InBloom Jewelry — Local services in Frederick

What a whirlwind in the worst way imaginable. My partner and I are glad to be free of In Bloom after barely making it through the first few stages designing an engagement ring. We originally opted for In Bloom because we’re nature enthusiasts and loved what appeared to be a thoughtful process and a desire to learn our story. I’m writing this honest review to warn others that our experience was everything contrary to that.

Here’s what happened:

1.) Scheduled an intro Discovery Call. 5 mins go by with no call, so we call them. Spoke to Andie, who was nice, but didn’t seem to know we were on the books. Still, we schedule the 1 hour in-store consult. 2.) When we walk in for the Design Consult, we are met with confused looks. For a second time, nobody seemed to know about our appointment. No info from our call was passed along, so we start from scratch. 3.) We sat down with a new person, Jess. We talk about the vision for the ring, which I feel okay about, but before we leave, we feel pressured to put down a $400 deposit for the design fee (which we didn’t know to expect). 4.) We left feeling off, but liked the quality of the product, so we decided to see how the next step goes with the Design Review. 5.) A few days later, some design questions came to mind. I called to ask how to get in touch with Jess and was told to text her on the text line, which I never knew existed. 6.) After I get started with the text line, Mary the Manager, asks me to call about the project, but when we talk, instead of trying to connect or problem solve (much less acknowledge some of the issues so far), she is defensive and says, “Well I can’t say whether or not that happened because I wasn’t there.” 7.) Despite being unhappy with the communication, we still want to see if the project can be recovered, so Jess and I set up a Zoom call for 4pm. I was running a few minutes behind and logged on, but noticed the meeting hadn't started. I called the shop and I’m told that Jess is running late from another apt. Totally understandable, but still, why didn’t anyone let us know? 8.) Jess finally logs in at 4:38 and says nothing about being 40 mins late! This time, it’s not just the lack of professionalism or consideration for my time that is abundantly present, but I’m also met with coldness about the project itself. She made me feel dumb for asking the questions I did. When I sought clarification on something I didn’t understand (I’m a jewelry novice), I’d get a flat “Ok” or blank look. It was honestly just sad. 9.) I fill my partner in on the Zoom meet and we’re both upset. Adam calls Mary the next morning to share the timeline of concerns. Again, she deflects and offers empty responses: “Well, what do you want me to do?” 10.) I ask over email if this is still a good fit and if they can ensure we are treated with more care moving forward. Mary replies and admits that “after much discussion” they realize they can’t help us. She refunds our deposit and also mails us a $50 check to reimburse for “gas” (for our in-person consult), which, in her words, was an attempt to “end the relationship on the best of terms.” Here’s the kicker: We WALKED to the consult since we are downtown locals! We told Jess this while there and mentioned it on calls as well.

What really gets me is how easy it would have been to repair the situation, especially given how many chances we gave them. They could have met their mistakes and our feedback with warmth and understanding. They could have said something like, “Hey, I get why you’d be frustrated that your appointments haven’t gone according to plan. It’s clear we fell short and we’re sorry we were late for the calls and weren't prepared for your in person visit either. We want to make it right and we’re excited about your project.” Instead, we were treated with rudeness and a lack of accountability at every turn.

While it was disappointing to say the least, we know that we’re on a better track now and the ring we build will be alongside partners with more integrity and sincerity than those at In...

I brought Stacey at In Bloom an assortment of handed-down and generally mis-sized jewelry, along with some broken or random pieces of my own. I didn’t necessarily know what was real or fake; only that none of it was doing any good sitting unwearable in a box. Stacey treated every piece — even the costume jewelry — with attention and care. “It’s not real, but it’s fun!” she said of one ring, while also carefully identifying the gold and precious stones. She always asked if something was sentimental or not, and even advised against me doing anything with a particularly old ring in its original box because of how special it was on its own.

After spending easily 45 minutes with my haul, we had a decent trade-in collection of gold, some special pieces to go back home with me for safe-keeping, and the best — a batch that was ready for transformation. That’s where the magic of In Bloom happens!

Stacey sketched out ideas on the spot for my pieces to be rehabbed or redesigned. She asked me how I envisioned wearing things and the story behind the original piece. She completely captured my style right off the bat, and the trade-in value made custom jewelry design stunningly accessible.

Fast-forward to today when I picked up my pieces. First, the store was very communicative during the process. I got regular updates, and learned that it was taking Stacey longer than usual because she was working through the challenge of getting a pendant to fall just right. I appreciated that attention to detail at every stage of the artistry.

When I did see the pieces, I was awed by my renewed jewelry collection! Damaged rings were brought back to flawless life. A dated charm had a swapped bale to make it timeless. The missing pearl in a “bouquet” broach was replaced so you couldn’t tell old from new. And the best — she created a thoroughly unique necklace from two completely separate and unremarkable sources that is unlike anything I’ve seen!

Yes, it’s great to have a handful of newly wearable and very cool pieces of jewelry. But what’s special is that by transforming my old pieces into something new, I’ve retained the memories of the original elements while also creating new stories.

Thanks, Stacey and In Bloom for such a great experience and...

My husband and I discovered that Stacey (the business owner) "reclaims" beloved heirloom jewelry and gives you the gift of redesigning it into something you love. It is a treasure reclaimed and brought to life as something new. We are very environmentally conscious and love reusing, repurposing and up-cycling and so we planned a project. When we met with Stacey, I had done a little homework but needed a lot of guidance to bring this project to life. I did not want a ring that would dwarf or overshadow my understated engagement band. I also do not wear yellow gold and was skeptical of making anything that would not mesh well with my engagement and wedding bands (white and rose gold). Stacey was able to interpret what I was trying to say and in what direction to start the design process. While at the appointment, we also remarked offhandedly that we would probably be making a tribute ring for the dog as well in the future. I'm glad I made the comment at that moment, because in her infinite wisdom, Stacey explained that it is easier to carve or fully make both rings at the same time if they are to be complementary rather than trying to go back later and make a mate. So we went ahead and decided to have both rings made at the same time. I think my husband and I were both a bit nervous because we had worked with a custom jeweler before and the final project was not what we wanted. Stacey accommodated us in every way possible. She had extra ideas at-the-ready when we came for appointments in the event that we had gone off track in design. We communicated frequently via email. We also feel that she was able to answer every single question we could have had regarding timeline for creation, to her techniques that addressed my worries about "losing a stone" to basic concerns about fit and wear. Ultimately, I could not be happier with my project. Stacey's ability to listen and adjust her creative process to meet my needs as a customer is exactly the reason I ended up satisfied and grateful and the reason my husband and I put our trust in her with something that was this important to us. We could not be more pleased with...