Complaint Review: GemSmith

It was early December in 2004 when my boyfriend Jon started the design process for my engagement ring at GemSmith Jewelers in Toms River, N.J. It is now July 2005 and I still do not have a ring that I would wear proudly. After Jon and I saw the design for the initial ring we gave them the go-ahead to carve the wax mold. We saw the early stages of the wax and expected to later see a mold very similar to the actual ring but one day 3 months later we get a call saying the ring was complete. What about the middle step? When we saw the finished ring we were mortified. It was bulky and gaudy and I went home without the ring and in tears.

Jon and I spent a few days deciding what our options could be at that point. We wanted to either sell it back to GemSmith (so they could sell it to someone else), melt it down and start over, or trade them that ring for one they had made in the display case already. When we sat down with the manager/designer she gave us three options: buy it, redesign the head and nothing else, or loose the $1200 deposit and walk away empty handed. Even though I never wanted to see the ring again or deal with the jewelers again we felt our only option was to redesign the head and hope that I would love the ring; taking a loss was not an option.

So 3 1/2 months later (7 months all together) Jon was presented with another ring which he purchased. When he presented it to me I was very disappointed. It was a sloppy job. The pave settings are unevenly spaced, the milgrain ranges from thick to nearly non-existing, and we were never given a choice as to which prong mounting we would like. After contacting GemSmith to tell them I wasn't happy with our purchase the manager Ketty said sorry, you're out of luck if you do not like your purchase. When asked for their fax number another employee's response was, What do you want it for? We don't give it out to people!

For $3500 (not including the center stone) and 7 months time I expect to have the most beautifully crafted setting that ever did exist, not something that looks like I got it from a gumball machine. I am devastated because the most exciting time in our lives has been ruined forever. Thanks to Gemsmith we cannot afford a wedding since this ring has emptied our pockets, not to mention that we have to replace this ring with one I will actually wear as well as pay for wedding bands. Our life together has turned into a depressing soap opera because these jewelers preyed on an innocent young couple. I would NEVER go back to GemSmith for another piece of jewelry.

Cheryl
Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey
U.S.A.