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Will Leon Mege set stones sourced from ERD?

pumpkins

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
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3
Hi everyone, I lurk here every now and then, but this is my first post. I am thinking about having LM do a setting with a cushion stone. I am planning to ask his diamond concierge/Perry what he has, but I would like to ask other vendors what they have available, as well. Does anyone know if Leon will set cushions sourced from Mark/ERD? I know years back there was a spat between them and if I recall correctly, he was no longer accepting ERD sourced stones? However, I do not know what the current situation is like. If not, where else should I consider if I want a chunky cushion and care about light performance but do not want to pay the premium for an AVC from GOG? TIA for your help!
 

SB621

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 25, 2009
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7,864
I don't recall anything about LM not setting ERD cushions. A few ring pop into my mind that are that exact combo. But honestly when it comes down to it you don' thave to tell LM either. Just say you might use your own stone.
 

nottospec

Shiny_Rock
Joined
May 24, 2013
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150
Hi , have you had a look at victor canera's antique cushions? Also, I believe there are a couple on jewels by Erica Grace at the moment

Victor also does beautiful custom work
 

swingirl

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Why would anyone need to tell their jeweler where their stone came from? Gift, heirloom, ebay purchase, old ring. LM set my stone and we never discussed where it came from. He never asked and I found no need to talk about it since it was irrelevant to the project.

I don't think it's fair, though, to expect several vendors to look for a stone at the same time. It's time consuming and that costs them money. Work with one that you like and give them a chance to find you the perfect stone. If they can't then move on.
 

VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Actually - LM's "rules of engagement" seem to suggest that you must use in-house diamonds with certain styles. Here's the less than totally clear policy, straight from the horse's mouth:

Your own stone
Whether you inherited a stone from your family or bought one when you were planning to get engaged to that other "crazy" girl, or simply prefer to pay a higher price to other dealers - bringing your own stone is always an option.
We can also trade your stone for another one.
Leon Megé will make the same beautiful piece of jewelry for you at the same price, regardless of whether you purchased your diamond from us or not. Please note: there are a few exclusive designs created by Leon Megé (i.e. Cold Fusion™ Halo Ring) that are available only with stones selected and sold by us.


LM's site also suggests that there are stones from some sources are just too sullied, inferior, etc. for the master's bench to touch:

I buy a diamond somewhere else?
Yes you can, but why would you do that? Our Diamond Concierge™ Service is a better way to buy a diamond. It is practically guaranteed to be less money out of your pocket. You always have the option to bring your own stone, but before you buy your stone elsewhere please give us a call: (212)768-3868 or toll-free (800)542-1954. There are very few "unauthorized" dealers whose stones Leon Megé will refuse to accept. A great majority of the dealers in the trade are honest, trustworthy people and we don't have any issues that would prevent us from using their stones. Please check with us to learn whether you are buying your stone from a legitimate source.


LM's black list could be limited to the truly bad actors, or it could include vendors that LM sees a competition where antique reproduction cuts are concerned... hopefully someone here knows whether the specific source you're considering is on the black list. Or... you might just want to be prepared to be vague about the source of your stone. ;-)

Purely personal editorial content: While I love looking at LM's designs, reading his text tends to give me the creeps.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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If the buyer is long distance, it often happens that the diamond vendor sends (or takes) the diamond over to Leon or Steven. So in that case, he would know!

If you are concerned about light performance, you are going to be limited to GOG and Victor as they are the only ones cutting stones for ideal light performance. But you can get chunky newly cut antique style cushions from ERD and LM.

What setting are you wanting?
 

canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
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HI:

Well, Leon might get a clue if you ask him for a quote for the stone and setting, then bring another stone to him for just the setting. Nonetheless, I don't think it should matter to him if you do. But it begs the question why you wouldn't use one vendor either ERD or Leon to do everything. Is there one particular Leon setting that is your hearts desire?

cheers--Sharon
 

bgray

Brilliant_Rock
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I have heard that Leon has had issues with certain diamond vendors. He was badmouthing stones of customers who sourced their stones elsewhere and trying to talk them into using his stones......... Selling a Diamond even at a small profit is easier than making a mounting. No labor involved in just selling a stone. He has turned away/turned off customers with their own stones for varying reasons.
 

diamondseeker2006

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I'd just strongly recommend Steven Kirsch or Victor Canera for a setting for many good reasons.
 

pumpkins

Rough_Rock
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Thanks, all. Like diamondseeker2006 said, I don't think I'd be able to conceal where my diamond is from because I'm not local and would have to have ERD drop off the stone to Leon if they were to source it for me.

I have worked with Leon before and really like his work, which is why I am considering going with him again. However, I was unsure of the performance of the cushions his concierge sources and thought that maybe ERD's Royal Chandelier cushions would be a better option given that they come with ASET images and seem pretty decent. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from the comments, it seems like they are more on par with what Leon has, though, and a step below GOG's AVC and Victor's branded cushions?

