shape
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MY MEETING WITH LEON MEGE TODAY !

Love Street

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 29, 2003
Messages
422
frankiextah|1291840625|2791292 said:
i guess in the event that he decides to post a pic of my ring on his website he would totally be like : "who am i to question if someone wants to replace a rolls royce interior with plastic?" :lol:

OMG! LOL - in a sort of shocked way! Good for you for sticking to your guns. He does not mince words, and it does seem his personality is not for those who are easily offended or cannot simply roll eyes and move along. But his work is beautiful. As for not liking jewelry, ah well...lots of professionals don't like the job at which they make their living - you (well, "I") just often hear it more from lawyers than jewelers.

Love your anecdotes Frankiextah - you have a hilarious way of relating them back! :D
 

hellokitty6782

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 11, 2010
Messages
167
this is too funny! he certainly does have stong opinions. I love your outlook though frankiextah- you're the one that has to wear it, not him, so as long as you love it, it doesn't matter. For the amount of money we spend, we should ADORE every detail of our rings, even if they have princess cut diamonds :lol:
 

Chatterbox_101

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 16, 2010
Messages
24
OMG, thank you everyone. This is very informative and helpful. I am only at stage one with picking the stone at their concierge service. Perry is wonderful. I think my setting would be similar as well with a halo, no a jour and probably a cutdown pave. We'll see.
 

TakingthePlunge

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
94
hellokitty6782|1291845255|2791398 said:
this is too funny! he certainly does have stong opinions. I love your outlook though frankiextah- you're the one that has to wear it, not him, so as long as you love it, it doesn't matter. For the amount of money we spend, we should ADORE every detail of our rings, even if they have princess cut diamonds :lol:


I think Leon had a problem with the wide metal on either side of the princess stones. At least thats how I read it.
 

frankiextah

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
785
for that comment, yes definitely about the metal as i read it too ... however he did tell me that he has no feelings about any shaped stones other than cushions, and particularly dislikes princesses :errrr: i wonder what his reaction is if he receives setting orders for princess stones?! :o when he looked at my RB stone (2.62ct E IF H&A !!) i asked him what he thought of it - he just shrugged and was like "eh, whatever" (jaw dropped on the ground again!)

a funny story he told me during the meeting: a lady many years ago commissioned him to set a solitaire diamond, and had requested him to set it "very high" (according to his terms). they had multiple heated debates but she would not budge. Ultimately he forced her to sign a contract so that she would NOT complain in the event that she changed her mind. she ended up loving the ring so much that she posted pics online and since then phone calls and orders flooded in. eventually this ring was sold to another person in california somehow, and he received a phone call from that person requesting a resize service. LM asked how she found him - it was the inscription on the shank that brought her to call him. He told me that he was actually embarrassed to admit to have made this ring but at the same time it was the gateway to all the businesses he has since received !
 

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,225
frankiextah|1291858273|2791632 said:
for that comment, yes definitely about the metal as i read it too ... however he did tell me that he has no feelings about any shaped stones other than cushions, and particularly dislikes princesses :errrr: i wonder what his reaction is if he receives setting orders for princess stones?! :o when he looked at my RB stone (2.62ct E IF H&A !!) i asked him what he thought of it - he just shrugged and was like "eh, whatever" (jaw dropped on the ground again!)

a funny story he told me during the meeting: a lady many years ago commissioned him to set a solitaire diamond, and had requested him to set it "very high" (according to his terms). they had multiple heated debates but she would not budge. Ultimately he forced her to sign a contract so that she would NOT complain in the event that she changed her mind. she ended up loving the ring so much that she posted pics online and since then phone calls and orders flooded in. eventually this ring was sold to another person in california somehow, and he received a phone call from that person requesting a resize service. LM asked how she found him - it was the inscription on the shank that brought her to call him. He told me that he was actually embarrassed to admit to have made this ring but at the same time it was the gateway to all the businesses he has since received !

