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What happened to Julia Kay Taylor?

rwillya

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 24, 2014
Messages
21
Hi everyone. In the past, I purchased a few pieces of jewelry from Julia Kay Taylor as gifts. I was just looking to purchase from her again and I realized that she hasn't been active on etsy or on her blog/website. I was wondering if anyone knew what happened or if she is still making jewelry at all. For reference, these are some of the pieces from Julia that I have.

il_170x135.jpg


locket_a1_0.jpg
 
I don't know. I thought her key pieces were really nice.
 
Is she responding to emails at the very least?
 
Well......in case anyone else is wondering....
Sounds like she still is in business.
I wondered as well as the OP. Really old information on blog/etsy/website.
No current info from search engine at all. No yellowpages/reviews/Yelp. Nothing.
Website contact form is invalid- at least on my mobile. I did not check desk computer. Maybe I should have....
Website home page contact link is back to invalid page. I took a shot and messaged her weeks ago on her seemingly empty etsy page.
Heard back from her, directing me to search engine her website late last night! I looked again, and my blind eyes found a small contact button on the ordering page.....I'm really torn because I dropped off the stone I wanted set by her less than 48 hours ago at local jeweler and paid deposit......
 
She's definitely still around but I don't believe she's taking custom orders at this time.
 
Chrono|1463574107|4033172 said:
If you check the Vendor's list, the updated web link is there.
http://juliakaytaylor.com/

Yes, that is the website I have seen all along. I never had trouble finding it.
 
SparkliesLuver|1463575719|4033179 said:
She's definitely still around but I don't believe she's taking custom orders at this time.

Huh. I would have assumed she would have stated that in etsy message? I will wait and see what happens.....
 
I've read some really bad reviews about her on here so you might want to do a search first.
 
theredspinel|1463598224|4033277 said:
I've read some really bad reviews about her on here so you might want to do a search first.

Really? I havent seen anything on here but high praise for her. I actually was interested in having her set a stone for me, but the website looked like it hadn't had activity in a while so I never contacted her. I'm interested to see what happens with Rfisher since I've always admired her designs!
 
lovedogs|1463600246|4033284 said:
theredspinel|1463598224|4033277 said:
I've read some really bad reviews about her on here so you might want to do a search first.

Really? I havent seen anything on here but high praise for her. I actually was interested in having her set a stone for me, but the website looked like it hadn't had activity in a while so I never contacted her. I'm interested to see what happens with Rfisher since I've always admired her designs!

Yes there's a whole host of good reviews for a few years I assume from when she was a ps darling. Then she took a DanielM nosedive and that seems to be when her etsy shop closed. It's all on this forum you just have to read through a lot of posts and threads to see the negative reviews slowely creep in and then at one point there stop being postive reviews and... not much more mention of her on here.
 
theredspinel|1463646053|4033453 said:
lovedogs|1463600246|4033284 said:
theredspinel|1463598224|4033277 said:
I've read some really bad reviews about her on here so you might want to do a search first.

Really? I havent seen anything on here but high praise for her. I actually was interested in having her set a stone for me, but the website looked like it hadn't had activity in a while so I never contacted her. I'm interested to see what happens with Rfisher since I've always admired her designs!

Yes there's a whole host of good reviews for a few years I assume from when she was a ps darling. Then she took a DanielM nosedive and that seems to be when her etsy shop closed. It's all on this forum you just have to read through a lot of posts and threads to see the negative reviews slowely creep in and then at one point there stop being postive reviews and... not much more mention of her on here.

//DanielM nosedive// That's precious :lol: :lol: :lol: :clap:
 
theredspinel said:
lovedogs|1463600246|4033284 said:
theredspinel|1463598224|4033277 said:
I've read some really bad reviews about her on here so you might want to do a search first.
Really? I havent seen anything on here but high praise for her. I actually was interested in having her set a stone for me, but the website looked like it hadn't had activity in a while so I never contacted her. I'm interested to see what happens with Rfisher since I've always admired her designs!
Yes there's a whole host of good reviews for a few years I assume from when she was a ps darling. Then she took a DanielM nosedive and that seems to be when her etsy shop closed. It's all on this forum you just have to read through a lot of posts and threads to see the negative reviews slowely creep in and then at one point there stop being postive reviews and... not much more mention of her on here.
The criticisms-denunciations of JKT peaked in 2011, apparently prompting many to turn to DanielM. Google retrieved just 3 PS threads showing JKT items of jewelry in the 5 years since (and no other threads reporting post-2011 problems); none of these 3 PSers had any complaints, and JoCoJen was especially positive: The entire process from our first conversation on the phone to having my ring in hand was just over a month, and she was great about providing updates throughout the process. In reverse chronological order:

