Demelza
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2004
- Messages
- 2,322
When I saw Sunkist’s thread yesterday, I was very tempted to speak up about my own experience with Lockes and their Signature Setting. I wanted to wait, though, until all my issues with them were resolved. Now that they are, I thought it might be helpful for others to hear what I’ve been through in case they are considering purchasing from this company. Please note, of course, that I am just one customer and this is simply one experience. I wasn’t going to say anything at all until I saw that Sunkist is having the exact same issues with her mounting that I had with mine. My goal is not to be vindictive, as I’m sure Lockes has many happy customers; I just want others to know of my experience in case it is in some way helpful or instructive.
Here’s my story – sorry if it’s a bit long:
I’d always loved the Lockes mounting, and, about 2 1/2 months ago, I decided to treat myself as a combo birthday/”having a baby” present. I went through the whole rigmarole of getting my diamond approved, signing (reluctantly) the liability waiver releasing Lockes from responsibility for my diamond during the setting process, and driving 100 miles roundtrip over the US border to ship my stone.
Happily, the first ring was done faster than promised; much to my dismay, however, I could see immediately upon opening the box that the head was visibly crooked on the shank and the prongs uneven. There were a few other issues, but the two mentioned above were the most troubling. I hemmed and hawed all weekend, wondering whether maybe I was being too picky. Then I realized that, for that kind of money, at the very least the head and prongs should be symmetrical. Lockes was very apologetic, offered to remake the ring, and promised to get it back to me ASAP. And true to their word, a week later, it was done. This time, however, I decided to have it sent to Rich Sherwood for evaluation and appraisal.
When I received Rich’s detailed report on the second mounting, my jaw hit the floor. This ring had the exact same problems as the first one (and then some) – crooked head, uneven prongs, sloppy finish in the scalloped area at the base of the head. According to Rich’s report, the stone wasn’t even set safely in the prongs!!!! I was horrified and immediately forwarded Rich’s findings to Lockes. They, in turn, expressed their outrage and made me a very tempting and generous offer – they would refund my money AND make me a new mounting free of charge. Sounds amazing, right? I struggled with the decision, though, because it meant exposing myself to the risk of damage to my stone (however small) a third time, and, because, at that point, I had very little faith in their ability to turn out a fine setting. The manager, however, assured me she would personally see the project through from start to finish and that I had absolutely nothing to worry about. I believed her and had Rich send them my stone yet again.
At that point, I was told that it would be somewhere in the ballpark of another 5 weeks before my ring would be ready! That put me very close to the baby’s due date, which would be totally irrelevant if it weren’t for the fact that, in order to pick up my ring, I have to drive 100 miles roundtrip across the US border. This is my first child, but I imagine that might be very difficult with a newborn in the car. At this point, however, I had already sent them my stone and decided just to be patient and let them do their thing.
After about 4 weeks with not a word from anyone at Lockes, I contacted the manager again to try to get a firm date of completion. After several emails, I learned that the manager who was supposed to oversee my project had been fired about a month ago! This, of course, made me very anxious since it was her assurance that she would personally monitor the remake that made me decide to greenlight the project in the first place. The new manager assured me that all would be well and that Lockes only employs master jewelers with many years experience. This was only mildly reassuring – if their jewelers were so skilled, how did they allow the first 2 mountings to leave the bench? Moreover, I still didn’t have a firm date of completion and I was becoming increasingly uneasy with the company as a whole.
Then I woke up yesterday morning to find Sunkist’s thread and just about had a heart attack when I saw that her mounting was plagued with the exact same problems mine were. My gut feeling was that I should just cut my losses and take my business elsewhere. While their offer to remake the ring for free was amazing, it simply wasn’t worth the risk to my stone, and, perhaps more importantly, my sanity. So, yesterday, I told them thanks but no thanks.
Now, nearly 3 months after I originally sent my diamond away, I’m still without a mounting. I’d rather that, though, than being without a mounting AND without a stone because something happened to it during the setting process. I realize the likelihood of damage during the setting process is very, very slim and that very few companies take responsibility for setting diamonds purchased elsewhere, but once you lose faith in a company, it’s hard to relax when they have your precious diamond in their care.
Sorry for the long post – I just wanted to relay my experience in case it’s helpful either for Sunkist or for future consumers. I’m sure Lockes has many happy customers; I’m just not one of them.