This only confirms for me that what I've always thought it true. That man is NOT a business man and doesn't understand that the customer's tastes and desires trump his except for structual or actual REAL issues regarding safety of construction. :roll: He really needs a PR person, but honestly if I was his PR, I'd probably hit him over the head with a box of pave bands on my way out the door.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,225
Yeah, I hear lots of gynecologists don't like . . . oh . . . uhm . . . Hey, how 'bout them Dodgers!?!
 

frankiextah

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
785
a teeny tiny update :

sent an email today to LM just before he leaves for vacay (he leaves tomorrow until Jan 3rd) to "remind" him that we are midway through the production time. he sent me a prompt reply telling me that the ring is being worked on and will be finished ON TIME :appl:

THREE MORE WEEKS !!!! :knockout:
 
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
5,384
frankiextah|1291276753|2784941 said:
mif, i believe this will help out a lot :

http://www.artofplatinum.com/start/vault/pave.php

"Smaller stones set in Royal pave could only be explained by a lack of brain cells in some setters. It looks uneven, bumpy, like a hedgehog over run by a truck. It looks horrible."

My favorite quote in any diamond article I've ever read. Ever. Lmao
 

hellokitty6782

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 11, 2010
Messages
167
frankiextah|1292891705|2802232 said:
a teeny tiny update :

sent an email today to LM just before he leaves for vacay (he leaves tomorrow until Jan 3rd) to "remind" him that we are midway through the production time. he sent me a prompt reply telling me that the ring is being worked on and will be finished ON TIME :appl:

THREE MORE WEEKS !!!! :knockout:

Wow Frankiextah, I have e-mailed Leon 3 separate times and he has ignored all my e-mails. I did have to call to speak with him last week. I sent one more e-mail after that- no response. I have no idea when my ring will be complete, but so much for getting it in time for Christmas :cry:
 

ChunkyCushionLover

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
2,463
Thats it I've decided thanks for all the info.

I'm going to order a

0.5ct Princess cut from ERD sent to Leon to set.

It must have:

1) Very Strong Blue Fluorescence,
2) Fishtail Pave Halo of 6mm width
3) Royal Pave in the shank also 6mm width.
4) The stone must be set as high as possible with a 10mm space from the tip of the culet to the shank

Then I must have a matching band, prong set Royal Pave that sits flush to this to be worn on the same hand.
It will have 3mm princess cut melee sourced from ERD and sent to Leon.

How much do you think i will get quoted for these two pieces? Do you think I'll get the PITA premium? :twisted:
 

LALove

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,048
ChunkyCushionLover|1292953362|2802910 said:
Thats it I've decided thanks for all the info.

I'm going to order a

0.5ct Princess cut from ERD sent to Leon to set.

It must have:

1) Very Strong Blue Fluorescence,
2) Fishtail Pave Halo of 6mm width
3) Royal Pave in the shank also 6mm width.
4) The stone must be set as high as possible with a 10mm space from the tip of the culet to the shank

Then I must have a matching band, prong set Royal Pave that sits flush to this to be worn on the same hand.
It will have 3mm princess cut melee sourced from ERD and sent to Leon.

How much do you think i will get quoted for these two pieces? Do you think I'll get the PITA premium? :twisted:
LMAO!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: You'd probably just get your "cheap looking" princess sent back to you :roll:
 

LALove

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,048
In all honesty, I very much appreciate this post as it actually helped cinch my decision not to use Leon for my upgrade setting. Of course, I'd never judge anyone who has, is or would like to work with him. But, personally, I don't prefer to feel anxious, self conscious, nervous or have to "dodge snide comments" etc when doing any business transaction- especially when I'm spending $$$$.

I've dealt with 4 PS recommended vendors so far - IDJ, JBEG, DBL and BGD and each one I found super kind and super easy to work with. Goodwill and approachability are also part of good customer service, IMO, and I hold that as high a priority in choosing who to do business with as the product itself/quality of the product.

Frankiextah, I'm sure your ring will turn out beautifully and I AM happy that you are happy with your experience so far. :)
 

Matthewmon

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
80
^^^ does LM not like working w/ princess cuts? i've noticed there are barely any on his site...
 

TakingthePlunge

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
94
I think you are being pretty hard on the guy for saying he doesnt like princess cuts. I dont like princess cuts and Im not a bad person for it. Heck Im not even too crazy about rounds most of the time.

I think Leon puts pictures on his site of the projects he likes. Its not a full catalogue of work. Im sure he would be more than willing to set a princess stone if he was comissioned to do so.
 

LALove

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,048
TakingthePlunge|1292975216|2803283 said:
I think you are being pretty hard on the guy for saying he doesnt like princess cuts. I dont like princess cuts and Im not a bad person for it. Heck Im not even too crazy about rounds most of the time.