July 2015 - Sparklieslvur's Montana sapphire ring, in celebration of her son (who's unbelievably cute ;)) )
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/what-stone-s-should-i-consider-for-a-special-project.212400/page-4#post-3900442#p3900442']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/what-stone-s-should-i-consider-for-a-special-project.212400/page-4#post-3900442#p3900442[/URL]

June 2015 - JoCoJen's ring, pale morganite with peachy-pink (treated) diamonds as side stones:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-jkt-3-stone-ring.214258/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-jkt-3-stone-ring.214258/[/URL]

late September 2012 - liliangrae's 2012 wide, gold scrollwork band with spess garnet:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/spessartine-garnet-band-from-jkt.180446/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/spessartine-garnet-band-from-jkt.180446/[/URL]
 
marymm|1463786852|4034202 said:
The macro photos in FrekeChild's 2011 posts (the 1st thread linked) & the depths of her unhappiness were especially shocking to me because Google didn't "hand me" that thread until after I'd seen these where FC seemed happy with the key pendant (she helped design it) upon its arrival in early January 2010
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-bejeweled-key.133030/page-3']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-bejeweled-key.133030/page-3[/URL]
and didn't let on thereafter that she didn't care for it, e.g.,
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-julia-kay-taylor-pieces.124965/page-4#post-2535750#p2535750']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-julia-kay-taylor-pieces.124965/page-4#post-2535750#p2535750[/URL]

Such blasts from the pasts (JKT, DanielM) are both saddening and maddening.
 
I think the issue with JKT was the consistency and quality of her workmanship took a nosedive, but she still delivered on her orders, unlike Daniel M, who just took people's money and almost disappeared.

Hopefully, she can fine tune her business so that quality is no longer an issue, because in the beginning, it was so much better. She may have had too many orders and couldn't keep up that level of consistency. Not an excuse, but if a vendor has to sacrifice quality for quantity, that's never a good thing.
 
Ah thanks for clarifying that TL. Seems there is hope then...
 
I thought the old a bit beat up not perfect look of the bezels went the the antique key. Part of the look. I remember that key when the thread here first came out, and thinking it was pretty neat.
 
One of the more lengthy critical threads discussed JKT sending emails about a customer's financials to that customer's new vendor on the project, which to me was revelatory about JKT's (bad) business ethics.

For me, when it comes to choosing vendors, while quality of product is important, equally significant to me is knowing/trusting that a vendor has an integrity-based approach to business ethics. In deciding whether to go with a vendor, I consider the vendor's posted customer service policies and third-party reviews like BBB/google/yelp, but particularly when it comes to jewelry/gemstone vendors, I also strongly consider other PSers' experiences.

While I think it unlikely that the JKT/Arjunajane situation could recur exactly, for me I decided it would be foolish on my part to continue to work with JKT who believed it was appropriate in terms of business ethics to communicate confidential information about her customer to a third party (the new vendor). As I cannot predict the future, all I can work with is what a vendor has already done; and in this case, how JKT chose to act was not the way I would want a vendor to choose to act in any of my own transactions. Basically, in my own calculations, a new pretty is not worth the risk of dealing with a vendor with unsound business ethics.
 
marymm said:
One of the more lengthy critical threads discussed JKT sending emails about a customer's financials to that customer's new vendor on the project, which to me was revelatory about JKT's (bad) business ethics * * * to communicate confidential information about her customer to a third party....
Well, in all fairness, the email correspondence concerned JKT's refund, not info on the customer's confidential "financials", as I would use the word. And once I saw the e-mail from RGD to JKT -- which arajune posted later in the thread to which you refer (the 2nd one you linked above), I could see why JKT believed Mike -- who had removed arajune's stones & returned the bracelet to JKT, as per the agreement amongst all three parties -- was seeking to know the status of the refund. Indeed, arajune noted that he'd e-mailed JKT as a way "to advocate on my behalf" (i.e., shake loose the refund or at least a status update) since JKT had not yet responded to arajune's own e-mail inquiry, made about 10 days after JKT told her on July 8, that the refund would be forthcoming:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vent-request-for-advice-real-problems-with-jkt-custom-piece.161029/page-6#post-2984657#p2984657']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vent-request-for-advice-real-problems-with-jkt-custom-piece.161029/page-6#post-2984657#p2984657[/URL]

Could JKT handled matters with arajune differently-better as the transaction tanked and with the wrap-up? Absolutely. Although I do not agree with all of the criticisms in that thread (e.g., the policy of not assuming liability for the customer's stones is par for the course & so customers should have their own insurance is scarcely unusual; faulting her for publicly apologizing to arajune, instead of sending her a private apology, seems over-the-top to me), I cringed more than once. And of course, we all are free to either boycott a vendor because they are irredeemably tainted in our eyes (there are a couple of current "PS darlings" that I don't foresee ever giving my money to) or to patronize a vendor as we each see fit.
 
If you're overseas, well at least in Australia, there's no need to think about working with JKT or not. We barred from her website. :lol:
 
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