If that is the case, I might as well go with Leon's concierge or maybe Steven or Victor for everything as some of you suggested, as they seem easier to work with and more customer service oriented. As for ERD, I was only considering them for their stones because the setting being hand forged is important to me.

And bgray, yes, Leon had mentioned he did not like working with ERD years ago, so it wouldn't surprise me if there were other vendors on his black list for one reason or another.
 

Gypsy

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diamondseeker2006|1389062987|3587902 said:
I'd just strongly recommend Steven Kirsch or Victor Canera for a setting for many good reasons.

Ditto.


I would advise you to do a search for old threads on here about any vendor you work with so you can see the issues others have had with that vendor in the past.

Steven is great to work with, I can attest. And my interactions with Victor have always been positive and professional, I wouldn't hesitate to use him.
 

Acinom

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I would also recommend working with Victor (from own experience) or Steven (based on recommendations on PS).
Victor has amazing stones so with him you could do a package deal (I believe you get a discount if you source the stone from him as well as let him make the setting).

What design are you thinking about for your setting?
 

arkieb1

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Victor is the only one of the three to my knowledge that does 100% hand forged pieces the other two use a combo of cast and hand forged for a small number of their stock items that are often repeated. You can't notice much difference visually.

If you want a pave or halo style setting I would also recommend Victor and Steven and Victor for any type of setting over Leon for less hassle and drama, having said that most people who have purchased diamonds from Leon + settings get the 5 star service not the no star service.
 

ChristineRose

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Here's a thread where Leon refused to set someone's AVC.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-and-avcs.155862/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-and-avcs.155862/[/URL]

Here's one where Leon raised the price after the customer went with an AVC.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-%E2%80%93-what-just-happened-and-why.136502/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-%E2%80%93-what-just-happened-and-why.136502/[/URL]

As I recall at the time quite a few people got the impression that Leon would have preferred if they had bought the LM precision cut cushions instead.

I am not sure what this means if you buy an ERD cushion, but honestly I'm not if anyone knows what Leon is thinking.
 

SB621

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 25, 2009
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ERD has a hand forged bench. So if you want a cushion from them plus you insist on hand forged then you could just one stop shope through them.

Also why are you insisting on hand forged? As someone who has rings by LM, SK, and VC plus several other vendors who do CAST/ CAD I'm curious why? Really pending what setting you are getting should dictate what method you might use. Hand forged has it's own complications so you should really do your homework.
 

Gypsy

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arkieb1|1389094055|3588080 said:
Victor is the only one of the three to my knowledge that does 100% hand forged pieces the other two use a combo of cast and hand forged for a small number of their stock items that are often repeated. You can't notice much difference visually.

You can request 100% handforged and Steven will provide. He has said so repeatedly, and others have gotten pieces from him that are 100% handforged.

I know your experience was different, but nonetheless, others have gotten 100% handforged from him as well as from Victor.
 

pumpkins

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Messages
3
Christine, thanks for the links. Wow, I didn't realize LM had issues with GOG, too. I guess it shouldn't surprise me. I know he didn't like that others like ERD were starting to make settings, not that that's an excuse.

I'm not sure which setting yet, but I'm thinking possibly the French cuts. If I were doing a pave setting, I think I'd have more options. I haven't decided yet, though, so thanks for all the info -- I have a lot to think about.
 

nyquestioner

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Messages
101
To answer the OP's original question, I don't think there's been any indication that Leon wouldn't set stones from ERD. There's tons of recent Leon/ERD rings on here. He's had intermittent issues with GOG regarding AVCs but I think that's a separate issue. But why don't you just ask him?

One thing that I find a little sad is how whenever a question is asked about a Leon setting, people immediately start suggesting other vendors instead, even when that's not the question at hand. The reason I find it disheartening is people didn't even know what type of setting the OP wanted or why she wanted to work with Leon, but they felt they could offer advice about specific vendors. I personally don't think the vendors are interchangeable like that. First of all, I do think they each have their own strengths and weaknesses in different types of settings. But second, when my then boyfriend and I first came on here looking for advice, we saw a lot of threads like this, where people said if you are interested in Leon, you should just use Steven instead (or Victor) because they are nicer/have better customer service/are better quality, etc. So much so that we almost skipped our appointment with Leon.

Well, that would have been a big mistake, and the reason is that Leon, while straightforward and blunt, was also gracious, kind, warm and really took the time to get to know us and what we were about. He came up with a great idea for my ring which we love, and he also changed my outlook about my heirloom diamonds and made me really happy to wear my ring.
On the other hand, when we met with Steven, he was rude, cold, difficult and unpleasant. Additionally, when he showed us some finished rings that he had in his office, there were a couple that I felt had a crudeness that I didn't seen in any of Leon's work, or in ERD's work. Under no circumstances would we have worked with him after that strange and unpleasant meeting. If we hadn't met Leon, we would've ended up with ERD, who would've made us, I'm sure, a lovely ring to the specifications we thought we wanted (bezels), but now that we see how my center stone looks prong-set, we're so glad we had Leon to advise us.

