Reliable jeweler in DC

[Duane]

I know variations on this question have appeared at various times, but I thought I would put it out again after not finding exactly what I was looking for after searching this forum.

I need a reliable jeweler in Washington DC. Just got married and the diamond and rings were bought elsewhere. I am looking for a jeweler as close to DC as possible who we can trust and build a relationship with over time - intially doing some sizing for us and then cleaning visits on an ongoing basis, etc.

Most recommendations here are for well outside of DC and I am having trouble believeing there are no good jewelers in the city, though in a pinch Bethesda, arlington, alexandria, etc., would be cool.

Side question
Can anyone give me a reasonable estimate of what the following would cost...
- resize (reduce) woman''s plat enagement ring and wedding band
- resize (reduce) men''s plat wedding band (5mm)
- join woman''s engagement and wedding band (weld them or whatever they do)
?

Thanks.

 

[mrssalvo]

I always thought Quest was not too far from DC. they just moved to Fairfax, VA. Is that anywhere close?

Icemine is there.

ETA: i see Julie beat be too it

 

[JulieN]

http://www.icemine.com/

 

[Regular Guy]

Though no real experience in the city, I like Charles Schwartz, and might try them. The question was asked recently here, there are pages of them here, with jewelers on the left, and people asking about them on the left. I recall I Gorman has been recommended here, as well.

Not sure if how much to value this, but Quest in Northern Virginia is frequently mentioned. I used them to help the head of mine, I''m in Montgomery County, and have not personally found it convenient, either, to get back since.

 

[kristy_lyn]

While Quest may come highly recommended for custom CAD settings - I do not recommend them for repair work or as a "regular jeweler."

I went there approximately 4 months ago to have some stuff repaired - as sort of a "trial run", as I knew I would be doing some diamond shopping within the next 6 months. After reading all the raves on here and on the knot.com, I was *certain* that I wanted to get my ring there! But - I thought I would give them a little "test" to see how comfortable I felt with them.

So, I brought in the following things:
1. an emerald ring that needed a resize and some refurbishment
2. an 18K necklace that needed a new clasp (it was broken off at the chain)
3. an 18K bracelet that needed a new safety hook
4. an 18K bangle that I wanted to get split and made into a clasped or bypass style bracelet.

In total, the estimate came to around $150.

While I was there, they showed me some nice diamonds, and gave me a rough estimate of what a ring would cost. They didn''t provide too much narrative on the diamonds - just basically laid them out...

Now - let me tell you the outcome of the repairs... first of all, they said that they could only get the clasps and stuff in 14K. I wanted it done anyway, and had already trekked out to Vienna for the day, so I said OK and gave them the go-ahead.

For the 4 items above:
1. The stone in the emerald ring is already loose again (I don''t think the stone ever quite fit properly in the setting, but they never raised any concerns when I brought it in to them...)
2. The "new" clasp they put on the necklace was BROKEN!!!! There was no spring in it when I picked it up - and, I''m lucky I tested it right away. Right away, they changed the clasp back to the one I brought it in with (but still charged me for the replacement part!) and then brought it out - without soldering the jumpring closed to hold the clasp on. Once I pointed out to them that they didn''t solder the jump ring, they brought it back and fixed it.
3. This item was OK - although, they misidentified the stones. Understandable, since they don''t really deal in colored stones, and aren''t appraisers or gemologists. Turns out the stones are synthetic color change sapphire - and not color change glass as they had guessed.
4. I had the most problem with the bangle bracelet change. It is just a thin bangle bracelet that''s between 4-6mm thick (but, of sentimental value). Originally, I wanted them to cut it, and then affix some sort of clasp. In the end, we agreed to turn it into a bypass sort of bracelet. they described that they would cut it, and then solder on two smallish gold balls. For this, I was quoted $55. He drew a picture and everything - so I was sure we had an understanding. Well, I got it back, and they basically just melted the ends - so, the ends look sort of like the ends of a bobby-pin. I was dissatisfied, and said that in the price they quoted, they said they were going to add small gold balls to the end - instead they just melted it. He agreed to only charge me $20... well, after I looked at the receipt later, he charged me more than that !!! (but, not the full $55)

I''m generally not a ultra picky person - and, only complain when it''s legitimate. Unfortunately, by botching up a few small repairs, they lost at least $6-$7K worth of business, since I knew I''d be buying rings within 6 months. I figure that if they couldn''t pay attention to detail on my small order, then forget for the big stuff! It just so happened that the 4 items they were working on had WAY more sentimental value to me than any amount of money I''ve ever spent on jewelry - so, while only a $130 job, to me, a good repair job would have been priceless.