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Pave set from Jack Kelege

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ellienbella

Rough_Rock
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May 19, 2009
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Would anyone please give me an opinion on this: My fiance and I just purchased a pave ring made by a designer names Jack Kelege. We chose it over a Michael M ring that we also liked. Here is the issue...the setting alone cost $9,500 and we drove VERY far to get this piece. When we got home from the jeweler (in DC), we noticed that 2 stones were missing. I first called the designer in CA to ask how common this was, and then called the store we got it in and it took 3 calls before I got our salesperson on the line. They said that it probably happened when they were steaming it and that it''s common..they offered to fix it if we Fed Ex the ring to them. We are so frustrated that my fiance is considering driving the 2 hours to the store and getting a refund. Can you please give me some input?? What would you all do?
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I probably wouldn''t buy a ring with a lot of pave unless the jeweler was in my town, because most pave rings will lose some stones eventually. It would be a major hassle to have to send it off every time this happened. Jewelers really don''t tell you this, but most pave rings just aren''t for fulltime wear.
 
Do you love the ring? Are you willing to accept the possible loss of stones every now and then? If so, then I would make the folks at Kelege foot the bill to have the ring shipped back to them and have it fixed. Jake Kelege does make very high quality pave and you certainly should not have received a ring with stone''s missing. Not sure how it got past the quality control but it did. I would be very frustrated if it were me but if I really, really loved it I would have it fixed and just try to deal with it. I actually got rid of a designer pave ring b/c I just could not handle all the babying it needed and wanted a ring I could pretty much wear all the time without worry.
 
The cost of a Kelege has little to do with whether your pave will fall out. I have a Vatche that lost a melee in the first 4 days. It happens. Especially if someone is using an ultrasonic or steam cleaner.
 
Thank you all... what frustrates me most is that the salesperson (whom we were very nice to) did not return my prior 2 calls, and waited until my 3rd call to speak with me. Now I guess we have to decide if we love the ring enough to keep it. DiamondSeeker, I love the picture of your ring and am considering whether I should just get a simpler setting and save the $$$ for the center stone (we are looking at a 2 carat) rather than getting something with so much pave (even around the center stone)! Maybe sticking with a ring like yours or a Micheal M prong set would be best... wish I could choose :)
 
Depends. Some vendors have policy's that cover you if you ever lose stones, that they will replace them free of charge for the life of the product, short of abuse on your part, including all shipping. I can tell you that I would not spend 9.5K on a pave setting UNLESS the vendor has this policy.

That said, ditto MsS. I purposely designed my engagement setting with minimum pave cause I did not want to have to deal with this (more pave= more stones falling out) and I still don't wear my ring when I am in my house at all. My pave Scott Kay wedding band is worn all the time, and I have had no problems with it at all. But I do know others that have had pave problems with Scott Kay.

Final thoughts... my mother bought a high end european car a few years ago, and that sucker has been in the shop since the second week they got it home at least every month (sometimes a couple times a month), I know others that had no problems with their cars of similar makes/model/years. Sometimes you get a lemon. If you have a lemon, tell them you want an entirely new one, direct from the factory, and do not want them to fix this one or ever see it again. THen see if you have continued problems.

Whatever you get your vendor to agree to... get it in writing.

BTW... have you looked at Memoire? They have a lovely policy about lost stones. And upgrades. And everything. Now there is a brand worth the designer mark up.
 
Thank you all so much. This site is amazing, I am learning so much! I thought I would return the Kelege for a refund and now I see DeeJay''s Kelege and loving his designs even more. Also, thanks to the site, I now love Beaudry as well (and am thinking even if Pearlmans is nowhere near me, he seems like the person to buy from (he''s very generous with advice & information). Again, your advice is so appreciated, I thank you for taking the time to give it! Elizabeth
 
I am just curious why a setting alone could cost $9,500. That''s way too expensive for a pave setting!!
 
I''ve owned that Kelege since last August and have worn it every day with no loss of pave and no problems. The ring was custom made for my diamond that we bought back in 2003. If you are unhappy with the customer service from where you bought I suggest you go elsewhere. I had no issues with my purchase and am amazed they let you leave with pave stones missing...
 
