My family and family friends has been coming to Sam Kee Hong for ages, probably way before I have…read morebeen born. Auntie Rita has provided top grade jewelry to everyone that has came here and have left nothing less than amazed. She'll hand pick everything herself to make sure it is the best of the best that she has. I remember having to diddle daddle for HOURS on end as a child (before everyone and their babies had cell phones and iPads) because my mom and/or whoever we had came with were looking at new stuff. Recently came here to have my mother's ring fixed which had a smaller accent diamond missing after an accidental drop. Auntie Rita had some diamonds pre-picked in advance before I had arrived and tried to pick the best one to fit and replace. She personally brought me downstairs to her jewelry craftsman's shop to have the diamond replaced. Process overall was super easy. Sadly she's downsized compared to how big it was before.

This is a long overdue review. I couldn't post anything till now, otherwise risk the possibility of…read moreruining my proposal plans. Sam Kee Hong (SKH) was a recommendation from a good friend of mine when I began looking for engagement rings. Rita the person I worked with over the course of a couple months to find the perfect stone at the price range that worked with my budget. And I spent at least 8 months looking in total, but started with some of the big box retailers such as Robbins Brothers, Jareds, and Kays. Eventually I added online retailers into my search to increase my chances of finding the perfect diamond. Online retails such as Blue Nile, White Flash, James Allen, and Brian Gavin. Having spent half a year looking through all these avenues and collecting my results and research, I realized a few things: 1. The Markup at big box stores is ridiculously high 2. Online retailers are cheaper, but the quality isn't exactly there unless you're willing to pay somewhat of a premium for something from Brian Gavin 3. Not all diamond specs are rated equally Even though big box and online retailers say their diamonds are D color, I have found that there are varying degrees of D color. Meaning, there is a high quality D, average quality D, and a low quality D rating. So online or at a big box retailer, you could ask for a D color stone, and compare it to an E color stone to find that the E may actually look more colorless. Color and Sparkle (fire and scintillation) were my top two priorities. Online and Stores will tell you that they can find you the best sparking diamonds. But honestly, the videos online have a lot of artificial lighting, while retail stores say they will find your he best sparkling diamond, but the representatives don't really understand how to find a diamond that sparkles the most. Also many big box retailers will only bring in 2-3 loose stones at a time for you to see which means you have to make multiple trips a month to the store just to see tens to hundreds of stones. After searching for 6 months with no luck, I eventually spoke to a friend who recommended Rita at SKH. After explaining to her my criteria, Rita went straight to work. Since my criteria was so specific, it took her a month and a half to consolidate 5 loose stones for me and out of those, I was able to find the perfect one. Rita then helped me with selecting the perfect material and style of the setting for the stone. Rita ensured everything turned out perfectly. The fiancé loves the ring and she gets compliments all the time on it. All I can say is that I'm very grateful for having been recommended to SKH. I also highly recommend working with Rita as she has a lot of experience in the business and will find you the best stone that fits your requirements.

We've been searching for a G.I.A certified gemologist and experienced Jewelry Appraiser for a…read morewhile, we couldn't find the one until we tried to visit the San Gabriel Square Plaza. The first time we didn't bring my jade and other items, just chat with Mr. David and found out that he is a very knowledgeable and experienced master with Jade, diamond and other gemstones with so many years hands on experiences. So I made my decision to bring my jade, diamond and ruby to him the next visit. Mr. David is very professional and knowledgeable. He explains every item's details from the look to the test results from his professional examination equipment. Also showed us the similar item both in fake and real in his own collections to teach us the difference between the fake one and nature stone. For my real diamond, he counted the whole one and melees very carefully and gave the most precise appraise price, and also the current retail price. He also gave me the advice on not to change the diamond ring's base and the reason behind this, and help us to clean the item with the professional tool. Mr. David is a very fun person to chat as well, it's really fascinating to hear some of the stories from the master who has been trough a lot. We are glad to find the Pro like Mr. David in this field in LA area with all the strong knowledge and vivd personality. We will definitely visit Mr. David's laboratory again to lean more and enjoy this atmosphere surrounded by these beautiful stones and interesting history.

