Experience in jewellers today

SeaFields

Im currently shopping for a wedding band for myself. Herself has hers bought and all after she saw one she couldn't do without in a shop window.

I've decided on palladium because of price and its a bit (although getting less so) unusual. Am open to suggestions on alternatives

Anyways I was in a very popular jewellers in cork today and asked to see some palladium bands. I was interested in a plain band in palladium and saw another court design with a nice pattern. I asked could I get the price of both. No problem. I then asked what weight the plain band was. I was greated with a look of absolute disgust. He through his eyes up to heaven and muttered as he went in the back to get a scales.

I wont be going back because of your mans manners and the price - €300 more expensive for a plain palladium band (of the same weight!) than another store down the road.

But point of the thread.....Was it a sensible question to ask? Buddy got married recently and said the weight of the band is a good reference for value for money i.e. how much metal are you getting for your money. I see online retailers usually quote weight as well and when i asked in another jewellers it was 'no problem whatsoever'.

King Krib

SeaFields wrote: »

Im currently shopping for a wedding band for myself. Herself has hers bought and all after she saw one she couldn't do without in a shop window.

I've decided on palladium because of price and its a bit (although getting less so) unusual. Am open to suggestions on alternatives

Anyways I was in a very popular jewellers in cork today and asked to see some palladium bands. I was interested in a plain band in palladium and saw another court design with a nice pattern. I asked could I get the price of both. No problem. I then asked what weight the plain band was. I was greated with a look of absolute disgust. He through his eyes up to heaven and muttered as he went in the back to get a scales.

I wont be going back because of your mans manners and the price - €300 more expensive for a plain palladium band (of the same weight!) than another store down the road.

But point of the thread.....Was it a sensible question to ask? Buddy got married recently and said the weight of the band is a good reference for value for money i.e. how much metal are you getting for your money. I see online retailers usually quote weight as well and when i asked in another jewellers it was 'no problem whatsoever'.

Customer is king!!!!

john_cappa

Weight for rings is fairly bad measure IMO. Rings are light as hell regardless.

If a ring has twice the weight then it may or may not be twice the price.

D3PO

i think its a fairly pointless question tbh. a 5mm band should pretty much weight the same as another 5mm palladium band save for any embellishment work and the actualy size of the ring of course, 4mm the same and so on so forth.

However re price. I got my palladium band last year for €300 (4mm plain band) so the fact your man was looking for 300 more than another shop tells me he was probably taking the piss pricewise.

SeaFields

D3PO wrote: »

i think its a fairly pointless question tbh. a 5mm band should pretty much weight the same as another 5mm palladium band save for any embellishment work and the actualy size of the ring of course, 4mm the same and so on so forth.

I have seen various differences when researching online e.g. two 5mm court shaped palladium bands, one 4.1gms and the other 7gms but the same price. That's why I was thinking it may have been important. Am still none the wiser

However re price. I got my palladium band last year for €300 (4mm plain band) so the fact your man was looking for 300 more than another shop tells me he was probably taking the piss pricewise.

Well! This guy wanted €825 for a 5mm plain band with extra for ordering it. And the retailers moan that they are quiet!

hoodwinked

SeaFields wrote: »

Anyways I was in a very popular jewellers in cork today and asked to see some palladium bands. I was interested in a plain band in palladium and saw another court design with a nice pattern. I asked could I get the price of both. No problem. I then asked what weight the plain band was. I was greated with a look of absolute disgust. He through his eyes up to heaven and muttered as he went in the back to get a scales.

i bought my engagement ring in a popular cork jewelers, price was ok, but the style was perfect for me so we bought it, it was sold as 'the best' white gold, but it yellows so fast compared to the white gold wedding band i got (in a different jewellers after the bad attitude from staff in the popular one).


the customer service from where we bought our wedding bands was miles apart and he threw in a discount for both rings and a free wedding coin. in that jewelers my husband got a palladium ring for €400 one of the cheapest prices for that ring in Cork.

Corkbah

was the well known jewellers on Oliver plunkett street ?

