Sanders Jewelers — Local services in Gainesville

Sander’s Jewelers and the team there have been incredible to work with and I think you’ll understand if you hear my story. Over the last few months I've been on the search (actually maybe quest or saga would be a better description) for the perfect engagement ring. My girl definitely knows what she wants and after months of looking at every Jewelry store in North Florida and online the grim truth settled in that there was no single ring in existence that included all of the elements that she so desired. I had considered looking into the option of a custom ring but dismissed it thinking it would be out of my recently-graduated-from-college budget. By chance I happened to stumble across Sander’s Jewelers at Haile Plantation in Gainesville, FL (actually looking for another jeweler nearby – whoops, don’t tell them that) and found that they not only did custom work but that they offered it at a very reasonable price comparable to the prices I had seen elsewhere for standard rings – you know, boring non-specific stuff out of the jewelry case; immediately I knew I had found my place. I gave Miriam (the all around amazing designer there who no matter what she is making definitely needs a raise) some of my sketches who managed to turn my elementary asymmetrical chicken scratch with 8 or 10 different difficult and sometimes contradicting stipulations into a masterpiece. In my ring’s case, the mold even ended up needing to be “grown” (3D printed) in California because it was so complex but otherwise they do all of the work on site themselves. One of the coolest things is the CAD software that they use to design the rings where you can see what the finished product will look like before it is ever created. Over the course of time we worked on the ring, the team could not possibly have been more accommodating and willing to make the experience a great one: Miriam special ordered and looked at numerous diamonds with me to find the perfect one; she patiently suffered through my nit pickiness and requests for slight modifications; Rick, the owner and one of Florida’s only certified Master Jewelers, was willing to perform difficult hand engraving on the smallest even curved surfaces of the ring; and Miriam was even willing to help with the proposal by eluding my fiance-to-be’s attention to help the proposal to go off without a hitch. There are some other details in my story that I will spare you from including them helping me to sell a previous not-so-well-thought-out ring that I had purchased through a dealer in Jacksonville who ended up getting it stolen and then actually dying shortly thereafter – don’t ask… the point is that at Sander’s they were willing to go above and beyond for me and by the time my amazing engagement ring was completed I felt a lot more like a friend than a client. Overall I couldn't possibly recommend them...

I knew I wanted a custom designed, superman-inspired engagement ring to give to my future wife. I had never really shopped for jewelry before and expected to go to several shops before I found a diamond or, more likely, a jeweler that I liked who could help me. Well, the only shop I went to was Sanders Jewelers. Rick listened to my idea and improved upon it immediately. He had the diamond I needed, and spent the next half hour slowly going over my design idea, which included rubies and sapphires to accompany the main diamond. Rick provided a number of helpful ideas and suggestions the way only a master of the craft can. Every idea he had improved upon what I wanted, and by the end of our brainstorming session he had done what he called a “Very rough mock-up” by hand that showed me exactly what I was going to wind up getting. I believe he had to very slightly tweak one or two ideas between the initial brainstorming and the final casting; the man has in his head exactly what a customer will want. The customer service shown by Rick and his staff at Sanders was amazing. I received email updates as to when the renders would be done, and they responded in a very timely manner to all emails. Every time I went to the store to see a render or discuss something I was given water and a warm, “c’mon in and make yourself at home” attitude that can make you feel relaxed even when surrounded by what must be hundreds of thousands in jewels! Rick even allowed me to drop by the store at 5 AM to pick up my ring, and would routinely send txts or emails after shop hours. These people are dedicated to you. In the end, I wanted a highly customized piece of jewelry designed to wow and amaze one person. I succeeded there; we’re engaged! But pics of the engagement ring almost broke my fiance’s Facebook page with the amount of Likes it got. Whenever my fiancé shows her ring to other newly engaged people, I always feel a bit bad for the other person; I know there’s no way their ring is gonna beat the one Rick made for us!! I am so thankful that the only jeweler I talked to wound up being the exact jeweler I needed. Thanks Rick and the rest of the wonderful...

If you're looking for something unique and high quality, look no further -- Sanders is the best. Between Miriam's design skills, Rick's mastery of all things jewelry, and the rest of the staff's friendliness and helpfulness, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not checking Sanders out.

I originally went to Sanders in search of the perfect engagement ring. I had literally combed the internet and every major store you can think of, along with some other individual jewelers. Despite my exhaustive (and exhausting) search, I still hadn't found the ring that matched the image in my mind, so I turned to a custom solution.

My first experience with Miriam was a delight. I'm an engineer, so designing things out of metal is near the top of my cool list, and Miriam is a pro at it. I wanted a ring that no one had ever seen and few had ever heard of -- a white gold band with a subtle Möbius twist in it.

Not only was Miriam able to design the band exactly how I had imagined, she also designed a unique crown to hold the incredible diamond I purchased from Sanders. When I finally saw the finished product, I was blown away. It was the perfect ring.

My wife and I have since purchased both our wedding bands from Sanders. These were not custom jobs, but were still very unique, specific rings we were looking for. Miriam tracked them down through the jeweler network and they were exactly what we wanted.

That's the best way I can describe an experience with Sanders -- you'll get exactly what you want, even if you don't know what you want going in, and you'll be treated very well and fairly through the whole process.

I feel like Sanders has become our own personal jeweler, as most of their customers probably do, and they'll always be our...