Do you see Daiso in a San Gabriel plaza on Valley? Good. Go inside the building entrance away from…read morethe Daiso entrance into the elevator. Get to the third floor and along the right wing is the coolest dude named David you'll ever meet. He tested my rings to confirm if it was 14k and 18k gold respectively and broke down through science how he did it. He also checked if the diamonds in my ring were real. He is great! He also has a bunch of cool jewelry in his display case I want to check out next time. Make sure to pay in cash, though he is open to use Zelle.

I'm so glad that I got a new genuine green jadeite bangle from Kim Tien Jewelry today. Again, I…read morereally appreciate the owner Karen's great service! She is honest, patience and provided great customer service and advice. My wrists are super small and it's hard to find my size and the color I like. Anyhow, she found more than 7 bangles for me to try on. I finally chose my most favorite one and also fit me the most. I love my new jadeite bangle so much. Highly recommended if you are looking for a trustworthy and reputable jewelry store. P.S. (i typed the owner name wrong in previous review) lol..her name is Karen, not May. :P

The little asian lady, Karen, that works the front desk there was super helpful. She's very…read morecharismatic and has a true passion for jewelry and helping those find the perfect gift for your significant other! Her knowledge of rare gems and stones is beyond amazing! I absolutely love supporting a family owned business that takes such pride in taking care of their customers and providing the most they can to assist the customers. She has regulars that consistently return for repairs for jewelry from other stores, and she would happily fix/clean them. This is something I always experience when I come here. I always trust them when they help me pick out Jewelry, and enjoy how considerate they are of my price range. A little off the beaten path, but absolutely worth it compared to the other places in town.

Annie is great! She's been in the industry for many many years. Her price are very reasonable…read more She can help with setting, stone selection, repair, re-set. She always have a big smile on her face, and a great selection on display. Ring, bracelet, necklace, pendant, stones, diamonds, she got them all.

Took my watch in to get the hands and the strap replaced. My watch ended up having a bunch of other…read morerandom issues that the great staff at David's Jewelers tended to without charge and they did so in a hasty manner. This included fog on the inside of the dial, punching in extra holes on the strap for my small wrist, and replacing some of the mechanisms in the watch that allowed the hands to turn freely. They even gave me brand new hands for free because my original ones would no longer function. The only things I paid for were my new strap and battery. The staff was also very friendly and easy going. They understood my issue with the watch and took my preferences into account. For instance, when the strap I wanted had a latch that wasn't black, they offered to remove the black latch from my old strap and attach it to the new one. Provided great service in timely fashion. Would take my watch back there in a heartbeat should another issue arise. 10/10

Please do not go there !! They rob you !! I don't recommend…read morethis place they do not care about their customers ! Super rude not understanding.

My partner and I could not be happier with our rings or the process of getting them with Single…read moreStone. (Ok, *maybe* we would've been happier if we didn't have to wait 6 weeks to get them, but hey, we were impatient and very excited.)  The San Marino shop was the third jeweler we saw in our hunt and my partner still had no idea of what kind of ring she wanted. Heidi was patient and extremely helpful in figuring that out - allowing her to try every ring on, answering all of our questions and then letting her try every ring on once again. After she decided on the Caroline, Heidi sourced the. Perfect. Diamond. (It's actually a VVS2, so technically it's a little less than perfect.) Having my stack already picked out from another jeweler, I came along for the ride - and to pay for my partner's ring - but because her experience was so delightful, I ended up working with Single Stone to make my stack there instead. I am so glad I did. Between visiting the shop, corresponding with Heidi and the end result, I cannot thank Single Stone enough. See you when we come in to get them cleaned!