I think Leon puts pictures on his site of the projects he likes. Its not a full catalogue of work. Im sure he would be more than willing to set a princess stone if he was comissioned to do so.
I'm pretty sure CCL was just messing around due to all the... "bold" statements Leon has made both to the OP and on his own site (not only about princess cuts but also about royal pave, fishtail pave etc)-- and I found it funny. :cheeky:

I'm sure he'd set a princess- some PSers have gorgeous princess cut stones set by him. It's not the point that he dislikes them- they're not my #1 fav cut either- it's that he said they are cheap looking.. I just found it a bit off putting and humorous all at the same time. :o :lol:

I really do think this post is great-- accounts like these help people decide on if a particular vendor is for them or not. Surely there are those who do not find it hard or difficult or a displeasure to work with Leon. And that's great! I personally like warm and fuzzy :D or at least polite ::) I also want to be able to work out aaallllll the details and be in the know on everything and be able to ask 1000 questions without annoying the vendor, so, for those reasons, Leon just isn't the right vendor for me personally.
 

Love Street

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 29, 2003
Messages
422
hellokitty6782|1292951240|2802872 said:
Wow Frankiextah, I have e-mailed Leon 3 separate times and he has ignored all my e-mails. I did have to call to speak with him last week. I sent one more e-mail after that- no response. I have no idea when my ring will be complete, but so much for getting it in time for Christmas :cry:

Me too Hellokitty. I have not gotten a response to any of my e-mails in the 8 weeks my stone has been there (and I know they make it through the spam filter) - even my email that said basically "yes, write up the work order so I can send you $". I usually allow a week or two after an email before I call, and when I call it's clear they've read my email - it's just impossible to get any response - even when I'm told on the phone that I will get an email update from them "next week." :nono:

My project was slated to take a bit longer, but it is irksome to feel like I'm being very consistently ignored. Calling is the only way I can successfully touch base with them. Oh well. I knew this would not be the most fun transaction going in - but in the end I'm still happy that he's the one doing my ring - whenever I get it - because I'm confident it will be beautiful and beautifully executed. But it's surprising to hear he's quick to respond to emails.

I'm sorry your ring won't be readyfor Christmas Hellokitty - January will see several Leons here on PS though!

LOL @ CCL - definitely make him a 5-page powerpoint with like 9 slightly different design options :lol:
 

ChunkyCushionLover

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
2,463
Love Street said:
hellokitty6782|1292951240|2802872 said:
Wow Frankiextah, I have e-mailed Leon 3 separate times and he has ignored all my e-mails. I did have to call to speak with him last week. I sent one more e-mail after that- no response. I have no idea when my ring will be complete, but so much for getting it in time for Christmas :cry:

Me too Hellokitty. I have not gotten a response to any of my e-mails in the 8 weeks my stone has been there (and I know they make it through the spam filter) - even my email that said basically "yes, write up the work order so I can send you $". I usually allow a week or two after an email before I call, and when I call it's clear they've read my email - it's just impossible to get any response - even when I'm told on the phone that I will get an email update from them "next week." :nono:

My project was slated to take a bit longer, but it is irksome to feel like I'm being very consistently ignored. Calling is the only way I can successfully touch base with them. Oh well. I knew this would not be the most fun transaction going in - but in the end I'm still happy that he's the one doing my ring - whenever I get it - because I'm confident it will be beautiful and beautifully executed. But it's surprising to hear he's quick to respond to emails.

I'm sorry your ring won't be readyfor Christmas Hellokitty - January will see several Leons here on PS though!

LOL @ CCL - definitely make him a 5-page powerpoint with like 9 slightly different design options :lol:

All kidding aside 8-) I'd still use Leon. There are few deisgners that can match his refined style and taste and can develop such fine pave and curved shapes. His comments on the phone and on his website are so unprofessional they are humorous. If I used him I definitely wouldn't go with anything I mentioned above, not because Leon hates it but because those are not the best style choices. The trick to working with him is to be clear and concise as to what you want and put it all in writing and make sure it gets transferred to the work order. If you do that working with him can go smoothly even if you are asking for something which offends his artistic vision (I don't particularly care!). ;-) I just refuse to take his little crticisms seriously and I'm certainly not going to be affected personally by any negative comment he may make about a style choice that differs from his.
 

