what I wanted and in my heart knew I wasn''t going to be happy with something else at this point in the game, after all my research, planning, etc.
Part 2: My bf called Leon the next day and was basically furious, but my bf''s not the furious kind of guy. Leon told him he had basically blanked it. (OK: Just a thought here. At least he didn''t bs his way out of it, which I probably would have done under the circumstances. Let''s face it; that''s not a great excuse.) He was very apologetic and kept saying he hadn''t been feeling well and that he just forgot. One of Leon''s assitants called me that morning too, saying, "Oh, yeah, I don''t know why no one called you, but Leon wasn''t feeling well yesterday." I was basically like, "And that''s an excuse because.....? What if I were from out of town?" I grumbled about this for a couple of days and then got over it and rescheduled my appt. Mistakes happen to all of us, rght?
We ended up meeting with an apologetic Leon a couple weeks ago, and I felt good about our meeting. I was hoping maybe I could use this as leverage to insist that Leon created my ring himself, but that didn''t go over. He said, "No one''s ring gets more attention than anyone else''s. Everything is done with the same amount of attention to detail and care. I oversee everything, blah blah blah. All I can say is my ring better be perfect and fabulous!!!!!
I ended up going with a solitaire/claw prong combo and single pave band, which will eventually fit next to a single pave wedding band Leon''s doing too.
Leon said my oval stone was really beautiful and one of the nicest he''d seen, and that made me feel great.

I just created another post wondering if I should do a melee or not. I didn''t want it, but now I''m having doubts. I''d love opinions.

One last thing: This might sound really stupid, but I should also mention that the day after Leon stood us up, I was so distracted and upset that I tripped and fell really hard on my way to the bus, hobbled back in my house a bloody mess, ripped my pants, and couldn''t get myself to work. It turns out, I fractured my arm and have been in a sling and on antibiotics for my cuts ever since. Isn''t that sad??? This unfortunate string of events, I swear, was precipitated by my sadness about being stood up. You probably all understand this, but I do realize how ridiculous that sounds.

 

[FireGoddess]

Oh Melinda, poor girl! Your last comment about tripping, ripping your pants had me laughing out of compassion (I''d probably do the same!) till I read you fractured your ARM! Yikes. That''s a true PSer - so upset to the point of bodily injury.

The first part of your post, however, had me furious. Especially being stood up after confirming TWICE - that is unacceptable. People get sick, whatever, but if his staff is so ''competent'', then someone should have been in charge of the appt book to know his leaving would stand someone up.

While Leon''s creations in the past have been absolutely stunning, I am no longer tempted to have a ring done by him in the least. We know what his ''overseeing the process'' gets you - we all saw allycat''s threads about her melee falling out, the setting getting mangled upon ''repair''.....no thanks, for that pricetag I''ll go elsewhere.

Your ring seems less intricate than 3 sided pave however, so I''m sure it will be lovely. But definitely don''t take any crap - he''s working for you and things have already gotten off to a rocky start. Wishing you lots of luck!

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Sorry that happened to you. From what I''ve seen, the settings by J B Star are every bit as beautiful as the rings on Leon Mege''s website, and no doubt they come with much less aggravation.

 

[AndyRosse]

Well, I''m glad that you are happy now, and I sure hope that your ring is just as perfect as you imagined it would be!

I can''t believe the mess about the first appointment, I too would have been very upset!

I wonder if all these Leon "problems" are a recent phenomenon, or whether people in the past just never said any negative things about him...

 

[Gonzodogg]

After all of that, I just hope that ring comes back perfect

 

[widget]

Author: FireGoddess
.... being stood up after confirming TWICE - that is unacceptable. People get sick, whatever, but if his staff is so 'competent', then someone should have been in charge of the appt book to know his leaving would stand someone up.

.....no thanks, for that pricetag I'll go elsewhere.

I'm with you, FG.....I would be so wild with anger that I wouldn't be able to work with him. Sounds to me like Mr. Mege has gotten too big for his britches.

Bleah!

widget

ETA: Melinda, as I said in the other thread...I hope you get the ring of your dreams! You've certainly earned it!

Take care...

 

[devientdrow]

I''m laughing at this because I could sooooo see this happening to me! I know that I would of built my whole day around the appt too and the dissapointment would of been so overhwleming......gah!! Hope the arm is feeling better and that your ring turns out great! How long do you have to wait for it? What kind of stone did you get?

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 12/7/2005 1:05:23 PM
Author: widget

I''m with you, FG.....I would be so wild with anger that I wouldn''t be able to work with him. Sounds to me like Mr. Mege has gotten too big for his britches.

Bleah!

Yep - I concur completely with Widget.