I've not mentioned this before because I've seen on here that other people have reported perfectly lovely experiences with Steven, and recently I've seen some excellent rings he's made on this site. I feel that everyone has bad days or personalities that they may not work well with, and so I would recommend that people interview vendors and judge for themselves who they mesh with rather than warn people away from certain vendors wholly.
 

CharmyPoo

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nyquestioner ... forums often take on a bit of a mob mentality and sometimes people repeat opinions without having first hand experiences. I have worked with all three NYC vendors you mentioned.

I have no problems working with Leon. I find him to be straight forward and blunt but yet the bluntness is very honest. I also find him to be pretty funny (although others do not appreciate his humor) and he is very friendly / opens up easily. His work is fantastic and I still see him as the best for proportions, metal work, designs and a whack of other things. I believe people are turned off when he tells them that he doesn't like their diamonds or that their diamonds are too small for the designs they want. Leon has told me he doesn't like some of my diamonds and that's fine ... I want him to be honest instead of lying to me! He actually told me before that he hates diamonds in general ... LOL.

I also really like Mark and Chris. They are such gentlemen and are so patient ... and non-business like. I visit them all the time when I am in NYC just to chat and see what goodies they have around the office.

I have a few projects completed with Steven. I am not surprised by your first reaction but Steven is actually just more of an introvert so he isn't big on chit chatting. He opens up over time but for many people ... the transaction never gets there. He isn't a sales person at his core.
 

bgray

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nyquestioner|1389211677|3589028 said:
To answer the OP's original question, I don't think there's been any indication that Leon wouldn't set stones from ERD. There's tons of recent Leon/ERD rings on here. He's had intermittent issues with GOG regarding AVCs but I think that's a separate issue. But why don't you just ask him?

One thing that I find a little sad is how whenever a question is asked about a Leon setting, people immediately start suggesting other vendors instead, even when that's not the question at hand. The reason I find it disheartening is people didn't even know what type of setting the OP wanted or why she wanted to work with Leon, but they felt they could offer advice about specific vendors. I personally don't think the vendors are interchangeable like that. First of all, I do think they each have their own strengths and weaknesses in different types of settings. But second, when my then boyfriend and I first came on here looking for advice, we saw a lot of threads like this, where people said if you are interested in Leon, you should just use Steven instead (or Victor) because they are nicer/have better customer service/are better quality, etc. So much so that we almost skipped our appointment with Leon.

Well, that would have been a big mistake, and the reason is that Leon, while straightforward and blunt, was also gracious, kind, warm and really took the time to get to know us and what we were about. He came up with a great idea for my ring which we love, and he also changed my outlook about my heirloom diamonds and made me really happy to wear my ring.
On the other hand, when we met with Steven, he was rude, cold, difficult and unpleasant. Additionally, when he showed us some finished rings that he had in his office, there were a couple that I felt had a crudeness that I didn't seen in any of Leon's work, or in ERD's work. Under no circumstances would we have worked with him after that strange and unpleasant meeting. If we hadn't met Leon, we would've ended up with ERD, who would've made us, I'm sure, a lovely ring to the specifications we thought we wanted (bezels), but now that we see how my center stone looks prong-set, we're so glad we had Leon to advise us.

I've not mentioned this before because I've seen on here that other people have reported perfectly lovely experiences with Steven, and recently I've seen some excellent rings he's made on this site. I feel that everyone has bad days or personalities that they may not work well with, and so I would recommend that people interview vendors and judge for themselves who they mesh with rather than warn people away from certain vendors wholly.

I appreciate your comments but there is a nuance you are overlooking or disregarding: when people ask about Leon who have a complex situation to begin with, many of us do immediately say to that person--you may not want to use Leon. Leon is best when it is Leon's way. To begin an project with Leon with complex issues of design or stone is a bit of a gamble. Leon's reputation is not just about a sometimes curmudgeonly behavior but many reported incidents of unethical or questionable behavior and actions. Once is once, twice is interesting and three times is a pattern.
 

Hospatogi

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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671
I am confused why you just don't want to ask Leon directly if he will set your stone from ERD. He won't bite and if he does then he is definitely not the right vendor for you ! :lol: on a serious note though I have worked with all three of the mentioned vendors . I won't sway you with my experiences but it's so important to work with a vendor you instinctively feel comfortable with. Custom pieces require a bit of faith and trust !
 

