Such an adorable little place, it's truly a hidden jewel of PGH! Marlene is the sweetest. She believes in quality, and will walk you through her huge assortment of rings to find what you are looking for, but also gives you time to yourself to browse. You will find much more interesting and unique rings than at the mall. My finance and I looked at three mall stores and literally found the exact same rings at each. Gross! read more

My fiance and I recently purchased our wedding bands at Marlene's. She specializes in wedding rings and has a pretty large selection of vintage and special order rings. She pulled out several boxes of bands for us to look through. Marlene is a very sweet saleswoman, although she isn't shy about sharing her opinion when it comes to finding you a ring. Neither of us found it off-putting though, and we were happy that she encouraged my fiance to go for a band that wasn't your average wedding band or "navy blazer" as she put it. His ring was special order, so the price of gold influenced how expensive it was, and it ended up being slightly over $100 more expensive than the sticker price. This would have been nice to know while we were shopping. However, my fiance loves the ring, and the final price seems comparable to other jewelers for the weight of it and the engravings on the ring. I felt like we got a better deal on my ring, which is a vintage estate piece from 1933. The sticker price on mine reflected the amount we were charged for it, and she told us that it if she bought it for cheap, she sells it for cheap. I'm willing to believe that. My ring seemed reasonably priced considering that it's an 18k ring with seven small baugette diamonds. Ultimately, we were happy with our experience, and I would recommend shopping at Marlene's, especially if you're looking for a vintage, one-of-a-kind piece. read more

I bought an engagement ring for my fiancé at Marlene Harris and it is absolutely amazing. Marlene made my experience wonderful, and made me feel comfortable with picking rings and staying in my price range. She was a big help. The atmosphere is amazing & she will have all my business. read more

From the very moment my boyfriend mentioned getting engaged, I knew that I either wanted a filigree ring. I went online and searched for antique jewelry dealers in Pittsburgh. Marlene Harris was the first site that I came across and my fiancee and I were able to find a ring that I loved and had a diamond I was given set in it. About two weeks later, my boyfriend and I went to pick up the ring and we were impressed by how lovely it turned out.. However, after wearing the ring for less than a week, I noticed that the stone was loose (I could hear it rattling). We took it back to Marlene and explained the problem, and she agreed to take it to whomever she works with as a jeweler to see if he could tighten it (no charge). After getting it back and still hearing a rattling noise, we were told that was the best they could do and not to worry because it wouldn't fall out (not the answer I wanted to hear). Needless to say we took it to another jeweler who told us that he could indeed fix it and that it was unfortunate that we'd have to pay for something that shouldn't have been an issue to begin with. Overall, I love my ring, however I am disappointed and frustrated with the service we received. read more

Beautiful selection of antique and antique looking jewelry...unfortunately, Marlene is the worse at Customer Service and shows no unique interest in making the couple feel joy at what should be a joyous occasion. Sadly, she cares more about making a sale. I could never buy anything from Marlene knowing she doesn't have a future bride's best interest at heart. Thankfully we found a jeweler that will make us the same ring I fell in love with! read more

I found the Marlene Harris Collection on the internet. I wanted a vintage wedding ring that was one of a kind but i didn't want to spend a lot of money. I looked at vintage rings on etsy and ebay but i didn't want to buy a ring sight unseen. I work full time and the only time i could go was on a Saturday after my son's baseball game. It was a half an hour until her closing time. I called and asked if i could still come and she said, "Of course!" When I got there the place is just adorable - a little converted chicken coop but full of treasure on the inside! I have never seen more beautiful jewelry in one place before. Her collection is HUGE! I had printed off a few pictures of what i was interested in from her website and she pulled those pieces out immediately. I liked them still but wasn't thrilled. Marlene then said, "Let's play!" and started pulling out drawers of gorgeous rings. She made expert recommendations based on her 45 years of experience and found the perfect rings for me! She showed me things I didn't even know existed and i ended up with a gorgeous, completely unique wet of wedding bands in green, rose and white gold. She even suggested that I take a diamond from an engagement ring I brought that belonged to my mother and mount it on the main wedding ring I was purchasing. She did not charge me for this work and it really made a huge difference. Plus, i will have a piece of my mother with me on my wedding band forever. I have no idea what any reviewer is talking about that says Marlene was not amazing. I don't even like people and i loved her! She was charming, sweet, and extremely personable. She listened to what i wanted and asked me questions. She took a huge amount of time getting to know me and my fiance. She was very congratulatory about my upcoming wedding and even hugged me! And. BTW, I was dressed like a slob that day - jeans and a baseball t-shirt with my hair in pigtails and no makeup. She is no snob! Marlene was the most expert jeweler i have ever spoken with - she knew everything. She did NOT try to up sell me or overcharge me. I came out of her shop with way more than i could have hoped for and was even under my budget! The Marlene Harris Collection was the perfect experience for buying my rings and I couldn't be happier. I am so glad that i found her. I would recommend her to anyone. She is great! read more

