Salmon - Jeweler Marais — Local services in Paris

I have slightly mixed feelings towards this jewelry store.

For the first time, we came there with my fiancé to choose an engagement ring for me. The appointment was perfect even though we had to wait due to the high number of clients. Nonetheless, we were introduced to an English-speaking jeweler (not a shop assistant - it will be important for the rest of the story) who took her time to explain all the details related to different stones and materials. She answered all our questions in a clear way. I particularly appreciated the fact that the jeweler was able to speak English and that she was creative enough to paint a stone of the exhibition ring to demonstrate how the color of sapphire, which I chose, would look like on the finger. There was no pressure whatsoever to buy the ring at the end of our meeting: the jeweler just gave us a card that specified the ring size, the name of the model, the type of the stone and the price estimate. Finally, we took our time to think about the engagement ring and ordered it at Le Joaillier du Marais. I was thrilled to receive my ring, and it was in line with my expectations.

Having in mind an incredibly pleasant experience that we had with the engagement ring, we came back there to order two wedding rings (two classic wedding bands without anything special). Unfortunately, the second visit was full of alarming red flags even though I was ready to handle the conversation in French (as my fiancé is French). The lady who welcomed us in the store was not a jeweler but a shop assistant. She was extremely nice and polite but awfully incompetent. First of all, the shop assistant seemed lost when we asked very simple questions pertaining to the choice of rings. She was confused when we asked her about the difference between different metals and models: she had to go to the back room (probably to get an answer of a jeweler) but even after coming back to us, she was not able to deliver an intelligible response. She was not able to explain how exactly one should take care about the rings. She was not able to advise us whether an engraving in Cyrillic (or using such special characters as a sign of degree in GPS coordinates) will be done manually (and hence cost additional 35 euros) or will be included in the price of the rings. She was laughing and saying in a very dismissive way: "Do not worry, we will figure it out later" as if it was insignificant. However, it was not possible to make a decision without getting the answer to several simple questions that we asked. We were treated as if we were buying a loaf of bread and not wedding rings. Secondly, this lady was drilling us with her eyes all the time without letting us quietly discuss our preferences and concerns or share reservations with each other. Thirdly, she urged us to make a decision about purchase urgently that created a lot of unnecessary pressure. We still left the shop without making a prepayment and explained the shop assistant that we need time to think.

Although the second meeting slightly spoiled the impression about the jewelry, we still decided to order our wedding rings there as the most important is the quality of the product and not the quality of the reception (we were convinced that we were just unlucky with a shop assistant). However, when my fiancé contacted the jewelry store by email to confirm our order and to make a prepayment. The person who answered the message was contradicting the information that we got during our visit, was confusing prices, metals and was unclear about engraving. It was so much different from our first visit after which we already had all the ring specifications written down and the only thing that we had to do afterwards to order was to send an email.

Finally, we decided to let it go as we were afraid that such miscommunication could lead to the eventual mistake that would be hard to rectify. It is a shame that shop assistants, who we encountered in Le Joaillier du Marais, were very incompetent to the extent of not answering very...

My boyfriend bought an antique engagement ring from the 1850s to Joaillier du Marais to get resized before he proposed. When there, he was told that the feet that held the diamond were not secure because it was an old ring, and they put the fear into him that the ring needed repair. He didn't have time for the repair before his proposal as it was going to be during a holiday to Asia, so after we returned from our trip, we brought the ring into the shop for repair. While there, we were promised and assured that the ring would not be cosmetically changed. Two weeks go by, we get the call, go in to collect the ring. They had basically covered the diamond with the feet. I cried when I saw it because they had taken my beautiful antique ring and made it ugly. They did not do what they said they would do. They then agreed to do what they had originally said they would do, which was leave it cosmetically intact but make the feet more secure. We were clear again - we didn't want the ring cosmetically changed from the original, but to strengthen/secure the feet. Two weeks more pass, I get a call, go to collect the ring. They had managed to chip my diamond while the ring was in their possession. They denied this, even though I had the ring on my finger for a month before the repair and there were no visible / naked to the human eye chips on the surface of the ring. After a long time in the office, they agreed to send the ring to the diamond guy to repair. Two more weeks. I get the ring back, they have covered the chip and the feet are secure though there is now a line across many feet that also wasn't there before. They won't refund us the money, even though the ring has gone through more damage in their possession than anywhere else, and they also had more time with the ring than I have. Very rude and unhelpful people, who are prone to not telling the truth or being trustworthy. Avoid...

I really wanted to love my experience here — and to be fair, the staff in the showroom are genuinely warm and lovely. When I visited, I was told I could order a custom necklace that would be made and shipped to me within about a month. They assured me this was something they did regularly and that there would be no problem. I even expected some holiday-related delays and was more than willing to be patient.

After Christmas, I reached out to check in and was told my necklace was still a couple of weeks away. Then on January 13th, I received a tracking number — but it didn’t work. A week later, I followed up and was told the package was stuck in customs, which they said occasionally happens. I appreciated the update and continued to wait.

Unfortunately, after that, things went downhill. Emails went unanswered, and when I did get replies, they were dismissive or snippy — as if I was inconveniencing them by asking for updates. On February 13th, I contacted the carrier directly and was shocked to learn that the necklace had been returned to the sender on January 21st — nearly a month prior.

After more tense back-and-forth, I suggested they simply refund the card I had used. They refused and demanded my banking details instead. That felt unsafe and unnecessary, so I had no choice but to dispute the charge through my credit card company. I finally got my money back on April 19th.

TL;DR: If you can walk out with your item the same day, you’ll likely have a great experience. But if you’re considering a custom order or anything that requires shipping — I would strongly advise against it. The lack of communication, accountability, and professionalism once I left the store made what should have been a special purchase incredibly...