Date: 5/19/2009 7:42:49 PM
Author:ellienbella
Would anyone please give me an opinion on this: My fiance and I just purchased a pave ring made by a designer names Jack Kelege. We chose it over a Michael M ring that we also liked. Here is the issue...the setting alone cost $9,500 and we drove VERY far to get this piece. When we got home from the jeweler (in DC), we noticed that 2 stones were missing. I first called the designer in CA to ask how common this was, and then called the store we got it in and it took 3 calls before I got our salesperson on the line. They said that it probably happened when they were steaming it and that it''s common..they offered to fix it if we Fed Ex the ring to them. We are so frustrated that my fiance is considering driving the 2 hours to the store and getting a refund. Can you please give me some input?? What would you all do?
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Forgive me if I missed this somewhere...but have you had a stone mounted in it yet? or are you still looking?
I would return it if at all possible.
 
Hello TyTy,
That''s a good question, and I am sorry I did not mention that earlier... we just purchased the setting, and have not had it mounted with a diamond as of yet. I am seriously considering just returning it and starting from scratch with a beaudry piece from Pearlman''s (who Mrs. Salvo among many others on this site recommend). The more I hear back from the great people on this site, the more I think this store in VA really didn''t do much to help us... they did not even offer to reimburse me to FedEx the ring back to them...
 
Plethora, I do love your ring :)...

Can you recommend a store that sells Jack Kelege?
 
I''d return it and be pretty furious about it. People buy CARS for 9.5K and they won''t return your CALL? GAH! I''d be peeved.

Re: a 9.5K setting for a 2 ct. stone ... seems a bit out of whack to me ... unless you absolutely love love love a setting that much. REALLY nice designer settings can be had for 2K & up -- have you looked at Leon Mege''s site? I''d guess most folks around here would probably put more $ toward a killer center stone & look at settings in the 2-5K range. But maybe you''re a setting gal? Nothing wrong with that either!
 
Date: 5/20/2009 2:55:31 PM
Author: ellienbella
Plethora, I do love your ring :)...

Can you recommend a store that sells Jack Kelege?
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Hi ellienbella-
Sounds like you got started in the wrong order with the Kelege. You really should find your diamond first and then pick the mounting you want. For my re-set I worked with Mulloy''s in California and they were very easy to deal with. They took my diamond out of the mount and sent it directly to Kelege. The diamond was with Kelege in Los Angeles until the mounting was complete...so the setting was made specifically for my diamond and they set it. That is the only way to go with a Kelege in my opinion. I want the designer to set the diamond for that kind of money!!!
Also, a designer halo setting will only have a perfect fit if you have them make it specifically for your diamond. You also can let them know exactly how you want the setting made. For instance, I asked for extremely delicate prongs and I told them I did not want any space between my diamond and the halo (empty corners) because it is a round diamond in a cushion shaped halo mounting.
 
I hear Burdeen''s is good as well although I have never dealt directly with them. Nordstrom Fine Jewelry has Kelege as well. Not many places carry Kelege! You could also email Kelege directly through his website and ask for other stores in your area.
 
I''ve looked at both many times over the years.
Both seemed equal quality to me. But no way would I
settle for anything that isn''t perfect.

Dee Jay is a poster here who has a Kelege. She affectionately calls it
"The Brick" !! maybe you could do a search.

I have to say, if I had not used Leon Mege for my ring, it would
have been a toss up between Kelege & Beaudry.

And I know their settings are not cheap, nothing with that much work is!!
 
Sorry I''m late to the party, and bebe thanks for thinking of me!

I do indeed have a Kelege (here''s my thread: link ) and have not had any problems with pave falling out, even though I''ve ultrasonic''d it within an inch of its little life! (Of course now that I say that I will lose a dozen melee tomorrow, LOL.)

I''m going out on a limb here with pure speculation but are you sure it''s a Kelege problem? E.g., could the ring have been sized (by someone other than Kelege) and that''s causing a problem? My experience was not issue free, but I just want to ask if it''s possible that the problems could have been contributed to by another party.

And yes, for those of you who commented on the price, that is sadly about right for a Kelege...
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ETA: Ellienbella, ignore the link; I see in one of your posts that you must have found my thread.
 
I would return it and find one closer to home that is easy to turn in for repairs if necessary.
 
Thank you do much Dee Jay (wow, I''m writing to the rock star of PS :). I really appreciate your help with this.
True, there may be an issue with sizing (it is a 6.5) however, the scalloped part (excuse the lay terms) look sloppy and uneven and that is likely the way the ring came to the store. At any rate, this jeweler did not return my fiance''s 3 calls today, nor did he answer (they always said he was either on the phone or with a client). Now, we actually had a great time at the store and everyone seemed great at the time (we even bought them all breakfast)... but today, my fiance got frustrated and told them he''d wait on the phone until the owner was no longer on a call... I''d never seen him that frustrated... 20 minutes later, they came back and said the owner was now with a customer. I may still get a Jack Kelege, but this time it will be from a different vendor.