 

[Scintillating]

We went to visit Leon in early November, traveling all the way from Boston - just to see him.
I don't think the problem is - Leon, exactly.
It's true he is a little full of himself, but mastercrafts people generally are.
You have to be confident that you know you stuff to convince someone else that you know your stuff.
I think the real problem is Leon's growing his business - and he doesn't have an adequate support system.
He's just inundated with people - and many from Pscope. (I don't think he knows about us.)
His adminstrative assistant doesn't seem to really be a true assistant.
He's taking too much of the administrative stuff on himself.
He's a classic small business person, who wants to do everything himself. (Which IS great when you're a small business, but can be a real negative when GROWING and you don't delegate tasks to others.)
He designs the website HIMSELF, learned to code himself.

Just my thoughts.
Scintillating...

 

[Kaleigh]

Oh Melinda,
I am so sorry about your fall, I hope you arm heals quickly. As far as Leon is concerned I have no words for that. I hope your ring turns out to be fabulous. Me, I couldn''t deal with him or his antics, but that''s just me. I''ll go check your other thread. Good luck!!

 

[Melinda]

Thanks everyone.
I feel much better now. Not just about the ring debacle but about the tripping.... ggggaaaaaaw!!!!
No doubt- it''s funny, and since my arm is in much less pain it''s allowed to be even funnier.

....... I''m a big fan of the "loopy" face, because that''s how I''m pretty sure I look/feel half the time.

We already got the oval stone at Good Old Gold. There''s no bowtie but lots of sparkle. I don''t have the stats here, but I can tell you the weight. (***Would you believe I''m all paranoid about telling the weight because of the guy who thought it was in bad taste and too American? The guy who proposed in Paris with the Leon Mege?) I just love the stone, and it''s exactly what I wanted.

 

[Mara]

I think that many companies have problems with growing their business in the RIGHT way rather than the easy or the fastest way. Many times there are huge growing pains that people who started with one or two people don't know how to handle in the most effective manner. Unfortunately, you can't clone yourself and many times the support staff you have is not up to par of what people expect from a brand or a company after they have really started to get that positive recognition. I think it's the classic double edged sword. You want to be doing well and recognized so you work like a dog to do that, but when you DO start getting that extra business, it's hard to manage it all and still stay sane.

Personally I don't know that I would ever work with Leon, his stuff is beautiful but it's ending up a little too crusty looking for me lately, plus it seems like everyone's rings all look the same. Obviously if you are wearing it on your hand it looks different but from image to image, I'm kind of like yeah that looks like that other one just with a pave basket and a radiant rather than a round etc. I think his stuff is no longer 'novel' to us obsessed PS'ers where we kind of feel like we have seen it all. So I couldn't see DYING to work with him on anything. Though he does have those amazing finger prongs. Also there has been alot of good and bad written about him on here and how he works vs doesn't want to work, temperment etc, typical designer really. Not good or bad, just maybe not for me.

I hope that you get the fabulous ring your heart desires, Melinda, and please take care of your arm and cuts, that is no fun at all!! You've gotta be well to model the finished product for us!

 

[autumngems]

I will have nothing to do with the man, about 2 years ago I sent him a very nice email asking him about setting my asscher and how hard it was to find someone to do split claw prongs.

He emailed back that he was offended by my email and next time I have a ring made in Mexico I should have the stone set there too.

The man is way to into himself if you ask me.

He ain''t all that and a bag of chips.

 

[Melinda]

Oh my gosh. How appalling. I can''t believe that he sent you that kind of response. May I ask what the issue and implication was-? That you got the stone in Mexico and therefore must be cheap and he only deals in expensive stones>?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 12/7/2005 2:21:42 PM
Author: Melinda
We already got the oval stone at Good Old Gold. There''s no bowtie but lots of sparkle. I don''t have the stats here, but I can tell you the weight. (***Would you believe I''m all paranoid about telling the weight because of the guy who thought it was in bad taste and too American? The guy who proposed in Paris with the Leon Mege?) I just love the stone, and it''s exactly what I wanted.

Pleaseeee! Bad taste and too American? This is a public forum ABOUT DIAMONDS! It''s fun and besides no one says nicer things if it is a larger diamond. That is why I love it here. People are so kind and supportive. That guy is just wierd. I think the BIGGEST difference between a lot of us and him is he is using this forum for education and to buy his FI''s ring (nothing wrong with that at all!) His only posts are about his own search/ring. I use it to see pretty things and discuss different settings/styles (that sort of thing).

