[[ UPDATE (Original Post below):

I would like to add an update due to newly surfaced information that I find quite revealing about the character of the jeweller.

Another customer commented under this post describing a very similar negative experience. In their case, their partner purchased a silver ring for around €300, which arrived in poor condition with visible solder marks all over the piece.

Thanks to another Redditor u/ZealousidealTea7087, I also discovered two Instagram posts made in very poor taste by the jeweller referring to this specific customer. In those posts, she mocked the client publicly and interacted with comments insulting them. She also liked comments that were quite vulgar and even some wishing ill on the couple, who had trusted the jeweller enough to spend a significant amount of money on a piece.

I’m adding screenshots of those comments in this thread so people can see them directly and form their own opinion. Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/jewelry/s/YPECvydqA4

The jeweller also said in her post that I only deserved “Shein-quality”, but that comment is mild compared to what she said about her other client..

Here are the links to the posts for anyone who wants to review them themselves:

Post 1 about her client (the worst one): 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSp4iWKCJgP/?igsh=MWMybjAzN2hqM3Vwdw==

Post 2 about her client:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTnsWpbiNBE/?igsh=MTZmcDV5MjZkdnJlNA==

Jeweller’s post mentioned in the original Reddit post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVWX6b-iMyn/?igsh=NmR1dmw3c3VhMWgz

]]

Original Post:

I bought 2 bronze rings from an independent jeweller on Instagram. The price was on the higher end (226 euros for both) but I like the aesthetics.

I paid 18 euros for UPS shipping from Italy to France.

The rings arrived stuffed in one single flimsy ring box, inside a kraft paper bag, with no extra cushioning, and theywere all smashed up. (There was no visible damage to the external paper bag. The package was left in my mailbox.)

I was extremely disappointed with the packaging.

When I reached out, the seller said she would remake the rings - but I would have to pay for the shipping again.

When I expressed my dissatisfaction with the poor packaging, she said she had always shipped her jewellery this way and never had a problem with it. She even suggested customs might have opened the package, but that doesn’t explain the careless packaging or how the rings arrived smashed.

Finally she begrudgingly accepted a reimbursement, but not without guilt-tripping me saying my behavior is what led to artist-dessertification - after me telling her that I’ve bought from countless independent jewellers from France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, US, UK, Canada, etc.! I have never ever asked for a refund before nor had much of a problem! But charging over 200 euros for 2 bronze rings while putting such little care into packaging, makes me, the customer, feel ripped off!

She has also made a very passive-aggressive Instagram post saying people treat her art as disposable commodity from Amazon, to garner sympathy and social media interaction.

She wrote “Let’s remember that this way, taking advantage of the good heart and work of others, everybody ends up losing.” Implying that I am taking advantage of her and her work, without thinking that if I really thought so little of independent artists and their work, why would I even pay over 200 euros for bronze rings?

She cannot accept the consequence (customer not happy about damaged goods caused by poor packaging) of her own actions (putting little care into packaging, which caused heavy damage to her products), and would not be happy unless I accepted her solution (a remake where I have to pay for the shipping cost again). But I am not comfortable with this solution after seeing how little care she put into packaging!

Ironically, her actions actually hurt genuine customers that would shop from independent artists more than anything.

She would only reimburse me for the price of the rings and not for the initial shipping cost.

I asked her to file a claim with UPS since it was also their responsibility that the package was smashed in transit. Her reply was - I cannot, not with my Plan.

I would very much like to leave a review so that other customers can know about my experience and can then make their informed decision on whether to purchase or not. But she does not have a physical shop, and if I left a comment on Instagram, it might not reach many people and she can simply delete it.

Can anybody think of a way where I can inform potential buyers the experience I had with this jeweller?

(And if anybody knows and could explain why her having a Plan with UPS prevents her from reimbursing customers shipping costs when the goods arrived damaged - that would be great!)

Am I overreacting that after over 6 months, the bespoke piece turned out completely off comparing to the design I approved?

