Sapphires Custom Jewellery by Thomas Steele — Local services in Pelham

It’s nice when you discover a local store that not only has quality products but also excellent skills and personal service. But it is even better, when after years of being a customer they still surprise you with their expertise and caring attention to help make a sentimental family heirloom come back to life.

My husband was given his grandfathers watch after his grandfather passed in the 1970’s. For years it wasn’t worn because the crystal had broken, moisture was inside the watch and it no longer kept time. The watch stayed in a drawer until I discover it when we were packing to move this past year. I took the watch to Sapphires Custom Jewellery and asked Tom’s opinion on wether it was able to be fixed. The staff and Tom took the time and care to assess the watch. With their expertise it was recommendations the watch could be refurbished by a Toronto specialist they had connection with. They arranged everything so I could surprise my husband with this sentimental gift he could enjoy on his wrist rather then in a drawer. The staff was patient explaining what was needed to be done, how long it would take and the estimated cost to made this personal gift a reality. I think they were almost as excited as I was, when my husband and I arrived to the store (under the premise of getting my watch battery change) and my husband discover his grandfathers watch was perfectly refurbished (inside and out). My husband now has tangible memento he can wear every day as a reminder of his grandfather. As a new grandfather, my husband understands how a simple watch / piece of jewellery can bind the love and memories of family. The staff at Sapphires Custom Jewellers also know how important a special piece of jewelry: watch/necklace/ring… can mean for someone to ‘Give’ or ‘Receive’. I think that is why they take such care in helping customers chose the ‘right’ piece of jewelry. Whether it’s one of the stores many carefully chosen pieces on display, from a catalogue, or a custom made piece created with the customer by Tom and Staff, they care that people can have a cherished piece of jewelry to enjoy and possible pass along. I trust Tom and the Staff at Sapphires Custom Jewellery with everything from changing watch batteries, assessing and stabilizing the claws on rings, replacing a necklace clasp, choosing new jewelry pieces or fixing jewelry I don’t want to part with.

It’s nice to know Fonthill has a talented local jeweller and staff that care. For years, they have quietly shared in our communities most cherished moments, through the ‘giving’ and ‘receiving’ of gifts that can last beyond a lifetime.

Thank...

Let me start off by saying that I’ve never had a problem with this jewelry until my most recent experience, and I will not be returning. My husband and I had his wedding ring resized, there are stones on it but (as we were told) the stones were strong enough to stand the heat it would take to resize so we didn’t have to worry about paying the protection fee for them. This was also after the owner inspected the stones and came to this conclusion. Based on their years of experience and our lack of we went with their judgement. When returning two weeks latter to pick up the ring, we noticed that one of the stones was completely shattered. The owner (same person as before) said nothing to us about it so we had to bring up how the stone looked different. They blamed it on how there was an inclusion and that we should’ve got the heat protector (going against their advice from before). As I had taken pictures of the ring before hand I showed them that the ring looked drastically different. To which they claimed that they couldn’t tell from the photos what the stone looked like (tbh it was hard to see but you could still tell that there was a HUGE difference in the stone before and after). They had also taken photos of the ring before, however the photos were very blurry and hard to make out the ring in general let alone the stones before the resizing. They continued to blame us for not getting the heat protector, and finally I had to say that we were taking their advice and what they were going to do to fix it. With us having to advocate for ourselves and explaining that we were from out of town (Mississauga) so having to come back was an experience incidence they decided that they would replace the stone. However, with this they were still going to charge us. I had to ask as this was not our fault and that we were only going off of their expertise if they could charge us less due to the hassle of driving back-and-forth, as well as the lacking of customer service. They ended up doing it for free; although we were given a lecture about how they should have to do it for free as they felt it was “more then fair”.

I felt that the customer service was EXTREMELY lacking, and may have even been because my husband and I are young and a mixed race couple (as we are often treated differently because of this). When I (someone who’s white) came to pick up the ring a few weeks latter they couldn’t have been nicer however this did not take away the bad experience my husband and...

I have lived in Fonthil for 7 years and have travelled back and forth to H. Williams Jewellery in Hamilton for all my jewelry needs; however, I decided it was time to find something closer to home. I had a ring and bracelet I wanted cleaned, a watch that needed a battery and another bracelet that needed the clasp fixed. I also wanted to purchase something with an emerald stone for my daughter. I was told their stock in emerald stones was low, which was fine because her birthday is after Christmas and there was no rush for that. When they checked the ring, they determined that the stone wasn't stable to be cleaned and that the claws were badly worn. I cringed because this was my late mother's ring, and as executor, I was carrying out her wishes to have the ring go to my niece. Any expenses would be coming out of my pocket. I asked how much for the repairs. Instead of giving me the price, the lady started in about how it had to be repaired. I did cut her off, because at 58 years old, I understand the need for repairs to the claws and I just wanted the price. I explained that the ring was going to my niece and she said "Well get your niece to pay it if you don't want to" (she's 13). She became very impatient with me and condescending. She pulled out a piece of paper that showed how the claws wear. Again, I just wanted the price. When I asked again, she said "I already told you the price". With that I decided it was time to leave. I did not have a good feeling about leaving my jewelry there. Hearing my voice start to raise, a gentleman emerged from the back room and asked if he could help by looking at the rings for a second opinion. To be clear, I never, ever doubted the repairs needed to be done (in fact, I was not surprised)... I just wanted to know the price! My hands shaking, I tried to retrieve my jewelry and was told to calm down. I was in tears by the time I...