CharmyPoo

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
7,007
I actually never had a problem with corresponding with Leon over email. I have consistently gotten responses within a day or two.

For administrative tasks, try emailing Rachael and she will follow-up with Leon for you.
 

Imdanny

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 21, 2008
Messages
6,186
TakingthePlunge|1292975216|2803283 said:
I think you are being pretty hard on the guy for saying he doesnt like princess cuts. I dont like princess cuts and Im not a bad person for it. Heck Im not even too crazy about rounds most of the time.

I think Leon puts pictures on his site of the projects he likes. Its not a full catalogue of work. Im sure he would be more than willing to set a princess stone if he was comissioned to do so.

And from other stories I've read, I think he'd be more than willing to make snotty comments and/or blow off a customer if he didn't like something about the project including the cut. At least, I wouldn't assume anything. He seems to be easy to work with, and sometimes not. That's his MO.
 

Love Street

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 29, 2003
Messages
422
Of course, right when I open my big mouth to whine about communication I get an e-mail from Rachael this morning: my sidestones came in - yippeee!!! They'll begin work on my ring January 3rd.... hopefully that will mean I'll have my ring by the end of January! Seems like Jan. will be a good month for Leons on PS - so excited!
 

frankiextah

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
785
another smallish update ...

i panicked a few days ago and emailed LM about altering the ring shank from 1.8mm to 1.6-1.7mm, the ring size from 4 5/8 to 4 3/4, and also the total remaining balance for my final payment... Rachael emailed back this morning:

" Dear xxx,

We are working on your ring. The metal work is finished.
Your ring by our setter now.
I will send you a final invoice once the small stones (melee) will be set in
the ring. There is absolutely no method to calculate the weight before
completion of the piece.

Thank you.

Sincerely, Rachael "

no mentioning of the ring changes so i guess no changes beyond this point... i wonder how much time it will take to finish the ring from now ?! the projected completion time (as discussed with LM at our meeting on Dec 1st) would be Jan 12th ... uggh i am so impatient ! :lol:

any updates from other LM owners-to-be ??
 

frankiextah

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
785
oh WOW, just got another email from Rachael telling me to call Leon, so i did, and he told me that it IS possible to change the ring size from 4 5/8 to 4 3/4 for me since the pave has not been set as of today. this will delay the production time for a couple of days but i told him to go ahead ! :appl:
 

swingirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 6, 2006
Messages
5,667
Great! You'll get the size you want. I don't think you'll notice the thickness as a problem. My LM has one of the thinnest bands I've ever seem with pave with the tiniest beads between the stones. I don't think It could be any thinner. I think you'll like the 1.8.
 

scarlet16

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
Messages
960
I also debated btwn 1.8 and 1.6 for a while but am really happy I stuck with 1.8 since it is still teeny tiny thin but still sturdy at the same time!
 

frankiextah

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
785
thanks so much for your encouragement !

i think the only reason why i doubted for a second on the 1.8mm width was because LM told me that the ring wouldn't look good if the halo didn't match the ring shank... i was scared that the halo would overwhelm the center stone at 1.8mm ... hopefully he would see that and would have created it at around 1.6mm or so ... i saw a gorgeous RB halo ring at another vendor before - the ring shank was at 1.8mm and halo was at 1.55mm and i did not see a difference visually, and it looked gorgeous!

just have to hold my breath and wait for Rachael's " your ring is ready " email !!! ::)
 

frankiextah

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
785
BIG UPDATE !!!

so, this morning Rachael sent me an email telling me that the ring will be ready on Wednesday January 12th !!!!!!!!!!

:appl: :appl: :appl:

i will be going over there in person, armed with a brick of cash to pick up the ring :rolleyes:

my next update will be a new thread with an elaborate photo shoot !

2 more sleeps !!!!!! :mrgreen:
 

LALove

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,048
:appl: :appl: :appl:
Can't wait to see it!!!
 

Love Street

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 29, 2003
Messages
422
^^^ me either :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl: :appl:

You're so luck - only two more sleeps! My Leon is hopefully going to be ready next week or the week after - just talked to Rachael this morning - yippeee! But the anticipation is just insane! Definitely post a huge photoshoot - I'll be looking forward to the distraction!
 
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