Ames Silversmithing — Local services in Ames

This used to be a good place to purchase jewelry, but those days are gone!! If I could give them a minus 10, I would not hesitate to do so as a result of my last transaction with Kyle. I took in a necklace that they had made for me years ago to request that they take my stones and put them in a ring instead. I found a rind I liked, left my stones with them, and received a call stating that I needed to bring in 1/2 of the purchase price in order to have the ring made. They had not told me that previously. I went to the store and gave them 1/2 as they had requested. Kyle was there, and I let him know that I had purchased many pieces of jewelry from them over the years and never had been asked for money down. Further, I told him that I found it offensive to have that happen this time. Kyle immediately raised his voice and said "Well, let's just cancel the sale then!"! He further stated that they want the deposit for security in case I did not pick up the ring. I said "Well, you have my stones". I tried to explain that I just was sharing my feelings about how this request and how it was different than any other time I made a purchase. I wasn't refusing to give them the deposit. They already had that in hand. He again reiterated, louder this time, that we should just cancel the sale then. A female then intervened and tried to smooth things over, because I was horrified at how I was being treated and as this continued I began to cry (which I don't easily do). She initially convinced me to continue with the sale, and I left the store. But I was so upset with the way I was treated that I went back in, told her that no one had ever treated me that way, let her know that I never wanted to deal with Kyle again, and asked for my stones and my deposit back. She gave me both and I left, incredulous that I had been so disrespected. Later that day Kyle called me and told me that he had checked their records, knew that I had purchased many things from them in the past and was never asked to pay a deposit, and offered me the ring at 1/3 off, I told him I would have to think about it. I called them back a few days later and told them that I would take the ring. I picked up the ring in early October along with an appraisal, and I did not deal with Kyle. I had the old appraisal from the necklace and compared them and noticed that part of the appraisal was missing, but was reluctant to return to the store because I did not believe I would be treated with respect if I complained about this. Also, I was unhappy with how the larger stone was set in the ring. So I waited a long time while deciding what I should do to remedy this situation and to leave this review. I believe that Kyle needs to take a comprehensive course on customer relations!!! So I took the ring and the appraisal to Gilger Designs down the street from Ames Silversmithing. They reset the larger stone for me and gave me a new appraisal that was complete. They treated me with respect, ,and I cannot praise their work and customer service enough, especially after my bad experience with Kyle. I will NEVER go back to Ames...

I bought my fiances engagement ring in September, and had a fabulous experience! I had no prior knowledge of diamonds, settings, or anything ring related. The gal that helped me, I believe her name is Kate, was awesome! She educated me about the process, the stones, the settings. Helped me see that a larger diamond could be the same price as a smaller depending on all the different factors involved. Who knew!?! I left with a rose gold halo setting with a round diamond that my fiance and I are still amazed by 4 months later. The price was under $3000 which was perfect for my budget and left room for a couple wedding bands to complete the setting.

I appreciate the fact that no one there is on a commission based salary. It made the sales experience enjoyable and leaving me wanting to come back for all future jewelry needs. When my fiance came back in to look at wedding bands, she left feeling the same way. She went as far to ask if it was ok to tip our salesman or get him a gift card from somewhere because she was so pleased with our experience that day.

I graduated with Kirk from Ames High School years ago, and have known his family to be a positive influence in the Ames community. I now have first hand experience with what a great experience can be had when family works well together, and celebrates a team mentality in business. That is something I can appreciate working in my family's business as well.

Choose Ames Silversmithing over any other jewler in the area. You won't be...

You RARELY find a place that does business like this, and it was very refreshing. 1st, they start off telling you that the cuts of all of their diamonds are of the highest quality because all of the other "C's" don't make any difference if the cut is poor. As a guy who knows nothing about diamonds, that made things that much easier.

2nd, they show you the different stones, they ask questions, and they listen to what you're looking for. In my case, they brought out as many stones as we wanted to look at, they pointed out exactly where the imperfections were located, and let us look at everything under the microscope.

3rd, and most importantly, paying for the diamond has been the most small-town-type experience I've had for any goods. Like most people I didn't have the ability to shell out 100% of the cash for the shiny, sparkly rock, so I asked them how to pay on a monthly basis. Their response was along the lines of "Just pay us as you're able to. we don't setup official financing to hurt your credit or anything, we just trust that you'll work with us to pay it off." I couldn't believe it, and 8 months later, thats exactly how I'm still paying it off.

Overall, if you want great service, VERY flexible financial options, and only high quality stones right out of the gate, go here and you won't be disappointed. ...