I am so pleased with the setting that I bought for my grandmother's diamond. I was very nervous about buying sight unseem from across the country and I spoke to Marlene a few times. She was very helpful and suggested that I get a setting made from green gold. I thought about it and thought about and then took the plunge and am very happy that I did. It's gorgeous!!! read more

Marlene's personality certainly isn't for everyone. Her bobbles are lovely though. Unless you are there to buy an engagement ring, she has very little interest. I happened to walk in while she was helping other customers. I did not have an appointment. For the half hour or so that I patiently waited, I heard several cringeworthy statements from her.....mostly racist. She was not an all out racist, mind you. It was racism in an old person Yinzer kind of way. Some would call it quaint. I would not. Also, while I was there an older gentleman came in who wanted to sell some jewelry. Marlene treated him like dirt and wouldn't give him the time of day. I completely get that her business model doesn't include off the street purchases but I imagine this old fellow was trying to sell a deceased wife's old jewelry. There was no need to be rude. He left embarrassed and insulted. Two minutes later she was going on and on about God to the engaged couple. read more

My husband bought my beautiful wedding ring from Marlene. It was a fast and easy transaction even though we're in San Francisco. We recently had the gold band setting redone in platinum and it's absolutely gorgeous! Again service was impeccable. Thank you so much Marlene for my perfect ring! read more

There is not enough I can say about Marlene Harris and her collection. The moment you step into her magical jewelry box you feel all the love and passion that she has for antique jewelry. She makes you feel at home and gives you one on one attention. We spent the afternoon with her looking for the right engagement ring. I felt overwhelmed by the beautiful pieces but it was Marlene that found the perfect ring. We went it to find my top five and ended with the one ring that was meant for me. If you are a lover of antique jewelry or just want a one of kind piece, this is the were to go. I can't wait to go back to work with Marlen to pick or design my wedding band. We love you Marlene. read more

My fiance and I arrived at Marlene's shop after trying a few other places, and as we walked up to the store, we both felt, "well, this is promising." It's a very adorable little place. She was very understaffed (apparently someone called in sick), and as it was a Saturday, there were other couples looking and buying. So, we ended up waiting for a few minutes, but once she turned to us, we had her full attention. I was most interested in a non-diamond ring, and we didn't want to spend a ton. She didn't rush us at all. I ended up with a ring that I love, at a very reasonable cost. She made the whole experience very pleasant. My fiance and I both felt really good about supporting a small local business, and that my ring (which is new, made with a vintage mold) is made from recycled gold, lessening the environmental impact. We're planning to go back closer to our wedding for our wedding rings. read more

I have purchased many rings from Marlene and have had nothing but the best experience. Marlene is very knowledgeable on each and every one of her rings. I call Marlene often and she always takes the time to answer all my questions. Marlene loves her customers and enjoys the happiness that her beautiful jewelry brings to them. I would recommend anyone looking for unique jewelry at great prices to check her website or visit her in her beautiful shop! read more

Marlene is a one of a kind! She know's her jewelry! She was a pleasure to work with, very warm and caring. She showed a genuine interest in my wedding plans. She has a great memory too. She even remembered me over the phone! So glad i found her shop when i googled vintage engagement rings in my area. She has such a large, beautiful and unique collection! She knew exactly what kind of ring i wanted, and the ring i choose is so unique there is no other like it, and i get ton's of compliments. She also respected the amount of money we wanted to spend. I will definitely be going back for my band! I not only found the perfect ring, but a great friend. Thanks Marlene! read more

I already had one engagement ring, but it's a family heirloom and is easily damaged, so I wanted an inexpensive ring for daily wear. My fiance and I went to Marlene Harris's store (put Blawnox in your GPS, not Pittsburgh, or you'll end up in the wrong place) because we had purchased earrings from her online previously. We had a great experience and ended up buying my engagement ring and wedding bands, plus a signet ring for my fiance. I've read some of the other reviews, and I think Marlene's personality isn't for everyone, but I personally enjoyed her and thought she was funny. She reminds me of many opinionated older ladies I've known over the years, and we had a nice time in her store. I took my mother back to look around and she also bought a ring there. You'll get a lot more for your money here than in regular jewelry stores, and it's nice to try on and see in person the kinds of vintage rings you might see on Etsy, if that's your style. I've recommended her to a friend of mine who is on a tight engagement ring budget, because she doesn't push you to spend more than your budget or make you feel pressured or awkward at all. read more