Mendocino Gems — Local services in Fort Bragg

Bought a very expensive grey and black diamond necklace from here a few years back (see pic of full necklace). Over the years, I noticed the edges of the sliced grey diamonds developing what looks like brownish gunk (see pix). I presumed that it was dirt buildup. Early this year, I decided to see if I could clean it. By this point, the buildup at the edges were so thick that I was able to use my fingernails to remove chunks off. Huge chunks came off, leaving big holes in the grey diamond (see pix). Turns out, it wasn't dirt buildup but some kind of epoxy that was initially the same color as the grey diamonds (deceiving the buyer into thinking that the diamonds were bigger than they actually are) but over time turned brown and brittle with oxidation. Given this, I am pretty sure I was totally ripped off. But I was willing to overlook it if the shop were able to rectify it via replacing the epoxied diamonds with whole diamonds.

Well I contacted Judy the owner, who told me to send my necklace back for repairs. I sent it back 1st week of May. It's now almost Sept. To this day, not only have I NOT received the necklace back, but I can hardly ever get in touch with her. I've called, emailed, left messages with her assistants. So far she has only called me back ONCE about 2 weeks ago, after I got really angry about the lack of communication. But even then there doesn't seem to be any information apart from the canned response that the guy who initially made it is still working on it!! I am seriously starting to think that I cannot trust these people. Buyers beware. I am extremely...

I really do not want to leave this review, as this was one of my favorite jewelry shops in California, but since I have been left hanging, I feel I have no choice. I came in on January 30th to get myself something nice, and found a gorgeous ring that was on sale. After trying it on, and falling in love with it, I was still undecided, but the woman working there told me that I could put it on layaway. I was still a bit unsure, but she told me that, “If you change your mind, you can always come back or call us.”, so I went ahead and put $400 down. I had been doing quite well with sales as an artist, and assumed I would have the remainder paid off in a month. Well, the storms came, and three of my shows got cancelled, costing me quite a bit of income. Then my cat went blind overnight, and I had to spend over $400 to get her bloodwork, special kidney food, blood pressure meds, and home IV treatments. I called the shop to explain what happened, and that I would not be able to get the ring. I told her that I was told that if I changed my mind, that I could just call back to get a refund. The woman who I spoke with told me that they don’t do refunds, and was asking who told me that, so I told her it was a woman with dark shorter hair and glasses. The woman on the phone told me, “I’ll need to investigate this.”, so I said alright, expecting a call back within a couple days, but have not heard one word back. I’m assuming my $400 is just going to be kept, which is really disappointing. I want this matter resolved, because there’s no excuse for waiting two weeks to contact me back...

I want to recommend Mendocino Gems for two reasons. First, the store is full of unique and gorgeous jewelry, reflecting the great taste of the owner, Judy. I bought a beautiful aquamarine ring, which was what I had spent months searching for. Second, Judy's follow-up service was impressive. Sadly, the stone fell out and was lost after about six months. When I called Judy, she asked me to send her the setting. She coordinated with the artist to replace it, free of charge. It took a little while, but she stands by her merchandise. ...