Shance Company

[kbarn21]

OK, so I may be opening Pandora''s Box with this one........but what is the professional oppinion on the Shane Company?

I live in Atlanta and have tried to steer my BF to the Jewelry Mart downtown as well as several PS vendor web sites. It seems to me that he was not comfortable with either of those two options. I think he may have just purchased a ring for me (keep your fingers crossed) at Shane....any thought on if this is a terrible place to buy?

 

[mrssalvo]

type in Shane Company in the search box and threads on this topic will come up. I don''t have a personal experience with them so can''t help you there. I am sure whatever you boyfriend chose will be lovely and special because he chose it..

 

[cpster]

Don't go there! They are overpriced and they don't have detailed information on their diamonds. Our first diamond purchase (my promise ring) was at Shane Co. over eight years ago. Somehow we wound up with a .29ct diamond in M color! Obviously it was an impulse buy and we knew nothing about diamonds.

I once did an online chat on their site and inquired about ideal cut diamonds and sarin information. The guy tried to state that there was no such thing as an ideal cut diamond! The craziest thing is I've been meaning to go trade in my first diamond so I can send it off to Whiteflash to be made into a pendant. Thankfully they have a full value trade in and I can trade in my M color for a G/H stone of the same size without adding in any money. Hopefully I can find one with a decent cut...though it may be hard. I don't plan on spending more money at Shane, just want to trade for a better color.

I think you can do way better with one of the reputable online vendors here on PS. Just my .02. I'm not a professional.

 

[blueroses]

I have nothing to add personally, but it''s been a big old can of worms on here: do a search and you''ll find more than you ever wanted to know!!

 

[Mara]

Yep do a search and a few threads will come up...

I went there while researching and was not impressed at all with either their setting options or their diamonds, all the settings were dated IMO and they had TONS, I was so disappointed I could find nothing that was either simple or modern seeming. They showed me something like a 1.25c H SI for $10k or something ridiculous (then, aka 3 years ago) when you could have gotten the same thing online for around $6k. They were very helpful in the store but I left unimpressed but happy that I had at least checked it out.

On the other hand, my Mom got her replacement wedding ring there almost 10 years ago, a 5 stone ~1ctw band graduated band and she adores it and it's very sparkly. But we have no idea what the stones are or anything like that though from eyeballing them I would estimate that they are near-colorless bordering on ~K or so. It was the first ring they showed her and they only paid a few thousand, my Mom is really not into flashy items at all, but it really blings from her finger, people give her tons of compliments on it!

ETA: I think it's kind of ironic that your BF was not impressed with PS vendors or Jewelry Mart but may have bought at Shane?! Boys!

 

[bookworm21]

Hi, in addition to your search, let me give you a detailed account of my bad experiences with that crappy company.

My bf bought me a .45, G, SI2 round solitaire in a plat setting for my birthday one year. We picked the diamond and setting together and were very happy that we went with platinum, because the salespeople were telling us that plat is more durable, yada yada yada. I also asked several times to make sure that the head and the shank were both pure plat. Three months later, the metal of the shank that meets the prongs turned yellow. Noticeably yellow. At first, I thought that it was a reflection from my skin, but after taking off the ring and holding the shank with tweezers to eliminate any possibility of reflection, it was still yellow. So we took it back and were told that it turned yellow because the white gold needed replating. Huh? I said that the ring is supposed to be pure plat. The saleslady said yes, but the prongs were attached to the shank using white gold because white gold is more secure. Since this was my pre-PS days, I believed what she said, but I was extremely suspicious. Even then, the explanation didn''t make sense to me.

Two years later, we decided that we wanted to upgrade my birthday ring to something a little bigger, maybe a different shape because I had become enarmored of the emerald and asscher cuts. Well, they didn''t carry asscher cuts. Okay. So we asked to look at emerald cut stones with the following specs:
Color: D-F
Clarity: No lower than a VS2
Cut: Excellent

Guess what? They don''t carry anything above SI quality and they don''t grade their cuts. (All grading is done in-house, GIA certs only accompany purchases of stones 1 carat or more. That''s what they told me.)

So I asked if they at least had the measurements of the stones, so that I could get an idea of the length to width ratio that I liked. They didn''t have that either.

We gave up, left, and went to another store a week later and found a great asscher cut stone that we fell in love with, complete with a GIA report. I asked them to re-use my Shane Co. setting and remove the .45 round that was already in there. They did so with no problems and the new ring was ready to be picked up an hour after we purchased it.

But here''s the main thing that ticked me off: I found out that the .45 round from Shane had a miniscule chip on the back of the girdle. It''s extremely hard to spot, even after a GIA gemologist pointed it out. But I can''t return it now because I had that stone reset in a pendant, and Shane will only guarantee their own work. But it''s just galling to know that they would sell such sub-par stones, especially when they advertise that they hand select only the very best for their inventory. What a load of crap.

