Mark Broumand — Local services in Los Angeles

I wish I were writing this review with the 5-star rating my prior experience warranted. However, my recent interaction with this previously esteemed family business has left me with a less than stellar impression. The 2 stars are awarded based only on the weight of my other interactions, otherwise, 1-star was earned. My husband and I had visited the Diamond District LA store in 2017, with the intention of creating a new setting for the center stone of my then engagement ring. Once there, my husband surprised me with an upgrade to a gorgeous 2.5 carat oval solitaire in a rose gold band he had seen online. For this, we traded in my engagement ring, a 5 stone, one carat A. Jaffe band with a 1.25 carat solitaire radiant center. The ring I now have is lovely and I honestly get so many compliments. As sweet as my husband was to choose this for me, I just prefer the round and classic Old European or Transitional center stone. As many people do, I have been closely watching all the beautiful creations on Instagram. I follow many accounts and was excited to begin the conversation with this same jeweler. I contacted them through Instagram regarding a ring I admired in early August and, apparently, I have fantastic taste as it was over budget. But with this, the conversation was started. Wanting to gather some information, I found my original receipt and discovered that 1) the retail price of the ring we purchased was not listed and 2) the amount allowed on my trade was not listed either. HOW ODD. I sent a photo of a diamond I had seen on another account that specializes in antique cut stones and was told they would be able to source a similar stone. Great! The issue started once I requested more detail on my trade-in. In virtually every Instagram text over the next MONTH, I requested the missing details. I sent the Invoice number, my husband's first and last name (mistakenly thinking it was under my husband but it was under me, same last name), date of purchase, and asked them to fill in the missing details. Well, to make a long review a little shorter, though they have a very active presence on Instagram, posting videos and pictures nearly daily and often multiple times per day, they seem to have difficulty responding in a timely manner. I would send or request information and waited anywhere from 3 to 9 (!) days for any response. They asked me for a picture of my receipt. Really? Do they not keep records? I finally reached the point of frustration and wrote Friday, October 9 the truth of my displeasure. Over a month of writing, asking, reminding, and communicating left me feeling neglected, dismissed, and not worth their time. I understand a trade-in is not their biggest sale, and I understand the ring I was considering upgrading to was not that valuable. The unfortunate thing is, they made me feel that way. You know, not worth their time. After I wrote on Friday, lo and behold, suddenly I was offered a personal phone call with Mark Broumand himself. The phone call did not help the situation. It was clear he was unprepared, he had not read or seen the communications in Instagram and did not realize the extent of the delays. He informed me that they get 100-150 texts per day and "our person who handles Instagram occasionally needs a day off". Right. OK. Mr. Broumand also told me "I agree we dropped the ball and I would be willing to work with you on a future purchase". Uh, no thanks. He then proceeded to tell me that I should have called him directly, and not expected service through Instagram. Yet, there they are. I am disappointed, dissatisfied, and would DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND. For what is one of the most emotional purchases that should bring joy, I can tell you my interaction with this business caused me to feel small and...

I live in Orlando, FL and after searching for my perfect ring for over one year, my fiancé and I decided to go the custom route. After quite a bit of research, I saw some photos of mark's work in some reviews on the weddingbee website and was really impressed by the craftsmanship. So I decided to check out the website and loved what I saw. I began emailing mark questions about the custom design process and he was very friendly and responsive and not pushy at all. During this time, I was also in contact with two other sites asking questions and doing research and weighing my options. I won't name the other businesses, but they really tired me out and seemed a little pushy. Mark seemed to be the only one who made me feel like there was no pressure, and was willing to work within my budget. My fiancé and I are not rich, and I was almost intimidated to even ask if he could work with our budget because everything on the website is gorgeous with huge center stones! I am so glad I did! I had three different inspiration pictures which I had horribly photoshopped into one ring, trying so hard to make something I have never seen in any of the stores we visited. Mark and I emailed back and forth several times about the design and what I wanted, and I even made some changes to the design. He was great throughout it all. And about two and a half weeks later, he sent my fiancé a video of my finished ring. It was so perfect I almost cried when I saw it, because it was exactly how I pictured it in my head and I couldn't believe how perfectly he executed it, even with the horrible pics I sent! I was so nervous to order from a jeweler so far away from me and not being able to see it in person, but I can tell you that I am so happy I did. I cannot wait for my official proposal so that I can wear my beautiful ring every day for the...

When my fiancé and I got engaged in the fall of 2014, we thought that we had found the engagement ring of her dreams: a delicate rose gold band micro paved with diamonds and set with a cushion cut diamond. However, as her first year with the ring passed, the rose gold's pink luster gradually faded and turned yellow. We were devastated, as rose gold was a key feature of the ring for us, and my fiancé wanted to finish her set with a matching rose gold wedding band. We did not trust the original jeweler who sold us the ring to help us the right way and were not sure what we could do.

One November day in LA's jewelry district, Mark Broumand came to our rescue. We walked into his store without an appointment on a Sunday afternoon and his team immediately sat down with my fiancé and I to understand our situation and look at her ring. Mark's team worked with us to learn exactly what we wanted in our ideal ring set. Mark personally educated us on the differences between manufactured (what we had unknowingly purchased) and custom crafted (his specialty) rings. We left that day without making a purchase, but we felt knowledgeable and fully informed about our options.

The next week we returned to Mark Broumand and purchased a custom crafted engagement setting for the original diamond with a matching, custom crafted wedding band. It took Mark about one month to complete the ring set and we were able to keep the original engagement ring for most of that time.

The result of Mark's work is absolute perfection. My fiancé now has the rose gold, micro paved ring set of her dreams, right down to every detail (diamonds surrounding the base of the setting, completely solid ring with no manufactured indentations or gaps). I highly recommend Mark Broumand and intend to return there for...