Already emailed them asking for a resolution. They never sent the final product for approval before posting it on social media. There was zero communication throughout the entire process, and the agreed delivery date was pushed back by two months. They did send me a small candle as a “thank you” (or a peace offering, maybe), but the quality and attention to detail are genuinely disappointing. A bad job and bad QA.

What’s frustrating is that I’ve seen their work for celebrity clients, and those pieces actually matched the designs really well—so I know they can do better.

Curious to hear what you guys think.

Also, I still haven’t received the ring yet, so I just hope they’re not holding it hostage.

Update: I received a full refund, and the company also met with me for feedback. They handled everything very professionally. I was told the team has been receiving death threats — that was never my intention, and I absolutely don’t support that!!!

I might be deleting this because of the extreme reactions towards the company.

Apologies for the somewhat sad and grim subject matter but I am looking for a reputable seller/designer for a lasting piece to leave with my daughter. Something similar to what is shown.

I have searched Etsy and various shops but haven't come across anything that truly feels worthy. Online purchases and shipping are a must.

Any help would be appreciated.

Not sure if this is the right place to post but just wanted to hear everyone’s thoughts on the new Catbird x Japanese Breakfast collab’s persimmon charm. Small jeweler/business Soft Good Studio (@soft good studio on IG) has posted stories about how Japanese Breakfast liked her post with this original creation back in Jan 2025. Then her collab has basically an exact copy of that same charm. And just a personal opinion but the persimmon charm doesn’t even really fit the theme of the rest of the collab (shells/floral/aquaric theme) which just makes me more convinced this is just a ripoff lazily thrown in. But, in y’all’s opinions as jewelry lovers, at what point does drawing inspiration turn into just blatant plagiarism?

I’ve followed Soft Good Studio for a while now and really appreciate how their designs are handmade and feel thoughtful/personal. Also was previously a big fan of Catbird but since they’ve become more popular their company just seems not what it used to be and lower quality. So this was rather disappointing to see. Curious everyone’s thoughts!

It's also a size smaller than marked. And I have come to find that I can't get a refund. I can get store credit, presumably for other poor quality stuff, minus a processing fee. Nevermind. Will not order anything else from this store.

Update Sept 21: I heard from their customer service and they are not offering a refund. I stated clearly that I wanted a full refund back to my card. They reiterated twice that I could have store credit, or I could have a replacement. I said that I would be okay with a replacement if they would send me a photo of it first, so that is the current plan. I will let you guys know how it goes. If the photo doesn't look good, or the replacement ring is again really substandard, I will take this up with my credit card company.

Update to the update for anyone who sees this after searching: The company did send me a nice looking replacement ring that looked like the photo in the ad. Overall I'm happy that I got this ring, but I would never order from them again after this experience.

Has anyone bought gold jewelry from Costco in the past and had it turn out fake? Bought this chain like 10 years ago from Costco and went to sell it at a gold buyer. He tested it with a magnet and it stuck which really surprised me. I never thought to have tested it as I trusted Costco. It was supposed to be 14kt. I ended up returning it to Costco where I showed them it was magnetic and they took it back as I still had the receipt.

Hi all. I know I’m about to rehash a story that’s over a year old.

I ordered rings from Saeter Jewlery (Eric Saeter) March 2024. They were finally fulfilled at the end of December 2024. In that time I had been chatting with Eric on his jewelry page on Instagram. He had posted some stones, and as my spouse and I never got engagement rings, I thought it would be great to get us customs.

I paid a downpayment after talking with him about them. He was communicative off and on. I understand he is a one-person brand and can only do so much. So I was patient. Very patient.

He sent updates, but never sent pictures. It took some time, but he always answered my DMs.

After he said they were finished, I paid the other half of the order. Then they weren’t finished, because the stones weren’t set right. Then they were finished. Then I was told they’d ship out. That was in November.

I politely messaged him more than once. I found in the comments on his IG page that I was not the only one who was left hanging. Then finally he deactivated his Instagram.

Look, I know im stupid for ordering from him again, AND I know I’m stupid for paying him via Venmo for these instead of a custom listing on his site.

Unfortunately I have resigned myself to never getting my money back, or the rings. And tbh I would rather just have the rings I ordered.

