Shelia Bayes Jewelers — Local services in Lexington

Incredible! Highly recommended! I experienced the most outstanding service at Sheila Bayes during the process of creating an engagement ring for my girlfriend. They demystified the entire ring selection process and made me feel at ease about one of the biggest purchases I'll ever make. I wish I could give more than 5 stars -- this was quite possibly one of the best retail experiences I've had in my life. Why is Sheila Bayes so wonderful? Let me break it down:

Rachel K. Prior to going in to SB (eventually a friend of my mom recommended them), I went to a few other local jewelers and to one large chain store. The other local jeweler salespeople were competent but treated me in an aloof, brusque manner upon hearing of my budget. At the chain jewelry store, the salespeople never said much beyond "that looks great"--they clearly didn't know much about diamonds or jewelry beyond vague platitudes.

Enter Rachel at Sheila Bayes: she knows her stuff and imparted her knowledge freely, treated me with respect, even upon hearing of my budget (I'm a teacher), and took the time to help me find an awesome ring, listening to my thoughts and concerns and taking them 100% into account. She''s funny and made me feel relaxed throughout a process that I had previously dreaded and found taxing. She was also willing to go above and beyond to help get a family heirloom diamond in another state shipped to SB once I had decided on a setting. I cannot say enough good things about her.

Selection and Craftsmanship At SB, the settings I looked at were hands down way classier than those I had seen elsewhere. Simple yet elegant, I had a much harder time narrowing down the setting there because there were so many wonderful options (guys: it's a good problem to have; more choice is better). SB placed our heirloom diamond in the setting and it looks FANTASTIC. My fiancee loves loves loves her ring! It shimmers and sparkles and we both find ourselves mesmerized by it. It's truly stunning, and we owe that to the craftsmanship of the jewelers on staff at SB (Heather).

Overall Experience I've mentioned quite a few things already, but in general, this was a great experience. As an earthy Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who went into the whole thing with a negative attitude towards what I saw as socially caving into De Beers marketing and exploitation--at best a kind of necessary evil--I left with a newfound appreciation for giving my loved one something that though socially constructed, can still be a promise, a shimmering, sparkly way to set the tone for a lifetime of magic together.

Bravo Sheila Bayes!

**5/18 Update We're getting closer to the wedding and though we now live in a different state, I knew we had to go back to Rachael and her team at SB for the wedding bands. Rachael worked with us across thousands of miles of distance, FedExing us bands to try on. All the rings were delightful. We selected our wedding bands and again, Rachael got us an incredible deal for classic, lovely wedding bands that we're excited to wear. I'm not a jewelry kind of guy (have never worn anything) and workout a lot with my hands (pull ups, rowing etc) and I especially appreciate how Rachael recommended a manly, classic,...

I acquired a nearly impossible to find Goldwing ring, but was 2 sizes too large. I contacted several very reputable jewelry shops who either told me the ring couldn't be resized or simply hung up on me....until I called Shrlia Bayes fine jewelry. I spoke with Heather Burleson who was not only enthusiastic about helping solve my problem but even offered a couple options, including remaking the ring, if needed. Finally, I was speaking with someone who brought customer service to the table along with the ability for craftsmanship. When I arrived at the store, they looked the ring over and said they were positive they could resize the ring without issues. They gave me a firm quote and a date when it would be ready. Today, I received a call from them telling me my ring was ready for pickup.....9 days earlier than expected!!!! I went to pick it up and the repairs were flawless and the price was quite reasonable. I cant begin to express my gratitude to these fine people and what they bring to the table for their customers.

I'm a retired builder and a lifetime biker, so it isnt like me to have a "go to" jewelry shop, but now I do. Thanks to all at Shelia Bayes ....you'll be...

“Super disappointed with this place. We dropped off my late grandmothers ring to be appraised and not only were they late on getting the appraisal done, but they “misplaced” the ring box it was given to me in. When telling us what may have happened, they gave us contradicting stories. At the end of the day, it’s just a box, however the box and ring inside still held sentimental value, and they were careless in that manner.”

This was my initial review after my experience with them, however, shortly after this incident, Sheila Bayes herself called me to apologize. This meant more to me than providing any kind of monetary compensation. She is right back up to 5/5 stars. Things happen, but how you handle them makes all the difference. Thank you...