Ackerman Jewelers — Local services in Citrus Park

My wife and I visited Ackerman Jewelers to adjust/update her Tacori engagement ring. To provide a bit of background, I was in the jewelry business for over 20 years and understood exactly what I was hoping to do.

We were in a bad accident and her original diamond was lost out of her setting. To modernize her setting and buy her a new diamond was our goal. My wife purchased the diamond from our friend (still in the jewelry business) and her Tacori setting. Because she selected a heart shaped diamond, the finished look was not something she was able to envision.

Fast forward a couple of years and the reason for going to the store now was to replace the head/basket of the setting so the bottom of the diamond could get cleaned. The ring itself was/is beautiful but without being able to clean the diamond, lost a lot of the sparkle one expects from an engagement ring.

We walked into the Ackerman Jewelers on Kennedy Blvd and after a short visit was basically told that only their other store in Tampa would be able to make the type of adjustment/repair we wanted. We went into the other store which is considerably further from where we live and dealt with George. George began to explain that since it is a Tacori setting, they have a "contract" with Tacori that prevents them from making alterations. Again, as being in this industry for decades, there is no contract but there is definitely an understanding that they wouldn't do this type of alteration. I began to ask for them to send it Tacori to do since what we wanted was not extraordinary and everybody should be able to see that. Tina Ackerman was nearby (we had never previously met her) and as we were on our way out, she interjected very nicely that they would be happy to send the ring to Tacori for us and it didn't matter where we purchased the ring from.

During the immediate following week I heard from my friend at the store where the ring was originally purchased that Ackerman wanted them to take care of us and NOT Ackerman. To our surprise what Tina apparently said in the store face to face was not what she had in mind. Since the original store was up in NJ and we are now in FL, my friend suggested I take care of it locally. I contacted Tacori directly and was told by the Tacori rep that it was Tina Ackerman herself that told them at Tacori that they didn't want to help us because we were rude and aggressive. Once more, I was in this business for so many years and have dealt with less than friendly and nice customers. We were far, far from rude and aggressive. If we were rude, why would you take the ring from us and assure us that they would help? Why would we be rude when we NEEDED your help? Why would you take the ring from us to take photos and send to Tacori if you had no intention of helping us? Why wouldn't you just ask us to leave (even though we were already on our way out)?

Subsequently, we went to IDC and now have a gorgeous new Tacori ring that we were happy to spend the money on to get sparkle back onto my wife's finger. Fortunato at IDC was pleasant and MORE THAN willing to help us. There is NO THANKS to ACKERMAN, just aggravation and a feeling of betrayal. Being called rude and aggressive from a store owner is beyond poor representation for a store; it is...

I have to say I went into this visit hesitant. I saw on Yelp that there was a slew of 5-star reviews and mentions that all work was done in house, and I was sold. I requested a quote for some work that I needed done, and the business replied within hours to let me know when I could stop in for an in-person consult.

I have two family rings, the wedding band and the engagement ring, that have been passed down from my great-grandma and is intended for my use now that we're considering marriage more. I was very nervous to trust anyone with these pieces, as we've been burned with services locally in the past, but trusted them especially after arriving and chatting with everyone and seeing the store. I worked with Sharon, a lovely blonde woman who was very knowledgeable in old jewelry. Upon looking at each ring, she explained my options for resizing and fixing the thin bands at the bottom due to age. I was given a quote that was identical to the one received by my parents in another state, but they were told the rings would have to be fused together to be saved which was mildly disappointing when I was first told. Sharon, however, told me that she could reshank them and keep them separate without causing extra liability by keeping them apart! I was absolutely stoked.

Sharon then told me a lot of history about the rings as she looked at them, from age, history of the cuts and style of the diamonds, and was able to assess the level of care put into the rings over the years. This was a really cool touch for something special, I never would have known they originated in the early 1900's! I paid in full and gave my contact information and was informed it would be ready in a few days. After I finished with that, I worked with another associate to help me find an affordable chain for my citrine Crystal and they even helped me put the chains on and used a high level of care when helping me find the right chain, and didn’t give me too hard of a time when I said I often shower with the necklace on. So far, no funky discoloration so I’m pretty happy with that separate interaction as well!

There was some issue with the call not coming through when it was ready on the earliest estimated date, but when I called to inquire, they were very sweet. The woman, perhaps Kayla, told me that the ring was ready and I could come in. I met again with Sharon for pickup and brought my receipt and it was a smooth process. They made sure it fit comfortably and I was happy before sending me on my way, ready to get engaged.

Honestly, I couldn't say anything nicer about this experience. I was so nervous to trust anyone with these heirlooms, but they proved themselves with the high level of care used to bring my precious piece back to glory. Highly recommend to anyone looking to buy a beautiful new piece or restore one that you've loved for so long. I tried not to look around too much due to my finances, but they had some stunning pieces in the cases as well, even the birthstone jewelry was jaw dropping! Thank you so much to the staff, you're all wonderful and I look forward to seeing you again soon to reshank and fix up the...

Just want to yell it from all the hilltops - Five stars just isn't enough to classify how high Ackerman Jewelers ranks. When we bought my engagement ring over 6 years ago, we went with Ackerman because I knew they were the best. Well worth the drive for the quality of service and products. We've continued to use them anytime we need to pick something up and always receive the same caliber of service. So when my engagement ring disappeared, we of course asked our case to be assigned to Ackerman's since we knew we could count on them to navigate the emotional challenge of replacing my ring. George was fantastic and quite the magician! He was able to set things up to pick out the exact ring I had, which was a great relief. I was on the fence about replacing my ring with the exact ring or trying to find the other ring that had been my husband's first choice 6 years before. Long complicated story on why it wasn't selected back then, but I wanted to honor his original choice. No easy task. After providing George as much information as I had and a picture of what it had kinda looked like, he was able to work with the Designer to find it. He arranged to have a sample so I could see it in person and compare it with my wedding band to make sure it would work. It worked beautifully! George also helped us with getting the right diamond. At the last minute, we threw another request in the mix to possibly consider upgrading. George was able to help with that too! Although we expected my ring in 3-4 weeks, it was ready in two which was a wonderful surprise, although when Ackerman's is involved I should know to expect the unexpected! I highly recommend them to anyone whether you need an engagement ring, or earrings or watch or anything, they are ready to help regardless of budget. They will always be our...