CharmyPoo

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When you don't know what you want, Leon is NOT the right person for you. Leon works best when you have a design in mind and better yet one of his designs - you get a quote, documents and then executes. Or you let him go complete free range and willing to pay the price and love it no matter what.
 

arkieb1

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Gypsy|1389145594|3588580 said:
arkieb1|1389094055|3588080 said:
Victor is the only one of the three to my knowledge that does 100% hand forged pieces the other two use a combo of cast and hand forged for a small number of their stock items that are often repeated. You can't notice much difference visually.

You can request 100% handforged and Steven will provide. He has said so repeatedly, and others have gotten pieces from him that are 100% handforged.

I know your experience was different, but nonetheless, others have gotten 100% handforged from him as well as from Victor.

I dare say that you can probably request that Leon not cast any parts as well, I am not stating that you can't request this, all I am saying is in stock designs that are repeated often it is incorrect to assume that no parts have been cast. People make the assumption when they go to these guys that ALL rings are 100% hand forged ie no casting occurs and that simply is not the case. And for the record I am not saying it is better or worse because for some projects as you know cast pieces can be better. At the level these guys work at most people could not tell the difference anyway.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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bgray|1389219134|3589101 said:
nyquestioner|1389211677|3589028 said:
To answer the OP's original question, I don't think there's been any indication that Leon wouldn't set stones from ERD. There's tons of recent Leon/ERD rings on here. He's had intermittent issues with GOG regarding AVCs but I think that's a separate issue. But why don't you just ask him?

One thing that I find a little sad is how whenever a question is asked about a Leon setting, people immediately start suggesting other vendors instead, even when that's not the question at hand. The reason I find it disheartening is people didn't even know what type of setting the OP wanted or why she wanted to work with Leon, but they felt they could offer advice about specific vendors. I personally don't think the vendors are interchangeable like that. First of all, I do think they each have their own strengths and weaknesses in different types of settings. But second, when my then boyfriend and I first came on here looking for advice, we saw a lot of threads like this, where people said if you are interested in Leon, you should just use Steven instead (or Victor) because they are nicer/have better customer service/are better quality, etc. So much so that we almost skipped our appointment with Leon.

Well, that would have been a big mistake, and the reason is that Leon, while straightforward and blunt, was also gracious, kind, warm and really took the time to get to know us and what we were about. He came up with a great idea for my ring which we love, and he also changed my outlook about my heirloom diamonds and made me really happy to wear my ring.
On the other hand, when we met with Steven, he was rude, cold, difficult and unpleasant. Additionally, when he showed us some finished rings that he had in his office, there were a couple that I felt had a crudeness that I didn't seen in any of Leon's work, or in ERD's work. Under no circumstances would we have worked with him after that strange and unpleasant meeting. If we hadn't met Leon, we would've ended up with ERD, who would've made us, I'm sure, a lovely ring to the specifications we thought we wanted (bezels), but now that we see how my center stone looks prong-set, we're so glad we had Leon to advise us.

I've not mentioned this before because I've seen on here that other people have reported perfectly lovely experiences with Steven, and recently I've seen some excellent rings he's made on this site. I feel that everyone has bad days or personalities that they may not work well with, and so I would recommend that people interview vendors and judge for themselves who they mesh with rather than warn people away from certain vendors wholly.

I appreciate your comments but there is a nuance you are overlooking or disregarding: when people ask about Leon who have a complex situation to begin with, many of us do immediately say to that person--you may not want to use Leon. Leon is best when it is Leon's way. To begin an project with Leon with complex issues of design or stone is a bit of a gamble. Leon's reputation is not just about a sometimes curmudgeonly behavior but many reported incidents of unethical or questionable behavior and actions. Once is once, twice is interesting and three times is a pattern.

Well said, bgray, and this is my response as well.
 

Hospatogi

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
Messages
671
It's seems from reading through your posts that you have already worked with Leon in past. I'm guessing it went well otherwise you wouldn't be considering him for your latest project . I know branded cushions are more expensive but I just love my AVC from Good Old Gold. It's much harder to find generic cushions with that kind of light play!
I also like Victors cushions and since he is also doing the setting for my project it's nice to have everything done in house. If you post a picture of the setting you are looking for and your budget it might easier for us to help you !
 

Gypsy

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bgray|1389219134|3589101 said:
I appreciate your comments but there is a nuance you are overlooking or disregarding: when people ask about Leon who have a complex situation to begin with, many of us do immediately say to that person--you may not want to use Leon. Leon is best when it is Leon's way. To begin an project with Leon with complex issues of design or stone is a bit of a gamble. Leon's reputation is not just about a sometimes curmudgeonly behavior but many reported incidents of unethical or questionable behavior and actions. Once is once, twice is interesting and three times is a pattern.


This exactly. :appl:
 

CharmyPoo

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Messages
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I just came back to look at that ERD French Cut ring. Love that picture ... so beautiful. Wish I had it on my finger.
 
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