The staff is not the only great thing about Single Stone, but it is a hell of a start. They are…read morewarm and friendly. My brief but keen observations tell me that they have a strong relationship with their customers, who keep coming back. I have seen the staff chatting up their shop-neighbors. They have a sense of community. They invite customers to special evenings on the the town and lavish them with food, drink, and premium movie-going experiences. It is not a huge store. I appreciate that. As a non-bejeweled member of the male sex, I like that they've already done most of the choosing. I don't want to look at everything; I want to look at nice things. It is like an excellent pub that has choicer choice with 10 beer taps than Yardhouse has with 110. I don't want to drink everything; I want to drink nice things. It is easy to park at Single Stone on Mission Street. Generally, you motor your vehicle to the storefront and veer slight right into one of those spacious diagonal spots, mere footsteps away from the entryway. Convenience, choice, warmth, and class. What else need you from your neighborhood jeweler?

This place is fantastic. I got two rings here for an incredible price. Service was great, we had…read morethe rings resized immediately. She was very knowledgeable about the clarity and how it is graded by GIA. She sells higher priced items, so be prepared to look at the best stuff.

Kris was absolutely fantastic to work with! After my wife's engagement ring gem was lost (her ring…read morewas purchased from another jeweler many years ago), I purchased a beautiful replacement blue tourmaline from JupiterGem. I sent my wife's engagement ring to Kris and he remade it (melted down and re-cast the white gold and re-used the small diamonds) to fit the new gem. He was very responsive and super quick (I had the replacement ring within a week of sending him the old ring). His pricing was more than fair. I and my wife could not be happier with how it turned out. Thank you Kris & JupiterGem!!!

I was looking for an engagement-style ring for my wife to celebrate our second year of marriage…read more Since we didn't really do a traditional engagement with a proper ring, I initially started searching for diamonds solitaires, the classic de-facto choice. After a few months of grueling online research and self-learning, and after seeing a few dozen stones from James Allen, Blue Nile and from local shops here on 47th street, I kept having this nagging feeling that something was missing from the big picture. Even though everything I saw was gorgeous and dazzling, I was somehow dissatisfied. Then I suddenly realized that diamonds are really not that special, they're quite common in fact and because prices are so artificially inflated although the inventory is huge, I decided to switch my strategy altogether and opt for a natural sapphire instead. Finding the right jeweler in NY can be a daunting task so once again I fell back to the internet and ultimately found Jupiter Gem in LA of all places. There was another online competitor local to NY, but I couldn't find anything I really liked on their website at the time and since I was looking for a very specific "padparadscha" sapphire, the options were slim. From the first moment I contacted Jupiter Gem, I was amazed at their professional attitude and courtesy, and at how promptly they responded to all my questions and concerns whether by email or phone. Their inventory was quite impressive and I was a bit skeptical at spending a large sum of money over the internet without even seeing the actual product, but Elvira (their PR/CEO) was extremely helpful and patient. Not only did she send me lots of pictures and custom-made videos of the stones that I wanted to see (most of them within a few hours notice) but she also helped me narrow down my choices of stones by labeling and describing each one in particular. It was like having a personal shopping assistant with me at all times. At no point during all this back-and-forth did I feel pressured in making a decision or being steered towards purchasing a more expensive stone. As a matter of fact the top selection of stones she and Krishna, the owner, suggested were within 5k and 17K which is quite a large margin. What I also appreciated was their honesty at disclosing the small imperfections or inclusions that some stones might have. Elvira always pointed out flaws in the stones and let me decide by myself if I still wanted them or not. After I chose the stone, we went through another long process of designing the ring. I provided them with a picture of a model I had in mind and they managed to create an exact replica of it. The ring was done in a few stages, one of them being a CAD model which they showed me in order to make sure that all my specifications were met rigorously. All in all it took about a week for the ring to be ready and it came out absolutely perfect. I could not have been happier. After finally receiving it, I gave it to my wife and I could see that she was completely mesmerized by it. In the first day we already got a few compliments from random people on the street and in a bar. For me the whole experience with Jupiter Gem was absolutely excellent. Highly recommended for an alternative choice to diamonds. They also stand by the quality of their craftsmanship and offer 6 months warranty on their work. A one time ring re-sizing is free.