Grant Laughter Jewelry — Local services in Asheville

I took some jewelry that had been my grandmother's in for appraisal because I know I will not wear it and it seems pointless to hang on to it when other things such as my old photos of her are better souvenirs of my memory and enjoyment of her. Nonetheless, it was daunting to consider the process of getting it appraised and figuring out the best avenues for moving it along, especially since I had no idea whether the pieces were valuable or costume jewelry. I certainly wouldn't want things that were once dear to my grandmother to be lost in some shady transaction. The folks at John Laughter Jewelry were all incredibly warm and welcoming and inspected each piece with professional tools right within my view and gave me an assessment of each item from various standpoints and did not pressure or sway any of my decisions. They were willing to buy any of the gold and silver for remelt and advised me to personally sell or keep pieces that would yield a better profit to me as collector items than what they pay for the metal. They did not make me feel awkward at all, even thought the majority of what I had was only costume jewelry. I also appreciated that they didn't refer to the costume pieces in any derogatory way or make any assumptions without carefully inspecting each item. They understood that regardless of resale value on any of the pieces there was emotional value as well and that it was hard to reach the decision of selling any of it. I had been really nervous before hand, but I felt really good about the whole experience and appreciate how honest and helpful they were. It was clear that they only want to engage in everyone-wins scenarios, which is a great way to operate! If I ever need to repair any of the antique pieces I am keeping or custom make something from the family pieces or buy a special gift, I would be more than happy to do business...

I am downsizing and decided it was time to sell items of jewelry I no longer wear and a couple of pieces I inherited that are not my taste, thinking someone else would enjoy wearing them.

I did my homework—I knew I did not want to go to a big firm that has lots of overhead. I also had experience with a different jeweler that was less than satisfactory, so that person was out. I read up on Laughter Jewelers: they’re a small firm that isn’t spending its money on advertising. They don’t (appear to) have a ton of overhead. Their Web site emphasizes honesty and integrity, something I felt was missing from my experience with the previous jeweler.

I decided to go see Laughter Jewelry, and set up an appointment online for the next day.

Mr. Grant Laughter greeted me when I arrived, and when we sat down, he asked me to tell him about the items I brought. He was an attentive listener. He excused himself to do some lookups and invited me to browse the store. He also gave me a soft drink, which I appreciated.

The store is comfortable and not overwhelming. I enjoyed visiting with Barbara, an associate. She told me about various items I was looking at. And I tried on a few pieces for fun. After about 20 minutes, Mr. Laughter called me to a seat and we talked about what he could buy from me and what he couldn’t. Listen up, this next part is important: I felt Mr. Laughter treated me fairly. There were two necklaces he couldn’t buy, and he explained why. He explained why he priced my other items as he did to purchase them.

I understand that a consumer like me should not expect to sell a piece for the same price I paid for it, so I was not disappointed with Mr. Laughter’s purchase offers. As I said, I felt he was fair.

I hope you will visit Grant Laughter Jewelers and have a great experience as well. And by the way, I’m buying one of the rings...

My fiancé and I commented 2 weeks ago about our wonderful experience choosing an engagement ring setting at John Laughter. We went back recently to pick up the finished ring, and once again Jimmy Koutsioumbis was extremely helpful, courteous and honest. Furthermore, the engagement ring is gorgeous. We are absolutely thrilled with their work.

Because we got such an honest price on the engagement ring, we were able to purchase another piece of jewelry as a gift for my fiancé's mother, which also looks great. Jimmy was once again patient and personable while working with us. We will definitely come back to John Laughter.

Original review:

My fiancé and I went to John Laughter Jewelry to purchase a new engagement ring setting and to have a family diamond set in it. Our experience was a tremendously positive one.

Although we were working with a tight budget, we were treated as if we had come to buy a $15,000 piece of jewelry. Jimmy Koutsioumbis is the gentleman who helped us and he was a consummate professional; extraordinarily respectful and impressively honest. He worked with us for as long as we needed and did not try to rush us or push anything on us. There is no one we would rather do business with and we will DEFINTELY go back there to work with Jimmy again.

The prices at this John Laughter are very reasonable and they are marked clearly in the showcases where they can be seen at all times! This makes shopping for jewelry much more comfortable.

Thanks so much for your help,...