Sunday, March 25, 2012

ID Jewelry Review

I was looking for a 5-stone ring online and found them based on price and wonderful reviews.  I purchased a 2ct, 5-stone gem lock ring from them as my wedding band in March.  It arrived as scheduled, gorgeous, great quality and the best price I could find.  The customer service and help from Yekutiel and Luann were comforting when purchasing diamonds online.

I recently visited NYC and was able to visit their store and meet everyone who worked on my ring. While there I also purchased a diamond from them for my e-ring.  Monique spent nearly 3 hours going over settings for my new diamond.  She was so very patient with me and the process.  I look forward to seeing my new setting and diamond. I will continue to do business with them for any of my jewelry needs.  It was evident while I was there that many people trust them to pick out gifts for others, take their professional advice and were repeat customers.

8 W 47th St
Booth 49
(between 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 921-9372

David S Diamonds Review

Our initial appointment was with Stephen G.  We were lucky to be assigned to him.  His expertise and suggestions made for a great ring purchase experience.  Stephen was friendly, knowledgeable, and educated us on what we needed to know about engagement rings and wedding bands.  As a result of such guidance, we were able to purchase the correct engagement ring and wedding bands that were to our liking, satisfaction, and budget.  At no time during our visits to David S. Diamonds, did we feel pressured to purchase rings outside of our desire.

I was referred to David through my co-workers who both bought their wives engagement rings from David and because they trusted him, I knew I could too. David was the best, so patient with us, explaining everything about diamonds to us in detail and never ever pushing us to buy up or buy now. We went into David's showroom about 4 times before we decide on a diamond. For the setting, David did a custom setting that turned out beautifully and I get compliments all the time. I've already recommended several friends to David and will do so in the future. Buying an engagement ring is an overwhelming experience to begin with (even if it's my own!), to do so in a stress-free environment makes it pleasurable.

550 5th Ave
Ste 700
(between 45th St & 46th St)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 921-8029

Jangmi Jewelry Review

I have two pieces of jewelry from this wonderful store. This store is owned by a wonderful Korean couple. They are honest, friendly, and sweet. Prior to getting engaged, my fiance surprised me with clover pave earrings from Jangmi Jewelry. He asked them to custom make them to look similar to the ones from Van Cleef & Arpels. I absolutely love them and wear them everyday.

For our engagement, he came back to this store. They helped my fiance pick a beautiful round-cut "hearts and arrows" diamond and even custom made me a pave cushion-cut setting.  It's the best of both worlds! You get the brilliance of a round cut diamond with a cushion shape. Even if you don't see a setting you like at the store, they can custom make anything if you bring a picture. I absolutely love my ring and I get so many compliments on how sparkly it is. The quality of the diamonds here are amazing

Choosing where to buy your jewelry is a pretty harrowing experience.  You can buy online, but you don't get to see the product and it's mass produced and there's essentially no customer service -- so it really isn't much of a choice.  Then you have the even more confusing choice of where to buy on 47th street.  YSK has great prices and you know you're getting honest service and only the best quality around.  They don't keep anything that isn't of the highest quality so you can't really go wrong with anything you buy here.

71 W 47th St
(between Avenue Of The Americas & 5th Ave)
Manhattan, NY 10036
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 302-5000

West End Jewelers Review

I recently visited West End Jewelers to have my wedding set appraised  -band and engagement ring. I was very pleased that the long train ride from Queens to Brooklyn was definitely worth the trip. Howard appraised my wedding set in a very professional, thorough and courteous manner. He took the time to educate me on diamonds and the appraisal process; and answered all my questions which allowed  me to know exactly the value of my wedding set. Both Howard and Barry were so warm and friendly. They made me feel comfortable in their store. In addition, my rings were cleaned for free.  I was very happy with my experience at West End Jewelers and very satisfied with the appraisal of my wedding set.  The appraisal fee was only $50 for both rings, much less compared to other places I called.  I highly recommend West End Jewelers and will be certainly returning back for purchases and jewlery repair.

I went there looking for an engagement ring.  I thought that it would be good to use a neighborhood store instead of going to the jewelry district in Manhattan because I heard sketchy things about going there.  I was extremely happy with the salespeople at this store -- they were knowledgeable, honest and even cared enough to help me insure the engagement ring before I picked it up.  They did a great job educating me about what goes into the cost and quality of a diamond.

2078 86th St
(between Bay 26th St & 21st Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11214
Neighborhoods: Bath Beach, Bensonhurst
(718) 372-0530

Michael F & Company Review

I had the pleasure of having Michael and his friendly staff help me with my engagement ring search.  Michael was able to beat any price I've come across plus he was able to have the very specific design I had in mind done.  His attention to details plus in depth knowledge and competitive pricing makes him second to none.  He has gotten a customer for life and any one who has dealt with him will tell you the same.  Truly a gem in the the diamond district.

Looking for an engagement ring is a very big deal, and probably new territory for nearly every guy out there.  Michael F & Co. was such a wonderful find, their diamonds were absolutely gorgeous, Michael himself is there and very willing to help you, answer any questions that pop into your head, offer advice (which, for me, was correct 100% of the time) and show you a very beautiful collection of settings to go along with his gorgeous diamonds.

I compared his prices to several other jewelers in  the area, as well as many very well known online jewelers and he was consistently a bit lower than everyone else. Each time that i came to the store he was there to help me personally. When i came for the final time to pick up the ring that I had purchased, I was blown away at the final product.  It was perfect! 

7 W 47th St
(between 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 278-8585

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Loves Antiques Review

I am someone who loves antiques and beautiful things - in fact I own a shop by that name - and so when I found Gabe (or did Gabe find me?) - it was a perfect match. He finds beauty in the oddest places, as do I, so I fell immediately in love with his artistry. Though I have bought watches and pins and cuff links and money clips, my favorite thing he does is to make beautiful bracelets from old silverware. The patterns are varied - from art deco to Victorian - from ornate to plain - but the end result is always a wonderful piece of wearable art. I love his work - I love his spirit - and I love his jewelry. I definitely recommend him highly - check him out.

P.O. Box 170281
San Francisco, CA 94117
 

Opus Jewelers Review

It is crucial that you find a jeweler you can trust and I count myself lucky that I found Peter Chen of Opus Jewelers. I have not only bought a number of items from Opus Jewelers but I also have them do all of my resizing and repairs as well. Years ago, when I didn't know about Opus Jewelers, I took an antique ring that had been passed down through my family to another jeweler to have it cleaned up and re-sized. Years later, after that jeweler closed and I found Opus Jewelers, I took the same ring in to Peter because one of the claws was coming loose and I was scared of losing the ruby. I came to find out from Peter that the other jeweler had actually taken the original ruby out of the ring and replaced it with a fake one!! Once I got over my devastation, I made a pact with myself that I would never trust another jeweler other than Peter Chen. They do excellent work and can even take antique jewelery and turn it into something more modern. Their prices are very competitive and the quality of their jewelery is outstanding. Opus Jewelers is the best!

101 Utah Street
Ste 215

(between Alameda St & 15th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 864-8188