I would also like to take this opportunity to say what a fabulous, diligent, and caring appraiser Rich Sherwood is. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone who’s hung around here for any length of time, but he did a fantastic job and really looked out for my best interest. He really goes above and beyond, and, for that, I am truly grateful.
Here’s my story – sorry if it’s a bit long:
I’d always loved the Lockes mounting, and, about 2 1/2 months ago, I decided to treat myself as a combo birthday/”having a baby” present. I went through the whole rigmarole of getting my diamond approved, signing (reluctantly) the liability waiver releasing Lockes from responsibility for my diamond during the setting process, and driving 100 miles roundtrip over the US border to ship my stone.
Happily, the first ring was done faster than promised; much to my dismay, however, I could see immediately upon opening the box that the head was visibly crooked on the shank and the prongs uneven. There were a few other issues, but the two mentioned above were the most troubling. I hemmed and hawed all weekend, wondering whether maybe I was being too picky. Then I realized that, for that kind of money, at the very least the head and prongs should be symmetrical. Lockes was very apologetic, offered to remake the ring, and promised to get it back to me ASAP. And true to their word, a week later, it was done. This time, however, I decided to have it sent to Rich Sherwood for evaluation and appraisal.
When I received Rich’s detailed report on the second mounting, my jaw hit the floor. This ring had the exact same problems as the first one (and then some) – crooked head, uneven prongs, sloppy finish in the scalloped area at the base of the head. According to Rich’s report, the stone wasn’t even set safely in the prongs!!!! I was horrified and immediately forwarded Rich’s findings to Lockes. They, in turn, expressed their outrage and made me a very tempting and generous offer – they would refund my money AND make me a new mounting free of charge. Sounds amazing, right? I struggled with the decision, though, because it meant exposing myself to the risk of damage to my stone (however small) a third time, and, because, at that point, I had very little faith in their ability to turn out a fine setting. The manager, however, assured me she would personally see the project through from start to finish and that I had absolutely nothing to worry about. I believed her and had Rich send them my stone yet again.
At that point, I was told that it would be somewhere in the ballpark of another 5 weeks before my ring would be ready! That put me very close to the baby’s due date, which would be totally irrelevant if it weren’t for the fact that, in order to pick up my ring, I have to drive 100 miles roundtrip across the US border. This is my first child, but I imagine that might be very difficult with a newborn in the car. At this point, however, I had already sent them my stone and decided just to be patient and let them do their thing.
After about 4 weeks with not a word from anyone at Lockes, I contacted the manager again to try to get a firm date of completion. After several emails, I learned that the manager who was supposed to oversee my project had been fired about a month ago! This, of course, made me very anxious since it was her assurance that she would personally monitor the remake that made me decide to greenlight the project in the first place. The new manager assured me that all would be well and that Lockes only employs master jewelers with many years experience. This was only mildly reassuring – if their jewelers were so skilled, how did they allow the first 2 mountings to leave the bench? Moreover, I still didn’t have a firm date of completion and I was becoming increasingly uneasy with the company as a whole.
Then I woke up yesterday morning to find Sunkist’s thread and just about had a heart attack when I saw that her mounting was plagued with the exact same problems mine were. My gut feeling was that I should just cut my losses and take my business elsewhere. While their offer to remake the ring for free was amazing, it simply wasn’t worth the risk to my stone, and, perhaps more importantly, my sanity. So, yesterday, I told them thanks but no thanks.
Now, nearly 3 months after I originally sent my diamond away, I’m still without a mounting. I’d rather that, though, than being without a mounting AND without a stone because something happened to it during the setting process. I realize the likelihood of damage during the setting process is very, very slim and that very few companies take responsibility for setting diamonds purchased elsewhere, but once you lose faith in a company, it’s hard to relax when they have your precious diamond in their care.
Sorry for the long post – I just wanted to relay my experience in case it’s helpful either for Sunkist or for future consumers. I’m sure Lockes has many happy customers; I’m just not one of them.
I would also like to take this opportunity to say what a fabulous, diligent, and caring appraiser Rich Sherwood is. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone who’s hung around here for any length of time, but he did a fantastic job and really looked out for my best interest. He really goes above and beyond, and, for that, I am truly grateful.
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