 

[dazzling]

Melinda,

You poor thing. That is totally the type of accident I would have. I am trying really hard to ignore my new beautiful ring while driving so i don''t cause a wreck. I am sure the frustration you get every time you feel your arm hurt is magnifying your bad experience. Just remember that the frustration/pain of the present will be a distant (hopefully amusing) memory when you have that beautiful ring for years to come. Keep reading the positive stories of others'' experiences with Leon, and trust that he has enough pride to give you a beautiful work of art. It is amazing how emotional the whole process can be. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Debra

 

[elepri]

Wow Melinda,
I can''t believe your experience with Leon has been so traumatic! I hope you''re feeling better. You must really love his work to continue working with him after all this. I hope your ring turns out to be everything you wanted.

 

[cutey TT]

Melinda - Hope your arm feels better soon! I can''t believe that happened~! But I can understand that you were super excited to meet with Leon, and then that much *more* disappointed when he stood you up. How horrible! Also, do share the size of your diamond... I, too, was hoping to purchase an oval center stone next year sometime and have Leon set it...thus, I''m very interested in both your stone and project. Best of luck and I''ll be watching your posts closely...

Autumn - How awful to have received that type of response from Leon... Do you mind sharing why he responded so vehemently?

 

[icekid]

oh Melinda, that sounds exactly like something I would do too! I''d be SO upset about Leon completely forgetting the big meeting that I had anxiously awaited.

He sounds like such a pain in the butt these days though... I''m thinking Mark Morrell to make my ring masterpiece someday

 

[windowshopper]

Date: 12/7/2005 2:11:31 PM
Author: Scintillating
We went to visit Leon in early November, traveling all the way from Boston - just to see him.
I don''t think the problem is - Leon, exactly.
It''s true he is a little full of himself, but mastercrafts people generally are.
You have to be confident that you know you stuff to convince someone else that you know your stuff.
I think the real problem is Leon''s growing his business - and he doesn''t have an adequate support system.
He''s just inundated with people - and many from Pscope. (I don''t think he knows about us.)
His adminstrative assistant doesn''t seem to really be a true assistant.
He''s taking too much of the administrative stuff on himself.
He''s a classic small business person, who wants to do everything himself. (Which IS great when you''re a small business, but can be a real negative when GROWING and you don''t delegate tasks to others.)
He designs the website HIMSELF, learned to code himself.

Just my thoughts.
Scintillating...

very very on point--------I had a HEINOUS experience with him..................while all that you say I believe to be true it doesnt excuse his rudeness, arrogance about arbitrarily changing design elements, not caring that it costs someone twice as much...............arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I cant even talk about it

 

[Kaleigh]

WS, I hear you loud and clear. If I worked with him it would end in fist to cuffs. I am a very stong minded person and a control freak. I knew that for my asscher he wouldn''t be a fit for moi. Does he do great work?? Yes. Could I have given up my elements of design ideas and given over the reigns to him with total confidence?? NO. But seems like as of late, you have to be extremely tolerant of him and if that''s ok by you then it''s a good fit. He knows about PS, he mentions it on his website.

 

[bookworm21]

Date: 12/7/2005 5:56:00 PM
Author: dazzling
Melinda,

You poor thing. That is totally the type of accident I would have. I am trying really hard to ignore my new beautiful ring while driving so i don''t cause a wreck. I am sure the frustration you get every time you feel your arm hurt is magnifying your bad experience. Just remember that the frustration/pain of the present will be a distant (hopefully amusing) memory when you have that beautiful ring for years to come. Keep reading the positive stories of others'' experiences with Leon, and trust that he has enough pride to give you a beautiful work of art. It is amazing how emotional the whole process can be. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Debra

LOL. (I haven''t figured out how to highlight what I''m referring to, sorry.) I do the same thing when I''m driving, trying not to stare at my RHR and purposely make it flash in the sun.

Melinda, I''m so sorry to hear about your arm. And about the missed appointment too. I would have started crying tears of disappointment myself. Let us know how everything goes from now on, and enjoy the ring when you get it!

 

[sevens one]

gee Melinda,
so sorry about the missed appt and the terrible fall.
I hope he makes a beautiful ring that you will love for a long time.

 

[sxn675]

I''m so sorry about your experience! That would have turned me off of the whole thing, so good for you still working with him. Personally, I would have never called back and given my business to someone else. Maybe Mark Turnowski or someone (he''s also in NYC). But, if you stay with Leon, don''t be intimidated! Make sure that you get the beautiful ring that you paid for and deserve. Remember, you are the client!

 

[MissAva]

Sorry but there is no way I would deal with Leon Mege, his manners are simply unacceptable.

You are a client/costumer and it is his job to ensure your satisfaction. I would be livid if I was forced to wait for 45 minutes and the reason was that no one had bothered to do their job and call me to let me know he was not feeling well.

And to be honest I am not sure that excuse works for me.