You are all so wonderful to help this confused girl purchase something that she plans on wearing forever and yet is SOOOO confused about.
 
No offense, but you called 3 times in one day and were upset you didn''t get a call back right away? Perhaps the jeweler was busy? I think most people would allow the store at least a couple of days to return their call. Even the best pricescope vendors sometimes take a few days to return a call or e-mail.
 
Date: 5/20/2009 10:58:03 PM
Author: ellienbella
Thank you do much Dee Jay (wow, I'm writing to the rock star of PS :). I really appreciate your help with this.
True, there may be an issue with sizing (it is a 6.5) however, the scalloped part (excuse the lay terms) look sloppy and uneven and that is likely the way the ring came to the store. At any rate, this jeweler did not return my fiance's 3 calls today, nor did he answer (they always said he was either on the phone or with a client). Now, we actually had a great time at the store and everyone seemed great at the time (we even bought them all breakfast)... but today, my fiance got frustrated and told them he'd wait on the phone until the owner was no longer on a call... I'd never seen him that frustrated... 20 minutes later, they came back and said the owner was now with a customer. I may still get a Jack Kelege, but this time it will be from a different vendor.

You are all so wonderful to help this confused girl purchase something that she plans on wearing forever and yet is SOOOO confused about.
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The rock star of PS -- LOL, you FAR too kind!

I'm so surprised to hear about this quality issue with the scalloping, but I know that no one is perfect and it sounds like Kelege may have just produced a "bad" ring. If you look carefully at my setting from the the side the fluer de lis are not exactly the same on both sides, but they aren't "sloppy," just slightly different.

I don't know where you're located but I got my ring through Marshall Pierce in Chicago (312.372.2415, talk to Jerry Bern) so if you do decide to go the Kelege route this may be a vendor option for you.

Honestly, IMHO, the vendor is as important (really more so!) than the designer because that's who you have the face time with and go back to when there are questions or issues, so even though Kelege doesn't deal directly with the public I find the vendor to be the more critical party.

ETA: One thing I forgot to ask is whether you plan on wearing a wedding band with the ring. If so, and if it will also be pave, consider how the rings will fit together and any potential damage they may cause each other if the diamonds rub together over time.
 
Novemberbride, it was 3 times in one day... but that was the 3rd day we''ve tried to call. Weve attempted to contact the salepserson, then the owner for 4 days now.
 
Thank you Dee Jay! We were considering a pave band. Right now the ring is in DC w/ my fiance awaiting a return. Sadly, I haven''t worn it yet... we noticed the missing melee when we got home and took it out of the box. I live in Greenwich, CT and there are no JK vendors nearby. My fiance is a Naval officer so, once we are married we will be moving out of state. I was really open to purchasing online since I knew we''d be moving every few years (and wouldn''t be near my original store anyway). I will definately consider your jeweler in Chicago (although Pearlman''s is now striking my fancy, they seem to be VERY helpful).
 
Date: 5/21/2009 5:31:10 PM
Author: ellienbella
Thank you Dee Jay! We were considering a pave band. Right now the ring is in DC w/ my fiance awaiting a return. Sadly, I haven''t worn it yet... we noticed the missing melee when we got home and took it out of the box. I live in Greenwich, CT and there are no JK vendors nearby. My fiance is a Naval officer so, once we are married we will be moving out of state. I was really open to purchasing online since I knew we''d be moving every few years (and wouldn''t be near my original store anyway). I will definately consider your jeweler in Chicago (although Pearlman''s is now striking my fancy, they seem to be VERY helpful).
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If you do decide to do another JK ring, please have them make it from scratch in your size and get your stone first so they can make it to fit your stone exactly. You''ll also probably want the stone sent to JK when they make it. Dee Jay did have an issue when they tried to set her stone locally and she ended up having to set the whole ring back to JK for a little prong fix. I don''t want to be a Debbie downer but I would also say that please do think about getting such a delicate/detailed setting if you may not have a dealer close by for fixes. it could get costly having to ship your ring back and forth to JK or any designer if you lose a stone or something and you can''t just have any jeweler fix it b/c it will void the designer warranty. I''m all for getting a setting that you LOVE but you do want to think practically. I know pearlmans will usually cover the shipping back to a designer when there is a workmanship issue but not all jewelers are like this and would expect you to pay the shipping which can really add up.
 
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