Queensmith | 29a Greville Street — Local services in London

I've been meaning to write this review ever since deciding in December 2014 that it was time I made an honest woman of my now wife. The plan was to propose on Christmas day but I hadn't a clue where to get the ring. Having discovered that Hatton Garden was the place to get diamonds I searched trip advisor, the reviews led me to Hearts Of London. I duly rang up and made an appointment with 'Emily'. Being an infrequent visitor to London but with a work meeting scheduled for the 17th December I thought the timing couldn't be better. I assumed that purchase would involve looking at a tray of rings and I would just choose what I could afford. On arrival at Hatton Garden I was somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer number of very similar looking diamond ring selling shops and couldn't help but wonder if I should really start shopping around. As time was pressing I ignored them all and located H.O.L. On meeting (the very patient and helpful) Emily I discovered that each ring is individually made and I needed to select both a diamond and a setting (ring)! I then became familiar with both the nuances of diamond selection and spent a significant time deciding which diamond to go for. Then came the ring selection platinum or white gold? Emily patiently talked me through the pros and cons of each, modelling many different rings along the way. I finally made my choice (platinum) and dropped the bombshell I needed it by the 24th December for the proposal. Although I had chosen a very busy time of year and the ring would normally take longer Emily wasn't phased and after a telephone call managed to get the workshop to pull out the stops and get it made and couriered to my work address by the 24th. I must say I found the whole experience quite enjoyable considering I was parting of the best part of three grand! I would be lying if I didn't say I still harboured a few doubts as I walked back past all those other shops with their sparkly windows as I made my way back to the tube - I needn't have worried. To cut the story short, Emily delivered on her promise the ring came on time and at about 8pm on Christmas day 2014 I became engaged to tearful fiancé. Fast Forward to Nov 2015, wedding ring time, although we intended to go back to H.O.L we started all the usual window shopping at our local jewellers to get ideas - it was at this stage I started to regret platinum - its so expensive! My wife had three diamonds left to her by her Grandad that she wanted to use as they had great sentimental value. So another meeting in London was arranged - this time with great apprehension as I was fairly sure a custom designed ring was going to cost a fortune! With my hand-drawing of the required ring presented to Emily along with the diamonds I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst. Once again I needn't have worried, it is no exaggeration to say that it was about 2/3 of the price of a thinner off-the-shelf ring in high street jewellers and was heavier. I was also made to fit perfectly with the engagement ring. After service We have now had the engagement cleaned twice, once for the wedding and last week when along with the wedding ring we met the friendly and helpful 'Ed' at HOL - each time there has been no charge and a welcome as though we were long lost friends. With after service and value like this Why Go...

If you are looking for a jeweller that is knowledgeable, competent, professional yet personable in an elegant and special environment, this is the place to go. My fiancé and I went to Queensmiths to design my ring because of all the great reviews and we were not disappointed.

This is a second marriage for both of us and we wanted to share in the process of picking the stones and designing my ring together. We also both had precious metals and stones that we wanted to sell or exchange and Brett was so honest and pragmatic about the process. It was wonderful to be able to be forthcoming about what our budget was without anyone trying to ‘upsell’ us; the entire experience was stress free as we never once encountered a ‘hard sell’ technique.

Brett spent so much time with us making sure that everything was just right. He did an amazing job teaching us about what to look for in a stone. When we finally had an idea of what we wanted, he had one of his master jewellers come out of the workshop to place the stones we liked in a wax setting on my finger so we could make sure that we were happy with everything before it was made. After we’d finalised choosing stones and a setting we were sent a rendered CAD drawing so that we could see exactly what my ring was going to look like.

The Queensmiths storefront is elegant, quiet and classy. Make an appointment, sit down at a table and let them dazzle you with options; this is so much nicer and far more personal than walking around a shop filled with jewellery cases looking at hundreds of rings or being presented with a small selection ‘to suit your budget.’

In our experience there was nothing that Queensmith couldn’t source for us and from start to finish our ring only took about three weeks to complete. The setting itself is classically modern, elegantly refined, and very comfortable to wear; much more so than my old ring of roughly the same size with similar design.

I have had so many compliments on my ring and it easily competes (and usually outshines) my friends who have engagement rings from Tiffany, Cartier or DeBeers. I have never been so happy with a piece of jewellery and I will always be able to remember what a special journey it was in getting to design it together with the love of my life. Queensmiths made me an engagement ring that is one of a kind; just like the love my fiancé and I share.

(Soon to be) Mr...

Thank you Hearts of London! Aside from an exquisitely crafted engagement ring, you turned what I thought would probably be a stressful and somewhat daunting experience into an enjoyable and memorable one instead.

Based on the reviews I had read online, I had high hopes when I visited Hearts of London. Having seen countless reviews mentioning their professional but also friendly and welcoming customer service, to help put my nerves at ease, I deliberately chose to go there first...it turned out that I didn't go anywhere else. I definitely made the right decision! Before getting on to discussing the ring itself, Eddi took the time to get to know me and who I was buying the ring for. He clearly explained how Hearts of London worked and what the overall process would be, and within minutes any nerves of mine had disappeared.

Throughout the entire process, whether looking at ring styles or individual diamonds, Eddi conveyed his unquestionable knowledge of the industry and their product in a way that was easy to understand. Not once did I feel rushed, though, having said that, I was surprised that I'd chosen what I thought to be the prefect ring within two and bit hours. I envisaged it taking a lot longer, but the fact that it didn't is simply a testament to the quality of service Hearts of London provide.

As for the ring itself, which was ready around a month later, it only exceeded my expectations. Again, when picking up the ring and this time meeting with Laura, the process was never rushed. My partner absolutely loves it and cannot wait to meet those who made it possible when we return to Hearts of London for our wedding bands.

A massive thanks to Eddi, Laura, and all those at Hearts of London for a wonderful ring and a...