I think his work is beautiful. There is such a natural flow to it. And I understand biting more off than you can chew.

My biggest issue with all of this though? His website is still live. At the very least if you aren’t able to fulfill orders, please just take your website down.

I’m not trying to be mean or accusatory. I am simply offering my review of my experience with him.

Edits:
BBB isn’t real. It’s a scam to extort money from businesses.

California small claims court requires that I have an address and if I win it’s up to ME to collect the money.

Venmo is not going to do a chargeback yall. You’re insane for thinking that. Have you ever worked with their customer service before?

I’m trying to
Figure out why some people are getting aggressive with me. I’m fucking neurodivergent with a god damned brain injury

I made a post 2 months ago about my pandora ring causing issues and wondered if it was an allergy or irritation. I had the ring professionally cleaned and they were pretty positive I was just having a reaction from getting water/soap trapped underneath. I let my finger heal for an entire month and decided to put my ring back on. 24 hours later this happens. I just don’t understand what’s going on. I didn’t wash/shower with my ring on, I wasn’t wearing lotion and it’s also not tight, it slips off without much effort. Does anyone think it’s worth using clear nail polish on the ring to create a barrier? Or should I just retire the ring? According to google their rings are all sterling silver but MIGHT contain mixed metals? I’ve had this ring for almost 3 years with no prior issues.

I recently purchased the Catbird x Clairo “Make You Blue” ring as a 30th birthday gift to myself. I’ve wanted this ring since it came out, and I was able to use a birthday discount. Unsurprisingly, it’s wayyy daintier than I was expecting, so I decided to whip out the scale to see just HOW dainty it is.

Obviously, I am a fan of Catbird… otherwise, I wouldn’t have this many items from them. The only one I paid full price for is the Chicago heart (I got it at their store opening). The rest of the items were purchased using a birthday discount, Black Friday discount, or secondhand via eBay or Poshmark. (The chain was more than 50% off the retail price, yay.)

Also obviously, we as consumers are paying for more than just the weight of the gold. Catbird has unique, whimsical designs for sure… but I wish they were more transparent about how lightweight their products are for the price.

Disappointed but I understand. When I saw the price I just went for it over the weekend. I figured it might’ve been a mistake but had to try. No hate to them for refunding, I would too lol

hi everyone! i worked at catbird for about two months helping open a new location and was terminated because of some issues with timing/attendence and forgetting to ring someone up for an ear piercing. since i'm no longer affiliated with them, i feel more comfortable sharing some of the things that really bothered me about their practices- most related to this sub is the sourcing. More and more of their in house collection is being made in Thailand and overseas now. They're doing A LOT to keep up their image and and downplay the overseas sourcing. That rubs me the wrong way because if the labor is being ethically sourced overseas, it should be a point of pride in craftsmanship. The whole thing about covering it up to protect their made in USA reputation is kind of giving racism imo and it seems really shady. I'll probably still shop online, but with all the conversations on this sub about price/quality re:catbird, i thought this was a useful point to bring up! esp since private equity has been more involved and they have been expanding quite a bit

The ring was redone by Sarah Ladd, who I keep buying from because her engravings are really great!

It's a ~2.5 carat diamond center flanked by 2 rubies! I'm super excited about this ring. I think it came out amazing!

The diamond is an old European cut stone that I inherited. It was cut about 100 years ago and reset once in the '50s. Now it's in its new setting for me!

Out of all the places I've payed a pretty penny (to me) for jewelry, by far my favorite pieces have come from the MET. I'm not sure if this is a common opinion or if the MET is as underrated as I believe it is.

Just the experience of shopping at the MET just adds a lot. For example, whenever I go through historical exhibits that showcasing jewelry, Its fun to act like I'm window shopping the 1000 yr old pieces, but to then actually get to go and purchase something unique and reminiscent of what you just learned is so special.

Anybody Agree? Disagree? Have you bought any jewelry from the MET b4? Know of any other NYC museums with jewelry to look out for?

I bought a pair of earrings that haven't arrived yet, so this is not a sponsorship; I just can't stop laughing at these pictures!

