My wedding ring is something I only want to associate positive feelings with. That's why I chose this wonderful business after visiting many others over a period of several months. I was either going to "trade in" two rings to select a new ring from a case...or add an additional diamond to what I had to design something new.
None of the other jewelers I visited inspired trust or seemed to appreciate my business. Frankly, I'm no diamond expert and so many retailers send things away for the actual work...it made me a little nervous. Who knows what strangers might do wth the diamonds you left with them? And the estimates others gave me suggested that they were trying to take advantage of me rather than earning my business through a mutually beneficial, respectful transaction. One jeweler pointedly referred to my existing rings as scrap--more than once. I know that's an industry term, but it should not be used to describe the beloved wedding ring presented by a customer, simply to strengthen the jeweler's negotiating position. It was insulting.
So I waited. And then, I learned about The Jewelers Bench in Duluth from online reviews. So many people expressed the same priorities I had, and said this family business met and exceeded their expectations. So my husband and I visited. While we were there, another customer in the shop picking up her jewelry (thrilled!) gave an impromptu testimonial and recommendation in line with what I had already read.
My husband and I had a wonderful feeling about our interaction with Jesse and her family at the shop. They clearly know how to create good jewelry ...not a surprise since they are goldsmiths by trade...and spent time helping us select a new band that suited me...something very modest, but what I had in mind. They never tried to upsell me and instead respected the ideas that I brought in. The estimate was fair based previous research we had done, and later Jesse called to say the new stone and all work would actually be less than the original estimate by over two hundred dollars. Wow....talk about inspiring trust. They did the work there (so important) and the ring is EXACTLY what I hoped for. Beautiful and exactly as promised. Moreover, the experience of creating it has only added a positive vibe to the ring I wear to celebrate thirty three years with my wonderful husband.
I don't live in Duluth and had no prior experience or connection with this business or family, so my review is completely objective. And I wish we were more frequent buyers of jewelry so I could patronize them more. I hope my review will encourage others to do so. I won't EVER go to another jewelry maker again.
Thank you to all the wonderful people who created my beautiful ring. read more