Marc Howard Custom Jeweler/private studio — Attraction in Santa Fe

Let me be very clear: Mark is a talented jeweler; however, Jane as a customer service advocate is abysmal.

After reading the response from owner’s rep, I was left shaking my head and understanding that this is a place I no longer wish to associate.

Over the years, I have bought several pieces from Mark as well as having a wonderful silver piece custom made.

I am used to working within a time frame and knowing when things will be finished or receiving a mailing, email or phone call when the job is finished. Such a responsibility is too much for Jane. She would prefer to gossip and look important when you present according to her schedule.

It would appear that Jane has forgotten that she is providing a service to the customer. That she has an obligation to be truthful and to disclose the facts honestly. I can now count three times where she blatantly misrepresented the facts and gave any number of excuses not to ship even though I would be paying because she actually had to work.

Finally, I am accustomed to buying internationally from small jewelers and their associates who understand customer service. Jane seems to think she is a Santa Fe Prima Donna and as such needs not accommodate customers. In my opinion, Jane lowers the buying experience at Mark Howard and has no idea as to her support role.

This might be Santa Fe, but Mark Howard...

Rare and extraordinary talent. Marc Howard is an artist, craftsman, and goldsmith par excellence who has created incredible pieces of jewelry for me, each of which is an artistic masterpiece. He has a gift of interpreting a client’s vision into a piece of jewelry that surpasses the initial brainstorming session. He takes into account symmetry and architecture and functionality while never compromising on beauty and an excellent finish. Working over long distances and over the phone can sometimes be a challenge in the absence of a physical meeting which would allow one to see, feel, and try on examples of jewelry as one finalized an idea but in this regard Candelora is a diplomatic, knowledgeable and patient ambassador and bridge between client and goldsmith conveying ideas and sharing updates during the process of creation . I can’t recommend Marc Howard and Candelora highly enough. They are a wonderful team to work with. Truly grateful and thrilled with each of my...

Marc saved the day (and my bruised ego). Being a designer preferring a modern aesthetic, but knowing very little about jewelry design/fabrication, I took it upon myself to design a ring for my wife with the stones from her mother's ring that was a conglomeration of family stones (the original ring was pretty bad, gaudy metalwork of another era, and sat in a drawer unworn). Anyway, I didn't do my homework on jewelers. Long story short, the ring of my design was executed poorly. I knew it was execution, not the underlying design, so I did some homework, found Marc, really liked his style. I met with him and he agreed that it was the execution. He made some helpful suggestions on finishes and mounting techniques. I had confidence, so cut him loose on the re-do. It turned out fantastic. Marc is quite talented and a good guy, too. Candelora, as well. Highly...