When we went in person to finalize the order, the price had gone up since speaking to him on the phone. When I questioned it, he said that the price I was claiming was for 14K gold rather than 18K gold. I was very clear over the phone. Mr. Harkness deals with beautiful jewellery everyday, it's possible he got mixed-up. But I've only been dreaming about this one ring my entire life. Trust me, I did not make a mistake, misspeak, not specify, or go back and forth. I said 18K gold. Moving on. My fiance and I went ahead with the order at the higher price and placed a deposit.
Wonderful customer service and attention to detail!
When asked, Mr. Harkness expressed he was not keen on providing any in-progress photos because the ring would look very rough until the very last steps and he told us to worry.
Finally, the shoulder of my ring tapered upward towards the stone and away from the band, the inner metal inside the gap between the band and the shoulder was extremely raw, unpolished and unfinished looking.
Regarding my dissatisfaction with the actual design, he said, (and I quote) "that sounds like a new ring".
With all of these problems present, I decided I wanted to bring the ring back in order to give Mr. Harkness a chance to correct these mistakes.
Paul worked with us (on a shoestring budget) and created a one-of-a-kind engagement and wedding ring for my wife. Whenever we're in town, he'll clean them for free and shine them up. When I needed my ring resized, he preserved it and had it back same-day. You won't find this kind of warmth and personal touch in name-brand stores. You won't find a kinder/gentler human being than Paul Harkness. We will come to Harkness for any jewelry need in the future. Thanks Paul!
Gee. Thanks. There was no way I was paying Mr. Harkness a second time and I told him so. He has not reached out to me even once, knowing full well that I was not happy with the finished product.
Due to all of the issues explained above, I cannot in good confidence recommend Mr. Harkness as a jeweler nor a business man.
So we waited. On Christmas day my fiance surprised me and purposed. I had no idea the ring had even been completed. (To all prospective brides reading this, you CAN be involved in the ring process and STILL be surprised).
Continue reading if you would like a more in-depth explanation.
paul is an honest man, great jeweler, i have done a lot of business with paul over the last few years. i would refer any one to him. He has done custom jobs for me as well as purchased and sold to me. paul has a nice stock of custom, estate jewelry in stock and can order or custom make pretty much anything.
Sadly, the ring did not look like the pictures I provided to Mr. Harkness. There were changes done which I did not approve. One specific change he pitched to me originally but I shot it down. He proposed eliminating the under gallery beneath the stone and instead mounting the setting directly on the band. He said the design of the under gallery would interfere with a wedding band. I told him, very specifically, I did not plan on wearing a wedding band on the same finger as my engagement ring so it would not be a problem. The ring I received did not have the under gallery, which was integral to the overall look and design.
After all the celebrations, my fiance told me that when he picked up the ring, Mr. Harkness had once again increased the price, citing that it was more complicated than he anticipated, Mr. Harkness proposed my fiance and he "split the difference". My fiance who was caught off guard, was not in a position to leave the shop empty-handed, so he obliged.
I found Mr. Harkness through Google and asked him to create a setting for my engagement ring based on pictures I had (I was providing my own diamond). He said he could re-create the design, "no problem" and gave me a quote over the phone.
Firstly, he addressed the raw-looking metal said he did not have a tool small enough to polish off the areas of the ring I described above.
There was also another problem, the design had a "trellis" style, where the setting criss-crossed. However rather than having the "arms" on slightly different planes, overlap, cross, weaving together, they had been fused together on one plane to form a crude looking X. It was not nearly as elegant as having the arms weave together.
My review is based on two factors, one, pricing! Mr. Harkness changed the price on us twice. Secondly, the ring I received did not look like the pictures I provided, plain and simple.
Paul Harkness Jewelry Design is a US Jewelry Store based in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Paul Harkness Jewelry Design is located at 110 W Pennsylvania Ave, Southern Pines, NC 28387, USA.
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