I'd recommend one next to Easons on Patrick Street ... ask for Audrey.

Chemical Burn

SeaFields wrote: »

Im currently shopping for a wedding band for myself. Herself has hers bought and all after she saw one she couldn't do without in a shop window.

I've decided on palladium because of price and its a bit (although getting less so) unusual. Am open to suggestions on alternatives

Anyways I was in a very popular jewellers in cork today and asked to see some palladium bands. I was interested in a plain band in palladium and saw another court design with a nice pattern. I asked could I get the price of both. No problem. I then asked what weight the plain band was. I was greated with a look of absolute disgust. He through his eyes up to heaven and muttered as he went in the back to get a scales.

I wont be going back because of your mans manners and the price - €300 more expensive for a plain palladium band (of the same weight!) than another store down the road.

But point of the thread.....Was it a sensible question to ask? Buddy got married recently and said the weight of the band is a good reference for value for money i.e. how much metal are you getting for your money. I see online retailers usually quote weight as well and when i asked in another jewellers it was 'no problem whatsoever'.

OP, get a receipt from a more expensive jewellers and go back in and show it to more senior member of staff / manager / owner / supervisor / boss, and make it clear that they lost business to a more expensive shop because of this act of rudeness. This will hopefully come back at that unpleasant sod

Ohh and congratulations and bestest of luck in your nuptials

tatli_lokma

often, the price you pay has very little to do with the quality of the jewellery but a lot to do with the carpet you walk on! by that I mean, the more fancy the premises, or the bigger the brand name, often the higher the overheads which equals higher cost to the customer. A friend of ours is a jeweller - he can either order the exact same ring as the 'well known' stores (if it is a pre-manufactured ring, i.e out of a catalogue) or he can replicate the piece for a much lower cost. For example, we recommended him to a friend of ours who had just got engaged. There was a weddign set in applebys that she loved but couldn't afford. This guy made a replica of the wedding ring and actually made her a bespoke engagement ring (he advised her on some tweaks to the original design that would flatter her hand better) the total cost was €1k less. Just on the wedding ring, which was like for like, they saved €400. In the end they got the same 4 c's, same class and weight in gold etc and saved a grand. So it definitely pays to shop around.

SeaFields

Corkbah wrote: »

was the well known jewellers on Oliver plunkett street ?

I'd recommend one next to Easons on Patrick Street ... ask for Audrey.

No on the first, I've heard their rep re prices, and never again on the second

Chemical Burn wrote: »

OP, get a receipt from a more expensive jewellers and go back in and show it to more senior member of staff / manager / owner / supervisor / boss, and make it clear that they lost business to a more expensive shop because of this act of rudeness. This will hopefully come back at that unpleasant sod

Ha. I think it was the owner / manager i was talking to anyway. I'm of the firm opinion that easiest way to get back at sh!te customer service is simple not to return

Ohh and congratulations and bestest of luck in your nuptials

Thanks, not long to go

Little Ted wrote: »

often, the price you pay has very little to do with the quality of the jewellery but a lot to do with the carpet you walk on! by that I mean, the more fancy the premises, or the bigger the brand name, often the higher the overheads which equals higher cost to the customer.

Yeah, i think this happens in every retail sector and probably jewellers more than most. Your example is a prime example.

I bought herselfs engagement ring myself before I popped the question (serious brownie points! ) Did some serious reading up beforehand (here and other sites) and had a fair idea what I wanted. I felt some of the places I went were a little standoffish when it became apparent I knew what I wanted and how much it should cost. Maybe this was just another example of that kind of attitude i.e. "this guy knows what he's on about, we aint gonna get much change out of him..." I dunno maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway think I'm just going to buy online, its just a plain band Im after at the end of the day. Cant justify 50% upwards of a difference on the high street.

abbeyrock

Stop paying shop rates, lighting heating etc etc.

Use a diamond broker, lots of independent guys around, just search google.

I bought my Fiance hers from a broker and saved i would say about 30% cheaper than the high street.