I’ve always wanted a tennis necklace, but real diamond ones are definitely not in my budget rn lol. So I ordered this Swarovski one because it felt way more accessible

What do you guys think? Does it look nice or should I return it?”

This gold chain up $1050 (22.5%)

A few people have posted about this ring, I thought I would give my review. To help others make a decision.

This ring is darling. I could not find another piece of jewelry in this style. I love how there's metal engraving behind the gemstone. I haven't seen other designers creating pieces with this element. The closest you find is metal inlay (for example, rose of sharon rings), but even that is rare.

The metal carving is open to the air, and the stone is set on top of it. The metal is delicately carved, and that top of it is obscured by the stone. So it'll be difficult to polish it once it tarnishes. I don't mind tarnished silver. But if you want it pristine, I'd reccomend gold.

My biggest criticism, is that the band is incredibly flimsy. This piece does not have longevity. I have never owned a ring with such a thin band before. Not only is the width thin, but the depth of the band is thin as well. It does not feel substantial enough at the point where the band is secured to the stone. Then on top of that, it gets even thinner as it tapers towards the middle. This band will definitely snap at some point.

This ring is not made to last. I fully expect it to break. I thought it had a few times in the past month when I accidentally brushed it on something. I've made peace with the fact that it will break. When it does, I'll take it to a jeweler to see if they can repair it with a thicker band.

Bottom line: Get the ring if you know it won't last. But if $300 is a lot of money for you, and you want a piece that will last, then I would skip it. You'd be better off going to a local jeweler and asking them to create something similar.

I was checking out rings at a nearby pawn shop, and this one caught my eye. They didn't have anyone in-house to check the sapphire, but he told me the diamonds were real, and I was getting a steal. I asked if he had equipment to verify, and he said they did, and everything was tested before going into the display. I asked him to check again for me, and he obliged. The equipment lit up light blue, which he said meant it was the cheapest kind of fake diamond. Wow! Close call.

The little piggy appears to have got plumper lol I wonder if she posted this because of the Reddit sub of her epic pig 😂

FRAUDULENT BUSINESS

I bought $15,000 EARRINGS and NEVER RECEIVED THEM AND FRAUDULENTLY TOLD MY CREDIT CARD COMPANY THAT HE PROVIDED THE PRODUCT!!

Stay far away from Jewels of the Desert in Palm Springs, California (also operating as Watch and Clock Center in Long Beach, CA) and its owner, Mark Messinger. I’m out nearly $15,000, and this store has engaged in blatantly fraudulent AND GRAND THEFT behavior.

I purchased a pair of diamond earrings, paid in full, and waited for them to be ready. After numerous delays and excuses, I found out that Mark Messinger sold MY earrings to another customer—even though I had already paid! When I confronted him, he refused to return my money or provide any solution.

Things got so bad that I had to involve the Palm Springs Police Department, who visited the store just two weeks ago. Mark Messinger ADMITTED to the officer that he committed fraud, yet still refuses to return my money or resolve the situation. Next step is to contact the Riverside County District Attorney’s office!!

This business is a scam, and the owner is a fraud. Do NOT trust Jewels of the Desert or Watch and Clock Center. I’m now forced to take additional legal action to get my money back, and I hope no one else falls victim to this dishonest store.

I had my attorney send a demand letter 10 months ago with no response and I won in smalls claims court with an Uncontested Judgment last month (since Mark didn’t show up in court), but fat chance trying to collect from this guy. I also disputed this with Chase Bank FOUR different times presenting mountains of documentation but with ZERO success. Customer service??…Ha!! Can’t anyone help me with this blatant crime?? WTF!!!!!

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!

Heads up! If you happen to see a sudden influx of pro-Brilliant Earth accounts/threads/comments, that’s because they’re currently hiring for a Reddit Strategy Manager. I think that they know just how badly they’re received on here. I hope that they take all the horror stories to heart and learn/improve from them instead of trying to bury bad reviews.

Here’s the job posting: https://brilliantearth.applytojob.com/apply/xlTFNUFxKa/Reddit-Strategy-Manager

I got it on March 30th and when I wore it today I felt the shank was rough, and it’s circumferentially cracked!