Their customer service leaves much to be desired too. I knew more than their salespeople did, and when I asked about the color grade of one of the emerald stones, the sales guy told me that they were graded according to how yellow the stones were and showed me the stone face up. I looked at him, turned the stone upside down, and asked, "Isn''t this how they''re supposed to be graded?" Maybe that was a bit rude, but that shut up his sales spiel and my bf and I were able to look at the stone and discuss it in peace, without sales pitches interrupting us.

The store manager also pooh poohed the H&A stones, saying that it was all a gimmick and that it had no effect on the stone''s beauty or brilliance, etc. What annoyed me that time was that he spoke to me in a condescending manner. Look, I may be young, but I know what I''m talking about. I nodded, waited until he was finished, turned and walked out.

AVOID Shane Co. if you can. Sorry for the long post, but I can''t stand their policies and sales tactics. Oh, and contrary to what they say, their prices aren''t the cheapest either. In fact, they have more of a markup than the other B&M jewelry store we wound up going to.

 

[flower12]

I don't want to write negative comments but

I had Experience with Shane co more than 10years ago.

at first I bougth 5 stone wedding band .(1 ct total , $2900 then)
however couple month later I showed the ring to a person who workes high end jewelry shop

I was told that it was Ultra over priced for the Clarity

anyway I never wear it and put in box for maybe 5 years?? because no sparkle
and too diffrent color and sparkle if I wear with my E-ring.

one day I was watching the ring then thought why am I just keep this ring in box ?
so I went to exchange to something BUT there is nothing whatever I wanted.....

but I don't want to keep the ring which I never wear since the day one.
and I had to chose something more than what I paid for the ring.
I chosed diamond bracelet which I haven't wear it to the end.
cause no sparkle.how lucky Mara's mom...
if it's sparkle I would wear it.


THEN.... 2 years later I thought good idea
that **OK! let's exchange to couple earring to my dougther's*

but to exchange expect e-ring /wedding ring /studs( I am not sure about studs)

I was told that I have to exchange to Double the price than the bracelet.

((when I exchanged the ring to Bracelet ,I asked that can I exchange if it price more than the bracelet.
the sells person saied YES. however there is no any words mentioned about it on a paper come with recipt
it's very tricky to me .))

the mean I had to buy something total more than $5600 ( then -$2800)

NO WAY... there is nothing I want to buy from the shop...
so everythime I see the bracelet in my box and make me feel bad...

I don't know what another people's experience.
but
this is my Experience .
my DH tease me so hard everytime we hear the CM from Redio
he says Sham@ ......

 

[ChargerGrrl]

My best friend and her husband bought their plain platinum wedding bands there a couple of years ago. They were in a pinch- it was 3 weeks before the wedding, and each thought the other had bought the bands! Anyway, that was the only type of jewelry they even considered buying there, as they had a negative experience when she bought her studs a year or so before that.

 

[WORKINMAN]

Lot''s of positive change in the company lately, but I can understand why some may have had negative experiences in the past. If longterm is important, they will work out to your advantage.

 

[bookworm21]

Date: 2/16/2006 2:23:15 AM
Author: WORKINMAN
Lot''s of positive change in the company lately, but I can understand why some may have had negative experiences in the past. If longterm is important, they will work out to your advantage.

I''m sorry, I don''t mean to be contentious or anything, but how do you know that there have been positive changes in the company lately? Is it from one personal experience or many?

I was at Shane back in October looking to upgrade my birthday ring, and the sales staff was unhelpful and unknowledgable. The manager was rude when I asked about H&A cuts. The stones were overpriced. Did the company decide to drop prices to a more reasonable range?

To be honest, I can''t see how a company can make so many positive changes in so short a time.

If you don''t mind, can you share your experiences with us? Because I would love to have another jeweler available as an option.

 

[sluke]

Less than 2 weeks ago, a friend went to the Shane Co. looking for a F-G color VS clarity one carat diamond. She was shown a J color I1 clarity one carat for $5,000. The salesperson said if she wanted a higher color, better clarity diamond, they can call one in for a Non-refundable $300 deposit. Luckily she decided to wait. I sent her to one of the pricescope vendors and she ended up with an ideal cut (and almost H&A) diamond that was a little over a carat that was better in color and clarity, for less than the Shane''s J color, I1.

 

[bookworm21]

Date: 2/16/2006 2:53:59 AM
Author: sluke
Less than 2 weeks ago, a friend went to the Shane Co. looking for a F-G color VS clarity one carat diamond. She was shown a J color I1 clarity one carat for $5,000. The salesperson said if she wanted a higher color, better clarity diamond, they can call one in for a Non-refundable $300 deposit. Luckily she decided to wait. I sent her to one of the pricescope vendors and she ended up with an ideal cut (and almost H&A) diamond that was a little over a carat that was better in color and clarity, for less than the Shane''s J color, I1.

Exactly my point. Thanks for sharing sluke.

 

[blodthecat]

OMG...this doesn''t sound good!

Now for the good news...I have just checked out their website, which is offering a 30-day money back guarantee if you buy online or from B&M.

So don''t panic, if the right ain''t right, you can fire it back ASAP!

Blod