I went through his new web page and to be honest all the rings look the same to me, and not in a good way. He ought to change his name from Art of Platinum to the Art of Pave. And when you ask for those sorts of prices you need to either do the work yourself of have the person making the ring there at the meetings.
I hope you end up with a ring that is beautiful and lovely and everything you have ever hoped for…but if it were me I would take my money and RUN.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 12/8/2005 9:26:28 AM
Author: Matatora

I went through his new web page and to be honest all the rings look the same to me, and not in a good way. He ought to change his name from Art of Platinum to the Art of Pave. And when you ask for those sorts of prices you need to either do the work yourself of have the person making the ring there at the meetings.

I wouldn''t be surpised if leon stops doing custom and starts doing pre-set peices like Michael b and other big designers. None of the really big guys do their own work,nor do they give you the opportunity to customize. Leon is considerably less than daniel k, michael b etc, so he''s not really charging what the big guys do either. He has changed his website making it clear he doesn''t do all the work any longer.

 

[MissAva]

Date: 12/7/2005 2:21:42 PM
Author: Melinda
Thanks everyone.
I feel much better now. Not just about the ring debacle but about the tripping.... ggggaaaaaaw!!!!
No doubt- it''s funny, and since my arm is in much less pain it''s allowed to be even funnier.

....... I''m a big fan of the ''loopy'' face, because that''s how I''m pretty sure I look/feel half the time.

We already got the oval stone at Good Old Gold. There''s no bowtie but lots of sparkle. I don''t have the stats here, but I can tell you the weight. (***Would you believe I''m all paranoid about telling the weight because of the guy who thought it was in bad taste and too American? The guy who proposed in Paris with the Leon Mege?) I just love the stone, and it''s exactly what I wanted.

If I had to make a guess, I think his stone is under two carats.... and he has rounded up a bit and not told his GF and does not want her or any of her friends to know that it is short of that mark. Just a guess though.

 

[Lorelei]

Melinda, there is nothing I can add except to wish you a speedy recovery and hope your finished ring delights you every time you look at it. Best of luck my dear

 

[elmo]

Date: 12/8/2005 9:40:02 AM
Author: Matatora
If I had to make a guess, I think his stone is under two carats.... and he has rounded up a bit and not told his GF and does not want her or any of her friends to know that it is short of that mark. Just a guess though.

Then pricescope made that fellow a very smart shopper indeed, to buy very top quality D color stone at 1.9x and avoid the big 2 carat bump.

I have two issues with this: first that anyone would give another pscoper a hard time for not providing any detail they wish not to provide. That certainly qualifies as rude in my mind. Secondly and on the flip side that this person would even provide dimensions. That's like telling a secret you promised not to tell.

Back on topic - I have to stand pretty squarely with the folks who defend any of these issues with AOP as growing pains...either get used to what is perceived as "attitude" and accept that he has help that he oversees directly, or simply get someone else to do the job. My experience is that folks I've worked with at this level of quality come across as confident, to put it nicely, and want to pretty much call the shots on execution once you've established a theme. And of course an AOP ring looks like an AOP ring. It's what you expect and pay for. The more you micromanage and make changes as things go along, the less satisfied you'll be with the result.

Still no excuse at all for missing an appointment particularly with the hassle of getting around in NYC. You are a saint to forgive this, I doubt I could have.

 

[MissAva]

Date: 12/8/2005 10:15:00 AM
Author: elmo

Date: 12/8/2005 9:40:02 AM
Author: Matatora
If I had to make a guess, I think his stone is under two carats.... and he has rounded up a bit and not told his GF and does not want her or any of her friends to know that it is short of that mark. Just a guess though.

Then pricescope made that fellow a very smart shopper indeed, to buy very top quality D color stone at 1.9x and avoid the big 2 carat bump.

I have two issues with this: first that anyone would give another pscoper a hard time for not providing any detail they wish not to provide. That certainly qualifies as rude in my mind. Secondly and on the flip side that this person would even provide dimensions. That''s like telling a secret you promised not to tell.

Back on topic - I have to stand pretty squarely with the folks who defend any of these issues with AOP as growing pains...either get used to what is perceived as ''attitude'' and accept that he has help that he oversees directly, or simply get someone else to do the job. My experience is that folks I''ve worked with at this level of quality come across as confident, to put it nicely, and want to pretty much call the shots on execution once you''ve established a theme. And of course an AOP ring looks like an AOP ring. It''s what you expect and pay for. The more you micromanage and make changes as things go along, the less satisfied you''ll be with the result.

Still no excuse at all for missing an appointment particularly with the hassle of getting around in NYC. You are a saint to forgive this, I doubt I could have.

I agree whole-heartdly...and I dont think there is anything wrong with that choice, but the way he slapped at another poster...not very polite IMO and why post all other details to me if the ct weight is tacky to post so is the rest of it....